Maria Mutafchieva

Here is the final version of my critical report:

Here is a link to my presentation:

Reflection on the Research Process

Working on this research project was both challenging and rewarding. At the beginning, one of the main difficulties I faced was choosing a topic that was interesting, meaningful, and suitable for the subject Design for Animation and Narrative Structures and Film Language. The theme of animation and its influence on children felt important to me, but it was also very broad. A major challenge was narrowing it down and deciding what to focus on without losing the depth of the subject.

Another difficulty was working with academic sources. Reading psychological studies and research papers required time and concentration, especially when trying to fully understand the experiments, theories, and terminology. It was sometimes challenging to translate complex academic language into simpler ideas that could fit naturally into my own writing. I also had to be careful not to simply describe the studies, but to connect them meaningfully to my topic and argument.

The research process itself took more time than I initially expected. Finding reliable sources, reading them carefully, taking notes, and deciding which ones were truly relevant was a long process. I spent a significant amount of time comparing different studies, especially those that focused on both the positive and negative effects of animated media. This helped me develop a more balanced and critical perspective, rather than presenting animation as purely beneficial or harmful.

One interesting aspect of the process was realising how strongly animation connects with personal experience. While researching theories such as Social Learning Theory, I became more aware of how animated characters had influenced my own values and imagination while growing up. This made the research feel more personal and engaging, and it helped me reflect on the connection between media, family environment, and moral development.

Overall, this project taught me the importance of structure, planning, and critical thinking in academic work. Although the process was sometimes overwhelming, it allowed me to better understand how animation functions not only as entertainment, but also as a powerful narrative and cultural influence. The experience also improved my research skills and helped me become more confident in analysing academic sources and forming my own arguments.

This week focused on one of the most important parts of any research project: understanding how to build a literature review and why it matters. We talked about how a literature review is not just a list of books or articles, but a structured way to show what has already been written about your topic and how your research fits into that conversation.

I learned that a strong literature review needs a clear structure. Instead of going source by source, it should be organised around key themes or concepts related to the research question. Using headings or strong topic sentences helps guide the reader and makes the argument easier to follow. It was helpful to think of the literature review as telling a story about existing research—where the discussion starts, how ideas connect, and what gaps still exist.

Another important point was being selective. Not every source needs to be included, only the ones that are directly relevant and come from reliable, recognised academic authors. We also discussed the importance of synthesis and evaluation, meaning that I shouldn’t just describe what each author says, but compare viewpoints, highlight agreements or contradictions, and reflect on how these ideas support or challenge my own argument.

Summaries play a key role as well. They help the reader understand how each section connects to the wider topic and where the research is heading next. This made me realise how important clarity and direction are in academic writing.

We also covered research strategies and methods, which helped me better understand how to approach my topic in a more academic way. Learning about Harvard referencing was especially useful, as it reinforced the importance of correctly crediting sources and maintaining academic integrity.

Overall, this session made academic research feel more structured and less intimidating. It helped me see that writing a literature review is about organising ideas, building connections, and gradually shaping a clear and focused argument rather than just writing long, complicated text.

This week, we had a feedback-focused session. I spoke with Nigel about the topic I had initially chosen for my critical report, which was about animation in general and its influence on our lives and the meanings behind it.

During our discussion, he pointed out that my topic was too broad. While the subject itself is interesting, approaching animation as a whole could easily lead to unfocused writing and surface-level observations. He advised me to narrow the topic down and choose a more specific angle, so I wouldn’t get lost in overly general or repetitive arguments.

This feedback helped me realize the importance of precision in academic research. A more focused research question will allow me to go deeper, be more critical, and build a clearer argument instead of trying to cover everything at once. After this conversation, I started thinking more carefully about which aspect of animation truly interests me and how I can frame it in a way that is both manageable and meaningful for a critical essay.

This week, we focused on developing an academic argument and understanding the key structures behind academic study. We talked about how to choose a research topic, test whether it is viable, and which research approaches and tools can support the writing process.

Personally, I’ve always found text-based assignments a bit intimidating. Writing essays has never felt as natural to me as visual work. However, when the assignment is a research project and I’m allowed to choose my own topic, my attitude completely changes. I genuinely enjoy researching subjects I care about, especially animation and that I why chose to make research on the impact it could have on children.

One of the key things I learned is that academic writing is not about simply liking or disliking a piece of work. It requires critical thinking and a balanced, analytical approach. This means examining both strengths and limitations, engaging with ideas from established authors, and using their perspectives to support or challenge my own arguments.

We also discussed the importance of creating an essay outline early on. Drafting a structure helps identify gaps in research, areas that need deeper analysis, and where opposing viewpoints or dialectical discussion should be included. This planning stage will be essential for guiding my research over the next few weeks and for building a clear, well-supported argument.

This week we focused on understanding film and animation language, especially through mise-en-scène, composition, and framing. We also started preparing for our critical report by thinking more carefully about our chosen research topics.

For my critical report, I decided to focus on the influence of animation on children and young people, and how animated films and series can shape their understanding of the world and their moral values. I’m interested in how animation doesn’t just entertain, but also subtly teaches ideas about right and wrong, relationships, identity, and society.

The lecture on mise-en-scène helped me realise how powerful visual storytelling can be for younger audiences. Elements like lighting, colour, space, and character placement can communicate emotions and values without words. For children especially, these visual cues often have a stronger impact than dialogue.

Shot types were another important aspect. Close-ups, especially during emotional moments, encourage viewers to empathise with characters. In animation aimed at younger audiences, this can strongly influence how they connect to certain behaviours or choices characters make.

Lighting techniques also play a big role in shaping meaning. Films like Over the Moon use lighting changes to separate reality from fantasy, which can help younger viewers understand emotional transitions and internal conflicts in a visual way.

Overall, this session helped me see how visual language in animation can influence children’s perception and values. It gave me a stronger foundation for analysing how animation can contribute to shaping moral understanding and worldviews, which directly supports the direction of my critical report.

This session made me think more deeply about how animation can be used to explore social, political, and ethical themes, not just to tell fictional stories. Animation has the ability to visualize things that are invisible, abstract, or too sensitive to be shown directly, which makes it especially suitable for these topics.

A strong example of animation dealing with social justice and human rights is Waltz with Bashir (2008). It uses animation to explore memory, trauma, and war in a way that live-action documentary could not. The animated form allows personal recollections and psychological states to be shown visually, which makes the subject more emotional and honest.

For environmental and ecological issues, a good example is The Man Who Planted Trees (1987). The film uses a simple, poetic visual style to talk about humanity’s relationship with nature, showing how individual actions can slowly heal environmental damage. The animation helps create a calm, reflective tone that supports the message.

In terms of gender and ethnic representation, Persepolis (2007) stands out. Through its minimal black-and-white style, it tells a personal story about growing up as a woman in Iran during political upheaval. The animation makes the story feel intimate and personal, while also addressing broader political and cultural issues.

Another interesting example of animated documentary is Flee (2021), which tells the story of a refugee using animation to protect the identity of the main character. This shows how animation can be an ethical tool, allowing difficult personal stories to be told safely while still feeling real and emotionally powerful.

Animation can also explore community and social issues through metaphor. Films like Grave of the Fireflies (1988) use animation to show the impact of war on civilians, especially children. The animated style softens the visuals, but the emotional impact is still very strong, making the message even more affecting.

Overall, these examples helped me understand that animation does not need to be realistic to be truthful. In many cases, abstraction and stylization allow stories about politics, identity, trauma, and justice to be told in a more human and respectful way.

This week, we explored the history of innovative and experimental animation, focusing on independent practitioners and how individual artists develop their unique style. I learned that abstraction in animation is often a reflection of the artist’s personality and aesthetic choices, and that each creator can combine visuals, sound, and movement in very personal ways. What impressed me most were the two sculpture stop-motion animations shown in class—they were simple but so expressive.

We also learned about early experimental sound in animation, like optical soundtracks and hand-drawn sound experiments, where sound was literally painted onto film. Abstract films often use lines, shapes, and rhythmic colours to connect visuals and sound, which was fascinating to see.

This session made me reflect on how animation can merge art and emotion, telling stories in ways that other media can’t. Even with limits like time or budget, creativity can thrive. The experience showed me how powerful it is to use style, colour, and abstraction to communicate feeling, mood, and imagination—almost like creating a living poem through visuals.

This week in Nigel’s class, we focused on film analysis and editing, and I realized that film is not just about “what happens,” but about what it really means. Editing is like a visual language – it uses the rhythm of cuts to create atmosphere and guide the story. Good editing can make a film feel smooth and engaging, while bad editing can make even a strong story feel confusing or messy.

We learned about long takes, where the shot continues without cuts, letting the audience follow the plot in real time. We also explored shot transitions and continuity, looking at how shots relate to each other in graphics, rhythm, space, and time.

I really like montage editing, although it can feel very abstract and complex. Watching other people’s montages sometimes leaves me confused, but it’s like looking at visual art in motion. Simple techniques like cuts, fades, and dissolves are powerful tools that give a lot of meaning and emotion to a scene.

All this showed me that animation and editing are not just technical skills, but also ways to explore creativity and emotion.

Through this course, I’ve learned a lot about the key parts of visual language: the elements and principles that make art and film work. Elements like colour, form, line, shape, space, texture, and value are the building blocks. For example, space can guide the viewer’s eye, texture adds personality, and rhythm or movement can be created by organizing elements carefully. The Golden Ratio or strong contrast can make a composition feel balanced or powerful.

From Colour Theory: A Critical Introduction, I realized that colours carry different meanings depending on culture, history, and context. For example, golden yellow symbolized imperial power in ancient China. So, colours in art are not just about perception – it’s also about how society and history shape the way we interpret it.

Overall, this course made me see that film and art are carefully organized forms of expression. Everything from composition and colour to value and space is used to guide the audience’s emotions and understanding, step by step.

In the practical part, we explored animation history and discovered how early animators often included themselves in their work, creating a dialogue between the artist and the creation. I found this really interesting because it connects to my own research on narrative in animation, especially when looking at different approaches like abstract versus traditional storytelling, as discussed in Wells’ Understanding Animation.