As part of our Fourth Year Semester One in Animation and Motion Design we were given the brief constructed by the Royal Society of Arts as part of our coursework. Two transcripts are given to students who then pick and create an accompanying animation towards their chosen transcript. The one I went with for my brief is 'How To Be A Good Ancestor' by Roman Krznaric.

The Royal Society of Arts has had a big impact on social change over 260 years. Founded in 1754 its first meeting was in Rawthmell’s coffeehouse in Covent Garden. Awarded the Royal Charter in 1847 by Queen Victoria, they didn’t adopt the royal name until 1908. Prince Albert organised the Great Exhibition in 1851 which Henry Cole, a member of the Royal Society of Arts was present. There was a huge variety of people from all backgrounds involved with the Royal Society of Arts which include, Benjamin Franklin, Charles Dickens, Karl Marx and Adam Smith.

From the two transcripts provided to us I was instantly struck by the second option of Roman Krznaric’s ‘How to be a Good Ancestor’. While it may not be a common topic to talk or think about normally; it has always interested me and motivated me throughout life and work. Not only from the perspective of what we can do for our descendants but from the perspective of our parents, grandparents and great grandparents; ancestors. What they had and have gone through to bring us to this very moment in time. What they would think of the world we have today, the world they left us, and allowed us to have and shape. Would they be content of its current state, and what would they have wanted or thought was right.. Taking my family ancestors as inspiration allowed me to learn more about them which in itself was very nice and beneficial to me thanks to the project.

After selecting the second transcript I watched Roman Krznaric’s talk on humankind’s inability to think long term and took notes on some of his opinions. Some key words he used I took a closer look at and educated myself on their meanings to bring some clarity and inspiration to the animation itself. Expanding my vocabulary was also obviously beneficial to me in developing. Below are a few of the words and their meanings which I found very useful in developing my ideas.

Posterity: All future generations of people or the descendants of a person.

The ‘Biocapacity’ of an ecosystem is an estimate of its production of certain biological materials such as natural resources, and its absorption and flitering of other materials such as carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Circular economy: Is an economic system aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources.

Rewilding: Allowing nature to reclaim land.

I had a look at the prefrontal cortex of the brain, the region which is responsible for planning complex cognitive behavior, personality expression, decision making and moderating social behaviour. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is in charge of long-term thinking and working memory while the orbitofrontal prefrontal cortex is responsible for decision making. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex also undedrgoes a long period of maturation which lasts until adulthood.

Roman mentions two types of thinking in his talk the first being ‘Seventh Generation thinking’ which is based on an ancient Haudenosaunee philosphy that the decisions we make now should allow a sustainable world for the next seven generations. The second type he mentioned was ‘Cathedral thinking’ which goes back to medieval times when architects laid long-term plans and began construction which would require decades to complete. City planning and space exploration have adopted this method.

In my research I took a look at the founding of the Royal Society of Arts from the website learning of its foundation in 1754 with the first meeting held in Rawthmell’s coffeehouse in Covent Garden. Taking a look at it’s beginnings aided me in solidifying my want in creating a period piece, not set in modern times. Having decided on a 19501950’s Poland I began to research the culture and become aware of what life was like. Small details such as the model of car, architecture, clothing, the date of invention for certain items such as the pinwheel were all checked to make sure the animation is historically accurate. I questioned my Mother and Grandmother for further confirmation on this matter and I am confident in it’s portrayal.

The FSO warszawa was in production from 1951 to 1973 with the one shown here being the 1957 model. During the second world war warsaw was left in ruins by german forces. without any outside help it was rebuilt between the 1950’s and 1970’s.

In my development stage of the project, with the deconstruction of the audio clip I tried to find as many different forms of representing the information as possible in the hope of creating a more visualing appealing and creative approach to the brief. Below are some of my sketchbook sketches exploring different methods. As well as that I’ve included animations which influenced my work in the process. 

The storyboards below were consistently changed, replaced and removed throughout the process of animating this brief. Referencing was used from photos taken of specific positions of hands and people as well as from the old family photos shown on the first page.

Animatic​​​​​​​

The task I gave myself along with this project was to not only create a new and unique style within my work but to advance my skills in Adobe After Effects and Illustrator. I didn't want to have a simple infographic-esque animation to follow along with the audio and felt it necessary to create a different approach to the 'problem' presented. I feel confident I was able to produce an animation of high quality however this wasn't without a few reworkings. After finishing my project in December of 2020 I later revisited it in January before submitting the actual piece to the RSA Student Design Awards competition. The backpack scene, planet marbles and unique character silhouettes during the windmill scene were all added into the piece to create a more polished and satisfying feel. I have developed a substantial amount of knowledge about the two programs previously mentioned and am excited to use these in the future on other projects.