Thesis proposal 1: Confirm areas of study

Before finally confirming the research direction, I envisioned the following areas：

1. Parasocial Interaction theory

The teacher gave an example of this topic in the first class. After consulting relevant materials, I found that if I want to research this topic I needs to have a certain psychological basis.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/S1532785XMEP0403_04

New word: Parasocial Interaction

Parasocial interaction (PSI) refers to a kind of psychological relationship experienced by an audience in their mediated encounters with performers in the mass media, particularly on television and on online platforms.^[1][2][3][4] Viewers or listeners come to consider media personalities as friends, despite having no or limited interactions with them. (Wikipedia)

Two essential functions of PSI: companionship and personal identity(p.280).

PSI’s most important function was as a source of alternative companionship, resulting from “deficiencies” in social life and dependency on television (i.e., as compensation for loneliness). (p.280)

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0160791X21000464

This study explored the characteristics of brand animated spoke characters regarding whether and how they generate advertising effects.

2. comedy

I choose this topic because I recall the essence of learning this major. I want to bring joy and warmth to everyone with my work.

“Scroogin on a Greg”: The Absurd in Scottish Animated Comedy

Is the straight role in comedy essential and why is it usually played by a woman in animation?

3. The martial arts animation movie

I chose this topic because I thought about the company I want to work for after graduation, and the works it produces contain many martial arts actions.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/43653676?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=The%20martial%20arts%20animation%20movie&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DThe%2Bmartial%2Barts%2Banimation%2Bmovie%26so%3Drel&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3Af745ade33f24128f5d7236e8767081cc

4. Metaphors from cartoons

I chose this topic because I was thinking about my FMP. I want to make a piece that comes from everyday life. This segment reflects the evil of human nature. But I don’t want to express it too directly, and I want to give the audience space for their own reasoning and perception. Hence, the concept of metaphor comes to mind.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1470357211398446

https://www.jstor.org/stable/43154256?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=Metaphors%20from%20cartoons&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DMetaphors%2Bfrom%2Bcartoons%26so%3Drel&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3A4d43469163bbd7fb0a01f5337b09fcb0

5. What are the boundaries of violence in animation.

This topic comes up automatically when I search for Comedy. It reminded me of the time before I went to London to study when China’s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television demanded that violent cartoons be corrected. There were 1,465 problems in 21 cartoons. The topic has been hotly debated. For some, violence is essential to storytelling, and the cartoons in question are not meant for young children. But some people still worry about the bad influence of violence on teenagers.

Animating Violence

Controversial or Comfortable: What Is the Secret to Acceptable Violence in Animation?

For now, I personally prefer the fifth topic. Because in order to get into the company I want to work in, I need to make a martial arts animation. But what kind of action animation is not violence, where is the boundary of animation violence. Understanding these has a good warning effect on our creation.