This week we analysed the objectives and structure of our thesis, and wrote a short explanation of our topic and sources relevance to our project proposal.
Thesis objectives and structure
Before starting to write a thesis, it is important to set the targets, audience, and structure of it:
- Determine audience
- Determine what hit is the audience is going to learn
- Break down thesis into main questions
- Put questions in an order that makes sense
- Develop sub-questions
- Plan investigation two find answers
In order to build my thesis argument, I will need to use my own voice, meaning to express in a formal way but following my own style of writing. I could build my own views on its but not using my own opinions into it without any evidence to prove it. I should not use ‘I’, ‘my’, ‘mine’, only to be used when citing my own research. Before starting to write the thesis, it is good practice to try and sum the argument in a few words, so I can have it as reference to go back to check if I am still following this initial argument while writing the thesis.
In the chapters, it would be interesting to add counterarguments to our arguments that could at the same time argued again. This would prove that the analysis is not biased and it is taking in consideration all perspectives.
The conclusion should summarise the main points discussed on each chapter and should answer the question asked originally.
The methodology followed to research and gather information could be by researching peer reviewed sources, surveys, interviews, experiments, etc.
Blog task
We were asked to provide an outline of our potential research topic:
1. A short explanation of what I am researching, how I am researching it, and why it is important to research this subject/the relevance to my project proposal.
I am going to focus my research in photorealism in film industry.There are many different opinions and techniques about this, such us how can digital photorealism help with safety issues during live action shooting of ‘impossible to shot’ scenes, or how some people consider photorealism in filmmaking to be ‘too realistic’ therefore it takes you out of the story being difficult to empathise with, or how photorealistic animation can be considered a live action movie or an animation movie. This topic has many directions that can be followed and I would need to structured it in a way that everything looks connected. I am thinking in narrow it down to the controversy that photorealism has always been into the film industry (pros and cons rather than technical aspects) as it could be interesting to analyse the reaction of the audience throughout the years and how it could possibly develop in the future. My research method would be focused on peer reviewed sources found on internet or library, but I will possibly try to conduct a survey amongst students, lecturers at university and some more people outside VFX industry to ask about their feelings towards photorealistic films (I will have to create a selection of the best known photorealistic movies so people taking the survey are familiar with them).
2. Keywords/key phrases used in my searches.
Photorealism, CGI, VFX, Filmmaking, Filmmaking safety standards, Uncanny Valley
3. At least four sources, debates or texts in the subject area and a short explanation of the relevance to my project proposal.
Agrawal, A., and Auryn (2009). Non-photorealistic Rendering: Unleashing the Artist’s Imagination (online). Available at: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=5167490 [Accessed 25 April 2023]
Cooper, D. (1999). Personal Thoughts on Non-Photorealistic Rendering (online). Available at: https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/563666.563690 [Accessed 25 April 2023]
- These two sources explain the challenges and techniques that artists have faced with photorealism (and its issues with the so called ‘uncanny valley’), and how some artists have opted for NPR (non-photorealistic rendering) to create a more simple and cartoony style (animation).
Jeng, J. (2023). Sidelining Photorealism: ‘Speed Racer’ and Articulation of Digital Effects Labour (online). Available at: https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=KLOqEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA153&dq=photorealism+in+film&ots=r8349MlY8s&sig=aEhMvSbwORZ1C0leMCKO8dpnEns&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=photorealism%20in%20film&f=false[Accessed 25 April 2023]
- This research paper explains how photorealism has always been the leader in the film industry and how some movies like ‘Speed Racer’ have opted to sideline this style to help foreground the work of digital visual effects artists.
Manovich, Lev (2002). The Language of New Media. First paperback edn. Cambridge: The MIT Press.
- Manovich’s book explains how it is a common opinion that CGI will never be as realistic as images gathered by camera lenses. He also counter argues that these opinions are mistaken, explaining why he thinks this and how these CGI is in fact becoming more realistic than traditional photographs.
Meena, K. B., and Tyagi, V. (2019). A Novel Method to Distinguish Photorealistic Computer Generated Images from Photographic Images (online). Available at: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=8985711 [Accessed 25 April 2023]
- This source explains how photorealism has revolutionary the filmmaking and game industry and, in the other hand, it also analyses how these photorealistic techniques have been used with malicious intentions and how important it is to learn how to distinguish real assets from computer generated ones.
Melki, H. (2019). An Investigation Into The Creative Processes In Generating Believable Photorealistic Film Characters (online). Available at: https://pure.ulster.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/78290411/Henry_Melki_Thesis.pdf [Accessed 25 April 2023]
- This dissertation focuses in the process to create believable photorealistic film characters as well as its benefits and challenges. The research was also made through interviews with several expert industry practitioners and the comparison of all the participants statements.
Wadmare, S. (2021). Recent Trends Visitation in VFX and SFX in the Animation World (online). Available at: http://ilkogretim-online.org/fulltext/218-1617213160.pdf?1682423818 [Accessed 25 April 2023]
- This essay examines the importance of photorealistic VFX in filmmaking industry as a tool to avoid shooting dangerous live action scenes.
