This document is a proposal for a Year 2 FMP stop-motion animation project. It outlines the main areas of activity as stop-motion animation using plasticine characters and paper cutouts. The narrative concept involves a plasticine person trying to protect their paper dog from an excitable pair of scissors. Weekly tasks are outlined over 19 weeks, including pre-production research, experiments, planning, production by taking photos, editing, and evaluation. The proposal provides background on influences, the target audience, and how progress will be reviewed through weekly reflections.

1. Year 2 FMP
Proposal
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Centre Name and Number:
York College / 48357
Student Name and Number:
Joseph Duffy / 355998
Project proposal title and date:
A Paper-Thin Escape (Can Change) / Friday 31st January 2020
Main area of activity:
The area I will be working in for the most part is Stop-Motion. This will include building a set, a
plasticine person, and drawing many versions of the same dog all to be pictured by a camera.
Rationale:
Last year, I created characters for my video game. I made them as expressive as I could,
embedding their personality in looks and clothes. I think this was successful when I drew them,
however when I made them in Photoshop, the miniature pixel versions didn’t serve them justice.
However, I did improve upon these faults for my FMP. I gave one character a design revision that
better suited their magical abilities and made their face more emotive. The pixel versions were also
improved by making them larger so more details could be added. This should help with this project
as characters push the narrative so being able to show expressions in the way they react or move
is surely needed.
This year, I made stop-motion videos. Each had something different to make them memorable and
I could express their humour with no actual words, with vocals only being grunts or yells. This is
good for the FMP as I plan to l make the story with little to no words spoken, using only what was
mentioned previously.
Project Concept:
My Stop-Motion piece will be a story set in a living room. The characters are a plasticine person,
their paper dog and a pair of scissors, and the setting is made of made of different fabrics. The
narrative will have a peaceful opening, with the person sitting in its armchair while the dog is
asleep. However, the room becomes very tense as a knock on the door bring the new arrival of the
scissors who could potentially, while accidentally, bring danger to the dog in a very nasty way. The
now panicked plasticine person then has to keep the excitable dog and clumsy scissors from
getting too close, getting more and more frantic and tired as it goes. Finally, as the person is too
tired to catch the scissors getting close to the dog, a hand reaches down and picks the scissors up
from the top of the room.
I want the parts to blend, as the characters have such stark differences. This is especially true with
the scissors as giving it personality is tricky, with it not possessing a face and therefore no mouth
to say anything as well as being very stiff. The characters won’t speak much anyway, with the dog
probably having the most vocal range! The plasticine will grunt, gasp, anything that isn’t an actual
word. So, to support the person, I hope to add music that matches the mood with piano but
perhaps violin for a tenser sound, whether on the actual instrument or the computer equivalent
(probably the latter as I can’t play the piano!) It would be like “Untitled Goose Game” but not as
persistent. I also thought of having the lighting change depending on the situation, like if danger is
occurring, red light fills the room, but that might be too complex in the end production.
The research I will do will include stop-motion techniques so my characters can be more dynamic.
I could also check out music programs so if I use them, I won’t be too confused.
How will the project be evaluated and reviewed?
To evaluate my work, I will be writing weekly, perhaps even daily, reflections on what progress I’ve
made while noting what I thought worked successfully and what I wish I could have done better. I
may even make note on what I plan to do in order to fix whatever issue I had so I know what to aim
for on the next day of production. I could also allow others to watch parts of my production so I can
get feedback on what I could improve on or what worked for them and put their reflections into my
product. At the end of the project, I will make an Evaluation of all my work, so I reflect what the
pros and cons of each part and how to improve them. Despite not wishing to, I will also be
presenting my work to people in my course, either on stage or pre-recorded so I will reflect upon
my work for others.
These reviews will help me in my future as I will always remember to check my work to see what
works and what can be improved.

2. Year 2 FMP
Proposal
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Bibliography:
1. Anon. (2020). Introduction to Stop Motion Animation. Available:
https://www.dragonframe.com/introduction-stop-motion-animation/. (Last accessed 3rd
February 2020).
2. Barbara Reid. (2020). About Plasticine. Available: https://barbarareid.ca/students-and-
teachers/about-plasticine/. (Last accessed 3rd February 2020).
3. Duffy, J. (2020). Target Audience Research Survey (conducted on 9th February 2020).
4. Duffy, L. (2020). Target Audience Interviews (conducted on 9th February 2020).
5. Duffy, S. (2020). Target Audience Interviews (conducted on 9th February 2020).
6. Harryhausen, R / Dalton, T. (2003). Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life. New York City:
Billboard Books. 303. (Last accessed 5th February 2020).
7. Knight, T. (2016). Kubo and the Two Strings. (Last accessed 3rd February 2020).
8. Mokry, N. (2018). 6 Filmmaking Tips From Nick Park. Available:
https://filmschoolrejects.com/filmmaking-tips-from-nick-park/. (Last accessed 31st January
2020).
9. O'Neill,P / Harryhausen, R. (2012). Ray Harryhausen: the father of fantasy film-making.
Available: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/nov/01/ray-harryhausen-father-fantasy-
film. (Last accessed 31st January 2020).
10. Parks, M. (2018). Stop Motion Tutorial: Jump For It!. Available:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUqC6brPw20. (Last accessed 31st January 2020).
11. Priebe, K (2010). The Advanced Art of Stop-Motion Animation. Boston: Cengage Learning
PTR. 352.
12. Ray HarryhausenSpecial EffectsTitanDOCUMENTARYFINISHOFFPROPERLY
13. Science Filmmaking Tips. (2018). How to Make Stop Motion Videos. Available:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ppedXZHhE0. (Last accessed 31st January 2020).
Week Tasks to be Completed: Specific Tasks
1 Pre-production  Proposal
 Title – Write a name for the animation but it could
be temporary
 Rationale – Write about what past projects will
influence this project
 Project Concept – Write a synopsis of the
narrative for the animation, referencing some
technical and plot-based points
 How it’s evaluated – Give a brief summary of how
I will reflect on the work I’m doing
 Bibliography – List sources that can link to the
project I’m doing
 Background Research
 Animators – Research a few animators who are
influential in the genre, their history and how they
make their films:
Ray Harryhausen – Maker of Clash of Titans and
Jason and the Argonauts creatures
Nick Park – Maker of Wallace & Gromit and Shaun
the Sheep
Tim Burton – Maker of The Nightmare Before
Christmas and Corpse Bride
 Theory – Look at a couple of theories to do with
animation to describe and embellish upon
 Reflection
 Look at what I have produced and describe the

3. Year 2 FMP
Proposal
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pros, cons and improvements I could make
2 Pre-production  Research
 Primary – Survey that asks about certain aspects
of animation and what preferences people from
different backgrounds have
 Secondary – Research different animated films
target audiences and how they appeal to said
people
 Reflection
 Look at what I have produced and describe the
pros, cons and improvements I could make
3 Pre-production  Research
 Primary – Interview a few people of differing age
ranges to get a more detailed response on their
opinions
 Secondary – Look at how films and shows in the
genre performed in acclaim, income and overall
impact, and how they did such
 Reflection
 Look at what I have produced and describe the
pros, cons and improvements I could make
4 Pre-production  Experiments
 Plasticine – Use the material to animate a short
form of motion like a walking figure
 Computer Editing – Practise using editing
software for hiding a stand which makes
something stay off the ground
 Reflection
 Look at what I have produced and describe the
pros, cons and improvements I could make
5 Pre-production  Experiments
 Paper – Practise animating a paper object in 3D
space
 Setting – Create a simple environment to
understand how to lay out a room
 Reflection
 Look at what I have produced and describe the
pros, cons and improvements I could make
6 Pre-production  Planning
 Experiment Analysis – Look at the experiment in
its production stages and the result to determine
the successes and failures it had, along with what
I’ve learned for my actual piece
 Product Research – Look at the structure and
design of other pieces of animation work, seeing
what their function is, and breaking down
different techniques and the uses they have like
plasticine and paper
 Reflection
 Look at what I have produced and describe the
pros, cons and improvements I could make
7 Pre-production  Planning
 Narrative Breakdown – Go through my story’s
plot in more detail, describing the characters’
designs, the setting and what they all do for the
narrative

4. Year 2 FMP
Proposal
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 Producing Plan – The various aspects of my
product that I need to collect and understand to
make the process simpler to check off:
Resources – List of equipment I will need to complete
my work along with its purpose and location
Audio - List of sound effects and music I will need to
complete my work along with its purpose and location
Health & Safety – List of potential personal hazards I
could come across, like back ache or eye strain, and
what I should do to avoid those issues
Contingencies – List of problems that could occur to
slow down my production, such as bad weather or
corrupted files, and what I should do to prevent their
effect on the process
 Reflection
 Look at what I have produced and describe the
pros, cons and improvements I could make
8 Production  Production
 Characters – Create all the assets that will be
used in motion for the video:
 Plasticine – Make sure character has easily
movable and interchangeable body parts for
easier manoeuvrability
 Paper – Draw out every motion of the dog that
will be used, keeping the same design without
differing proportions with every movement
 Set – Create the pieces that will slot into the
room without feeling too spacious or cramped,
and are able to be put in or taken out without
trouble
 Reflection
 Look at what I have produced and describe the
pros, cons and improvements I could make
9 Production  Production
 Locations of Production – Find areas which will
be suitable to do production on
 Equipment – Obtain equipment needed for work
and set it up correctly
 Begin Image Taking – Begin the image taking
process of the animation’s beginning
 Reflection
 Look at what I have produced and describe the
pros, cons and improvements I could make
10 Production  Production
 Continue Image Taking – Continue taking
photographs of the story, and checking to make
sure there are no faults on the equipment
 Reflection
 Look at what I have produced and describe the
pros, cons and improvements I could make
11 Production  Production
 Peer Feedback – Send the work I have made so
far to my peers to await feedback for positives or
possible improvements
 Latter Parts of Image Taking – Continue taking
pictures of the second half of the narrative
 Reflection

5. Year 2 FMP
Proposal
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 Look at what I have produced and describe the
pros, cons and improvements I could make
12 Production  Production
 Final Shots – Take the images of the final part of
the animation
 Redo Shots – Redo parts of the animation that I
feel are not as good as they could be improve
parts informed by the feedback
 Editing and Completing Video – Do any effects
on software to improve the images, like deleting
possible stands for the characters, and putting
the images together into an entire animation
 Reflection
 Look at what I have produced and describe the
pros, cons and improvements I could make
13 Production  Production
 Audio – From the animation, create sound or
music that fits accordingly in timing and
somewhat realism which will be implemented
 Save & Export – Save the complete animated
video after rendering it all, then proceeding to
export the video in the right format
 Post Video – Put the exported video on all the
sites required for examination
 Reflection
 Look at what I have produced and describe the
pros, cons and improvements I would have liked
to make
14 Evaluation  Evaluation
 Research – Reflect on what was successful or
failed about the Research aspect of the project
 Planning - Reflect on what was successful or
failed about the Planning aspect of the project
 Time Management - Reflect on what was
successful or failed about the Time Management
aspect of the project
15 Evaluation  Evaluation
 Technical Qualities - Reflect on what was
successful or failed about the Technical Qualities
aspect of the product
 Aural Qualities - Reflect on what was successful
or failed about the Aural Qualities aspect of the
product
16 Evaluation  Evaluation
 Aesthetic Qualities - Reflect on what was
successful or failed about the Aesthetic Qualities
aspect of the product
 Audience Qualities - Reflect on what was
successful or failed about the Audience Qualities
aspect of the product
17 Moderation  Waiting
 Moderating – I don’t truly know what I am
supposed to be doing during the moderation
week, as I believe the marking happens then
18 Show Preparation  Preparation
 Script – Use essential parts of the project to write

6. Year 2 FMP
Proposal
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out a script explaining their purpose for the
overall project and an animation analysis
 Recording – Read the script using a recorder in a
clear voice
 Compiling – Put all the visuals of the project
description into one document to be played along
with the audio
19 Show  Presentation
 Showing – Set up the presentation and begin
playing it, then after it’s finished get it ready for
the next presentation