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Researching 3 debates within the motion graphics industry to be discussed in the next class.
Week 1 summary - Discussed brief and understood what is expected of this unit. Began looking at each other's work and finding routes that our research could go down.

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Looked at what makes a good dissertation question - understood which questions were too broad and which were too complicated as well as which ones were specific and refined.
The discussions in this class helped me realise what topics I don't want to look into as they don't interest me enough, for example, NFTs. I was then able to select a few specific topics and do some general research then decided the area I want to look at.

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I had decided I wanted my general topic to be focused around the concept of animated TV and film. I had a few ideas about focusing on inclusivity and diversity or a specific show such as 'Adventure Time' as it had a lot of potential. The idea of diversity led me to the topic of folktales and folklore which I then went on to delve into further.

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This brainstorm outlines some key ideas and themes for this new topic. I feel very motivated to research and look into some of these points so for the moment I am sticking with this idea.

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For this home task I researched what counts as secondary research as in the past I have often got primary and secondary research confused. I then began to find a few articles that suited my research, although they may not be academic they still helped me understand my topic and see if it has enough potential to write a full dissertation.

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This session we looked at what primary research and how it can help us with our dissertation along with the secondary research. We also looked at the library and the facilities it offers and how to identify an academic book from a regular "helpful" book. This task helped a lot as I wasn't fully able to identify an academic book before.

I also got a chance to discuss my theme with the tutor. They said the topic was a good topic that would make a good essay, I now need to find more academic sources and a few animated films to base the topic around. I also can now start thinking about a specific phrasing for my question.

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My idea was received well by the group and positive points were made. We also discussed the idea of 'preservation vs appropriation' that I could explore, it is a topic that is very current so will add another layer to my dissertation. I was told that my visual examples were good and backed up my idea well.
When it came to the questions my tutor said the second question, 'How does contemporary animation preserve traditional folklore?', works the best.

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This session focused on ethics and primary research. I learnt a lot and we discussed points about ethics when it comes to interviews that helped clarify how the process should be.

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GOAL: 20/05 - Complete Proposal Overview 1000 words

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GOAL: 20/05 - Complete Proposal Overview 1000 words

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(21/05) - I managed to complete the proposal overview yesterday, today I am on track and am completing the ethics checklist + filling in this progress map while also focusing on my other project this term.

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PLAN: 22/05 - "Once Upon a Time..." Folklore Art Exhibition Visit - PRIMARY RESEARCH

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PLAN: 22/05 - "Once Upon a Time..." Folklore Art Exhibition Visit - PRIMARY RESEARCH

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"A GROUP EXHIBITION EXPLORING FOLKLORE, MYTHS & FAIRYTALES

CO-CURATED BY FLORA FAIRBAIRN & KATIE HELLER"

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I visited the 'Once Upon A Time' exhibition today. The exhibition was a good start for looking at how art is used to represent all the different aspects of folklore. The exhibition hosted a range of cultures that were all represented in different art styles - there was a big range of colours, textures and mediums in this exhibition that I was pleasantly surprised by. I liked how some of the folktales featured were instantly recognisable whereas other pieces had meanings that you had to interpret yourself. A downside to this exhibition was that there were no descriptions or names next to the pieces like a normal gallery would have - it seemed to be more of an auction environment. However, this primary research has helped me see work based around folklore that was very different to examples I already know. I am still on track with my deadlines for the summative submission.

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COMPLETED. I completed the research review, I changed around the days I worked on this part of the prep but I completed it in time for the deadline. Compiling my research and referencing took longer than I expected so I need to take this into consideration when writing in the future.

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I've been finding academic sources on Google Scholar to incorporated into my research review. I screenshot the extracts that contained useful quotes and highlighted them, making sure I take note of where they came from and which section. This has been very helpful as it showed all the sources in a clearer way and only the points I need.

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COMPLETED. I completed my chapter plan in time for the summative and I now feel more organised with my work and that the plan for my dissertation is clearer and more understandable.

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I have completed my dissertation prep in time for the summative proposal. Using a timescale to plan out when I am going to work on this project and how much I am going to work each day on this project helped a lot and made me use my time more efficiently.

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I am not expecting to be able to complete a lot of dissertation prep in June as I will be focusing and putting my effort into my Motion Graphics project. I have focused on diss prep for the month of May so I need to shift that focus onto my main project after the hand in on 30th May.

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Start of July - Reach out to people for interviews

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Start of July - Reach out to people for interviews

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Possibly start this earlier to leave as much time as possible for a response.

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July (+ August) Plan: Watch list of films that will form visual research - write comments and comparisons. 

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July (+ August) Plan: Watch list of films that will form visual research - write comments and comparisons. 

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After watching the films I will create a visual database that will have analysis, comparisons and visual examples of scenes that portray aspects of folklore.

Cartoon Saloon:
- Secret of the Kells
- Song of the Sea
- Wolfwakers

Kirikou and the sorceress

Studio Ghibli:
- Pom Poko
- Spirited Away
- Princess Mononoke
- Tale of Princess Kaguya

Laika:
Kubo and the Two Strings

Disney:
- Mulan
- Moana
- Black Cauldron
- Brother Bear
- Fantasia
- Coco

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July was an unexpectedly busy month for me which meant I wasn't able to complete as much as I had hoped for. I will be making up for this time in August so I have a plan ready for my return to university.

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I sent an email to Cartoon Saloon asking for an interview along with a brief explanation of my dissertation theme. I am awaiting a response.

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Begin to compile academic/secondary references

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Begin to compile academic/secondary references

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Find books and journals that will form secondary research. Begin taking books out of libraries and start reading.

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I have figured out a logging system for my secondary research that will make the writing process a lot smoother. This system also includes the references/citations that would be needed for my bibliography - this is going to speed up the referencing process of the dissertation a lot.

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I received an A for my dissertation prep which I am very pleased with. It's given me more confidence for the topic.
I will be using the feedback to improve my ideas.

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Continue reading and compiling research - taking specific quotes and excerpts.
Perhaps create questionnaire if it feels like it would benefit the research.

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I have been watching some of the films I have listed and made documents that contain screenshots, quotes and comments. I've also been reading through my sources and logging the quotes I plan to use in my dissertation.
I have been making good progress on my research even though July didn't go as planned.

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Begin writing drafts for chapters and planning. Doesn't need to be of dissertation standard just yet, want it to help organise research and get into flow of writing a few hundred words regularly.
Aim to have (half of) a chapter roughly written by end of August?

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Instead of beginning drafts at this stage I have been continuing the logging of my research in my quote table. This table has been very effective and should be efficient in the writing stage as I have logged citations and bibliography references within it too.

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Continue drafts of chapters - will reveal any gaps in research, leaves time for me to gather any missing research so I'm more prepared for tutorials when I return to uni at the end of the month.

Aim by end of summer is to have a couple chapters drafted (even if just detailed bullet points). However realistically plans over summer could interrupt workflow.

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By the time I started back at uni this week I had not drafted my diss. However, this hasn't really stunted my development because during my group diss sessions at uni we have been discussing and even altering parts of our research, e.g. the lead question. I think if I had big drafts at this point I would have felt discouraged by deleting or changing them. My first session has made me feel motivated and having the structure back has definitely helped my workflow.

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After last week's session, in which I was set 'homework' to compare two films, I made a realisation that comparing 'good and bad' films in my paper wouldn't work as folklore is such a broad/dynamic idea. I will now analyse a few films that prove folklore should be preserved through animation instead. This breaks out of the 'good vs bad' structure which could be quite limiting and also brings up the issue of how one judges what would be a 'bad' example as other people from the culture might have differing opinions. To draw comparisons now I will compare the animation against what the traditional folklorists say is bad.

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I still am yet to receive a reply from Cartoon Saloon about a potential interview. Reaching out to a big film company was a risk as it is unlikely I will get a reply, I am now starting to think of other ways I can bring different voices and opinions into my work, e.g. questionnaires.

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The diss sessions have been going well, in each session I have been given a handful of very helpful sources. The direction of my dissertation has changed slightly and I will have to alter the contents of each chapter, for example focusing on one specific Irish folklore for part of a chapter instead of different films. I am slightly worried about the timing of this unit as I feel like I haven't progressed much with writing (due to other projects) so I will begin this in the next couple of weeks.

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I've been updating a Word document weekly with notes/sources/opinions/key words from each session.

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I have been logging my research in a table, this means I can focus on only the useful quotes from sources and also log the references to hopefully streamline the writing process later down the line.

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- After the formative I am going to review my feedback and sources from the diss sessions and type them up to document them better.

- I will then finalise my chapter plan with the new advice I received.

- After this I will go back through my research table and assign certain sources to certain chapters

- Then I will begin bulletpointing/writing the dissertation

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I was struggling to write my formative chapter plans as they felt a bit disjointed and confused. So I decided to alter chapter two and make it about ownership of folklore and examples of people altering folklore throughout history, for example in Ancient Greek literature. Chapter three will now be the case study of Song of the Sea and analyses of similar media - this new order makes more sense as in the case study I can easily reference back to ideas made in the last chapter. I feel more confident with this chapter plan and feel as though I have enriched my source library.

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Today was the final formal session between me and my diss tutor, it was really beneficial for me to attend this session and I feel more confident in my ability to write a dissertation now. Below are the notes I made from the session.

My questions – am I on right track?

Do I need primary research?

How should I phrase my question?

After sims and stephens extract – explain why you’re using that quote and explain why they think that is true

“According to thoms definition these modern forms are also folklore, as discussed by sims and stephens”

Change new age to contemporary

Does sims and stephens quote blur line between established folklore and evolving folklore too much

Primary research isn’t needed – can still get a good grade without it but it helps get a good grade so I have to make sure my writing is of a high standard and communicates my ideas fluently.

Make sure history section isn’t just all about older examples, link it to modern ones after each example.

Talk about films infantilising folklore and adding comedic effects – detracts from culture – why is song of the sea successful - doesn’t do this but makes it digestible for kids

~~~~~ Little mermaid vs song of the sea comparison – why is it good/bad that song of the sea isn’t infantilised

Backed up with examples – even visually infantilised, as well as the story – song of the sea offers new visual style – LOOK AT scripts!! Compare similar extracts when they’re explaining similar things ~~~~~

DEBUNK – use first chapter to show old folklore then debunk myth of it always being old

Could potentially go into legal issues for chapter 2 – even ownership of land – territory was much more negotiated

Extractive nature of organisations focused more on the capitalisation than the authenticity

Fan art and copyright x do the companies own the story or does the culture

Ursula legouin – a carrier bag theory of history

Donna harroway – review of the essay – it matters what stories tell stories

Tentacular thinking chapter

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As expected I wasn't able to complete much of my dissertation throughout December due to other deadlines and then commitments over the holidays that couldn't be changed. However, I can now focus solely on my dissertation until the hand in.
I have kept my research in the back of my mind and have been bookmarking any research sources I have found this month.

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I am using this month to fully focus on completing my dissertation. I have been building a daily routine that centres around finishing my dissertation for the deadline which has been going well so far. I am currently 1,500 words into the paper and still have enough research and ideas to keep writing, I was worried at the start that I would fail to have enough content for 6000-7000 words.

My prep work, especially the quote table, has been very useful and definitely made the process of working more streamlined. I feel as though Chapter 3 will take up more time as I will potentially have to rewatch and watch more films to analyse. I have an analysis for the main film though which should reduce this time quite a lot.

If I keep up my current workflow and focus I should be finished for the deadline.

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I am approximately 2/3 of the way through my dissertation with just over a week to go until the deadline. I have been progressing steadily and have the last chapter, which includes film analysis and comparison, and the conclusion left to write. I need to keep up my workflow so that I can allow time for edits, layout and time to upload.

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18th January 2023: Completed Dissertation

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18th January 2023: Completed Dissertation

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I have finished my dissertation and I'm now  formatting the document so it is ready to submit. The preparation work I did for this essay has helped me a lot as the process of writing the bibliography and citing was a case of pasting references I had already logged in my research table. I enjoyed writing the essay as it was a topic I found really interesting and a film I have been fond of for years.