Evaluation

Through the animation I am trying to communicate that there is a problem with the grey squirrels killing off our native red squirrels. I showed the animation to 10 people individually and they all understood this. The message is ‘subtle but clear’ and I managed to make the audience ‘warm towards the red [squirrel] more than the grey’.

The silhouette idea makes the animation ‘simple but effective and quite different’. The foreground makes everything ‘look very delicate and peaceful until the grey comes charging through’. The images have been drawn carefully meaning the animation does not flicker, making the movements ‘fluid’ and believable.

If I had more time to do the project I would look into making the animation just a few seconds longer. Perhaps the audience would see the grey squirrel catch the red, leaving the red injured. I could also look into making some of the foreground animated. Leaves moving slightly to suggest a breeze, other animals such a small birds could flutter in the trees. If I were to do the project again I would search for video footage of a grey squirrel climbing down a tree. This could may add more height and variety in the sequence making it interesting for the audience.

This was my first attempt at animation and I am generally pleased with the final outcome. I feel I have learnt a range of new skills in the process, from drawing in Adobe Illustrator to animating in QuickTime Pro. I have learnt how time consuming and repetitive the animation process is. Despite this I still really enjoyed the project and would defiantly like to extend my shaky skills in animation further in the future.