With most of the proposal structure now established, this week was largely dedicated to refining the literature review and thinking more carefully about how the different sections of the thesis connected to one another. I continued reading around immersive storytelling, visual attention and one-shot filmmaking, while also revisiting some of the sources I had already collected. At this stage, I found myself thinking less about finding new references and more about how the existing material could be used to support a coherent argument.
One challenge I encountered was organising the chapters in a way that felt logical. Initially, I found myself jumping between film theory, animation theory and immersive media without a clear progression. Revisiting the idea of the “Golden Thread” helped me understand that the chapters should build upon one another rather than exist as separate discussions. This led me to structure the proposal around a progression from traditional and continuous-take cinema, to animation as a directed medium, then to immersive storytelling, before finally bringing these ideas together in a chapter focused specifically on directing attention in 360° animation. Establishing this sequence made the project feel much more cohesive.
Reflecting on the process, I realised that writing a proposal is not simply about collecting information but about constructing an argument. Once the chapter structure became clearer, I found it easier to identify where individual sources belonged and how they contributed to answering the research question. This gave me greater confidence that the project had a clear direction and a strong foundation moving forward.