Month: January 2026

 Literature Review Essentials

• Structure is key: Organize your review around themes, not just authors. Tell a story that guides the reader through the research.
• Be selective: Only include sources that directly relate to your topic. Synthesize them—don’t just list summaries.
• Identify patterns and gaps: Look for agreements, disagreements, methods, and where more research is needed.
• Write with purpose: Use clear topic sentences, strong active verbs, and smooth transitions. Stay objective and analytical.
• Conclusion matters: End by summarizing key findings, highlighting gaps, and suggesting directions for future research.

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

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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).

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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

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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

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Key Elements of an Argument

• Statement of the problem
• Literature review
• Clear research focus (question, aim, or hypothesis)
• Methodology
• Evidence / results
• Discussion and conclusion

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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.

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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

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Key Takeaway

Academic writing is argumentative writing: make a claim, support it with evidence, and show where you stand.

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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.

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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”

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Structuring the Research

• Break the main question into sub-questions
• Use sub-questions to shape your structure
• Modify the topic as research develops

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Research Process

Four main stages:

1. Researching the research
2. Planning the research
3. Doing the research
4. Finishing the research

Use primary and secondary sources, take careful notes, and always evaluate credibility and bias.

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Key Takeaway

A focused research question is the foundation of a strong investigation.

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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

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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

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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

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Core Principle of Staging

Every movement must serve the story.
Avoid unnecessary action that distracts from the narrative.

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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

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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

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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

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Three-Part Structure

Based on Aristotle’s theory:

• Beginning – introduction of situation and characters
• Middle – development of conflict
• End – resolution

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Five-Act Structure

Common in novels, plays, and films:

1. Exposition – setting, characters, and conflict introduced
2. Rising Action – obstacles and complications increase
3. Climax – turning point, highest tension
4. Falling Action – consequences unfold
5. Resolution – conflict resolved, new order established

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Equilibrium Model

Another way to understand narrative progression:

• Equilibrium
• Disruption
• Recognition
• Action
• Re-equilibrium

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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.

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Developing the Narrative

• Introduce or change obstacles
• Develop character goals
• Use subplots only if they support the main story
• Consider timing, shots, and sound

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Clear Storytelling

Effective narratives rely on:

• Framing and staging
• Transitions and pacing
• Clear narrative function in each scene

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Key Takeaway

Strong stories are built on clear structure, engaging conflict, and meaningful resolution.

Defining the Research Question Through Existing Visual Tropes

After identifying architecture as a key interest, I began mapping recurring visual tropes in dystopian animation and games. Cyberpunk cities, monumental concrete buildings, and dense vertical urban spaces appeared repeatedly across different media.

At this stage, my question shifted from what architecture looks like to what it does. Why are certain architectural styles—especially Brutalism and cyberpunk urbanism—so frequently used to represent future societies? What assumptions about power, technology, and humanity are embedded in these visual choices?

This reflection helped refine my research question toward architecture as metaphor, rather than style.

Literature Review: Architecture as Narrative Space

To ground my observations theoretically, I began reviewing academic texts on spatial storytelling. Jenkins’ concept of “narrative architecture” was particularly influential, as it frames built environments as cultural constructions that guide interpretation rather than merely host action.

Nitsche’s discussion of game spaces further supported this approach by emphasizing space as an integrated system of narrative, visual, and experiential information. These readings confirmed that my intuitive response to architecture had an established theoretical foundation.

This stage of research allowed me to shift from visual intuition to academic framing.

Initial Motivation: Why Architecture Became My Research Focus

This research began with a practical and intuitive question: why do certain animated and game worlds feel ideologically heavy even before any narrative is explained? In many dystopian animations and games, I noticed that architecture alone often communicates power, control, and social hierarchy.

Rather than focusing on character or plot, I became increasingly interested in how environments—particularly large-scale urban architecture—shape the emotional and political tone of a fictional world. This observation led me to frame architecture not as background decoration, but as a narrative structure that actively produces meaning.

This blog marks the starting point of my research inquiry: how architectural design functions as a storytelling and ideological device in animated and virtual worlds.

What’s more, I am quite interested in architecture.

Brutalist architecture

St. Joseph Hospital in Tacoma, Washington, in 1974