During Week 5, I began the rigorous process of gathering academic evidence. Initially, my search methods were inefficient. I relied on entering basic phrases into generic search engines, which returned thousands of commercial software manuals and amateur film reviews rather than high-quality academic data.
To solve this, I developed a systematic sourcing strategy using Boolean operators to refine my library database queries. I combined core conceptual terms, searching for specific academic strings such as “virtual cinematography” AND “immersion”, and “animation aesthetics” OR “free camera”. I also utilized my university’s portal to target specific, high-impact publications, such as Animation: An Interdisciplinary Journal. Critically evaluating my sources at this stage was essential; I had to actively filter out commercial publicity texts and prioritize peer-reviewed papers that offer genuine, structured theoretical arguments.
