A Sense of Direction.

Today was the first group workshop for Comm Tech since the brief was set last week, and I've gained so much from today considering all we've done is talk, discuss and chat a little more.

I started off thinking 'i want to do animation and video for comm tech, with a bit of this and that on the side as well.'

I now know I want to focus on Animation, in particular stop motion animation.

I will consider various equipment; DSLR, video cameras and software; Final Cut, After Effects, (Photoshop/Illustrator), and anything else I discover as useful for animation.
Also, I can work with a range of materials; paper, illustrations, everyday objects, clay/plasticine etc.
I need to know the specifics or 'scientific stuff' of animation, such as frames per second, lighting, sound and other camera features,

I will be looking at the origins of animation; the current technology of animation today including CGI/3-D; as well as looking at the future of animation... what will be around in 10 years time?

I realised there's plenty of gaps in my knowledge of animation, so there's plenty of holes to fill with some background research before i come to exploring.

My exploring will involve several projects, these are along the lines of the following:

Group Work - create experimental short clips with the 4 other people in the animation group, trying our hand at a range of techniques/using different equipment/software. As animation is so brilliant at consuming days of your life, working with a group can hopefully reduce some time and increase the working experience.
Individual Projects - I want to work through various mini projects to help expand my knowlege -for example, producing small animations using different techniques, as well as finding out and exploring the effects such as lighting, sound, set up.

I'll be in contact with other animators/film/video enthusiasts, professionals, companies... let's get started.