Glow discharge sputtering has been used for many years to produce thin films but its commercial applications are severely limited by low deposit ion rates. The DC planar magnetron, developed a decade ago, allows much higher deposition rates and its commercial use has expanded rapidly. Non-reactive magnetron sputtering of metallic thin films is well understood and utilized. However when a reactive gas is introduced the process becomes harder to control and can switch between two stable modes. Often films are produced simply by using one of these stable modes even though this does not lead to optimum film properties or high deposition rates. This work gives a model of reactive magnetron sputtering and verifies experimentally its predictions. A 0.5 m long magnetron was designed and built specifically to allow reactive sputtering onto A4 rigid substrates. This magnetron has a variable magnetic field distribution which allows plasma bombardment of the substrate during film growth. This was shown to activate reactions at the substrate. The target lifetime was extended in our design by broadening the erosion zone and increasing the target thickness. The reactive sputtering process was shown to be inherently unstable and a control system was designed to maintain the magnetron in an unstable state. Light emission by the plasma at metal line emission wavelengths changes across the instability and so with this control signal a feedback system was built. The accuracy of control was shown experimentally and theoretically to depend on the delay time between measurement, action and effect. In practice this delay was limited by the time constant of the gas distribution manifold. The time constant of such manifolds was measured and calculated. Using our controller high quality films were produced at high rates in normally unstable deposition systems. Conducting indium oxide was produced at 6 nm/s with a resistivity of 6 x 10-6 ohm. metres onto A4 glass sheets. Tin oxide was produced at increased rates onto 2.5 m by 3 m substrates.

In this thesis paper, I will document and analyze the process of making my graduate thesis film, Vela & Niyah. I will start by stating my overall goal of the film, then move into each specific area of the filmmaking process and what was done to accomplish this goal. I will detail my successes and struggles throughout the process. I will analyze my own work, and reflect on the important lessons learned while making my thesis film. In the end, I will determine if my thesis proves true, and if I was successful in the individual aspects of filmmaking, as well as the thesis film as a whole.

In light of the specific challenges of assessing a thesis film—a project which contains artistic and academic components—the author examines his own short film For Want Of as a prototype for future work in film and as an opportunity for introspective investigation into the nature of filmmaking and personal artistic process. Reference is made to specific episodes during the film’s conception and production, as well as higher-level insight gained from following the film through an 18-month production cycle.

The development of a film rooted in family conflicts and an exploration of the nature of authorship.

The following report describes the pre-production, production, and post-production of my short-narrative thesis film. Auto X is a short fiction film about the ramblings, arguments, and strange encounters in a day in the life of a south-side Austin auto body & tint shop. It was devised and developed through improvisation and collaboration between its four-person cast and the director. Incorporating both elements of realism, character-driven fiction, and documentary, Auto X utilizes an unconventional approach to narrative filmmaking to present a unique and textured world of characters. The report recounts the production process in a day-by-day first-person narrative. The production account is preceded by a description of the initial planning and conceptualization of the project. In the latter half, the post-production process is presented as well as final conclusions drawn from the entire life of the project. Particular attention is paid to key filmmaking concepts and stylistic approaches that are discussed alongside the stages of production they pertain to. / text

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If Found is a narrative 2D animated short film that explores our connection with death. The film makes use of the conventions of a Western fairy tale setting to make this difficult topic more digestible. This works in conjunction with the East Asian storytelling format of Kishotenketsu, a narrative convention focused on a conflict-less plot. Death is not something we can defeat; rather, it is a natural force with which we all must make peace. By following this traditional format, the film also explores and shows appreciation for the impacts of East Asian thought, storytelling, and animation on Western culture. The themes of this film, which were being explored starting in 2019, became more relevant with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. As our country, and the world, continue past the uncertainty of the last two years, it is necessary to come to terms with the loss of countless lives worldwide. No one in their life has escaped grief or loss, however, the extent of loss felt worldwide by the pandemic is something not seen for a generation. The themes of loss, grief, growth, and acceptance stand to be ever more relevant than when this project initially began. By following the natural progression of the seasons, If Found illustrates to viewers that after every winter, comes spring, and after every death, comes the opportunity for new life. The accompanying film to this paper can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/770578363

The animated short film Ruffled confronts the subjects of Feminism and Femininity through the after-hour musings of a young seamstress. Sewing to patterns and working from their papered paradigms she discovers her unique voice that is both referential of the past while remaining distinctly modern. The struggle twenty-first century Feminists may encounter when determining their place within a history rich with prejudice, confrontation, and triumph is metaphorically represented in each of the character's attempts at garment creation. Within the film, not only does this clothing harken back to vintage apparel but whimsically transforms her surroundings to reflect three visually distinct decades important to twentieth century Feminist theory. Finding herself in microcosms of the past she comes to realize they must be both integrated and expanded upon in order to fashion a future anew. Only in pulling elements from each vintage outfit, adding a few stitches of her own, and creating something altogether original is she satisfied and ready to leave the shop. Ruffled is a hybrid animation that utilizes both 2D and 3D techniques to contrast design aesthetics and symbolically divide the past and present. 2D planar props dress each dated era like that of a stage set and play into the notion of performative femininity; the juxtaposition between each perceived experience and the 3D physical realm are thus emphasized. Ruffled uses the medium of animation to address the notion that ingenuity and self-exploration are strengthened and made clear through examination of the past.

"And They Saved My Sorry Ass" is a documentary/personal essay film about queer ani- me lovers (including the filmmaker) based both in the US and in China. This film focuses on how these fans express their identities by embodying and re-interpreting anime characters. Experimental methods, such as staged performance, first-person narration and abstract imaging are explored in addition to conventional interviews. This thesis follows the pre-production, production and post-production processes of making this film through 2020 to 2023, also mapping out marketing and distribution plans after finishing the project.

Bottom of a Glass Blues and its accompanying dissertation, Cinematic Practices are the basis of research into production practices used by independent and micro-budget filmmakers in the Central Florida community. The research presented in this dissertation is used to satisfy the academic requirements for the University of Central Florida's Master of Fine Arts in Feature Film Production. Cinematic Practices evaluates production theories used in studio and independent film-making in the present day in addition to practices popularly embraced by local filmmakers in Central Florida. The research found that there is no shared knowledge on how to organize film crews for independent filmmakers and that which is available is opaque or unintuitive in scaling to a micro-budget production. In pursuit of a more streamlined approach to production and set organization, I combined traditional production practices on independent film sets and combined them with the staff and field unit organizational theory used by the United States Army. The staff and field unit organizational structure proved a highly practical and effective logistical tool in solving protracted production planning and problem solving. The system encourages a high degree of delegation and shared responsibility to subsidiary positions of leadership that inspires and motivates participation and collaboration. Bottom of a Glass Blues is a single location dramatic comedy written, directed, and produced using the Army inspired organizational theory of production with the aspiration of inspiring local filmmakers to create stories and industry throughout Central Florida.