Developing a visual style for computer animations based on film directing techniques

Abstract

The average Texas A&M Visualization Sciences student's process of creating a computer animation is generally a lengthy, industrious, and refining process of trial and error. This creative process is fueled through knowledge the student inherently contains (such as intuition), knowledge gleaned from coursework, and knowledge gathered from peers, professors, and others. In this gathering of knowledge from a multitude of sources, one valuable source of information is generally underutilized -- traditional film. Within traditional film, the position that provides numerous parallels to the computer animation student is that of the director. Information describing how a director creates a visually compelling film can prove useful to the student when applied to his or her own animation. This thesis provides a selective source of information examining how Hollywood film directors interpret scripts to derive a film's style, and how this style is then utilized to create visually appealing, cohesive films.