Robots Are Not People
3D Animation
Project
Create a short animated video explaining an important social issue
In the final year of my education at the University of Cincinnati’s design program we were given the prompt above for our capstone projects. We spent one semester doing research and planning, and one semester creating and polishing and presenting.
My chosen topic regarded the dangers of anthropomorphizing robots. In simple terms, it is about the danger of seeing robots as people, instead of as machines or tools.
Poster Design
Accompanying the video is a poster design which was displayed in large print on capstone presentation day. The poster needed to have my contact information (accurate to 2017), a brief explanation of the topic, and artwork that summarizes the video.
Upon rounds of review and ideation, I opted for a simple poster design showing just the main robot protagonist shedding a single tear. This supports the core theme of the video by implying there is a disconnect with how robots are being seen by humans, and that the confusion can cause harm.
Process
Animation rigging and control objects were implemented in Cinema4D. The green and red shapes in the image above could be manipulated, each controlling one aspect of movement so that the character could bend, wave, walk and more.
Extensive storyboarding was used to refine the flow and structure of the video, special care taken to ensure smooth, easy to follow transitions.
A private recording studio was used to record the narration, which helped me build new skills and introduced me to the world of audio recording, audio editing, and voice acting.