Tom+Donker+Unit+3

=__**Unit 3:** **How Am I Changing?**__=

__ Investigation Stage: __


 * __Design Problem:__**

This unit is about how I am changing physically and emotionally. So I want to focus on the physical changes I am going through: So for the final animation, I want to show my muscle development throughout the past years. I want to show this because when the question 'How am I changing?' comes to my mind, I think about physical changing, i.e. muscle evolution. Also, then I think of animations showing physical changes, lots of ideas come to mind for my final animation.
 * muscle stature
 * height
 * weight
 * hair
 * size

The problem that I want to solve is how does my physical development affect my awareness of my social status. I want to show this because I think that when people change physically, they think differently and see their social status differently.


 * __Research:__**
 * In order for muscles to grow there are three things that are required:


 * 1) Stimulus – exercise is needed to make the muscles function a use energy to cause microscopic damage to the fibers of the muscle.
 * 2) Nutrition – after intense exercise the muscles need to gain more fuel to store for future exercise.
 * 3) Reset – it is during this stage where the damaged muscles repair the microscopic damage and grow.

Muscle size increases because of hypertrophic adaptation and an increase in the cross section area of the individual muscle fibers. Intensive exercise affects more of the strength influencing fast twitch type II fibers, thus the increase of the muscle size is accompanied by greater strength.

Boxing Scene, What Causes Muscle Growth?, [], Accessed: 8th January 2013 ||


 * __Things that Causes Muscle Growth:__

Genetic predisposition Age Training Program Training Status (beginner vs advanced) Injuries Pain Tolerance Drug Use

Adonis Index, What Cause Muscle Growth?, [], Accessed: 8th January 2013 ||


 * __ Animations: __

An animation is a rapid display of images to create an illusion of movement. The most common way of presenting an animation is as a motion picture or a video program, but there are also other ways of presenting. This type of presentation is usually presented with a camera and a projector or a computer viewing screen which can rapidly cycle through images in a sequence. An animation can be made either by hand (painting drawing, etc), computer generated imagery, or three-dimensional objects such as puppets of clay figures. Animations can also be a combination of these different ways. When viewing an animation on a device, the images are shows in rapid succession, normally 24, 25 or 30 frames per second.

Wikipedia, Animation, [], Accessed: 8th January 2013 ||


 * __Design Brief:__**

To solve the problem, I am going to make an animation about a stick figure doing exercise and becoming stronger.Then the stick figure has a day of exercise and goes to meet up with his friends. He has a good day with them and then he is lying in bed, he thinks about how his social status has changed throughout him becoming stronger. He notices that his smaller friends are scared of him, and he finds it easier to 'chill' with people his own size because he relaxes around them more. When he is with people smaller then him, he is worried that his friends will run away because they think he is a bully. So when stick figure goes to sleep, he is happy that he noticed his social status change and he can do something about it.

I what to do something like this to show people that your social status can and probably will change when something develops or changes about you. I think that this this animation will be a long one and its going to be hard for me, but I think it is a good idea and I am accepting the challenge.

__**Design Specification:**__

My design must include:
 * Text should be easy to read
 * during the animation, when there is text, the audience should be able to read the text, i.e. the text should stay on the screen long enough for everyone to read and the text should be a color that is visible on the background.
 * Story line
 * a story line is important because if an animation that is trying to get a message across doesn't have a story line then it is hard to understand the message. The story line should also be easy to follow.
 * a background that moves
 * a background that moves shows that I have a god understanding of the program and it makes the animation more interesting because there are different things to look at during the animation
 * at least 5 layers
 * there have to be at least 5 layers in the animation because it makes it easier to edit all the different aspects of the animation and having more layers shows that you understand the program
 * at least 15 seconds long
 * the animation has to be a least 15 seconds because if it is shorter, the viewer wouldn't understand it and it may not show your full potential
 * play at 12 frames per second
 * the animation has to be played at 12 frames per second because then it makes you put detail into your animation


 * __Tests For Final Animation:__**

To test my final animation i am going to make a survey that asks questions about my final product. The survey will include questions that ask if the product meets the design specifications and what can be improved about the animation.


 * __Flash Animation Tests:__**

We had to make 3 simple animations that would show our skills with this program. We were given the ideas and we could make any animation but it would include that idea that was given. Each animation shows a different set of skills required for the final product.

media type="file" key="tom donker 9 ict unit 2 animation stick man running.swf" width="360" height="270"
 * __Stick Man Running:__**

media type="file" key="tom donker 9 ict unit 2 animation text effects.swf" width="360" height="270"
 * __Text Effects:__**

media type="file" key="tom donker 9 ict unit 2 animation picture changing.swf" width="360" height="270"
 * __Changing Picture:__**

Design 1: The design has all the design specifications. It has a moving background from when the stick man does his exercise to him meeting up with his friends to him being in bed. It will have 5 different layers because there will be layers for:
 * __Design Stage __**
 * **__Design Specifications:__** ||  **__Moving Background:__**  ||  **__At Least 5 Layers:__**  ||  **__At Least 15 Seconds:__**  ||  **__Played At 12 Frames Per Seconds:__**  ||
 * **__Yes__** || 0 || 1 || 1 || 1 ||
 * **__No__** ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * the stick man
 * 1 layer for each friend
 * the background

The animation will also be at least 15 seconds long because there is a lot that is needed to get the main message across, and the animation will be played at 12 frames per second because it is the default setting.

Design 2:
 * **__Design Specifications:__** || **__Moving Background:__** || **__At Least 5 Layers:__** || **__At Least 15 Seconds:__** || **__Played At 12 Frames Per Seconds:__** ||
 * **__Yes__** || 0 || 1 || 1 || 1 ||
 * **__No__** ||  ||   ||   ||   ||

This design also fits all the design specifications. It has a moving background from when stick man exercises with weights to him running marathons, and from stick man going to see his friends. the animation will also have at least 5 layers: The animation will also be at least 15 seconds because if it is shorter then 15 seconds the message of the story wont be portrayed. The animation will also be played at 12 frames per second because that is the default setting of Flash Animation.
 * stick man
 * 1 layer for all his friends
 * backgrounds

Design 3:
 * **__Design Specifications:__** || **__Moving Background:__** || **__At Least 5 Layers:__** || **__At Least 15 Seconds:__** || **__Played At 12 Frames Per Seconds:__** ||
 * **__Yes__** || 0 || 1 || 1 || 1 ||
 * **__No__** ||  ||   ||   ||   ||

Like both of the other designs, this design fits all the design specifications. It will have a moving background because the stick man will travel from his house to the groceries store and back to his house and then to his friends. The design will also have at least 5 different layers because there will be a layer for: the animation will also be at least 15 seconds long because like the other designs, if it is shorter than 15 seconds the message of the animation won’t be portrayed. And the animation will be played at 12 frames per second because that is the default setting of Flash Animation.
 * stick man
 * background
 * layer for each of his friends (at least 3 layers)

I think that my first design was the best because it shows stick man getting physically stronger and bigger which is related to the unit topic (How Am I Changing?) and then it shows how stick mans physical changes affect his social status, i.e. his friends may think of him as a bully now do to his muscular stature, and they might think that he will go and find new friends. Then it shows how stick man realizes that his friends now think of him differently then before, this shows how changing can affect your social community.


 * __Plan Stage __**

__**Time Plan:**__

 * Monday 18th February 2013 **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">: this is a single lesson so I only have 55 minutes. During the lesson I want to get stick man deciding and starting to work out.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Tuesday 19th February 2013: **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> this is a double lesson which means I have 1 hour and 50 minutes. During this lesson I want to get stick man done with all his different exercises: bend pressing, lifting weights in each hand and running building up muscle size and cardio fitness.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Monday 25th February 2013: **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"> this is a single lesson so I have 55 minutes. During this lesson, I want to accomplish stick man going to meet up with his friends and then going to the football match, however, I am not going to show stick man at the football match because it isn't relevant to the animation.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Tuesday 26th February 2013: **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> this is a double lesson so I will have an hour and 50 minutes to complete the last few frames of the animation. During this lesson, stick man will get home and then get an early night. While he lies in bed he starts thinking about why his friends acted weird at the football match. Then he realizes it’s because he is getting physically bigger. This is then the end of the animation.


 * Monday 4th March 2013:** no school on this day


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Tuesday 5th March 2013: **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">this is a double lesson so I will have an hour and 50 minutes. In this lesson I will touch up the final product, i.e. adding in speech bubbles, making stick man and his friends look neat, etc. I will also add in the backgrounds that I haven't already added in, i.e. the sky, the road, the sun, the trees, ect.

I did make a few modifications to my original idea. Instead of stick man and his friends just going out, they are going to a football match because it is easier to notice the difference in behavior of his friends. Other than that small modification, the design is the same. I did have to make some changes to my design so that they fit my final product. On Monday 25th February 2013, I noticed that I was following my plan but I wasn't following the amount of frames I gave myself to do each part of the animation. So I took out the amount of frames that I had to do each section so that I wasn't limited to a basic design.
 * Changes/Modifications: **
 * Design: **
 * Plan: **

__**<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Resources Plan: **__

 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Monday 18th February 2013: **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">in this lesson I will be using Flash Animation to start my final product because stick man is deciding to start working out and he starts working out.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Tuesday 19th February 2013: **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">in this lesson I will be using Flash Animation as well for my final product because stick man is working out and I don’t need any images from the internet.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Sunday 24th February 2013: **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">I will be using Flash Animation for this as well because stick man is going to meet up with his friends.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Monday 25th February 2013: **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">I will be using Flash Animation and I will use an image from the internet (a football stadium) because stick man is going to a football match with his friends.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Tuesday 26th February 2013: **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">I will use Flash Animation only because I don't need any pictures from the internet.


 * Monday 4th March 2013:** no school on this day


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Tuesday 5th March 2013: **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">in this lesson I will only use Flash Animation because i only need to touch up my final product.

In this plan, I had to get several images from the internet but while making my animation, I didn't need most of the pictures because it was easier to make the object in Flash Animation. So on Monday 4th February 2013 I changed the resources plan so that I didn't need most of the images from the internet.
 * Changes/Modifications: **

=__Create Stage:__=

media type="file" key="tom donker 9 unit 3 final animation 1.swf" width="330" height="331" <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Dreamstime, Stock Image: Soccer Stadium Background, [], Accessed: 26th February 2013
 * Final Animation:**
 * __References For Pictures Used In Final Animation:__**

=__Evaluate Stage:__=


 * __<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Design Specifications: __**


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Text should be easy to read
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I have a lot of text in my animation so to make each text segment readable I had to make my animation really long. Each segment had to be easy to read so on my animation the text is clear and there is enough time to read each text.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Story line
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">My final animation has a story line. The story line is that stick man wants to become stronger and fitter so he starts to work out. After several weeks of working out he meets up with his friends to go to a football match. He gets home and goes to bed and starts to think. He notices that his friends were acting weird. So he then come upon the conclusion that his friends think of him as a bully due to his physical growth.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Played at 12 frames per second
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The animation is played at 12 frames per second because that is the default setting on Flash Animation. It then also requires us to put detail into our animations.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">At least 15 seconds long
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">My animation is exactly 30.9 seconds long. It had to be this long because otherwise I would have been able to include all the different scenes needed to get the message across.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">At least 5 layers
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">My final product has 6 different layers: stick man, friends, exercise apparatus, text, background and background 1. All these layers are required so that it makes the create process easier and if I have to change/ modify the animation, it makes it easier to do that.


 * __<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Design Test Results: __**

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">


 * __Questionnaire Analysis:__**

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I gave my product questionnaire to 5 different people. When I got them back, I saw that most of the answers were similar: no moving background, stick man needed to physically change, and that the message wasn't very clear. After reading their responses, I watched my final product again and saw that they were right. I noticed that there was no moving background, only changing backgrounds; stick man didn't physically change after working out; and the overall message of the animation was clear, although 1 or 2 of the people who took the questionnaire did get the message.


 * __<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Improvements: __**

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">I think that my final design was good, but as ever, there are a few improvements that could be made. The first main improvement is that my animation should have included a moving background. There could have been a moving background when stick man was jogging. I didn't have a moving background because, honestly, I wasn't too sure what it meant by a moving background so I thought a changing background has sufficient. To avoid an error like this one, if I don’t understand something on the unit page, I will ask the teacher to explain it. Another improvement that could have been made is that there could have been more detail within each stage of the animation. For example, I could have made stick man walk slower, or add in more vegetation in the scenes that were outside. another big error was that after stick man has been working out, he doesn't change physically, well you don't see the change very clearly. But when making the animation, after stick man working out, i used a thicker line to try and portray the idea that he has changed physically. However, this wasn't noticeable so for the next time, I will try and draw muscles onto stick man to make the physical change visible.