Senior Project Reflection

(1) Positive Statement
What are you most proud of in your 2-Hour Presentation and/or your senior project? Why?
One of my favorite things about my 2-Hour Presentation was how I was able to incorporate several of my own character designs into my slides and discussions.  These are the same characters I plan to one day incorporate into television. My peers today may actually recognize them in the future, when they have their own show.  This is my biggest goal in life, and I found it fun that I could share my characters with my peers.

(2) Questions to Consider
a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your 2-Hour Presentation (self-assessment)?
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b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?
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(3) What worked for you in your senior project?
What worked best for me during senior project were probably the independent components.  They were the most fun projects for me to work on, and I was able to show off my skills a little bit.  For the first component, I created several scenes, conceptual designs, and sketches of my very own characters.  For the second component, I took two of my characters and depicted them in a storyboard, showing a short animation sequence.  I was able to use both of these components as part my 2-hour presentation.

(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would have you done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?
  The hardest part about senior project was finding mentorship hours.  At first, I thought taking a class about your preferred topic was sufficient, and I had gained several hours from being in the class.  However, I was later informed that classes did not count for my senior project and that I was supposed to be job-shadowing or even working as a TA (teacher assistant).  If could go back, I would rally this information to my past self so I could seek out better mentorship.  In the end, I actually did manage to gain enough hours by working with my friend at her school, as well as working as a TA on the weekends for the Pasadena College of Art and Design.

(5) Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples
  Senior project has helped me concentrate on my future goals in life.  I want to study character design further, as that is specifically what my topic was about.  My goal in life is to get my characters onto television, with their own show and everything.  My time at Pasadena’s College of Design for classes and mentorship has confirmed it as a place I may go to further my studies.

Random Post 10

    Probably the best part of my  my 2-Hour Presentation is how I  incorporated several of my own character designs into my slides and discussions.  These are the same characters I plan to get onto television someday.  Many of them have been redesigned so many times over.  Some barely look like how the started off.  Some I've dropped entirely, as I decided not to use their designs in the end. I'm sure a few, particularly my main character, Rico the dragon, almost everyone will recognize because I draw him the most and everyone has seen him at least once.  He has gone through the most redesigns alone. It is exciting that he and the others are going to "premier" if you will, in an official presentation!

3 Column Chart

Name: Pilar I. Perrault                                     House: South                                        Topic:  Character Design for Animation

THREE COLUMN LOGIC CHART

Essential Question: What is the most important aspect of designing a character for an animated feature?

Best Answer: The Three P’s (Powers, Personality, & Physical Appearance)

Statements	Reasons	Verification
1) What is the most important aspect of designing a character for an animated feature?	1) Given	1) None
2) To design is to plan or lay out the blueprints for something, such as a building, art project, or as in my case, a cartoon character.	2) We need to know what it means to design something so we know what we are doing.	2) Ronal Llanos
3) An animated character is a fictional person/animal, etc. that is brought to life in the form of animation. The story could not exist without the characters to tell and move it along.	3) We need to know what a character is in order to know how to create one.	3) The Art of Character Design/Illusion of Life: Disney Animation
4) An animated feature is a story in the form of animation made using a series of moving pictures (through the use of drawings, puppets, or digital media). It can be a movie, a cartoon on television, or even the plot of a video game.	4) We need to know what an animated feature is because this is where you are going to find the animated character.	4) Animation Facts/ ccad.osu.edu/womenandtech/Storyboard%20Resourcea
5) Answer 1: The Three P’s	5) You cannot create a character if you do not plan how he/she will look or act. The development stage is important!	5) Nickelodeon/Illusion of Life: Disney Animation/ tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/.../DevelopCharacterPersonality
6) Powers are often assumed to be superpowers, such as having superstrengh, the ability to move things with your mind, shooting bolts of lightning form your body, flying, etc.	6) This is basically what most people think when they hear someone talking about having “powers.”	6) Lilo and Stitch/Pokémon/Superman
7) Powers do not always need to be dramatic. They can be much more subtle, such as being able to talk to animals, being an expert jury rigger, being a computer whiz, smooth talking, ability to tame wild creatures, etc.	7) Many people mistakenly believe that “powers” always have to be “super.”	7) Wild Thornberries/Lilo and Stitch
8) Personality is what makes character relatable to audience (seems “human”). If character can make you laugh or draw a tear, then their personality is believable.	8) We need to show the feelings of those characters with emotion to figure out why people care about characters, even though they do not actually exist.	8) The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation
9) Heart’s Desire: Simple and extravagant! What motivates the character to act? (desire to get the girl, get to work on time, become a Pokémon master, etc.)	9) This is important because it is the motivation for the character can tell you a lot about their personality. It is important for the viewers to be involved in the character’s feelings.	9) Illusion of Life: Disney Animation/Spilling Ink
10) Flaws: Flaws make a character’s trek humorous and make their virtues believable	10) Flaws help a character seem more human to the audience. Everyone has them, nobody is perfect.	10) tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/.../DevelopCharacterPersonality
11) Theme: Character theme is a determining factor for how they act (ex. hero and villain, bully and nerd, etc.)	11) This is important because it influences the character’s actions to something the audience would expect. Viewers expect to see a hero to be confident, stong, and brave, not cowardly and weak.	11) Ideas for the Animated Short/ tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/.../DevelopCharacterPersonality
12) Appearance matters. Circles are often used for cuddly, friendly characters	12) By examining a character’s body shape, one can see hint of their personality.	12) Creating Characters with Personality/Dragon Art
13) Boxes or Squares usually represent the heavy, solid, dependable characters	13) By examining a character’s body shape, one can see hint of their personality.	13) Creating Characters with Personality/Dragon Art
14) Triangular shapes tend to represent malevolent or villainous characters	14) By examining a character’s body shape, one can see hint of their personality.	14) Creating Characters with Personality/Dragon Art
15) Costume can reveal where the character is from and what they do (ex. An armored knight is likely to live in the Medieval Times and slay dragons)	15) This is important because the character’s life does not play out in a white void. Setting and costume help establish place, which makes sense for the viewers.	15) Anime Mania
16) Answer 2: Model Sheets & Concept Art	16) It is not uncommon for a designer to have to redraw a character repeatedly before they can get a satisfactory design.	16) Ronald Llanos/www.animationarena.com
17) Shows the character from different angles, usually front, back and to the side	17) Helps the animator keep the character looking consistent so the character has the same proportions from every angle.	17) Ronald Llanos/sheridanportfoliotips.blogspot.com
18) Keeps note of height and small details (folds in clothes, wrinkles, etc.)	18) Helps the animator keep the character looking consistent with height and small details so they do not mysterious change from frame to frame.	18) www.remindblog.com/2010/02/11/definition-modelsheet-character-turnaround
19) Sketches depicting what the character may look like, which are often simply drawn, with little to no inking or coloring	19) Helps determine what the character is going to look like. Animators never settle on the first design.	19) sheridanportfoliotips.blogspot.com/ www.remindblog.com/2010/02/11/definition-modelsheet-character-turnaround
20) Answer 3: Story Background	20) The next step of animating a character, putting them into a storyline.	20) Storyboards/SpongeBob Squarepants
21) Character: Whom the story is about, often told through their eyes.	21) This goes back to the beginning. The character is important because he/she is the very soul of the story.	21) Ideas for the Animated Short/Storyboards/Art Center College of Design, Pasadena
22) Goal: (aka the heart’s desire)  The very thing that the character wants to obtain; the whole reason for their trek	22) This is important because it is the character' goal influences how they move through the story and affects their actions and emotions.	22) Ideas for the Animated Short/Storyboards/Art Center College of Design, Pasadena
23) Conflict: What lies between the character and the goal. The conflict creates obstacles, and hardships that can endanger the character either mentally or physically.	23) This makes it harder for the character to reach their goal, which adds drama to the storyline.	23) Ideas for the Animated Short/Storyboards/Art Center College of Design, Pasadena
Best Answer: The Three P’s (Powers, Personality, & Physical Appearance)	If: the three P’s, model sheets, and the storyline are all part of the design stages of a character Then: the most important aspect of designing an animated character is the character’s development (both physical and personal) because those are the primary factors that will affect how the character looks and acts before he/she is even drawn.

BLOG 13: Rough Draft of 30 minute presentation

30 Minute Lesson Plan

Name: Pilar I. Perrault                               Date: 1/15/2013                                      House: South

Essential question: What is the most important aspect in designing a character for an animated feature?

Objectives: I plan to inform the students about how a character’s design can determine its role in any animated feature.

Category	Guide
Introduction	Hello. My name is Pilar Perrault and I chose Character Design for Animation as my topic for senior project. I will be explaining the process of designing characters for TV/films. In addition to this, I will explain why the character development stage is a vital part of animated features. My presentation will also feature an activity to assist you all in understanding my topic.
Verification (Steps to check for student understanding)	Beginning of Presentation: ·         What do you think character design is? ·         What is it used in? ·         What makes it significant in animated features? ·         How does the style of the character affect its role in the storyline? ·         What makes the audience connect with the character(s)? End: Though the actual process of animation can simply be defined as moving pictures (such as a short frame-by-frame shot of a ball bouncing across the screen), no one goes to the movie theater to watch a ball bounce across the screen for two whole hours! The character development phase is a significant part of any cartoon series or animated movie. They are what make the show/film worth watching. The character’s design and personality can determine what role they play in the story, as well as affect how the audience reacts to him or her.
Body (Give and demonstrate necessary information)	v  Literal: a) The personality, powers, and physical appearance of a character can     define their role in a story and how they interact with others b) The age of a character can determine their role in the story (i.e. Youthful       characters are usually depicted as the heroes while middle-aged or older     characters are depicted as villains) c) Clothing/costume can say a lot about a character’s setting and time period     (i.e. a character clad in knightly armor would most likely be from the     medieval times, even a fantasy world full of dragons and monsters) d) A flat, static character elicits no emotion from the audience (no matter     how cool the special effects, how smooth the animation, or how awesome      the graphics look) v  Interpretive: a) I learned much of this from actually witnessing how characters act and react in various cartoon series. If one observes a character long enough (I’ve been watching Pokémon and SpongeBob for 11 years!), they may notice a pattern in that character’s behavior. You can sometimes imagine that character in any scene you can conjure up and your mind and almost immediately determine how the character would react. b) Another source I have is a book about designing anime characters called Anime Mania. It is what taught me about how the character’s age and costume are major factors to consider when creating a character. v  Applied:     I have learned that if a character is to be animated, a representation must be made (designed) so can be created into digital form. I find this to be particularly important, as I have big plans to introduce my own characters to the world of animation (particularly television).
Visuals	v  PowerPoint depicting facts and image comparisons v  Original drawings by me, showing character development
Activity (Describe the independent activity to reinforce this lesson)	·         Designing a character ·         Students will design and draw a character with a partner and  a) draw at least 6 different expressions for said character?  b) draw character in 3 different designs (Original/Disney/Anime)? ·         Paper and pencil

Rough Draft of Presentation 1

https://docs.google.com/open?id=1qgcxpebzrUk6UWUEgGH94XhbqAneVxscMiTz85A232OEDVqRsl0QO2EdBQMJ