Amal's blog: The Chosen Topic & Planning The Research Project

Work Project overview:

Client's Background:

ST***Media Group is a small growing company that specializes in marketing, communication, media and event management. The company has been involved in a diverse range of projects from business consulting to music production. It's also focused on taking advantage of changes in the media marketing industry and providing the highest quality and most progressive solutions to their customers internationally. ST***Media Group runs many successful events and organizes workshops around the world that are aimed to encourage the youth to find their own aspect of creativity. They are also engaged to work with young creative people aged 16 to 24 to invest their talents and improve capabilities by providing a practical approach in the real business world in order to meet their short and long term efficiency.

Creative Youth Campaign:

The ST***Media Group has decided to raise a promotional campaign called Creative Youth for young creatives that hadn't found the courage yet to bring up their inner creativity outwards. The campaign will open up a host of new opportunities for young creatives through a planned strategic investments, thoughtful educated programs and workshops.

What's the campaign's objectives?

• Inform about the new opportunities that the company had offered for the creatives.

• Expand their creativity aspects through the workshops & events.

• Encourage them to pursue their creativity and to take part in a creative environment.

The Campaign requirements:

• Bring up creative and imaginative ideas to advertise this campaign to capture young creatives interest.

The short Video Animation:

Creative Youth Campaign will require an advertising items to be designed such as slogan, website, poster, flayers, T-shirts, business stationary, etc. As I said before, the director divided the work task between our team, so everyone has his own task to work on. My responsibility is to create a short advertising video animation that will be embedded in the front page of the website.

Brainstorming, Ideas & Planning:

I've read Bell's book "Doing Your Research Project” It clearly outlined where to start & how to think about selecting a topic and identifying the objectives of my study by following the project planning checklist.

A) Keywords:

Before I started thinking about listing my topic ideas, I held my pen & started writing any word that passed my head while thinking about doing this task.

I ended up filling 2 A4 sheets with many inspirational keywords that would lead to a new topics. Surprisingly enough that was more than what I've expected. So I started crossing out irrelevant keywords, otherwise my research topic would open up to unlimited research.

I guess it's one the disadvantages that the researcher should be aware of; by not going further over the idea you work on.

Surely, these keywords will help me build up my research glossary ( Research & Development materials : Activity1).

B) Topic Ideas & Questions:

The brainstorming helped to think of using the Asian Pacific (Japanese) animation "Anime" as my animation style. Here's my brainstormed ideas:

Here are some generated ideas to think about before choosing and developing my final research topic. I listed the things about " Video & Animation" with considering the shared elements for both work & academic research:

Effective process in small / big commercial production companies
New & old animation techniques
Entertainment market
Animation industry,studios, festivals, competitions
Animation revolutionary
New media role
Effects used in animation production
2D/3D/4D animation
Commercial TV adverts & web video Adverts
Culture affection on media
Asian Pacific (Japanese) animation
Asian Pacific culture, media wave
Online promotion video marketing

C) The Chosen Topic & Developing Questions / Related Objectives & Hypotheses:

Pacific Asian (Japanese) animation "Anime":

What's the impact/influence of Asian animation on the youth lifestyle?
what is the "Anime" culture?
what are the key elements that make "Anime" culture absorbed by other countries that have different culture?
History of "Anime" culture
will using this type of animation culture be straightforward & help me to deliver the campaign message to young people?
How did Anime begin?
What is the difference between the Amercian animation style & the Japanese animation style? What type of animation that is more influenced by the audience?
What is "Otaku Nation" flow? what are their influences about Japanese animation culture?
What is the media role marketing for "Anime culture"?

D) Purpose of Study:

"In the beginning, Anime was actually a substitute for the live action western films that Japan could not afford to make. So instead they replaced these live action films with animated cartoons since the 1930's. This was a cheaper alternative than real actors and a real set.Anime gained huge popularity in Japan, spreading all the way to America. Today anime is a staple for kids who watch channels such as Cartoon Network. Popular TV shows like Inuyasha, Pokemon, and Full metal Alchemists are anime styled cartoons. Even western film have adopted some of the characteristics of anime." (1)

"Many of the anime properties brought over from Japan and dubbed into English are aimed at older teens and adults, not at children." (2)

This study aims to:

Prove if the "Anime" culture has a real influence in youth these days

Alternative:

If it's proven, then using this style of animation will be the right choice for using it as the "Creative Youth" campaign video animation.
If not, then try to use another style of animation.

C) Expectation:

I think using the "Anime" style of animation will help me to deliver the campaign message easily to the targeted audience. Anime had been covering in many television shows and programs for adults and kids continuously from a very long time. They will be very distinctive and fairly easy to recognize, therefore attracting the audience's attention will be worthy.

Project Outline / Initial Plan:

Timescale:

Deadline for module 3835 & 3861 (6/1/2011)

Deadline for video animation work (3/1/2011)

Consulting the Supervisor & Record of Supervisory Tutorials:

Discussing the Japanese animation style for the creative Youth campaign with the director through the phone gave a pleasant impression.

He approved to use this style after I explained to him how this will benefit the workplace efficiency. I recorded a memo of what we have discussed so far through the phone and sent a copy to the director via email.

Here are the points of what we have talked about:

What impact will it have on my job, my work colleagues, the sector in which I work?

Experiencing new techniques and concept.
Conducting new software training
Different perspectives and views value diversity will Increase innovation in design strategies
Increased capacity to adopt new methods
Communication in workplace and public

Now,What will I need to find out?

Historical background about animation
Western Animation
Japanese Animation
Examples, types of animation & styles
Masters/ Famous animators
Japanese culture influences in youth/ other countries
Animation techniques & purposes (old & new)
Equipments & tools (Hardware & software-2D, 3D,4D)
Animation companies & purposes (entertainment, advertising, promoting, other?)
References, collect materials & examples of new animation

Why will that make a difference to my work and career?

Increased competition in today's design and animation global marketplace makes it critical that employees understand and meet the needs of customers.

Can I disseminate what I find out anywhere?

Yes, I can disseminate what I'll find out,but without mentioning the client company data (Data Protection Act 1998). It should form part of the contract between our design company and the client.

Will my project have some sort of impact?