Health Care Spending Essay

â€Å"Historically, U.S. health care spending has grown at rates exceeding the economy’s growth rate, often by at least 2 percentage points per year† (Holahan & McMorrow, 2012, 393). Recently, it seems that the rate of health care spending has slowed down a little, though no reasons can be pinpointed as to why this is. There are many factors that affect the growth of health care spending, and plenty of solutions have been proposed to help improve this issue. Factors such as advancements in medical technology and an increase in the price of prescription drugs cause health care costs to rise year after year. Solutions have been presented and implemented, like Medicare and Medicaid and managed care plans, however, even these components have added to the health care spending issue. With all the discussion and debate, one thing can be agreed upon, something needs to be done. In recent years both public and private payers have experienced an inclement rise health care spending that has exceeded income growth. This growth started right after the end of World War II and has continue to increase every ten years, health care spending has exceeded the gross domestic products (GDP) which had a projection of 26% by 2035 taken for health care spending, prior the health care reform was passed. This number is only going to continue increasing, which bring in the importance of control the spending since the nation’s long-term fiscal balance will be determined by the future rate growth in health care cost. According to Chernew (2010) the primary determinant of spending growth is the development and diffusion of new medical technology. However this does not imply the establishment of new technology rather focuses on how to use it with technologies and systems already in use, in other words make it compatible to work together. The diversity of technologies contributing to spending growth generates a diversity of pathways by which technology increases spending. These includes high unit cost driven capital cost or the need for specialized labor, high volume, or cost related to complementary services. Because the past rate of health care spending growth is not sustainable, both private and public payers will take action to lower spending. Those actions may not necessary alter the forces that historically have driven up spending, but they will be designed to address the immediate problem of high sending. There are many options from cost sharing from patients, reductions in payments to Medicare Advantage, fee reductions under the new payment rules implemented with Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. On the article there is a suggestion that I find interesting about Global payments, which is an alternate form of bundled payments which is a program use to pay a fixed fee for a set of services related to a specific episode of care. This might be a good solution for the situation we are facing now, because it would give providers the opportunity to profit with reduced revenue, and even share some of the savings form not using health care services. Yet in order for bundled payments system to be successful the need of having the proper tools to improve the efficiency of care. Many providers will be able to develop these tools, but it would require partnership between facilities, physicians, and insurers. For the system to be successful it would have to carefully manage practice pattern changes due to new technology, adjusting aggressiveness based on the generosity of bundled payments updates. If bundled payments encourage efficiencies, they may reduce the level of spending more than spending growth, and that is exactly the area we as country need to be working on. According to President Obama, â€Å"We do not have a spending problem; we have a health care problem†. This statement was alarming to many Americans. The President feels that healthcare spending on the aging population is the number one fiscal problem. Then why is the solution taking so long? With Obamacare, Medicare will see cuts up to $716 billion. Where will this leave the Americans who receive Medicare? How can they still receive health care with this much of a cut? Will Providers be willing to provide the same high level of care with the high cut to their expected fees? There is no way of knowing if this will even solve the health care spending problem or if it will create even larger problems for Americans. Budget cuts will be needed in other areas to make these cuts to health care spending improve the financial state of our country (Galupo, 2013). According to New Republic’s Jonathan Cohn, the new health care reform addresses the cost of health care rather than health care spending. He argues the proposed spending cuts will address the health care spending problem along with other budget cuts. Obamacare may not be a good solution to the current health care spending problem in America. Many suggest that the new law’s affect on provider reimbursement rates will have a huge impact on access to care for many seniors. This can greatly affect the health of our aging population. Spending cuts projected for Medicare and Medicaid will help that aspect of health care spending but with the added subsidies for people to purchase private health insurance, the savings just do not add up. When it comes to health care spending there is much controversy on what increases health care cost, what measures we can take to keep health care cost down, and what actions we can take to make health care affordable without limiting health care. According to kaiserEDU.org the chart provided below shows how costing allocates throughout the nation. â€Å"Hospital care and physician services combined added up for half (51%) of the nation’s health expenditures.† Below is a diagram from the year 2010 of the nation’s health expenditures. National Health Expenditures, 2010 Totaling up = $2.3 Trillion Some major growth health care costs include a rise in chronic disease, administrative cost, or technology or prescription cost, although there may be many more expenditure that adds up to the growth in health care cost these three have been discussed to have the biggest effect on the nation. As technology continues to advance over the years to come, we may face more health care struggles, so being prepared for the unexpected leads to a healthy future. Health care spending continues to be a concern for most Americans. â€Å"The nation’s efforts to control health care costs have not had much long-term effect, prompting a debate over what proposals are actually able to reduce for the long-term. Approaches are largely divided by debate over a stronger role for government regulation or market-based models that encourage greater competition† (kaiseredu.org). Plans such as Obamacare are being implemented, but these plans are not solving the problem. Political debates and public discussions will continue as people try to figure out what factors are responsible for this problem and what solutions are truly aimed at achieving optimal health care at affordable costs. References Chernew, M. (2010). Health Care Spending Growth: Can We Avoid Fiscal Armageddon?. Inquiry,47(4), 285-295. Galupo, Scott, 2013, Let’s Split the Difference: We Have a Healthcare Spending Problem, The American Conservative, Retrieved February 14, 2013: http://www.theamericanconservative.com/lets-split-the-difference-we-have-a-healthcare-spending-problem/ Holahan, J. & McMorrow, S. (2012). Medicare and Medicaid spending trends and the deficit debate. The New England Journal of Medicine, 367(5), 393- 395. Senger, Alyenne, 3013, No, Obamacare Does Not Lower Health Care Spending , The Founder, Retrieved February 16, 2013: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/02/12/no-obamacare-does-not-lower-health-carespending/ The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. (n.d.). U.S. Health Care Costs. Retrieved from http://www.kaiseredu.org.

Assess the usefulness of different sociological approaches to suicide

Durkheim wrote in the 1890s and was one of the first sociologists right at the forefront of establishing and defining sociology as a scientific discipline. Durkheim argued that it was not only possible to apply scientific principles to social phenomena but that it was essential to do so in order to produce useful sociology. His 1897 book suicide: a study in sociology uses his scientific methods to explore suicide. Durkheim chooses suicide deliberately, because as the most individual, private and psychologically driven act it was considered by most not to be a social phenomenon.If sociology could identify social factors and causes of suicide, this would demonstrate the power and impact of society on individual behaviour. So in Durkheim’s view he believes our behaviour is caused by social facts and they are said to be external from the individual, constrain individuals and be greater than the individuals. After Durkheim’s analysis of official statistics on suicide it reve aled some social groups are more likely to commit suicide than others. For Durkheim, the social patterns of suicide he discovered is not a random individual act but as stated by Luke’s social factors play a key role.Durkheim’s work showed a correlation between suicide and social facts like suicide rates were higher in predominantly protestant countries than in catholic ones, Jews were the religious group with the lowest suicide rate, married people were less likely to commit suicide and those with higher education had a higher suicide rate. Durkheim said different forms of suicide related to how much integration and regulation there was in society and this would provide us with a fourfold typology. The term social integration means socialisation into the norms, values and lifestyles of social groups and society.Regulation meaning the control that society and social groups has over an individual’s behaviour. With these two factors Durkheim brings upon egoistic su icide not enough integration. The individual isn’t successfully integrated into groups or society, anomic not enough regulation society has insufficient control over individuals, altruistic too much integration an over integrated individual sacrifices their life for the group and fatalistic too much regulation the individual is too highly controlled by society. Durkheim’s work can also be applied into type of society.As Durkheim states modern societies and traditional society differ from one and other in their levels of integration and regulation. Durkheim discovers that modern industrial societies have lower levels of integration due to lack of freedom this weakens bonds and give rise to egoistic suicide. Whilst, traditional pre-industrial societies have higher levels of integration as the group is more important than the individual and this gives rise to altruistic suicide. Durkheim has been criticised by other positivist sociologist.Halbwachs largely supported Durkh eim’s conclusion but pointed out that the impact of rural versus urban lifestyles on suicide rates hadn’t been considered. Also, Gibbs and Martin argued that Durkheim hadn’t used vigorous enough scientific methods even though he’d stressed how important they were. The key concepts of integration and regulation weren’t defined closely enough to be measured statistically. Gibbs and Martin query how anyone can know how anyone can know what â€Å"normal† levels of integration and regulation are.Interpretivist sociologists have devised alternative theories of suicide they say social reality is not a series of social facts for sociologists to discover, but a series of different meanings and interpretations that each person brings to and takes from each situation. Durkheim’s work is fatally flawed from this perspective because he relies on the unquestioning use of official statistics. According to interpretivists, statistics are not fact the y are a social construction based on the definition of the people who compile them.Douglas takes an Interactionist approach to suicide and he is interested in the meaning that suicide has for the deceased, and the way that coroners label death as suicides. He criticises Durkheim’s study of suicide on two main grounds. One of them being the use of suicide statistics because the decision to classify death as a suicide is taken by a coroner and this may produce bias in verdicts reached. So Douglas feels these are the patterns Durkheim found and that well integrated have friends and relatives who may deny death and this explains their low level of suicide.So Durkheim indicates that suicide verdicts and statistics are based on interactions and negotiations between those involved like friends, doctors and police as they may affect death being labelled as a suicide, rather than it actually being one. That’s why people feel integration plays no dividends. Douglas second point criticises Durkheim for ignoring the meanings of the act for those who kill themselves and for assuming that suicide has a fixed or constant meaning.Douglas backs this up as he notes the cultural differences by Japanese samurai warrior who kill themselves because they have been dishonoured by western society. Douglas also states that we need to categorise suicides according to their social meanings because the triggers and response to suicide are different in different cultures. These social meanings consist of transformation of the soul, transformation of the self, achieving sympathy and achieving revenge.Douglas can be criticised, as he is inconsistent, sometimes suggesting that official statistics are merely the product of coroner’s opinions. At other times, he claims we really can discover the cause of suicide-yet how can we, if we can never know whether a death was a suicide and all we have is coroners opinions? Douglas also produces a classification of suicide based on the supposed meanings for the actors. However, there is no reason to believe that sociologists are any better than coroners at interpreting dead person’s meanings.

Adrienne Rich

This essay will present the motif of the mapmaker in Adrienne Rich’s book Atlas of the Difficult World.   The themes throughout the book will be extolled in this essay and dissected through the theme of this subject brought together through metaphor, concrete imagery and the allusion to place as well as destination which Rich suggests throughout her work in concepts both metaphysical, and real.Rich’s title poem of Atlas of the Difficult World brings forth a voice which is cut into a duality of realism as well as a harsh sense of that reality.   The images prevalent in this poem brings the images of the map into a bizarre reality which suggests a striking and honest concept of Americana in a disturbing light.   This is the key factor of the theme of map in Rich’s Atlas of the Difficult World: which is, in the very least, best described as disturbing.The title poem relates to the reader the concept of women’s work.   This poem then imagines for the r eaders the idea of placement such as topographical, geographical or landscape; Rich presents the concept to the reader of where a woman is in relation to the margins of the country.The poem further expounds upon this notion by suggesting the idea, or rather of questioning the reader as to the nature of the woman’s   place in relation to ‘our’ consciousness in a topographical sense of the term.   This would seem as though Rich is delving into a political stream of consciousness, but it is in the map, in the geography, or landscape which rests as the pinnacle of the poem’s place as it relates to the reader.In the issue of maps, of place, Rich also brings forth the concept of roles, of patriarchy and the woman’s dialectic towards such a predestined role.   Rich goes on to extrapolate from the concept of topography the idea of a woman’s place, or women’s work.The poem is a tantalizing tease between the idea of women’s work in the margins of the country, and the map of women’s recorded obsequious nature, but not her unrecorded consciousness as to her own definition of place.  Ã‚   The title poem then serves as a gateway from the speaker to the reader through the path of topography into the un-traversed landscape of indirect and misguided concepts of what women’s work is, and the conscious factor of that work and its place in the United States.   The poem serves as an undercurrent to an alternative to the idea of landscape, of the United States in regards to feminism (as is a standard theme in Rich’s poems), politics, and personal space.The way in which boundaries of the ‘map’ (politics, consciousness, gender, etc.) are disregarded by the speaker is a fundamental element in the poem; this disregard allows for both the speaker and the reader to explore other areas of the typography, and the structure of such devices as gender, roles, etc.Thus, the speaker allows the rea der to realize the relation of self, role, politics, and all of the above, to the composition of the atlas, and the role that an individual, or in this case, the role of the reader as a map reader:I promised to show you a map you say but this is a mural then yes let it be these are small distinctions where do we see it from is the question (pt. II, ll. 22-24).Thus, the concept of personal roles comes into play in the poem as a question of perspective.The role of the narrator then is to allow the reader a chance to be guided through the atlas.   The atlas in the poem pays attention to not only geography but also stories; such stories are in relation to historical facts as well as personal lives.This allows the reader to respond to the poem through various avenues of perspective such as they may be presented through historical place, and geography as well as body and mind locations; thus, each reading of the poem by individual readers will give a different perspective of the atlas s ince each reader is coming from their own personal frame of reference.The poet, the narrator comes into the poem and suggests or brings forth to the reader the daring possibility of questioning their own place in the atlas, the landscape.This challenge is perpetuated from the concept of women’s work, and the changing definition of what that entails, â€Å"These are not roads / you knew me by. But the woman driving, walking, watching / for life and death, is the same† (pt. I, ll. 77-79).The narrator presents women on the map, or the road to the reader, and the reader in turn becomes an active part of the poem since the reader brings their own interpretation through personal reference to the perspective of these women.The poems then are different roads along the entirety of the atlas, and the question which the poet reiterates to the reader is where do the poems take the reader; which direction?   Thus, affirmation of the role of the map is a central motif in Rich†™s Atlas of a Difficult World.The following poems of Atlas of a Difficult World then are each designed as a road into the different parts of the atlas on different levels and from different perspectives.  Ã‚   The poems are not limited to the topography of the atlas but also delve into the history of the place.   There are thirteen parts of the book which in turn are vignettes which come from a myriad of women’s lives.The voice which Rich lends to each ‘story’ is relatively urgent and gives the reader a sense that it is important that they read these lines not only for the benefit of the woman who lived the story but for the reader’s personal benefit since it is with the reader that a continuation and change in the story may occur.   This allows the reader to become part of an oral history for the nation, and thus a map maker in a sense, as memory is presented by Rich as a type of map, it is with this metaphor that the poems progress.   It is by recognizing the importance of history, even in small characters that allows for the roles of women to change from obsequious to strong willed; from patriarchal to gynocentric.   Rich’s purpose in her poems is a striking narrative of forcing the reader to notice how women have been excluded in large part from the history, the geography of the land, the United States’ history.Thus, through use of landscape and the connection of landscape to events, Rich gives the reader a chance to notice these women.In Part I of Atlas of a Difficult World, Rich gives testimonies from a myriad of women who have a vast knowledge of economic hardship which incites fear and which either delays or spurns action forward.   There is also a theme of silence and the breaking of silence in the atlas, the memory of these moments with the different women in the poems.There is one poem which gives details of an unknown woman who was murdered:   The woman was a farm worker who had been in deep exposure to toxins:   â€Å"Malathion in the throat, communion, / the hospital at the edge of the fields, / prematures slipping from unsafe wombs† (ll. 8-10).This woman has a type of communion with death, and her character is anonymous because there are countless other women who are or were in the same situation, so many that their story became one story it had been told too often that the names were unimportant and then, eventually her story was forgotten.   Rich brings the concept of the mapmaker as a memory harvester into her poems to give the reader an interactive part in the poem.Since this story is being retold to the reader, the reader must carry it in their memory, and thus give credit to the live that died, to the woman.   The woman had been oppressed and exposed to environmental dangers, and because the woman had worked to survive but died anyway, it is important that her life be chartered into this ‘atlas’ of memory, of story.Rich does not want t he idea of denial of memory to play a major role in the development of the country, of the atlas as she writes, â€Å"I don't want to hear how he beat her . . ., / tore up her writing . . . / . . . I don't want to know / wreckage† (ll. 39-40, 48-49).The interesting factor in this woman’s story is that her small death is actually a beginning of a national cover up story, and thus, her story becomes part of the landscape of history, however minute.   The woman’s death is a national cover up which involved violence and amoral behavior and which were the opposite of the striving of America, in industry.   Through the denial of this story, history is changed, is made false through the help of the media.This theme of denial changes the landscape of the map, it erases important structures of the geography, and this lead into Part V of Atlas of a Difficult World in which a queer woman is murdered and yet, her story does not succumb to erasure:I don't want to know ho w he tracked them along the Appalachian Trail, hid close by their tent, pitched as they thought in seclusion killing one woman, the other dragging herself into town his defense they had teased his loathing of what they were I don't want to know but this is not a bad dream of mine (ll. 45-51).In Parts II and III, the poem becomes an evocation of the American ideal or geography.   The poems exercise their voice towards symmetry or balance in history in which women’s history is not erased or ruined or made to seem slavish, but instead integrates the real roles of women.In Part IV the poems introduce mourning of the women lost in the margins of the atlas, whose stories were covered up or never known, and the poem cries for ‘still unbegun work of repair’ (1. 25).   In this part, women are alluded to as prisoners, â€Å"locked away out of sight and hearing, out of mind, shunted aside / those needed to teach, advise, persuade, weigh arguments / those urgently neede d for the work of perception† (ll. 19-21).It seems that Rich is suggesting that these women were covered up in the landslide of the country, or that they were unchartered in its conception, unrecognized.In Parts VI-VIII Rich gives the allusion of the map and the lives of the women unraveling which becomes apparent as the men in the stories, or poems went on dreaming large dreams in the landscape of the history of the atlas, while the women went on with untold stories of contention, they women went on without receiving.Rich goes on to state in these parts that the men continued in the map of the country thinking, and Rich suggests the irony of this by stating, â€Å"Slaves – you would not be that† (pt. VI, l. 14).   This is a main point made by Rich in which she is stating that the men did not allow themselves to be considered or made slaves through physical force nor psychological devices but that women and others had to bear that history.There is a culmination of the focus of map making in Parts IX-XI which studies the fragmentation of the atlas through false history, as Rich states through the narrator, â€Å"one woman / like and unlike so many, fooled as to her destiny, the scope of her task† (pt. XI, ll. 16-17).In Part XII Rich gives the reader a chance of seeing restoration in the land through the recognition of women’s roles and values by giving the reader these lines to ponder, â€Å"What homage will be paid to a beauty built to last / from inside out . . . / I didn't speak then / of your beauty at the wheel beside me . . . / – I speak of them now† (ll. 1-2, 9-10, 18).Thus, being a mapmaker, or a keeper of true history is the legacy Rich gives to her readers.   It is through the role of speaking and not remaining silent, of allowing the atlas to grow, and of exploring the roads which were once unchartered that Rich’s motif of map making is an allusion to recognition of women’s history, as Rich writes, â€Å"I know you are reading this poem† throughout the last part because the poem aspires to be nothing less than the unspoken, archetypal stories women know well.Rich concludes, â€Å"I know you are reading this poem because there is nothing else left to read / there where you have landed, stripped as you are† (ll. 36-37) which in its honesty gives women a place on the atlas of the United States instead of remaining in the margins, in the back alleys of the topography.Work CitedRich, A.   An Atlas of a Difficult World.   W.W. Norton & Company.   1991.

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Analytically writing - Assignment Example t accepted cause behind this abrupt political change in the Arab Region is often considered as the peoples’ dissatisfaction, social media had played a crucial role in these uprisings in the Arab countries. Referring to the enormous role of internet and other social medias, Clay Shirky comments that â€Å"Social media have become coordinating tools for nearly all of the world’s political movements† (30). This assumption has been reflected thoroughly in the case of ‘Arab Spring’. In fact, the ‘Arab Spring’ was not any single event; rather it had been the climax of peoples’ discontent against the authoritarian and oppressive governments, which were mostly regimes in nature. Though peoples’ discontent with their political system reaches the climax during the 2010s, this discontent was fuming up through the preceding decades. Social media as well as other social communication networks help these people to take the manifestation of their dissatisfactions to the climax through an organized and unified effort. Social Medias like facebook, youtube, tumblr, twitter, etc helped those people to communicate, share and arrange the movements successfully. It is assumed that if peoples’ discontent had not ripened the background of the movement along the preceding decades, Social Medias themselves could not have staged the revolution. In this sense, social medias can be considered as sociopolitical tools which empower the mass with the awareness of the role of their political authorities in the betterment of public life. The assumption that ‘social medias’ are tools of peoples’ sociopolitical awareness is supported by Clay Shirky. In his article, referring to the ouster of Estrada Government through a violent public protest, Shirky claims that the â€Å"potential of social media lies mainly in their support of civil society and the public sphere –change measured in years and decades rather weeks and months† (30). It is assumed that social medias have played

Describe an incident or situation that has occured during your student Essay

Describe an incident or situation that has occured during your student practice and discuss a related professional issue - Essay Example So I asked her, in a discreet manner what was wrong. She explained that she was embarrassed so I wheeled her back into her room and fed her in there. If this lady had been asked where she would like to eat, her choice would have been to stay in her room and eat where she felt her dignity would have been maintained. If I had not of spoken to her she would rather chose not to eat, or other patients, having no intentions, will invade her privacy and see her feed. As a nurse, it is vital that a patient’s dignity is respected at all times. By preserving dignity, a nurse can also preserve the integrity of the patient. In this scenario, it is clear that a violation in privacy and person’s dignity occurred through humiliation, embarrassment, not respecting patient’s autonomy regarding preferred feeding, and depersonalization (Watson, 2008, p. 133). Healthcare delivery in the contemporary era focuses on being patient centered, risk managed, quality assured and cost effective (Mallik, 2009, p. 14). Accountability has grown increase importance in delivering quality health care by expanding the responsibility of caring and accountability to a health team instead of individuals. Accountability is defined as being accountable of your actions by explaining and justifying why and what you did. It involves assessment of the best interests for patients, knowledge and judgment in decision-making, and explanation to defend course of action (Walsh, p. 89). Since accountability promotes the best interests of the patients, it is essential that nurses respect privacy, which is one basic right of human dignity. Privacy is a major factor considered in caring. Among of the privacy concerns of patients are depersonalization and intimate questions, hospital procedures, and treatments (Watson, 2008, p. 133). Privacy was linked to preservation of human dignity and maintenance of integrity and hence is considered as an essential health need

Pain management and hypnosis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Pain management and hypnosis - Term Paper Example In such a way, the analysis will begin by attempting to define hypnotherapy and proceed to discuss the ways in which the practice of hypnotherapy is beneficial to the individual suffering from pain. As a means to accomplish such a task, a variety of medical journals and sources will be utilized so that a thorough and thoughtful analysis can be drawn as to overall efficacy of the practice within the context of medical treatment. The definition of hypnotherapy is of course itself a necessary step in seeking to understand what specifically the practice entails and what it does not. Due to the fact that a great deal of societal misconception continues to exist surround the use and application of hypnotherapy, there remains a great deal of unnecessary and ill-conceived biases with regards to its implementation. For purposes of the medical community, hypnotherapy can simply be defined as, â€Å"the use of hypnosis as a therapeutic technique†. Due to the simplistic nature of the defi nition, it leaves itself open to a broad variety of interpretations. As a means of countering this, hypnotherapy, as discussed in this brief analysis, will refer to the use and implementation of therapeutic hypnotic techniques by a licensed and trained physician. Within the more rigid construct that has been lain out above, one can understand that little room for interpretation of the means by which hypnosis will be achieved as a function of therapy exists. Such a rigid definition is itself highly necessary due to the level of misunderstanding and societal misconception surrounding the term. Though it is not the purpose of this brief analysis to engage the reader as to the incorrect societal and cultural interpretations of hypnotherapy that exist, the reader/researcher should at the very least be mindful of their existence as should the recommending/prescribing healthcare professional. When one considers the applications for hypnotherapy there are vast. Many individuals undergo hypn otherapy as a means to rid themselves of a bad habit, to face difficult or painful memories, or as a means to self enrichment or betterment. Many of these forms of meditation do not have roots in medical treatment (Patterson et al 2010). As such, this is one of the reasons that hypnosis as a therapy has had an uphill battle to achieve a degree of credibility. Whereas when one goes to an orthopedist, there is only one type of orthopedist that is offered - a medically licensed and rigorously trained medical professional. Such is not the same case for a hypnotherapist. Due to the fact that many different levels of hypnotherapists exist, it has been a common misconception that the practice itself is somehow associated with a pseudoscience that provides limited results if any. However, the fact of the matter is that if administered by a licensed professional, hypnotherapy itself can be a powerful tool in seeking to provide a level of pain management that traditional medicinal means canno t and with few if

Experience At Work Speech Essay Example for Free

Experience At Work Speech Essay At McDonalds lines of communication are pretty open especially for the ones still in high school or college. They give whatever hours you request and how many days you want to work. If you need off one of the days just be sure to ask off two weeks in advanced and they will make sure you get the day off. The overall experience at McDonalds after being there for over a year now is outstanding. I know most people think hey its McDonalds, but the benefits they aren’t bad at all. For one they are lenient with their hours and give however many hours you want. Secondly, they allow you to have $6 of free food each time you work, but that is only good of course if you like McDonald’s food. Third, on thanksgiving and Christmas they give bonuses depending on the amount of time you have worked there. For example around Christmas last year Ms. Geneva, the manager, gave me a $100 bill. The pay starts at minimum wage but steadily increases, I am at $7.80 per hour at the moment. Once you get to know the managers and workers everyone becomes intriguing to talk too as they all have unique stories. The customers are the only thing bad about working at McDonalds. Some can be nice and understanding, but then there are always those customers that are rude and impatient. Consequently, they do not understand that sometimes it is difficult to get their order right when they change it 5 different times. And it takes time for the food to be made if we run out for the moment. Other than that the only thing McDonalds has control over that gets me trouble is not being allowed to have any sort of beard. I like having a chin strap so I keep it trimmed, but every now and then they still get onto me†¦ and I don’t even work with food. The thing about McDonalds is you are never bored because there is a constant flow of customers at every hour of the day. At other jobs if you are not busy they send people home, but at McDonalds you are always busy especially in the mornings. That is another perk of McDonalds, if you are not scheduled to work that day and you are available to work you can always go ask if they need anybody and more days than not, they will say yes and you can go get extra hours in. McDonalds will more than likely be my job until I leave for college where I will hope to find a new job based on my engineering skills. I would have probably left McDonalds by now if it were not for the great experience and overall  benefits I get at McDonalds.

The Future of Londons Museums

The Future of Londons Museums The following research paper investigates the present condition of London’s museums, focusing upon three aspects: their historical development, their present issues and debates, and their strategies for ensuring future survival and prosperity. To ascertain these facts five senior management figures from five leading London museums were interviewed and asked to complete questionnaires discussing the themes mentioned above. The research focuses at much length upon the decision of the present Labour government to introduce free admission to London’s museums and to finance this policy with funds from the National Lottery. Another key aspect of the research was to determine the level of competition posed to London’s museums by European, American and other international museums; further, to discover how London’s museums might raise their performance to match this competition. In addition, another type of competition faced by London’s museums is that of domestic attractions perceived by tourists and the public to be more sensational and exciting than ‘old-fashioned’ museums. Famous examples include the London Eye, Madam Taussards, and the Tower of London amongst others; these attractions fit well with the zeitgeist of modern British youth and it is a major problem for London’s museums as to how they will re-assert their prominence. A third central aspect of the research, viewed both from the sides of museum management and from the government, is the question of the strategies that London’s museums will pursue in the twenty-first century. The survival and success of London’s museums will very much depend upon the decisions made regarding such strategy and its efficacy once put into place. The present research assesses the likely efficacy of such strategies, and the consequences that their implementation will have upon the public’s ‘museum experience’. The results of the research paint double-sided picture: on the side, of optimism regarding the increased admissions figures witnessed since free admissions began, and, on the other side, a gloomy scene dominated by the London museums’ lack of financial support and by the negative consequences of the government insistence of putting attendance figures before a qualitative artistic and cultural experience. Section 1: Introduction Since the foundation of the British Museum almost two hundred and fifty years ago, London has had an international reputation as the museum capital of the world, as the city with the finest collections, the best specialists and the most to offer the fascination of the public. In addition to the British Museum, London can boast the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, the London Transport Museum, the Victoria Albert Museum and the Theatre Museum amongst numerous other world-class museum-experiences. In their early decades London’s museums flourished through the generosity of private donations and gifts, and through royal and government funding; these ample resources gave museums such as the British Museum unrivalled funds for the construction of magnificent architecture and the gathering of the most splendid specimens and pieces from across the globe. But by the early 1990’s, and reflecting Britain’s changed economic circumstances, London’s museums found themselves in need of considerable new funds to pay for refurbishments and developments so as to keep pace with other museums in the capital cities of Europe and in America. The advent of the National Lottery in 1994, and the terms of its constitution whereby a majority of its funds would go to museums and galleries, apparently offered the very chance to bring about a revival in the fortunes and prosperity of London’s museums. Thus between 1994-2003 more than  £13 billion was given to good causes by the National Lottery and the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) (Selwood Davies, 2005: p.3);  £1 billion was given to six hundred museums across the country (Selwood Davies, 2005: p.3). These funds were intended for the construction of new buildings and exhibition halls, and to compensate museums and galleries for the loss of revenue that they would incur once free admission was introduced. A few smaller museums were also enabled to open in London because of grants from the HLF. The next radical step in the recent history of London’s museums came when the Labour Party in their 1997 manifesto, promised that when elected they would introduce free admission into London’s museums a move that it was anticipated would greatly increase attendance from members of the general public. In the event, this prediction turned out to be just right, particularly in the two years immediately succeeding the introduction of free admission. The government minister then in charge of museums in 2001, Estelle Morris, spoke of 2000 as ‘an unprecedented season of openings and flourishing’ (DOC, 2000) for London museums. The year 2000 witnessed nine major construction or refurbishment projects in London’s great museums and a total of  £379 million spent on this ( £193 million of which came from lottery sources) (Selwood Davies, 2005: p.4). The most spectacular of these projects was the construction by Norman Foster of the Great Court at the British Museum costing  £110 million (of which  £47 million was derived from lottery sources) (Selwood Davies, 2005: p.5). All in all, it seemed that the lottery was proving a vital fertilizing force in the rejuvenation and restoration of London’s great museums. This optimism was very clearly reflected in the visitor figures following free admission. In 2001/2002 London museums that had previously received capital funding from lottery sources noticed a staggering rise in visitor numbers of 5.3 million when compared with the 1999/2000 season; in 2002/2003 this figure jumped again to 6.3 million extra visits compared with 1999/2000 (this representing an increase of 89%). In stark contrast London museums that did not receive lottery funding say they annual attendance figure drop by 7% in 2001/02 and 13% in 2002/03 when compared to the 1999/00 season. To take an individual instance, the Victoria Albert Museum witnessed an increase in attendance from 75,773 in November 2000 to 132,882 in November 2001 (this figure even jumped 270% by March 2002). Likewise, attendance figures at the Science Museum rose by 120% and the National History Museum by 74% in the same period (All figures: Selwood Davies, 2005: pp. 6-10). Nonetheless, this stream of incessantly impressive and rising admissions figures masked a major concern unsettling many of the managers and director’s of London’s leading museums. These figures of course welcomed lottery funding as a vital means of rejuvenating London’s museums and making them competitive with museums found in New York, Paris, Berlin and elsewhere. Nonetheless, the advent of free admission introduced at the same time a far greater degree of vulnerability and uncertainty in the financial arrangements and security of London’s museums. It was obvious to museum strategists and directors that a great deal of lottery money would be needed to compensate for the loss of revenue endured once free admission was introduced. Crucially, it would be paramount that lottery contributions of the levels of 2001 would be sustained for the long-term; nothing would be worse that one spectacular year for two of prosperity and massive investment followed by ten or twenty years of under investment and decline. It is recent charge imputed by many museum directors against the government and the HLF directors that they were naà ¯ve in profoundly underestimating the levels of investment that would e required to sustain not only the rejuvenation of London’s museums but merely also their survival. The British Museum alone, for instance, according to its director Neil MacGregor stands to lose  £80 million over ten years from lost revenues and reclaimed VAT. Increased attendance figures are welcomed naturally by all museum directors on the absolute condition that sufficient funds are made available to pay the costs of this increased attendance. Selwood and Davies calculated that since the advent of free admission and 7.3 million extra visitors each of these visitors cost London’s museums on average  £3.56 per visitor  £3.56 extra that has to be found by the museums from non-lottery funding (Selwood Davies, 2003: p.8). Thus free admission has had a bitter sting in its tale, and it may be said that presently a great many of London’s famous museums find themselves in financial difficulties, unable to pay for restorations and improvements; unable to compete with American and European museums for the finest pieces and exhibitions, unable to attract the brightest researchers and curators and ultimately in danger of losing the great reputations that some have nurtured for as long as two centuries. It is clear to all, museum directors and government officials alike, that the present funding arrangements of London’s museums are precarious and that a serious strategy needs to be devised to offer such museums long-term financial security and thus a platform to compete with the other leading museums of the world. This present dissertation conducted interviews, by way of questionnaires with five senior figures from five of London’s leading museums the British Museum, the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum, the London Transport Museum and the V A museum to ascertain their thoughts and attitudes regarding the present state and the likely future state of London’s museums. These senior figures were questioned on their beliefs regarding the lottery funding of museums, on the advent of free admission, on the extent of government funding, on international competition, and on future strategy. The picture that emerges from these interviews is one of profound uncertainty over the future survival and prosperity of London’s museums; buffeted on the one side by the loss of revenue from free admission, and on other sides by the short-fall in promised lottery investment and the present government’s obsession with the quantitative aspect of museum attendance at the expense of the quality of the visitor’s experience. Section 2: Literature Review It perhaps appropriate to preface this literature review with a few remarks about its undertaking. Often when undertaking research that refers to relatively recent events, the researcher finds that the academic world has not yet had time to catch-up in print and publish scholarly books and articles covering these events. With the present research however the proposition was entirely opposite; even though the subjects of lottery funding, free admission and so on are relatively recent, there is nonetheless an abundance of literature dealing with the specific question of the future of London’s museums. The task of the researcher was thus to sift this material so as to isolate its most pertinent and relevant parts. Another unusual aspect of this present literature review is its wide use of government documents and announcements. An overriding theme throughout the present paper is the intimacy of the relationship between the government and museum managers and directors. Naturally, the government perspective upon events is not published through academic books and journals, but by speeches, white-papers, press releases and so on. This research of course made much use of the outstanding museum journals, pre-eminently Curator: The Museum Journal. Of the several articles from this journal used in this dissertation, one was of seminal importance in providing statistical and analytical evidence of the impact of lottery funding and free admission upon London’s museums, this being: S. Selwood and M. Davies (2005) ‘Capital Costs: Lottery Funding in Britain and Consequences for Museums. The article excellently articulates the dilemma that has crept upon London’s museums now that the inadequacy of lottery funding to meet extra visitors numbers has become apparent. There are hints in the above article to possible solutions to the funding crisis facing London’s museums, and these solutions are discussed in greater depth in R. Baron’s ‘Reinventing a State Program for Museum Funding’ (2003). Question marks as to the thoroughness and efficacy in practice of the government’s free admissions policy is raised in several places: Freudenheim’s ‘That Politics Problem’ (2005), Babbidge’s ‘UK Museums; Safe and Sound? (2000) and Sharp’s ‘Controversy and Challenge: British Funding Increases Nationally, But Not to National Museums’ all echo the apprehensiveness and fear felt by many museum directors and staff towards the financial liabilities that would arise in the wake of free admissions (2006). Freudenheim, in particular, highlights a certain naivety in government’s attitude towards the workings of national museums; citing in particular the government’s inveterate insistence upon the increasing of admissions figures no matter what the effects of this upon either museum costs or the aesthetic museum-experience of visitors. The government’s position, and its obvious delight and sense of fulfilment at increased attendance figures since free admission, is given in a number of documents. Principally, the paper London Cultural Capital – Realising the Potential of a World Class City published by the London’s Museums Agency (2004) establishes the governments intentions and strategy towards the future of London’s museums. The paper gives fifteen government policies, under the headers value, access, creativity, and excellence by which the government’s museum strategies will be delivered in future. The government, in association with the National Lottery, has written in several places of its satisfaction at the results of the introduction of the policy of free admissions. In particular, the paper One Year On Visitor Numbers Soaring At National Museums Following Abolition Of Entry Charges published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 1 January 2003 gives a sense of the euphoria and achievement perceived by the government. Also, the paper Two Years On Free Admission to National Museums Draws Even Bigger Crowds again published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 9 March 2003 gives much the same impression. In each of these documents the government stresses its loyalty and commitment to the principle of free admission and to the extension of this principle as far as possible. At the same time, there is little reference in these documents to the nervousness and trepidation felt by museum directors and managers about the future prosperity of the institutions they preside over. It is in this absence of self-criticism, that the reader perceives the origins of the discrepancy between that government’s perception of the financial condition of London’s museums and the reality of their condition. The possible consequences of such as disparity increasing, and of a competition gap widening between London’s museums and those in America and Europe, are well delineated in Cain’s article ‘Museums and the Future of Collecting’ (2005). In short, the extant literature paints the present picture of London’s museums as a time of grave uncertainty with respect to their financial predicament and thus their world-class legacies and reputations. These sources also acknowledge the considerable benefits already brought by lottery funding and free admission, and point also to the great future potential of these schemes; they instil in the reader at the same time a warning that idealism must be checked by pragmatic considerations before London’s museums can attain the future they deserve. Section 3: Methodology The principal method of primary data collection for this research was the interviewing, by way of questionnaires, of several senior figures at five of London’s leading museums. The decision to interview senior management and directing figures, rather than members of the public, had the obvious advantage that the answers obtained would be the specialist opinions of people with an intimate knowledge of the subject matter of the research. Members of the general public, especially those living in London, often show much interest and curiosity towards the subject of the prosperity and fate of London’s museums, but at the same time are not professionals with direct experience of the key debates and consultations. To arrange these five meetings, the researcher wrote fifteen letters to major London museums. Of these fifteen requests for an interview, seven positive responses were returned to the interviewer, of which five eventually furnished the opportunity of an interview. In requesting these interviews letters were sent to the director of each museum, irregardless of the sex, race, or religion of the person. Of the five eventual interviewees, three were men and two women; their ages ranged between forty-one and sixty-three. At the behest of interviewees, all of whom preferred to speak off the record due to the sensitivity of many of the issues of discussion, neither their names nor their titles are given in the final publication of this research. Thus, in the transcripts presented in the appendix of this research, each of the five interviewees are referred to as ‘a senior figure’ and ascribed a coded number following the simple scheme 001-002-003-004-005. This sensitivity, arising from the various present tensions over funding between London museums, the HLF and the government, clearly raises certain ethical questions about the present research. Above all, is it permissible to expose senior figures to possible embarrassment or worse, for the sake of the findings of this research. In answer to this question, the present researcher would say two things: firstly, that explicit consent for every interview was obtained by the researcher before the commencement of each interview, thus all interviewees participated at their own volition; secondly, following Utilitarian principles of seeking ‘the greatest good for the greatest number’, the researcher decided that the possible positive benefits and improved public understanding of the topic that might arise from this research could justify the slight ethical risks associated with the carrying-out of this research. It is a belief of the researcher that by informing the academic community and the public of the chief issues and controversies now affecting London’s museums, that the debate generated from this knowledge will lead to greater consideration on all sides being shown towards the preservation and improvement of London’s world-famous reputation as a museum centre. A number of criticisms may be levelled at the methodology discussed in this section. Firstly, it might be asked, with some justification, whether or not the interviewing of only five museum figures can produce results characteristic of attitudes and opinions of London’s museums as a whole. Naturally, critics might ask how the researcher can infer from the collection of five opinions general trends governing the many hundreds and thousands of senior figures working for the management of London’s museums. Likewise, why does the report interview exclusively figures from museum management and not from the government or from the National Lottery? In response to the first question the reply must be that with limited resources and limited time, it seemed most prudent to the researcher to restrict the field of investigation to a narrow focus, where the results obtained could be subjected to a significant scrutiny and analysis something which resource constraints would have rendered impossible had the field been extended much wider. Moreover, whilst only five persons were interviewed, these figures preside over London’s five largest museums which between them see greater attendance figures and government investment than all of London’s other museums combined. Thus the opinions of the figures interviewed actually are far more representative of London as a whole than would first appear likely. In response to the second question, a similar answer might be given: only museum directors were interviewed because they are the persons with the most intimate knowledge of the matters under discussion. If the present researcher were in future to extend the present research, then the opinions of others outside of museum management would certainly have to be included. As it was, the present report incorporates sufficient expert opinion, to make its findings relevant to the better academic and public understanding of the issues affecting the future of London’s museums. Section 4: Results Analysis The aim of the present research was to investigate the likely future of London’s museums; this research was undertaken by way of interviews with five senior figures from five leading London museums. From the information gained from the literature review undertaken by the researcher it seemed most appropriate to question these museum directors on five main subjects: lottery funding, the advent of free admission, international competition, future strategy and the employment of new researchers and curators. The expectation of the researcher was that the general opinion of these senior figures would have initially been one of welcome to the proposed lottery funding, but that this initial welcome would have turned to mild scepticism in the wake of free admission and the provocation of severe uncertainty following the extra costs incurred by increased visitor numbers and lesser-than-expected lottery investment. What opinions then did these results produce in actuality? (1) Lottery Funding. The five interviewed senior figures unanimously (5 of 5) welcomed the original government proposals to aid London’s and Britain’s museums through funds made available by the national lottery. Museums such as the British Museum, with its newly built Great Court, was given considerable lottery funding amounting to  £47 million (Selwood Davies, 2003: p.3). Museum directors were quick to concede that such developments would have been impossible without these lottery funds or an extremely large, but unlikely, private donation. In short, museum directors were united in their praise for proposed lottery investment. (2) Free Admission. The chief feature of the respondents’ answers to questions posed about free admission were twofold: on the one hand, respondents welcomed the opportunity to open their doors to ever greater numbers of people, thus disseminating cultural and scientific experience as far as possible; on the other hand, words such as ‘apprehension’ and ‘scepticism’ were used liberally by nearly all of those interviewed. What most strongly prompted this apprehension was the ‘twining’ of free admission introduction with the compensation for lost revenue by lottery funding. Directors confided that when allowed to charge admission fees their museums did at least have a degree of self-sufficiency and so could determine their own future strategies and successes. But lottery funding conditioned by the introduction of free admission policies has subjected London’s museums to a profound financial vulnerability and loss of independence. These museums, now depend upon the HLF for often as much a half of their income; if controversies or difficulties arise with the lottery directors or with the ministers directing them, then the museums are forced to abide by outside instruction and policy. Moreover, the great fear that lottery investment would not be sustained appears to have come true for all of the five museums whose for whom senior figures were interviewed for this research. So too, insufficient lottery funding has been made available to compensate for the extra costs incurred by the vastly increased visitor numbers experienced after the introduction of free admission. Interviewees hinted at a certain naivety and lack of preparation on the part of ministers and lottery managers with respect to the projected visitor increases following free admission and the costs that would be incurred by this. (3) International Competition. On the question of international competition there was further unanimity of opinion amongst the senior figures interviewed. Each respondent vigorously asserted that the collections of the museums he or she presided over as a manager were the equal of any equivalent museum anywhere in the world. Managers from the British Museum and the Natural History Museum, not to mention others, could rightly boast that their reputations were pre-eminent amongst international museums. At the same time, three of the figures interviewed (the exceptions presided over specialist museums with little international competition) confided that many American and European museums simply had far better funding and so purchasing-power than their own London museums. For the immediate future, this gap will mean that these international museums will continue to purchase new pieces of exceptional public interest whilst London’s museums will have to remain content with their exi sting impressive but static collections. In the medium- and long-term future, if this purchasing disparity continues then a qualitative difference will emerge ever more clearly between the museums of London and those of America and Europe. (4) Recruitment. When embarking upon the present research the researcher did not anticipate that ‘the difficulty of recruiting new researchers and curators’ would be a major concern to London’s museums regarding their futures. Nonetheless, as the searching through the literature review proceeded and as the topic came into better perspective this problem seemed to be a central concern for several of the major London museums. Specialist museums like the V A and the Theatre Museum do not, according to results, face such problems; but senior figures from the Natural History Museum, the British Museum and the Science museum may all face crises over recruitment in the near future. According to these figures the recruitment of new staff has been a subject neglected by the government in their ceaseless quest for higher admission figures and in ‘measuring the value’ of a museum-goers’ experience. The science museum can no longer attract top scientists and researchers because they are paid so little:  £20,000 as a starting salary, peaking at  £50,000 ( ). Commercial companies and American museums offer far better salaries and improved facilities. If this ‘brain-drain’ continues for much longer, then it may prove to be the greatest of all dangers to the future prosperity of London’s museums. These institutions are sustained not only by their pieces and specimens, but by the care and expertise of their curators and other staff; it is this expertise and the respect that arises from it that gives these institutions their world-class reputations. If this expertise evaporates, then no amount of increased admission or funding or improved strategy will protect the legacies and future prosperity of London’s museums. But towards the re-capture and enticement of these experts the government and the lottery fund seem somewhat blinded; given the extent to which London’s museums now rely upon government funding, it is precisely with the government that the responsibility lies for providing sufficient funding for home-grown and international experts to crave as they used to the opportunity to work in the prestigious museums of London. (5) Future Strategy. The senior figures interviewed for this research are nearly as one when they declare that future strategy has to be built around the attainment of financial stability; this is to be sought through an improved, more efficient and more effective relationship with the government and the HLF. A better balance has to be struck between the government’s ardent desire for ever increased admissions and the practical and pragmatic methods by which these extra admissions, dragging with them their extra costs, will be paid for. If a resolution and balancing is not achieved here then the obvious and inevitable path down which London’s museums must slide is that of ever greater debt and so lesser purchasing-power for new pieces and so a general decline in the standing and reputation of London’s museums. The reality of this predicament is brought home, even as this dissertation is written-up, by the announcement today of the London Theatre Museum (BBC, 2006) that they face imminent closure unless a major cash injection from the lottery fund is received. The alternative strategies are these: firstly, an abrupt about-face by the museums whereby they begin to charge for admission. This path is unattractive as there are numerous legislative, ethical and civil obstacles to this policy’s reinstatement. Another alternative is increased public funding from a source other than the lottery; this however looks most unlikely in the short-term. Thus, setting aside the remote chance that a massive private donation will save them, museums must, in their strategising come to agreement with the government about how extra funding from the lottery may be obtained. In short, the results obtained from this present research point to two things: firstly, that senior figures from the five museums interviewed welcomed in general lottery funding as a means to achieve rejuvenation and restoration; secondly, that this optimism changed to apprehension and tentativeness once it became clear the extent to which lottery funding would be dependant upon free admissions policies. Thirdly, it is obvious from all the interviews, that London’s museums are at a cross-roads and a defining moment in their illustrious history. To the left, is the danger of an ever greater financial disparity caused by increasing visitor figures and inadequate lottery funding; to the right is offered a sound financial structure that will ensure the continuation and prosperity of London’s museums’ world-class reputation. Section 5: Conclusion In the final analysis, it seems most appropriate to say that London’s museums are now at a seminal moment in their historical development a moment of both opportunity and precariousness. The opportunities promised by massive lottery funding at first seemed likely to engender a great rejuvenation of London’s museums; indeed, this new source of funding promised to keep London’s museums competitive with the other great museums of the world for the foreseeable future. The advent of free admission was met with both tentativeness and warmth by the senior figures interviewed by this researcher; apprehension because free admission, and thus loss of revenue from admission charges, meant a far greater degree of dependence upon the government and the LHF and thus greater financial uncertainty. If the new relationship between lottery funding and free admission worked in practice as some had suggested in theory that it would, then London’s museums would have a bright and perhaps glorious future. If, on the other hand, the organization and administration of lottery funding was inadequate or improperly practised then a disparity would open between increasing admissions numbers and the ability of museums to pay the extra costs of these visitors. In the event, both expectations and fears were realised by the introduction of free admission in London’s museums. As the figures cited throughout this dissertation attest, visitor figures rose spectacularly in the wake of free admission. Greater numbers of the British general public and international visitors than ever before were able to receive the cultural and scientific treasures of London’s great museums. Nonetheless, once the honeymoon period had waned, it became clear to many museum managers and directors that insufficient lottery funds were being supplied to compensate for loss of revenue incurred after the dropping of admissions charges and after the increase of visitors also from this policy. In the years since free admission was introduced, London’s museums have acquired ever greater deficits on t

The Personal Research Project Animation Essay

The Personal Research Project Animation Essay This research document was undertaken to discover and analyse character acting in animation, and the different methods used to express emotion and thought process. The document is focused around how an audience is influenced by techniques of character acting, and what elements contribute to its believability. Research of various literature, articles and online sources have been ventured to aid the analysis and conclusion. The evidence researched, suggests that thought process must occur before an action takes place by the character. Developing a character with empathy through their emotions helps the audience relate to them, contributing to a richer, more believable outcome. Various techniques are used to express thought process and emotion, however, discovery has led to the understanding that body language can be just as expressive without dialogue. Internal thought process is best expressed through a characters eye movements in conjunction with body language. Introduction The aim of this research document is to gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of how acting methods in character animation can be utilised and articulated to express emotions through the display of internal thought processes in a character. This research will explore the methods used by animators to create the illusion of life and discover how it can become believable and engaging for the audience. Acting is defined as the art of practise of representing a character on a stage or before cameras and derives from the Latin word agere, meaning to do an obsolete meaning for the word acting is animate. (John Kundert-Gibbs, 2009, p4) Research will be applied to specific methods of real/stage acting to develop an understanding of acting in character animation. Background to the Research Animate verb /annimayt/ 1. bring to life or activity. 2 give (a film or character) the appearance of movement using animation. adjective /annimt/ alive; having life. Derives, animator noun. Origin, Latin animare, from anima life, soul. (Oxford English Dictionary) Animation has been thought to have originated over 35,000 years ago, after the discovery of ancient wall paintings in places like Altamira and Lascaux; which depicted various types of humans, objects and animals as Richard Williams (2001, p13) explains, sometimes with four pairs of legs to show motion. In the early 1800s, Williams shows (2001, p14-15) that there were various different devices developed for the sole purpose of creating an illusion of movement such as the Thaumatrope, the Phenakistoscope, the Zoetrope, the Paxinoscope and the Flipper book. All these devices were based on the rediscovery, in 1824, of The persistence of vision by Peter Mark Roget. The principle of this rests, on the fact that our eyes temporarily retain the image of anything theyve just seen. (Williams, 2001, p13) In 1896, this sparked the interest of Thomas Edison, who ended up publicly releasing a combination of drawings, drawn by James Stuart Blackton, in sequence called Humorous Phases of Funny Faces. Since then, we have seen many different approaches to the genre of animation. With the rise of Disney animation studios, in 1928, Steamboat Willie was introduced with synchronised sound and a new character, Mickey Mouse. By 1936, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released which received amazing success. This was the starting point of the Golden Age of animation which was shortly followed by the popular Disney titles: Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi and Fantasia. It wasnt until November, 1995 that Toy Story, the first full-length computer animated film was released by Pixar Animation Studios. This sparked another new era of animation. Studios like Dreamworks and Blue Sky soon followed. Acting in animation has been adopted as the key element for creating believability in an animated sequence, But to make these designs work, the movements have to be believable which leads back to realism What we want to achieve isnt realism, its believability. (Williams, 2001, p.34) All animated acting is designed to give a character personality and believability. Just like in stage acting. Doron Meir (2008) explains that believable acting is a result of the audience feeling a characters actions of its own inner motives. Williams (2001) notes that animation principles that were developed by Disney Studios very early on, are still being used today in all types of animation to bring characters to life. Research Question How are emotions and internal thought processes expressed through techniques of acting in character animation to make characters believable and engaging to the audience? Survey of Literature Works Acting is a very broad subject, and can be applied to many different genres of acting for stage and camera. Animation has had a direct influence by the techniques and discoveries on how to portray a character through movement. This is why To the Actor: On the Technique of Acting by Michael Chekhov is an ideal choice that links directly to acting. Chekhov is famously known for his in-depth acting methods, and has stood as an iconic teacher for famous actors of today. Chekhov reflects on the methods used to call up emotions, develop characters and strengthen awareness as an actor. All these things help to develop specific Psychological Gestures that he explains within the book, that show the audience what the character is trying to express through body language, which is also the key to a characters believability in an animated sequence. To get a more specific understanding of how characters move, and the principles surrounding character animation as an art, The Animators Survival Guide by Richard Williams is an in-depth manual on the style and techniques of hand-drawn animation. Containing the specific principles used by animators to achieve believable movement. Williams has been one of the true innovators, and serves as a link between the golden age of animation by hand and new computer animation successes. (Williams, 2001, blurb) Everything in this book relates to the overall aim of producing a character that moves in a believable way. Acting relies on these techniques that are shown through drawing methods of frame by frame animation. By adopting these techniques, animators can be taught to study the anatomy of the human body to further understand how to produce successful animated characters. The analysis of how characters display emotion needs to be taken into account throughout this research. Acting for Animators by Ed Hooks explains the tried and tested methods in acting that reflect personality and feeling within a character. This book takes us through Hooks lessons on acting and the theoretical approach behind his techniques. Empathy occurs a lot in this book, answering the need to create characters with feeling, for the audience to empathise with. Analysis into character movement and acting by example will allow the discovery of techniques used in popular film. Acting in Animation: A Look at 12 Films is a second book by Ed Hooks, where he analyses twelve different animated films, going through chapter by chapter, describing the expressive and emotive methods used in each scene. Led by these film examples, the techniques discovered through research, can be firmly reinforced. Theoretical Approach for Selecting Data Data will be collected, analysed and displayed from a variety of published secondary sources including: books, articles, web articles, web blogs and conferences. All data and necessary information will be collected for the purpose of research, but will not all be related to the analysis of animation. Acting technique and method will be the main subject source of research, which will provide a broader context to base opinions, ideas and thoughts discovered in secondary literature sources by other people in the industry. Literature sources containing examples of proven practise will be used to further enforce the topic of research. Description of Proposed Practise By an extended discovery and analysis on the subject of character acting in animation, I plan to produce at least six interesting and achievable artefacts that reflect the knowledge gained through this research document, that will provide further understanding about how emotion can allow an audience to empathise with an animated character. The preliminary design practise will include the development of key character poses to emphasise specific emotions directly influenced by an internal thought process. This will then indicate how a character can be developed further into a collection of believable animation sequences. Each artefact plans to contain one of the six basic emotions, as stated by Ed Hooks, happiness, surprise, fear, anger, disgust and sadness (2000, p.36) Characters used will be designed and rigged by a secondary source, which will provide a simple, easy to use marionette for the purpose of animation. Dialogue will not be used, as this may stand as a distraction from the emotions that are aimed to be expressed through body language and facial expressions. These artefacts will provide a clearer understanding of subconscious body movements that are often overlooked. Discussion Character animation can take many forms within the context of animation in both the traditional sense as well as in modern computer animation. The following principles were developed and named: 1. Squash and Stretch 2. Timing and Motion 3. Anticipation 4. Staging 5. Follow Through and Overlapping 6. Straight Ahead Action and Pose-to-Pose 7. Slow In and Out 8. Arcs 9. Exaggeration 10. Secondary Action 11. AppealPersonality in character animation is the goal of all of the above. (John Lasseter, 1987, pp. 35-44, 21:4) Lasseter explains that these specific traditional animation principles and techniques developed in the 1930s by Walt Disney Studios should be incorporated into all animated media especially character animation to develop characters look to make them more realistic and entertaining (Lasseter, 1987, pp. 35-44) Richard Williams explains, The old knowledge applies to any style of approach to the medium no matter what the advances in technology. (2001, p. 20) This shows that successful, believable animation of all types have spawned on the basis and influence of these traditional principles and techniques. Richard Williams also tells us that, in relation to classical and computer animation, Both share the same problems of how to give a performance with movement, weight, timing and empathy. (2001, p. 20) This underlines a key point into the advances of technology in animation, showing that 3D animation software packages only act as a technique of animating and not an easier way to influence believable movement. Lasseter explains, To make a characters personality seem real to an audience, he must be different than the other characters on the screen. A simple way to distinguish the personalities of your characters is through contrast of movement. No two characters would do the same action in the same way. (1994) Creating a unique character, develops its personality. John Kricfalusi (2006) reminisced of how he got drawn in by Chuck Jones cartoons, noticing the unique expressions he drew. Specifically as an example, the way he draws two whites of the eyes joined together, one bigger than the other to form a D-uh expression. We can see that individuality is very important when introducing personality to a character, Chekhov (1953, p.83) explains on the subject of characterisation, that particular features indigenous to a character; like a typical movement, manner of speech, recurrent habit, odd way of walking and so on, expresses the finishing touches to a character. Characters become more alive and more human with this small feature. Hooks (2000, p.36) explains, When we speak of creating the illusion of life in animation, it boils down not to mannerisms and naturalistic movement, but to emotion. Hooks continues to state that theoretically speaking, emotion is the essential element of acting as the point of empathy for the audience. Hooks, Empathy is as essential to dynamic acting as oxygen is to water. (2000, p.9) Characters of all descriptions, in an attempt to make them believable to an audience, need to have a particular personality. The audience needs to be directly affected by a characters on-screen emotion, to really feel a sense of empathy. Without, the audience will lose interest easily and the objectives within the storyline can diminish. Hooks (2000, p.41), reflects on Charlie Chaplin as one of the most influential comedians that used a great deal of empathy in his work to touch the audiences emotions. He explains that his innovation as a performer has had a huge influence on the world of comics and animation. As Chuck Jones has said I admire Chaplin very much because you could see him think, and plan, and you cared for him. (Hooks, 2000, p.40) Chaplins unique relationship with the audience has seen a great influence on character animation from the beginning of Walt Disneys profession. Dick Huemer (Hooks, 2000, p.40), Disney storyman, tells us Walt had an image of Mickey Mouse as a little Chaplin. In order to successfully accomplish empathy within a character, there needs to be elements of individuality to provoke emotions. These can be developed through simple recurring mannerisms that correlate with the characters thoughts and actions. In every respect, the audience needs to be the main influence when deciding a characters actions. Hooks states humans express six basic emotions, happiness, surprise, fear, anger, disgust and sadness (2000, p.36) He also tells us that there is disagreement on whether facial expression is primarily a reflection of the inner emotional state, or if it is simply a social display. Hooks concludes that it could be either, depending on the situation. Emotion can be expressed through both facial expression and body language, although the influence of each method can be different. Williams (2001, p. 324) believes that words should be kept to a bare minimum and as an animator, make everything as clear as possible through pantomime using only the body to tell the story. The movements of the body are thought about a lot more by animators than real actors, as animators have to create it rather than do it, although the physical expressive nature of emotions are identical. Different types of feelings can be expressed easily as Chekhov shows, grasping or catching (greed, avarice, cupidity, miserliness) roughly with palms turned earthward lusts to overpower, to possess. (1953, p.67) Equally, Chekhov (1953, p.73) explains here that in order to build up your characters expressive nature, hands and arms should act first for example; hands up near the chin expresses unavoidability and loneliness, palms turned outward displays self-defence and slight humour is evoked when bending the three middle fingers of each hand. Hooks agrees, The truth is that our hands and arms are the most expressive parts of our bodies. (2000, p.60) An example to this, Hooks demonstrates, Arms folded across the chest indicate that the person is closed, intractable When you are embarrassed, you tend to shrink in space. (2000, p.62) This reveals that many body language patterns in human figures are emphasised through the movement of hands and arms. Williams (2001, p. 324) explains a method called Twinning where arms and hands are doing the same thing, symmetrically. He teaches that this is used to show authority by preachers, leaders, politicians and so forth. Kevan Shorey agrees that, Symmetry is a good way of adding force to an action to get a point across! (2008) Both animators, believe that twinning should be broken up to avoid an exact mirror image of movements that would produce unbelievable messages to the audience. Jeff Lew (2004) explains that to make twinning animation look more interesting, the perspective of shot needs to be changed so they dont physically look identical at a particular camera angle. Walt Disney in 1930s found that expression is better when the whole body is involved and not only the face, Movement begins in the area of your navel and radiates outwards into your limbs. (Hooks, 2000, p.60) John Kricfalusi (2006) explains that animators have evolved a style that has become more stagy than live action by reading characters emotions through body language and poses. Evidentially, facial expressions arent enough to provoke a meaningful emotion, and that the whole body needs to be articulating through hand gestures and arm movements to compliment facial expressions, to achieve a believable emotion through a character. In an example from Toy Story 2, Hooks notes, She (Jessie) doesnt simply greet Woody enthusiastically, she turns him over and gives him nuggies! She tosses him this way and that. Her emotion is leading her to energetically celebrate. (2005, p.90) This is a specific example of how body language is reflecting emotion successfully. If this same bit of acting was acted on the stage, or in front of a camera with real actors it would have a very different outcome. The emotion may be similar, but another way of emphasising actions used in animation is through exaggeration. Shawn Kelly (2009) informs us that he was taught to exaggerate something more than it should be, then double it. Exaggeration is one of the original animation principles. Lasseter (1987, pp. 35-44, 21:4) suggests exaggeration of characters by the animator must be very carefully chosen. If there is too much distortion it could result in an unrealistic look. Looking back much earlier, to 1927, the classic film Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans was released. Without synchronised dialogue, films of this era had to rely on the characters acting and the backing compositions as the two main elements for the story. Sunrise is considered one of the finest films of the silent era, and Janets Gaynors performance is one its greatest virtues Her supple face and soulful eyes convey a range of thoughts and emotions that pages of dialogue could only suggest. (DeFreitas, 2009) Later, DeFreitas (2009) tells us that Sunrise became a winner of the 1929 Best Picture Oscar for Unique and Artistic Production. This film sets as an evidential example of how acting without dialogue can influence and empathise with an audience just as good, if not more so. Often in animation, Lasseter (1987, pp. 35-44) explains that the eye can easily pick up when the motion of a character seems to die, which can come across as looking particularly fake and unbelievable. To overcome this loss of motion, Lasseter uses a moving hold which is a technique used that continues the motion of a body part after an action. This breaks up the animation and results in a smoother and more believable sequence. Preston Blair (Hooks, 2001, p.60), states that an actor should never pause without a specific reason, and when a pause occurs, it should be shown for long enough so the audience can register it. These are both techniques that engage the audience into what the character is acting out. Before a movement of any sort can occur, thought processes need to become apparent through the character. Hooks outlines, Thinking tends to lead to conclusions; emotion tends to lead to action. (2000, p.1) Hooks defines a thought process as a method in discovering a conclusion. Lasseter (1994) mentions that every movement of a particular character must exist for a reason, and, ultimately, develop feelings in a character through their thought processes. As an observation, before a human being puts his body into action, a thought process must occur. In animation, this thought process must be shown to the audience to illustrate believability of an action that has just been revealed. To show a thought process in a character, Disney animator/teacher Eric Larson shows a technique, in Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnsons Illusion of Life, The subject gradually lowered his brows into a frown paused and then lifted one brow and glanced to the side, you immediately would sense a change from one thought to another (Richard Williams, 2001, p.320) This action was discovered when the first Mickey Mouse shorts were being created, and stands as a key element into how change of expression can reflect a meaningful thought process. Shawn Kelly (2009) expresses his ideas, explaining that there isnt anything more important than showing a characters thought process and changes which occur within it to provoke emotions and actions. It is down to these thought processes, he concludes, that drives everything we do. Looking at character animation in Toy Story 2, Hooks (2005, p.87) explains how Woodys realisation that Andy has gone to camp without him, leads him to his express sadness (emotion) which then leads him to withdraw to the back shelf, out of sight. He adds that, The more specific the characters thought process, the better the performance. (2005, p.87) Thought process in character animation, as mentioned, is very important for believability. This has been true for many years since the beginning of Disneys Golden Age in animation. Walt Disney said, In most instances, the driving force behind the action is the mood, the personality, the attitude of the character-or all three. Therefore, the mind is the pilot. We think of things before the body does them. (Lasseter, 1987, pp. 35-44, 21:4) It is widely agreed that thought process is the main building block that needs to be perfected and shown successfully in any animated character. Bill Tytla (Hooks, 2005, p.3), concluded that the pose is a reaction to something. Hooks refers to Aristotle, Aristotle referred to this as a unity of action small actions that lead to a bigger action, or objective. This simple rule lies at the base of all acting theory. An action without a thought is impossible, and action without an objective is just a mechanical thing, moving body parts. (Hooks, 2005, p.4-5) Aristotle finds that the thought process of a character separates a character with life to a robotic, lifeless machine. As mentioned earlier, Eric Larsons technique of showing a thought process in a character is very believable. But more specifically, it has been discovered that the eyes are the most important parts of the character to express and emphasis these thoughts. Williams (2001, p.325) advises on how the eyes are the focal point that people watch in a character. As an example, he notes, When listening on the phone the eyes flicker around in a Staccato fashion reflecting the listeners shifting thoughts in reaction our eyes are rarely still. (2001, p.326) The eyes, the driving force behind a characters actions. Kelly agrees that decisions can be reflected successfully with the eyes, They will very often dart their eyes around a bit as they consider and weigh their options. Its almost as if they are reading an imaginary list of possible choices! (2009) Lasseter (1987), explains that eyes lead before the action, and that the only time they wouldnt lead, would be if there was an external force acting upon the character. He mentions further, that the trick to showing thought process through the eyes of a character is with anticipation. The eyes should move first, followed by the head and then the rest of the body. The eyes of a character are the windows to its thoughts; the characters thoughts are conveyed through the actions of its eyes. (Lasseter, 1987) As well as eye movements, the timing and speed of a characters blinks can also affect the outcome of what is portrayed as a thought process. Kelly (2009), explains that different blinks can offer up our own different perceptions of what the character is thinking. A ton of blinks will feel as though the character is going to cry, is nervous, uncomfortable, shy, or possibly relieved after a big build up; while very little to no blinking will either feel dead, stoned worried, angry, or just very intense. (Kelly, 2009) Kelly teaches that blinks should be there for a reason to further enhance a particular emotion. Before an animator can even start to animate a particular thought process, they need to know about the character to be able to understand what they would be feeling at a certain moment, in an attempt to achieve a believable outcome. The most important foundation of believable character acting starts with finding out about a specific character. Williams states, Got to get inside the character. What does he/she/it want? and even more interesting why does the character want it? (2001, p.20) To develop our understanding of what a character is thinking, and in order to provoke emotion in a character, these questions need to be posed. Ed Hooks also explains to us that, Every character in a scene should be able to answer the question. What am I doing? in a theatrical sense. In other words, what action am I playing in pursuit of what objective? And what is the obstacle/conflict? (2005, p.89) Just like this, in the context of acting for an audience, Michael Chekhov suggests to, Ask yourself what the main desires of the character might be (1953, p.67) This approach sets the scene for any character in order to discover what the characters personality is trying to portray in what they are thinking or doing. Hooks notes, If you want to understand what a character is feeling, it is best to start by asking what the character is thinking and what his value system is. (2000, p.2) To understand how a character must move, the animator needs to discover the atmosphere and influence of the obstacle that the character is being confronted with. Only then can a thought process occur, and a feeling be evoked by a specific situation or conflict. Jeff Lew (2004) , expresses his thoughts on the development of a characters bio before learning how a character will react in any animated scene. This develops further understanding of a characters background that could be significant in influencing the way their emotions are expressed. This evidence shows us that there are a lot of elements contributing to developing a characters emotional state and to make it believable to the audience. To develop his understanding of a character and what they are thinking, Ed Hooks uses a definition coined by Michael Chekhov called a Psychological Gesture, which, Chekhov explains as the psychology of a character containing thoughts, feelings and a human free will which is expressed physically through external feelings, thoughts and desires. Hooks gives the example, Have you ever noticed someone who wrings his hands a lot while hes talking? A Bully punches someone in the chest with his finger. That is a psychological gesture. (2000, p.66) A psychological gesture is an internal thought process, manifesting itself into an external action to express an emotion. Chekhov gives an acting example, The qualities which fill and permeate each muscle of the entire body, will provoke within you feelings of hatred and disgust. (1953, p.64) The above, is very similar to the way animators approach the discovery of a characters psychological gesture by calling up ideas of how thoughts can influence the emotions that are displayed. Conclusion Character animation, in both the traditional and computer medium, rely heavily on the original animation principles that were discovered by Disney Studios. This emphasises how improvements in 3D animated software are used as only as a tool for the creation of animation, and does not rely on the computer to make things look believable by itself. Analysis has shown that acting techniques in animation are almost identical to stage and film acting. It is the exaggeration of body language and the ability to adapt a character in specific detail that sets it apart. It is evident that the emotional state of a character is a direct influence of its thought process. Thought process can be best expressed through body language to enhance an emotion. This research has lead to discover that eye movements are one of the focal points that enhance a characters thought. Emotions need to be manifested into an external, physical body movement, however slight, in order to engage an audience. The conclusion to the discussion has shown that creating empathy as a result of expressing an emotion, is the key element for engaging any audience. A characters believability is successful when an audience can relate to it in some way or another. This can be done by giving a character a personality through mannerisms and specific body language. Bibliography and List of Works CHEKHOV, M., CALLOW, S To The Actor: on the technique of acting, Oxon: Routledge, 2002 DEFREITAS, J MOVING PICTURES: Motion and Emotion in F.W. Murnaus Sunrise, 2009, http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2009-0212/article/32219?headline=MOVING-PICTURES-Motion-and-Emotion-in-F.W.-Murnaus-Sunrise- HOOKS, E., BIRD, B Acting for Animators, Portsmouth: Heinemann 2000 HOOKS, E Acting in Animation: A Look at 12 Films, Portsmouth: Heinemann 2005 KUNDERT- GIBBS, J, Action! Lessons for CG Animators, Oxford: John Wiley Sons, 2009 KRICFALUSI, J Personal Blog, 2006, http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com KELLY, S Animation Mentor Blog, 2009, http://www.animationtipsandtricks.com LASSETER, J Principles of Traditional Animation Applied to 3D Computer Animation, Siggraph, 1987, http://www.siggraph.org/education/materials/HyperGraph/animation/character_animation/principles/prin_trad_anim.htm