Discussing the Project Theme
- Mikey Owen
- Oct 19, 2022
- 5 min read
Now that I've begun my final year of studying CGI, it's time to apply all the lessons I've learned and techniques I've developed to this: my final project for my Bsc degree.
We have been provided with the project brief very early in the term so that we can begin coming up with ideas and creating concepts as soon as possible. I intend to use all this additional time and preparation to the fullest, so wanted to examine the brief in full during the post.
I've included a downloadable copy of the brief below for your reference:
The main thing to really discuss with this new project is the title (theme), which for this year is the county of Dorset. Already, seeing as it's the county I've spent the majority of my life in, I have plenty of ideas for animations that could incorporate this theme.
The county of Dorset is full of rich history and events that affected the whole of Britain, there is plenty to choose from. Or alternately, the theme is so open that really I could explore any creative avenue of my choosing and simply base it in Dorset! I'll admit to viewing this title as restrictive initially, but am sure this will still allow me to flex all my creative muscles and still be well within the confines of the brief requirements.
To that end, I've created a list below of a few examples of Dorset based project themes that some initial concepts could be based on:
The death of J R R Tolkien - An exert from a record I found on Google states "Eighty-one-year-old J R R Tolkien died in Bournemouth in the early hours of Sunday 2 September 1973". Tolkien is a famous author best known for creating the Lord of the Rings & the Hobbit, both of which are books that defined my childhood and influenced a lot of my
creative styling as an adult. It would be interesting to explore more of Tolkien's work, perhaps creating my own adventure in Middle Earth.
The Jurassic coast - Dorset is often referred to as the 'Jurassic coast', and after researching why I discovered this exert: Dorset is referred to as the Jurassic coast because "It is the only place on Earth where rocks from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods can be seen in one place, representing 185 million years of Earth's history." This of course opens up one big creative theme that I'd be excited to explore... Dinosaurs! I appreciate Dorset earned this moniker due to the age of the rocks, but I can't hear the word "Jurassic" without thinking of Jurassic Park.
The Roman invasion - The roman empire arrived in Dorset in 43AD, and the majority of the towns and cities throughout the county today were actually founded by them. According to an online search; "The Romans landed in Dorset at Poole Harbour and the Fleet and moved inland, while other groups travelled west from Old Sarum and Winchester. At Abbotsbury on the Fleet the Romans quickly took the hill fort, Abbotsbury Castle, bloodlessly before moving on to Maiden Castle. There is some evidence of a struggle at Maiden Castle and Badbury Rings but current opinion amongst archaeologists is that these, and Hod Hill, also fell with ease. There is, however, a find of 130 skeletons at Spetisbury which show that the invasion was not entirely peaceful." This provides plenty of potential for creating an epic animation depicting the Roman's conquering of the county, and with plenty of historical sites setup throughout Dorset, a lot of research material that I could compile through more than just internet searches.
Corfe Castle - Corfe castle is a ruin located in the Purbeck Hills. I've visited the site many times, both with family and for educational reasons, and have always been fascinated with the history of it. It's been the site of plenty of battles, and has had several owners since it's construction: a Saxon stronghold, a Norman fortress, a royal palace and a family home to name a few! Here is an exert from Wikipedia with a brief summary of the castle's history: "Corfe Castle is a fortification standing above the village of the same name on the Isle of Purbeck peninsula in the English county of Dorset. Built by William the Conqueror, the castle dates to the 11th century and commands a gap in the Purbeck Hills on the route between Wareham and Swanage. The first phase was one of the earliest castles in England to be built at least partly using stone when the majority were built with earth and timber. Corfe Castle underwent major structural changes in the 12th and 13th centuries. In 1572, Corfe Castle left the Crown's control when Elizabeth I sold it to Sir Christopher Hatton. Sir John Bankes bought the castle in 1635, and was the owner during the English Civil War. While Bankes was fighting in London and Oxford, his wife, Lady Mary Bankes, led the defence of the castle when it was twice besieged by Parliamentarian forces. The first siege, in 1643, was unsuccessful, but by 1645 Corfe was one of the last remaining royalist strongholds in southern England and fell to a siege ending in an assault. In March that year Corfe Castle was slighted on Parliament's orders." So as you can see, there is plenty of history regarding this castle, and any one of these significant battles or changes of ownership could prove an excellent theme for my final project!
The Tank Museum & Monkey World - Admittedly, this one is kind of a curve ball. These are both places which I've visited many times with friends and family, and often make the joke that it's dangerous having those two sites in such close proximity. When I realized the theme for this project was Dorset, I had an idea for a comedic animation simply titled "Saving Primate Ryan". The primates would escape from Monkey World and commandeer tanks from the museum down the road to liberate the rest of the animals. I appreciate in practice this would deviate far from the theme, but in the creative world there are no such things as bad ideas! Alternately, I could always explore the history of the machines in the Tank Museum or the story of the animals in Monkey World to create a more compelling narrative!
The Black Death in England - Whilst researching the history of Dorset, I discovered the very first case of the Bubonic Plague occurred here in Dorset at the port of Weymouth: "According to the chronicle of the grey friars at King's Lynn, the plague arrived by ship from Gascony to Melcombe in Dorset—today normally referred to as Weymouth—shortly before the Feast of St.John the Baptist on 24 June 1348." This theme honestly appears to me more than any we've discussed so far. With the Covid-19 outbreak still at the forefront of everyone's minds, a story around another contagious virus would certainly hit home. It also constitutes as a theme which I feel few others on my course will be exploring, as it's not one of the most well known stories of the county. Weymouth is also not far from my home, allowing me an opportunity to visit the town and obtain as much research material as possible in preparation for the final animation!
Above are just some of the many examples of the stories I could tell about the county of Dorset, but I believe I've settled on the outbreak of the Black Death as the one which I would like to focus on. Now I need to move onto compiling research material, creating concepts and then a storyboard for the first draft of my narrative!
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