Éimhin Smith
In my specialist role, I worked on other film projects from my year. As a part of my role, I created visual effects such as fire, smoke, water etc. Along with this, I assisted in the collation of assets to put an animated scene together whilst adding visual enhancement, for example; scene lighting, camera movements, adding effects and more.
The villain in animated media is a character that holds more importance than given credit for. By pursuing their goals, a villain defines the narrative for the rest of the cast, acting as the primary reason behind the story. This thesis focuses on the villain character and the many traits the title of ‘villain' brings with it. In being the antagonist of the story, a villain is often painted in a negative light. The villain label is often simplified to pure evil, a character that commits heinous acts just because they can. This thesis defines what it means to be a villain of pure evil and what it means to be a misunderstood villain by exploring the origins of these villains. These backstories allow a true deduction of character and assist in the retrospective analysis of the villain. This thesis examines the villain’s entire story, looking at the backstory and many paths the villain’s character can go down. By studying story arcs, this thesis explores the bond a hero and villain holds and how the writer can develop their characters and manipulate the outcomes of their stories. Within this study, the methodology of character development is investigated through real world emotions and how the inclusion of these emotions can create a more relatable character. This thesis discusses, with reference to psychological theory, how villains are designed to avert expectations.
I am an aspiring effects and comp artist who loves the freedom of motion that effects bring. I love adding impact and that little bit of extra flair to a scene to really make it pop. I’ve had a passion for video games since childhood and hope to pursue 2D visual effects in the video game industry.
