What we learned: Camera Language and Cinematic Techniques
In Week 1, the focus was on how camera choices affect storytelling and how different cinematic techniques guide the audience’s attention. Key concepts included:
Focus / Depth of Field
Deep Focus: The entire frame is in focus, allowing viewers to explore the scene and discover details themselves.
Shallow Focus: Focuses only on the subject, creating a “tunnel vision” effect to direct audience attention.
Rack Focus: Smoothly shifts focus between subjects to guide the viewer’s eye through the 3D space, following the scene’s logic.
Focal Length, Geometry, and Camera Movement
Dolly-Zoom: Shows a character’s world shifting or sudden psychological horror.
Handheld Camera: Gives a gritty, realistic feeling, making viewers feel like eyewitnesses.
Whip Pan: Connects Point A and Point B visually, suggesting cause-and-effect without a cut.
Establishing Shots: Provide an omniscient perspective and emphasize scale or pattern.
Arc Shots: Make the character the visual center, detaching them from their surroundings.
Assignment:
Choose one version of a buddy’s storyboard and animate it in Maya using the provided scene and character.
Adjust the scene if necessary to better fit the camera storytelling.
During weeks 9–12, our group focused on integrating the motion capture animation with the environments and finalising the main scenes of the project. This stage involved combining the captured performances, characters, and environments into a complete sequence.
Animation and Character Integration
The mocap data was processed and applied to the characters, including the humanoid MetaHuman and the mannequin used for testing animation. This allowed us to visualise how the captured performance translated into the digital characters.
At the same time, the café environment and the laboratory set were placed into the Unreal Engine scene to support the narrative.
Cinematic Setup
We also began setting up cameras and scene composition to present the story clearly. This included framing the interaction between the alien and the human in the café and ensuring that the character movements and emotions could be clearly seen.
Final Outcome
By the end of this stage, we were able to assemble the main sequence of the project, showing the alien’s interaction in the café and the training process.
Reflection
This final stage helped us understand how different elements—motion capture performance, environment design, and animation—come together to create a complete scene. Working collaboratively across different roles allowed us to complete the project and translate our initial concept into a finished visual sequence.
During weeks 6–8, I focused on building the futuristic café environment in Unreal Engine based on our group task division. This location is important because it is where the first scene of our story takes place, where the alien interacts with a human in a public space.
I began with a white box layout to block out the basic structure and scale of the café. This helped define the spatial arrangement before adding detailed assets.
Asset and Material Setup
After establishing the layout, I added environment assets and began developing the visual style of the space. The design direction was a futuristic cyberpunk-style café / pub, which fits the narrative setting of a future society.
I applied materials using Unreal Engine’s material system, connecting UV nodes and materials to ensure that textures worked correctly on different objects. Smart materials were also used to help achieve a consistent visual style across the environment.
Scene Integration
Once the environment was complete, I integrated it with the motion capture animation. I produced the first major shot of the project, showing the alien character interacting with a human inside the café as part of the test scenario.
Reflection
This stage helped me develop my workflow in Unreal Engine, from environment blockout to final scene setup. It also showed how environment design supports storytelling and character performance within the motion capture project.
During weeks 4–6, our group scheduled the motion capture sessions and began preparing the performance based on our script. We participated in two motion capture sessions to record the main actions and emotional interactions between the characters.
Roles During Mocap
During the mocap sessions, different members of the group took on specific roles. Me and Avi worked as the mocap directors, guiding the performance and ensuring the actions followed the script and emotional beats.
Elsa and Issa performed as the mocap actors, acting out the character movements and interactions. Adarsh worked as the mocap technical operator, responsible for importing and exporting the captured motion data.
With support from the mocap and directing tutors, we also learned how to guide performers, manage the capture process, and use the mocap software and equipment correctly.
Post-Capture Workflow
After the capture sessions, we confirmed the production workflow and divided the remaining tasks:
AVI – Model the laboratory set and compile the process video
Adarsh – Create the MetaHuman humanoid and process mocap data in Unreal
Vano (me) – Model the coffee shop environment
Elsa & Issa – Animation work and importing mocap data onto the mannequin
Reflection
These sessions helped us understand both the technical and performative aspects of motion capture. Working directly with actors and equipment gave us a clearer idea of how performance translates into digital animation.
During the first three weeks, our group focused on developing the concept and narrative for our motion capture project. The brief highlights the importance of combining technical motion capture skills with performance and direction, so we aimed to create a story that focuses on body language and emotional expression.
Group Collaboration
Our group consists of five members from different disciplines: three 3D animation students, one VR student, and one VFX student. Working in a multidisciplinary group allows us to approach the project from both creative and technical perspectives.
Story Development
We selected the scenario “Alien Naturalisation Programme.” We expanded the original idea into a short narrative set in the future, where humanoids try to blend into human society. Because their behaviour is still slightly robotic, they capture aliens and train them to imitate human emotions, facial expressions, and everyday actions.
The story follows one alien during this training process. At first, the alien appears to behave like a normal human in a café, but small unnatural movements reveal something is wrong. The alien is then transported back to a laboratory where humanoids analyse its behaviour and continue the training.
Reflection
We chose this concept because it offers strong opportunities to explore performance, emotion, and gesture, which are key elements of motion capture. In the next stage, we will begin preparing the performance and planning the motion capture process.
Different Ideologies, Similar Architectural Effects
As my analysis progressed, I noticed that despite ideological differences—state socialism versus corporate capitalism—both worlds produce similar architectural effects: monumental scale, loss of human proportion, and spatial oppression.
This realization shifted my research toward a comparative framework. Architecture does not simply represent ideology; it produces similar experiential outcomes across political systems.
This insight directly shaped the structure of my essay’s analytical chapters.
Are These Futures Inevitable?
At a later stage, I began questioning whether dystopian architectural futures have become an unquestioned default. Academic discussions on speculative design and emerging movements such as Solarpunk introduced alternative architectural imaginaries.
This phase of research did not reject cyberpunk or Brutalism, but critically examined their dominance. It opened space for thinking about future-oriented animation that does not rely solely on oppression-driven aesthetics.
Class review
Academic Writing Approaches
Using Evidence: Academic writing must be supported by data, quotes, theories, and research to add substance and show understanding.
Incorporating Others’ Work: This can be done through:
Summarising – condensing key points.
Synthesising – combining multiple sources to support your argument.
Quoting – using exact words with quotation marks and citation.
Paraphrasing – rewriting ideas in your own words.
Formal Language: Use clear, concise, and formal language. Avoid slang, contractions, and redundancy.
Active vs. Passive Voice: Use a mix depending on whether you want to emphasize the subject or the action.
Expressing Opinion: Use hedges (e.g., “suggests,” “may”) to show caution and boosters (e.g., “clearly,” “indicates”) to show certainty.
Reporting Verbs: Choose verbs that reflect your stance: strong (argue, assert), neutral (describe, note), or tentative (suggest, propose).
Critical Report: Animated Documentary & Trauma
Thesis: Animated documentaries can effectively represent trauma through personal and abstract visual storytelling, though they face challenges regarding historical accuracy and believability.
Key Examples:
Waltz with Bashir (2008) – explores war trauma and memory.
Silence (1998) – depicts a Holocaust survivor’s experience.
The Sinking of the Lusitania (1918) – early example of animated documentary.
Tower (2016) – uses rotoscoping to blend animation with real footage.
Strengths:
Helps visualize memory and trauma.
Offers personal, subjective perspectives.
Can be less distressing than live-action footage.
Weaknesses:
May lack visual evidence, affecting credibility.
Can feel “uncanny” or detached from reality.
Live-action endings sometimes undermine animated segments.
Future Potential:
Interactive formats (e.g., Darfur is Dying) and VR could enhance immersion and empathy.
Allows representation of individual experience, especially in trauma.
Researching Atomic Heart: Soviet Architecture and Utopian Ideology
My research into Atomic Heart began with historical investigation rather than gameplay analysis. I examined Soviet architectural movements, including Constructivism, Stalinist neoclassicism, and Brutalism, to understand the visual references embedded in the game.
Academic discussions of Soviet utopian planning helped contextualize why architectural unity, monumental scale, and functional design were central to state ideology. This background research clarified how Atomic Heart exaggerates these qualities to expose their dystopian implications.
Researching Cyberpunk 2077: Capitalism, Density, and Verticality
In contrast, my research into Cyberpunk 2077 focused on urban capitalism and spatial hierarchy. Readings on cyberpunk theory, combined with architectural references such as Metabolism and Kowloon Walled City, revealed how density and vertical separation visualize class division.
Rather than portraying a centralized ideological system, Night City reflects fragmented power structures dominated by corporations. Architecture becomes a mechanism for reinforcing inequality rather than collective identity.
This distinction became important in differentiating the two case studies.
Class review
Developing an Investigation — The Principle of Argument
What Is an Academic Argument
An academic argument is your central claim and how you support it with evidence. It expresses your viewpoint and answers a research question in a persuasive and logical way.
A strong argument:
Runs consistently through the entire work
Guides structure and research
Is supported by evidence, not opinion
Key Elements of an Argument
Statement of the problem
Literature review
Clear research focus (question, aim, or hypothesis)
Methodology
Evidence / results
Discussion and conclusion
Your Voice in Academic Writing
Your voice appears through:
Interpretation and evaluation of sources
Clear connections between ideas
Critical commentary (“so what?” sentences)
Academic writing is not just summarising others — it is joining the conversation.
Literature Review & Research Gap
A literature review:
Engages critically with existing research
Identifies limitations or gaps in knowledge
Establishes the originality and significance of your study
Key Takeaway
Academic writing is argumentative writing: make a claim, support it with evidence, and show where you stand.
Choosing and Researching a Topic — Key Notes
Choosing a Topic
A good topic should:
Hold your interest long-term
Be focused, researchable, and challenging
Relate to art, design, or visual culture
Avoid topics that are too broad, too obvious, or purely descriptive.
Research Question
Your topic becomes your research question. Strong research questions:
Are specific and analytical
Drive structure and investigation
Cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”
Structuring the Research
Break the main question into sub-questions
Use sub-questions to shape your structure
Modify the topic as research develops
Research Process
Four main stages:
Researching the research
Planning the research
Doing the research
Finishing the research
Use primary and secondary sources, take careful notes, and always evaluate credibility and bias.
Key Takeaway
A focused research question is the foundation of a strong investigation.
Composition, Screen Direction & Staging — Key Notes
Composition in Filmmaking
Composition is the arrangement of visual elements within the frame. It guides the viewer’s attention and supports storytelling.
Common techniques include:
Rule of thirds
Leading lines
Balance and symmetry
Use of space and depth
Screen Direction & Continuity
Screen direction refers to how movement appears on screen. Maintaining consistent direction prevents audience confusion.
Key rules:
180-degree rule (axis of action)
Once direction is established, it must be maintained
Crossing the axis must be visually motivated
Staging & Blocking
Staging is the clear presentation of action, emotion, and story. Blocking is the choreography of actors in relation to the camera.
Good staging:
Makes internal emotions visible
Clarifies relationships and space
Directs attention to what matters
Core Principle of Staging
Every movement must serve the story. Avoid unnecessary action that distracts from the narrative.
Key Takeaway
Composition, screen direction, and staging work together to create clarity, continuity, and emotional impact.
Reading Brutalism: Architecture, Power, and Ideology
Following the theoretical framework, I focused on Brutalist architecture as a recurring visual language in dystopian worlds. Historical research into post-war European and Soviet Brutalism revealed its close association with institutional authority, collectivism, and state power.
Texts by Priestman and architectural critiques helped clarify why Brutalism is often perceived as inhuman or oppressive. This reading process made it clear that Brutalism’s visual qualities are inseparable from its ideological and historical context.
This understanding became central to my later analysis of both Atomic Heart and Cyberpunk 2077.
Case Selection: Why Atomic Heart and Cyberpunk 2077
At this point, I needed concrete case studies that clearly demonstrated architecture as an ideological expression. Atomic Heart and Cyberpunk 2077 were selected not because of personal preference, but because both rely heavily on architectural world-building to communicate social systems.
Although aesthetically different—Soviet retrofuturism versus Western cyberpunk capitalism—both games use architecture to visualize power, hierarchy, and technological domination. This contrast offered an opportunity for comparative analysis rather than isolated description.
Class review
Narrative Structure — Key Notes
What is Narrative Structure
Narrative structure is the framework used to organise events in a story. Its purpose is to engage the audience, build conflict, and reach a satisfying resolution.
A successful narrative:
Presents a clear chain of events
Uses appealing and believable characters
Ends with a meaningful conclusion
Common Narrative Forms
Narrative structures appear across many forms, including:
Novels, poetry, drama
Short stories and novellas
Myths, legends, fairy tales, and epics
Film and animation
Three-Part Structure
Based on Aristotle’s theory:
Beginning – introduction of situation and characters
Middle – development of conflict
End – resolution
Five-Act Structure
Common in novels, plays, and films:
Exposition – setting, characters, and conflict introduced
Rising Action – obstacles and complications increase
Climax – turning point, highest tension
Falling Action – consequences unfold
Resolution – conflict resolved, new order established
Equilibrium Model
Another way to understand narrative progression:
Equilibrium
Disruption
Recognition
Action
Re-equilibrium
Narrative in Animation (Paul Wells)
Animation writers must constantly observe and draw from everyday life. Animation allows the impossible to become believable and the absurd to feel real.
Developing the Narrative
Introduce or change obstacles
Develop character goals
Use subplots only if they support the main story
Consider timing, shots, and sound
Clear Storytelling
Effective narratives rely on:
Framing and staging
Transitions and pacing
Clear narrative function in each scene
Key Takeaway
Strong stories are built on clear structure, engaging conflict, and meaningful resolution.
