Centre Name

University for the Creative Arts, Canterbury

Centre Number

10006427

Candidate Name

Oliver Castle

Candidate Signature

UALAB Reg. No: (ULN)

Project Proposal Title

Puppet

Date

19/2/17

Pathway

Lens Based Media

Tutor Signature

Date

I spent the majority of the last week preparing for the assessment of the years previous projects and in doing that I had a lot of time to reflect on what I enjoyed and what I didn't. I'm well aware at this point that, like most people, if I don't find enough enjoyment in a project then there's little to no chance of it going well, this is why the Monster and Interpretation projects went far better for me than the Atmosphere project did. I had a genuine interest in the subject matter and the tools I used.

Learning to use both Maya and After Effects has been an amazing experience and I feel confident in my abilities with them, even if I’m just scraping the surface of what can be done. I can only hope that through continued use my abilities will grow.

The reason I liked the Monster and Interpretation projects and the reason I liked working in After Affects and Maya in general is simple, I enjoy 'playing' with my creations. That's not to say I don't like the act of creation itself. It's just I love manipulating them, breathing life into them and giving them personality. It's an aspect of animation I enjoy more than the creation. It's partly why I don't find much interest drawing in general.

The act of manipulation and control is what interests me. A figure that dances to the command of its creator. A puppet, if you will. That idea is at the core of my concept and I hope to explore it to its full extent. Throughout my project I intend to explore the idea of control and manipulation as well as the physical idea of puppetry. I’ll begin by looking at the different kinds of puppets that physically exist as well as the concepts that idea conjures up; from Marionettes and Shadow Puppets, to Hypnotism and Puppet States.

Though I know the end product of this project may be almost unrecognizable from where I began I feel the core concept of puppetry and control will still stand strong. I’m not sure as of yet exactly where the project will go but I’ve already begun with a moodboard, collecting ideas of what ‘Puppet’ means to me. Hopefully this will lead me in a direction I find interesting, even if it seems unsure to me right now.

I must admit I have never been one for reflection. It’s an aspect of art that I regularly forget, if not outright ignore. However I intend to start this project off on a good foot. Continuing the blog I made to collect my previous projects work I will end each week by cataloguing everything I’ve done during that time in a blog post. Screenshots of all my work, test animations if possible and a journal entry detailing my thought process during each decision.

Unfortunately my writing ability is not quite up to scratch, but after years of getting to know myself I’ve come up with a solution I think suits me just find. Audio Logs. Every week I’ll record a short (~5 minutes) diary entry that I hope will give me adequate time to reflect upon the weeks work. This process will carry on throughout the project, each of the eleven weeks.

At the end of the project I’ll make one final recording, detailing my thoughts on the project as a whole. This log will likely be around 15-20 minutes long to give me enough time to properly explore my thoughts on the previous 3 months.

Binyon, Helen. Puppetry Today ... 1st ed. G.B.: Studio Vista, 1966. Print.

Blumenthal, Eileen. Puppetry And Puppets: An Illustrated World History. 1st ed. London: Thames & Hudson, 2005. Print.

Currell, David. Making And Manipulating Marionettes. 1st ed. Wiltshire, [England]: The Crowood Press, 2011. Print.

Kobler, Cyril, Pierre Droin, and Nicole Chevallier. Marionnettes. 1st ed. Geneve: Editions du Tricorne, 1980. Print.

Blackham, Olive. Shadow Puppets. 1st ed. London: Barrie and Rockliff, 1960. Print.

Obrazt︠s︡ov, S. V. The Chinese Puppet Theatre. Translated From The Russian By J.T. Macdermott. 1st ed. London: Faber and Faber, 1961. Print.

Buchan, Suzanne. The Quay Brothers. 1st ed. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2011. Print.

Brothers Quay The Footnote Short Films. UK: BFI Video, 2006. DVD.

The Quay Brothers 1979 - 2003. UK: BFI Video, 2006. DVD.

Acker, Shane. 9. United States: Focus Features, 2009. DVD.

Week 1

13.02.17

Study Week - Prepare for assessment/ write FMP proposal

Week 2

20.02.17

Assessment week   /  FMP statement hand in

Week 3

27.02.17

FMP Week 1

Research

Week 4

06.03.17

FMP Week 2

Experimentation / Research

Week 5

13.03.07

FMP Week 3

Experimentation

Week 6

20.03.17

FMP Week 4

Experimentation

Week 7

27.03.17

FMP Week 5

Experimentation

Week 8

03.04.17

FMP Week 6

Experimentation

08-23.04.17

Easter Break

Experimentation / Research

Week 9

24.04.17

FMP Week 7

Final Piece

Week 10

01.05.17

FMP Week 8

Final Piece

Week 11

08.05.17

FMP Week 9  

All FMP work to be handed in; Deadline 4pm Friday 12.05.17

Final Piece

15.05.17 

Monday – Friday All students to be involved Hanging of work and final exhibition;                                                                                                

Overflow / Reflective Work

22.05.17

Monday – Friday All students to be involved Hanging of work and final exhibition;

Overflow / Reflective Work

Deadline 4pm Friday

                                                                                                                                 Friday May 26th End of Term

29.05.17

Monday BH

      &

05.06.17

Studios closed for Assessments / External Examiners – Students not expected to attend

12.06.17

Friday 16th June PV

4 – 8pm

Saturday 17th June Open Day

17 – 30.06.17

Show open to the General Public Monday – Saturday 10.00am – 6pm       Closed Sundays

Students to Invigilate their areas   

03.07.17

Monday July 3rd Show Down

All Students to attend to take down and remove their work and re-instate studios