Deadline Gone

Individual Animation: https://vimeo.com/114020888

Animation Futures and Destinations Presentation done via Vlog (Soon so be uploaded)

Research, Analysis & Communication Report = Done (Had extra time for it, now waiting for feedback)

Research, Analysis & Communication

Introduction

Completion of this assignment is intended to assist in the development of key and valuable employability and Staffordshire graduate attributes, namely research, analysis and communication skills.

This will include identifying appropriate subject[s] for research, selecting suitable research and analysis methods, managing your time and the resources available, analysing your findings and communicating them in an appropriate academic and effective manner.

One part of this report will be extended primary research that will magnify one aspect your chosen research topic.

In relation to your specialist area and particular themes within your practice, it will be necessary for you to identify, research and analyse, amongst other things, the following: design and media theory, key practitioners, user research [if appropriate], contemporary practice, design and media research and design and media production processes.

You will develop an understanding of your own area of study as well as deploying effective strategies of project management. You will be expected to undertake both primary and secondary research, and to assimilate and interpret it before presenting your assignment findings in an academically appropriate manner.

Completion of the assignment is intended to assist in the development of your research, analysis and communication skills, which will be valuable to your future employability. These include identifying appropriate subject[s] for research, selecting appropriate research and analysis methods, managing your time and the resources available, analysing your findings and communicating them in an appropriate and effective manner.

One part of this report will be extended primary research that will magnify one aspect of the assignment.
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 *UPDATE: 30/09/14

THE BIG IDEA POSTCARDS – POSSIBILITIES FOR RESEARCH

Think about 3 different possible ideas for research and make up a postcard for each of them.

Include a research title, an appropriate image and a paragraph of text explaining the topic/idea.

Bring these 3 postcards to your initial group tutorial and through peer consensus the most promising idea will be selected

Postcard one:

Postcard two:

Postcard three:

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*UPDATE: 07/10/14

Postcard One picked.

Violent Entertainment

Looking into how violence is integrated within all mediums of entertainment and if that in any way affects how people view and react to real violence. Carrying on/addition from my essay "Does Violence on screen create violence in others?" 

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*UPDATE: 14/10/14

Research:

Used from essay:-

- The Attraction of Violent Entertainment by Jeffrey Goldstein

- A Very British Murder by Lucy Worsley - BBC 4

- A History of Violence by Steven Pinker - http://edge.org/3rd_culture/pinker07/pinker07_index.html

- Crime Figures: Is this the end of the age of violence? by Telegraph

New research:-

- Addicted to Violence: Has the American Dream become a nightmare? by Charles Johnston, MD - can this be used?

- Violent Video Games: The Cultural Ethic of Violence by Virtual-addiction.com

- Violence as Entertainment by Salvatore Folisi

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*UPDATE: 20/10/14

Philosophy through Film by Mary M.Litch

Chapter 5 - pg 117

Ethics

Crimes and Misdemeanours 1988

" Moral philosophy is concerned with figuring out what distinguishes morally right actions from morally wrong ones. "

" Moral relativism - according to which there are no objective moral facts: the truth of all moral evaluations is relative either to individual or cultural moral standards. "

" Moral relativism contrasts with moral objectivism. "

" Moral subjectivism - is the view that moral judgments are true or false relative to an individual's moral standards. "

"Cultural Moral relativism - is the view that moral judgments are true or false relative to the actor's culture's moral standards. "

- Emotivism. 

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*UPDATE: 28/10/14

Lecture notes (most on Blackboard to download)

- Report:-

Images/captions - picture per page

No 'I' in report

Past Tense

At least 10 books to be used and shown in bibliography 

And around 20 references/sources

Cover page:-

Title

Course name

Module number

Name of lecturer

Picture - related to subject (best not to be a person)

Introduction is one of the most important things - at least 200 words.

Include the: What, Why, How and Where.

More research:

Classmate's aid - used essay " Violence in Entertainment: Industries responsibility or viewers discretion? By Tracy Dunn"

"In September 2003 a paper was published by Andrea Millwood Hargrave director of the Joint Research Programme Broadcasting Standards Commission and Independent Television Commission called HOW CHILDREN INTERPRET SCREEN VIOLENCE. They showed children aged between 9 and 13 a variety of shows including News and reality programming, Soap operas and drama series, Comedy and children’s programming and Film. The children then partook in a group discussion and filled out a questionnaire about what they had seen. 

The findings of this study found that the children could decipher between fictional violence and that of real life violence. The children would find a scene more violent or scary if it was set in a environment that they deem safe like that of a hospital or a home setting rather than something set in a fantasy world. They also found the scene more distressing if the victim of violence was deemed to be innocent or a person whose job was to help people like that of a nurse. They also discovered that the real life violence was more disturbing to them than fictional violence like that of one of the test films The Lord of the Rings; The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). The study discovered that the child was more affected by real life violence as they could relate to it, with the mind set that this could happen to me, with the violence against other children being the most relate-able. 

The study also goes into how a scene is made which effects the child’s perception of whether or not that scene is violent or scary. The changes could be anything from a change in the music, sound effects or a visual image. So with this study showing how images effect children with an emphasis that real life violence is the most harmful should news programming take into consideration an unintended audience?"

"Violence in the media is a part of every day life."

Bits of research/resources/references that my classmate used that I may use also:

Bibliography

Violent Video Game Playing, Moral Reasoning, and Attitudes Towards Violence in 

Adolescents: Is There a Connection? 

Bajovic, Mirjana 

Available from:  http://dr.library.brocku.ca/bitstream/handle/10464/4115/Brock_%20Bajovic_Mirjana_2012.pdf

[Accessed: 19^th March 2014]

BBC Editorial Guidlines

Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/editorialguidelines/page/guidance-violence-news#general-acceptability-of-strong-and-violent-i

[Accessed: 07^th April 2014]

LESSONS FROM COLUMBINE: VIRTUAL AND REAL RAGE 

Block, Jerald 

Available from: http://www.forensicpsychonline.com/Block.pdf

[Accessed: 07^th April 2014]

Family Guy (1999) TV. Seth MacFarlane's, 20th Century Fox Television

Grand Theft Auto (1997) Rockstar Games

GTA 5 Game play

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azE0mlsrcK8

[Accessed: 05^th May 2014]

HOW CHILDREN INTERPRET SCREEN VIOLENCE

Millwood Hargrave, Andrea

Available from:  http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/bsc/pdfs/research/how%20child.pdf

[Accessed: 07^th April 2014]

Natural Born Killers (1994) Film Oliver Stone, Warner Bros. Pictures

Tom and Jerry (1940) TV. William Hanna, Joseph Barbera, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 

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I have looked into violence in entertainment before, and though my essay came to a conclusion, I am still immensely interested in the subject and want to delve back into researching it. I find it extremely fascinating.

* http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/07/19/violence.attraction.behavior/

""There's a rubbernecking syndrome," said Paul Boxer, assistant professor of psychology at Rutgers University. "When you see a body splayed out, you couldn't help it. You had to see.""

* http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01cmrxr

* The Neuroscience of Aggression: Why Humans are Drawn to Violence
By Ayush Midha ⋅ September 9, 2014: http://triplehelixblog.com/2014/09/the-neuroscience-of-aggression-why-humans-are-drawn-to-violence/

"Recent developments in neuroscience indicate that specific parts of the brain and concentrations of brain chemicals may affect a person’s propensity towards violence. Additionally, new studies in the fields of genetics, neuroscience, and biochemistry are evaluating reasons for human attraction to violence in entertainment and society. These studies suggest that the traditional legal and policy approaches to combating violence must be re-evaluated and replaced with a legal framework that considers the ethical and neurological implications of violent behavior."

* http://www.inquisitr.com/594943/attraction-to-violent-and-scary-movies/

* Exploring the fatal attraction that bounds Youth, Violence and Terrorism by Anita Ratnam http://www.iheyo.org/book/export/html/988

* http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/03/30/why-do-people-like-violent-movies/53211.html

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*UPDATE: 01/11/14

*  Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents by Craig A. Anderson, Douglas A. Gentile and Katherine E. Buckley http://public.psych.iastate.edu/caa/abstracts/2005-2009/07agb.pdf

* Can Video Games Cause Violence? What does a recent Supreme Court ruling mean for psychological research? by Romeo Vitelli, Ph.D. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/media-spotlight/201304/can-video-games-cause-violence

* Serial Murder and the Psychology of Violent Crimes: An International Perspective by Richard N. Kocsis

* Violent Video Games: Myths, Facts, and Unanswered Questions by Craig A. Anderson, PhD http://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2003/10/anderson.aspx

* Adolescent Violence - A Guide to Psychology and its Practice http://www.guidetopsychology.com/ad_viol.htm

* The Psychological Effects of Media Violence on Children and Adolescents by Joanne Cantor, Ph.D http://yourmindonmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/media_violence_paper.pdf

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_violence_research

A Meta-Analytical Review of Selective Exposure to and the Enjoyment of Media Violence. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media. Weaver, A.J. (2011)

- Weaver A.J. & Wilson B.J. (2009). The role of graphic and sanitized violence in the enjoyment of television dramas. Human Communication Research, 35(3), 442-463.

- Weaver A. & Kobach M.J. (2012), The Relationship Between Selective Exposure and the Enjoyment of Television Violence, Aggressive Behavior, Volume 38, 175–184.

* The Better Angels of Our Nature: The Decline of Violence In History And Its Causes by Steven Pinker

- The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence has Declined 

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*UPDATE: 02/11/14

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*UPDATE: 03/11/14

-THE STRUCTURE OF YOUR REPORT – PARTICULARLY THE SECTIONS WITHIN THE LITERATURE REVIEW (SECONDARY RESEARCH)

-AN INDICATION AND JUSTIFICATION OF YOUR PRIMARY RESEARCH METHODS AND RESOURCES = My method has just been online based at present because I have been unwell at home and unable to go out and the internet is both extremely useful and easily accessed from the comfort of my home. I have collected a somewhat varied collection of resources and research, which I shall shift through in the coming days to pick out what I need and don't.

-BEST PRACTICE - A few lines about what has been a successful element of your research efforts so far = In a lot, if not all, of the research I have gathered it is shown that violence in any form of entertainment does not affect how people view real life violence/danger. It may be true that some can get used to see fake violence but it does not make the individual prone to violence or overly apathetic. There are oncoming studies and opinions into the matter that continue to appear and I want to look more into the research I have to make sure I have something to say or conclude by the end of it.

COVER PAGE – include, an interesting image, RAC Assignment title, your name, student number and award, submission date, supervisor’s name.


CONTENT PAGE – a list of the chapters or sections with corresponding page numbers (remember to number your pages)



LIST OF FIGURES – this is optional, but you can list the figures (illustrations, charts, images etc.) giving full details with corresponding figure number and page number in report



SECTIONS – how you present you sections is your decision, but they should include…



INTRODUCTION - including, THE WHAT (what is the topic of the report), THE WHY (why has this topic been chosen, why is it important or of interest), THE HOW (how have you gone about your research efforts, particular emphasis on the primary research) and THE WHERE (how is the text (the report) organised.) (approx 200 words)



THEMES AND ISSUES - this is a review of the literature (including web-based sources) around your areas of interest. Set out in 4 or 5 sections (with possible sub-sections) (approx 2000 words)



RESEARCH METHODS - having investigated your topic through the literature and web-based sources (secondary research), you will now be able to raise some research questions for the primary research - state how you intend to undertake that research This will also include a justification of your research methods and techniques (this will include references to research literature). (approx 150-200 words)



PRIMARY RESEARCH - this is a deeper investigation of a key aspect of your main research interest (as identified from reading the literature on the subject). Be sure to make reference to the secondary findings as you form your primary narrative. (approx 1300-1600 words)



SUMMARY / CONCLUSIONS - summaries your arguments and main themes, state your general conclusions, state why you think the conclusions are significant or important, finally, briefly sum up your argument, linking it to your title. (approx 200 words)



BIBLIOGRAPHY (Harvard style - in alphabetic order)



APPENDIX (if needed)

notes:

The word count is 4000 (+/- 10%)

All images should include a caption and be numbered (be sure the image is referred to in the text and that it is relevant to the narrative of your report)

Support your arguments with references to your research sources and quotations (be sure to use the Harvard system when referencing)

Research reports usually begin by reviewing the general and working towards a deeper understanding of the specific

Animation Futures and Destinations

This module seeks to prepare you for entry into the design profession or postgraduate study, and aims to develop your awareness of the range of career and postgraduate opportunities available. You will be able to use your research file as a resource to enable you to make realistic, well informed decisions in relation to your future career intentions. The process will provide a platform to prepare you for the transition from undergraduate study to the next stage in your career. Lectures will include techniques to present your work professionally including: - action planning, C.V preparation and presentation skills, seeking out contacts, the jobs market, employment opportunities, Personal promotion, interview techniques, portfolio surgery, responding to job advertisements, the development of contacts. You will be encouraged to look at a range of professional and personal development opportunities including postgraduate study, short courses, applying for grants and enterprise initiatives, travel and work experience.

Students will be encouraged to develop a understanding of the different production processes should be sufficient to ensure that they can make an 'informed' choice about which processes they wish to pursue throughout their remaining studies and future careers. Through a process of self-evaluation, students will develop a detailed awareness of their strengths and abilities in animation, and have realistic expectations as to their future careers. They should have an understanding of what employment and other opportunities are available to them, and what they need to do to secure those opportunities.

Students will prepare both a screen-based presentation and a show reel / portfolio of their best work to date and present these to the module tutors and award manager. Formats and media to be used will be clarified on an award by award basis.

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*UPDATE: 22/09/14

* Presentation done "however I see fit"
- 15 slides - 100 words each, if slideshow

Falling Man Animation blog


Plans

Short plans:-

- Graduate with high grades

Medium plans:-

- Learn to drive
- Work more with Carse & Waterman to increase skills in animation and social interactions with clients.
- Learn more about 3D software e.g. 3DSMax, ZBrush, Maya, Mudbox etc
- Learn more about 2D software e.g. Flash

Long plans:-

- Get a render farm - own a render farm to increase render time for any animations and/or image rendering.
- Finish Personal projects - continue and finish own projects in any free time and advertise skills and work with them (stories that I write can be shown through animations/models)
- Increase rigging skills

*UPDATE: 20/10/14

Double Negative: http://www.dneg.com/

Gavin Strange - https://twitter.com/JamFactory

Individual Animation

One minute Animation (Individual Animation)

This module is intended to further your animation to a professional level of quality in your chosen method of production. Through negotiation with the Award Leader and other members of the Animation staff you will develop a short animated film to be produced during Semester 1.

The completed work should demonstrate a good understanding of the principles of Animation as well as a clear application of prior learning from your previous studies in Levels 4 and 5.

The emphasis of this module is to showcase your individual animation practices and style with a view to having a completed piece of animation for inclusion in your showreel. It is also designed to increase your professional studio practice and working to a tight brief during a number of set exercises and projects.

Part 1 concludes with a presentation and assessment of the work completed for the ‘3 Weeks in October’ project. At this point you will also be expected to complete a presentation of ideas for your ‘Short Animation Project’.

All students must complete this prior to moving onto Part 2 of the module. Part 2: Short Animation Project

This part of the module is weighted at 80% of the total module mark

By this point of the Semester you will have finalised ideas based upon the Summer Brief that you received at the end of last Semester in Level 5 and chosen one of the following topics:

COLOUR
SLEEP
PALINDROME
SILENCE
LIGHT & SHADOW
FMP

Through a series of lectures, workshops, group seminars and Rushes Panels you will develop your short film idea based on your chosen topic into a ONE minute animated film, with sound. All aspects of production from concept through to completion will be assessed by staff and peers. You will be expected to develop your animation ideas through visual storyboards, sound and animatic treatments.

The Final work will form the basis of a professional online portfolio on Vimeo.

Good luck and enjoy the projects!

Short Animation Project

Based on the work you completed over the Summer period you should have formulated short film ideas on one of given topics. Following your presentation at the end of Part 1 of the module you will have the opportunity to discuss feedback on your short film idea(s) with the Module staff. Be prepared to make changes to the project outcomes in order for you to complete the project in the designated time frame and to ensure you meet the deadline of

Over the next nine weeks through a series of lectures, workshops, group seminars and Rushes Panels you will develop your short film idea into a ONE minute animated film, with sound.
All aspects of production from concept through to completion will be assessed by staff and peers. You will be expected to develop your animation ideas through visual storyboards, sound and animatic treatments.

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*UPDATE: 13/10/14

Colour Idea chosen: Pigment Porpoise 

http://animationstudentblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/summer-project-is-go.html


*UPDATE: 16/10/14

Sum your film up in three key words:
- Colour
- Abstract
- Dolphin

Expand that word to one sentence (10 words)
An abstract animation that plays with colour and animation mediums.

Expand that sentence to one paragraph (25 words)
An abstract animation that plays with colour and animation mediums to bring a clash of playful and visual pleasing movement to a varied target audience. 
Describe your film in one image

*UPDATE: 20/10/14

First 20 second - Don't see Dolphin/Mystery
Splashes/ripples/fin - Laura Weston Idea

- Erica Russell - Feet of Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0oBUxPNPXY
- Clive Wolley 
* Colo(u)r by Betty Edwards: http://134fundamentals.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/color-by-betty-edwards.pdf

Abstract
Colour Theory - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_theory


*UPDATE: 23/10/14

Dolphin film:- Ending shows that the dolphin was trapped within a tank the entire time = Robin Heap. 

* Sound - Foley - Music

Script

Camera angles:
Maya cameras - Research different techniques.
Camera following dolphin jumping?

*
Dialogue with client/ lecturer 
Treatment/synopsis
Script
Shot breakdown
Storyboard - thumbnails
Storyboard - Colour, texture etc
Animatic 
Element list - Costs etc
Kit List
Production Timetable

Set-Design drawings
3D mockups
Photographic test images

*UPDATE: 25/10/14

Rough Script (sort of):

“Pigment Porpoise” Screenplay

By

Gemma Birks

EXT. WATER – TIME UNKNOWN

The water is without colour, as is the sky. The waves are somewhat stilled and undisturbed but are soon shifting with movement after a few seconds have gone by.

The water ripples and bulges from the mysterious creature beneath. A dorsal fin breaks the surface, circles and crosses across the waves, before disappearing back below.

EXT. WATER - NEXT

The fin breaks the water once more and on closer inspection seems to belong to a dolphin that is also just as white and blank as the water is swims in.

EXT. WATER - NEXT

The dolphin moves through the water and seems to be looking around at the drab, vast, and blank surroundings, circling slowly. It slips back into the water and out of sight once more.

EXT. WATER – NEXT

The dolphin jumps upwards in a splash of sudden colour, the droplets flying off its body in a vibrant colour of pink, and as the dolphin hits the water the entire surface of the water explodes with pink.

The dolphin jumps again, this time twisting playfully in the air, the droplets a rich orange in colour as they arc from the dolphins tail. The entire surface bursts into orange as the dolphin slips back into it.

The next time the dolphin leaps the water is turned a bright yellow.

EXT. WATER – NEXT

When the dolphin surfaces again it is joined by another two dolphins that both look identical to the first, white and bland. The swim around each other, swirling the yellow water, roll onto their stomachs and then sink into the water, their tails in the air as they descend.

EXT. WATER – NEXT

All at once they jump, different colours of water spreading from each dolphin, colours of purple, green and red curving through the air. The dolphins flip back into the waves and the water merges with three different colours.

They leap again and the water turns a multitude of colours, the rainbow effect spreading throughout in a psychedelic twirl and ripple of colour.

When they again jump they make the water aqua, mixing greens and blues to create an ocean-like look. They seem pleased with the effect and surface with just their heads, they shift and circle each other, dance through the waves and then duck to slap the water, spraying colour into the ‘sky’.

EXT. WATER – NEXT

On further inspection, more of the surroundings come into focus and show that the dolphins are confined to a tank in an aquarium.

*UPDATE: 27/10/14

Over more consideration I thought to change the animation somewhat. I believe that I would not be able to animate moving water good enough in the time that I have, therefore I will be taking the animation underwater. Have the animation start above but then sink underwater.

What I shall do is create two quick storyboards with two ideas and see which is better, in both visuals and better/easier to animate, as I don't have the time to do anything that challenging.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7WjFw3V1hyphenhyphenL3dpYPwNSlTM2QsXm9LWxnBAQrETY0hC8M89ssm1g7S8ApMRvzH3dqrZDvO6s_tUjf4h2OipLDjMQfqi3gxa_f8bOSslR_1ivSiPOlvSGyb1zNVcbEL3fnYRGREzHahTdk/s1600/ShotList+template.jpg

Storyboard: 

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*UPDATE: 05/11/14

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*UPDATE: 08/11/14

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*UPDATE: 09/11/14

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*UPDATE: 11/11/14

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*UPDATE: 13/11/14

All controllers are now parented to each other for better movement/animation. 

Bound the 'skin' (model) to the rig and adding skin weight to the areas that are being affected by movement. 

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*UPDATE: 15/11/14

Still working on the skin weights...it is a long process

Done!(?)

I think I am done with the rigging process now, or as done as I can be, spending too much time on it will shorten the time I have to complete the animation and get it finished. It moves fine and looks decent and I am very happy with the outcome.

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*UPDATE: 04/12/14

After a lengthy period where I came up against some problems, with Maya as well as my own health issues, I have gotten a large part of the animation done. I still have a way to go, including animating the cameras, but I hope to get it all done fairly quickly. I fear I may not get it done for the deadline, but I will continue to try nevertheless. -- The line that you see is a curve that I am using as a guide/track for where the dolphin needs to go. At first it was going to be a motion path but after several issues I chose to merely use it as a guide and animated around/through it.

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*UPDATE: 04/12/14

Finishing off animation as well as adding in the camera movement using Camera Sequencer. I have not used Camera Sequencer much before but I thought it was interesting and useful tool to use. I attempt to forgetting to add depth of field when I adjusted and animated the cameras and their sequence, but that can be easily modified in After Effects.


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*UPDATE: 06/12/14

Using After Effects I added the colour I needed to add (using masks to bring the colour in slowly), the depth of field and particles/bubbles floating in the water.

As I didn't have enough time, due to health issues, I could not find another way to bring in the colour I needed. I stand by what I did with the masks, and I quite like it, however I know there were other options to use instead but was unable to use them due to the lack of time and because I did not have the equipment or was not able to attend University.

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*UPDATE: 08/12/14

Adding the finishing touches to the animation, including title, name and credits as well as the music that goes with it.

DONE!