'Proposal Introduction'

"the more believable we make it, the more magical the experience will be."

Brad Bird (Cited in 'The Art of Ratatouille.' 2007)

Technically speaking; 'Animation' is the rapid display of a sequence of images in order to create the illusion of movement.(3D World, 2010) However it is the overall effect of this 'illusion' which captures the essence of what animation is all about. It can be said that one of its main purposes is to entertain an audience in a medium that knows no boundaries. Yet to capture and maintain the audiences interest, they must be able to relate to the world and the characters within the story; the content must be believable.

The process of animating compelling characters originates with the Character Designer. They must be forward thinking and make sure that the character holds all the necessary features needed for what it will be doing in the story. The main aim of a characters appearance is to get an immediate reaction from the viewer whether it be sympathy, fear, laughter or suspicion;  the audience needs to be able to identify with the character and easily recognise their personality and attitude. This empathy for the character is not only gained through efficient character design, but also through the body language and facial expressions of that character; its performance. (Hooks, 2003) Many would say this is the animator's responsibility, but this research aims to reflect upon another opinion. The role of creating convincing movement first falls to the technical artist; without them the animators would have nothing to animate.

The technical artists role can involve many different areas of expertise. One of their main responsibilities, the area this study will focused on; is the design and creation of character rigs. They are a vital component in producing a successful animation. Required to work closely with character artists and animators, the technical artist must interpret the needs of both and form them into the creation of a pertinent complex rigging system.

These rigs must be capable of a range of believable movements and expressions to allow the subsequent animation to be performed appropriately. With the intention of obtaining influences from various scientific studies, in addition to technical and artistic processes from existing film, animation and games; this project will consider how drawing from the techniques of a range of different disciplines can help form a more effective approach to rig creation for animation.

There are countless possibilities when it comes to variety in characters; thus there is a need to focus on a specific area. Therefore, the focal point of this project will be the rigging of creature characters. These characters would benefit from further study as they often stray into fantasy, creating more complex designs. Consequently giving the brief purpose but still allowing for extensive research.