Unit 3

Unit 3 - case study

In Unit 3, we are researching and writing about companies in the Media industry and directors. First, I am writing a case study on Aardman Animations, as they are a local and famous film company, and I like their work.

Aardman Animations

What is Aardman Animations?

Home | Aardman

Aardman Animations is an animation company who have produced a range of famous animations such as “Shaun the Sheep”, “Wallace and Gromit” and “Chicken Run”.

Aardman Animations are known for creating stop-motion animations with the use of models made of clay or plasticine and a series of photographs put together to create an animation. Their productions are traditionally made for children, and you can see “Shaun the Sheep” and “Timmy Time” aired on the kids’ television channels CBBC and Cbeebies.

They are based in Bristol and were established in 1972 and have become famous world-wide since.

After watching “Wallace and Gromit” and “Shaun the Sheep” I’ve noticed that their productions usually have a comedic effect and in these two shows specifically, they rarely use dialogue. I think this is really effective because they communicate Gromit’s feelings for example through facial expressions and body language. This way the audience can really get to know the characters and also focus on the visual aspect of the film, helping them appreciate the hard work that goes into animation.

I really like their work, especially as all their animated characters are designed in a specific way, making them memorable and distinctive to Aardman Animations. I like the style of the characters because they're comedic and expressive.

Here is an example of Gromit using facial expressions and body language to communicate.

Wallace and Gromit

Wallace and Gromit is one of Aardman Animation’s most successful productions. The series consists of 4 short films and 1 feature-length film, and focuses on the protagonist, Wallace, and his pet dog, Gromit. The first short film of Wallace and Gromit is “A Grand Day Out”, and was first made public in 1989. It focuses on Wallace and Gromit going to the moon and eating cheese. A famous feature of the series is Wallace’s love for Wensleydale cheese, and his accent is from North Yorkshire, which is home to Wensleydale. Wallace and Gromit have helped give England a better reputation, as they are such lovable characters who represent our country. This is partly why it was so successful.

Peter Lord and David Sproxton

Peter Lord and David Sproxton have been animating together since they were in school. After graduation they moved to Bristol in 1976 and created Morph.

Since then Aardman has achieved many awards and created many famous productions.

Image links:

I got the information for my case study from the Aardman Animations website - www.aardman.com , and I compared this information with the information on Wikipedia - Aardman Animations - Wikipedia and there is similar content. This makes me sure that the information about Aardman Animations is accurate, as the company's own page and a well-known trusted source have similar information.

Oliver Jennings

For our next task, we had to make a short presentation in groups about a British director of our choice. Me and my partner chose Oliver Jennings, a music video director based in London.

Oct 12th presentation unit 03 - Molly Maya.MP4

In the presentation, I focused on talking about why we chose Oliver Jennnings, and I delved into music videos he has produced in his career. My partner focused on talking about who he is and how his career devleoped.

I prefer presenting remotely, because I felt like there was less pressure. There was no one watching and I could read a script easier. I also felt more confident to speak as I knew it was just us two.

After my presentation was recorded, I edited the footage in Premiere Pro to adjust the contrast, brightness and highlights settings.

Oliver Jennings presentation.pptx

Here is the PowerPoint we made about Oliver Jennings. We rehearsed our presentation together on Microsoft Teams, which helped us become more prepared to present in front of the class.

When we presented in front of the class, we were recorded. I think I could've been more confident when presenting, but we didn't have much time to prepare and practice.

Here is a screenshot of our rehearsal on Microsoft Teams. I also screen recorded it, however the sound didn't pick up.

Development Evaluation

Throughout Units 1, 2, and 3, I have developed my skills mostly in Adobe Software. I now have knowledge and feel confident using Illustrator, Premiere and After Effects. This is a strength for further down the course as these pieces of software are used for almost everything. In Unit 2, I learnt how to design logos, which is a useful skill because designing graphics can be a key part of editing films and the media industry in general. In Unit 1, I've learned how to edit clips in Premiere Pro, which is a significant part of media production, so it is a good skill to have. Overall I have learnt basic editing and design skills across Adobe Software.

Page updated

Report abuse