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Course Classes

Research-Based Animation I: Research

Course Aims

  • Students learn about the different paradigms that exist in art-based research and develop their own research methods, focus, and practices within the context of their graduation project.
  • Students learn to formulate artistic research questions and define design requirements as partial answers to these questions.
  • Students learn to define the state-of-the-art of a project by collecting, analyzing, referencing, and comparing written, audiovisual, and artistic sources.
  • Students learn to develop an iterative research trajectory including artistic and technical experimentation and reflection upon their own creations.

Course Content

Students are introduced to the methods of research-through-design and art-based research, and apply these methods to create a research document for their graduation project.

This process includes:

  1. Formulating thematic, narrative, and artistic research questions.
  2. Analysis of written and artistic sources.
  3. Experimentation with the styling and extended narrative of the project.

The resulting report consists of both a written and an (audio)visual component. It can function as a research paper—serving as a first step toward the dissertation— and as a blueprint for the development dossier.

The report outlines the narrative, stylistic, thematic, technical, and expressive choices made by the student. It will serve as the basis for the creation of a script, storyboard, concept art, and animation tests in later stages.

The report also includes a first synopsis of the proposed project and a declaration of intent from both the director (artistic approach) and the screenwriter (narrative approach).

Evaluation

Deliverable

The research report is a mixed written and (audio)visual document structured as follows:

  • Declaration of intent (director and screenwriter)
  • Synopsis of the project
  • For each research question:
    • Formulation of the research question
    • Analysis of written and artistic inspirations
    • Practical and artistic experiments into style and narrative
    • Formulation of design requirements
  • Conclusions: defining the scope and artistic goals of the graduation project
  • Research plan for the upcoming semesters

Assessment Breakdown

  • 20% Permanent evaluation
  • 60% Research report
  • 20% Final presentation