In Week 08, of Design for Animation, Narrative Structures, and Film Language with Professor Nigel Mairs, I started developing the proposal of individual research topics. This week marked the formal beginning of my critical report journey. I proposed my research topic on hidden political agendas and ideological messaging in animation, focusing on how animation operates as a soft power medium rather than neutral entertainment.
During this week, I concentrated on defining what I needed to know before proceeding further. I began by questioning how animation communicates ideology indirectly through humour, narrative framing, and repetition. I was particularly interested in understanding why animation is often excluded from serious political analysis, despite its mass reach and emotional impact. This led me to position animation not just as an art form, but as a cultural and political language.
A key part of Week 08 was the discussion with my tutor regarding the feasibility and scope of my topic. This discussion helped me refine my focus and avoid an overly broad approach. Instead of analysing “politics in media” generally, I narrowed my research to animated films and series, with a comparative structure between Indian animation and Western animation. This distinction was important, as it allowed me to examine different cultural and political contexts without collapsing them into a single framework.
By the end of the week, I had a clear research intention: to analyse how ideology is selectively framed, softened, or normalised through animation. I also began noting early keywords such as ideology, satire, narrative framing, soft power, representation, and political bias. This week laid the conceptual foundation for the project and ensured that the research direction was academically grounded, critically relevant, and approved for further development.