Proposal

The importance of how pathetic fallacy in visual effects can complement a character’s temperament when used to reflect their emotions.

I propose for this dissertation, that I will explore how visual effects can be used to convey a character’s emotional state (pathetic fallacy), and how this use of pathetic fallacy may change the amount of empathy the audience has towards a character. By doing this, it will enable me to expand my 3D visual effects skills in “Maya”, and further my knowledge of how psychology can be used to increase the connection between an audience and an animation.

The first type of research I will be conducting will consist of analysing a range of films (hybrid, 2D and 3D animated) to form a case study. To decide on what films to watch I will be talking to peers, tutors, and using my own knowledge. With this starting information, I will then watch and listen to interviews of the animators and directors who have worked on the films chosen. By doing this, I will gain a better insight as to how they are made and what the thought processes were behind them. Also, I will be reading articles, books, and journals to understand empathy in relation to an audience.

To further my knowledge of ‘Maya’, I will be reading books and watching tutorials online to ensure I have a greater understanding of how elemental visual effects move within a 3D environment.

For my primary research, I will be talking to professionals within the psychology and VFX field via email. By doing this, I am hoping for original information on both the subject areas of what they have experienced, and what they know within their area of expertise.

The main case study I will be investigating will be the relationship ‘Elsa’ (from Frozen) has with snow, and how it’s used to reflect her emotions. I will also be exploring animated characters such as ‘Te Ka’ (from Moana) and ‘Anger’ (from Inside Out). Additionally, I will be looking into how pathetic fallacy is used in the theatre using smoke, light and sound. By doing this I will have additional examples of the use of pathetic fallacy, and the different degrees in which it relied upon to enhance the emotional narrative.

My practical outcome for this dissertation will be a series of short animations of a neutral character physically displaying a range of emotions in different scenarios, with 3D visual effects mirroring this. To ensure there is another animation to compare this by, there will be the same neutral character performing the same actions, but without the visual effects. By doing this, the audience will be able to indicate if the visual effects are more useful in certain situations and whether they will in turn have more empathy for the character.

After the completion of the animations, I will create a questionnaire on ‘Survey Monkey’ with the video, to judge if the use of pathetic fallacy through visual effects has altered the audience’s empathy for the character. Whilst the survey will be open to all over the age of 18, I will insure I have research whether gender, age and neurodiversity will have an effect, so I reflect in the analysis.