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      Media - films and games

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can understand how maths is used in the media industry.

      Key learning points

      1. Forced perspective can be achieved with scaling
      2. Animators use coordinate geometry to animate images

      Keywords

      • Forced perspective - Forced perspective is a technique that makes an object appear larger, smaller, farther or closer than it really is.

      Common misconception

      Pupils may struggle in the first learning cycle with where each object should be placed.

      The closer to the observation point an object is, the larger it appears to be. So if we want an object to appear larger than something else, we need to place it closer to the camera.

      Teacher tip

      There are some excellent TED-Ed talks by Pixar which go into maths in animation in more detail. Consider watching these with your pupils if they are interested in this type of career.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      When you see someone who is far away, they appear to be .

      Correct answer: smaller than usual
      the same size as usual
      bigger than usual

      Q2.
      is a transformation in which every point of a shape moves the same distance in the same direction.

      Correct Answer: Translation

      Q3.
      Describe the translation from point A to option a.

      An image in a quiz
      $$\begin{pmatrix} 7 \\ 3 \end{pmatrix}$$
      $$\begin{pmatrix} 6 \\ 4 \end{pmatrix}$$
      Correct answer: $$\begin{pmatrix} 5 \\ 5 \end{pmatrix}$$
      $$\begin{pmatrix} 6 \\ 6 \end{pmatrix}$$

      Q4.
      Describe the translation from point A to option b.

      An image in a quiz
      $$\begin{pmatrix} 4 \\ 6 \end{pmatrix}$$
      Correct answer: $$\begin{pmatrix} 6 \\ 4 \end{pmatrix}$$
      $$\begin{pmatrix} 6 \\ 6 \end{pmatrix}$$
      $$\begin{pmatrix} 7 \\ 3 \end{pmatrix}$$

      Q5.
      Describe the translation from point A to option c.

      An image in a quiz
      $$\begin{pmatrix} 3 \\ 7 \end{pmatrix}$$
      $$\begin{pmatrix} 6 \\ 2 \end{pmatrix}$$
      Correct answer: $$\begin{pmatrix} 7 \\ 3 \end{pmatrix}$$
      $$\begin{pmatrix} 8 \\ 4 \end{pmatrix}$$

      Q6.
      Describe the translation from point A to option d.

      An image in a quiz
      $$\begin{pmatrix} 5 \\ 5 \end{pmatrix}$$
      $$\begin{pmatrix} 6 \\ 4 \end{pmatrix}$$
      Correct answer: $$\begin{pmatrix} 6 \\ 6 \end{pmatrix}$$
      $$\begin{pmatrix} 7 \\ 3 \end{pmatrix}$$

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Forced is a technique that makes an object appear larger, smaller, farther or closer than it really is.

      Correct Answer: perspective

      Q2.
      Jacob and Sam are the same height. They want to record a video which makes it seem that Jacob is half of Sam’s height. Jacob stands 12 m away from the camera, how far from the camera should Sam be?

      Correct Answer: 6 m

      Q3.
      Jacob and Sam are the same height. They want to record a video so it seems that Jacob is a quarter of Sam’s height. Jacob stands 8 m away from the camera, how far from the camera should Sam be?

      Correct Answer: 2 m

      Q4.
      Describe the translation from position b to point A.

      An image in a quiz
      Correct answer: $$\begin{pmatrix} -6 \\ -4 \end{pmatrix}$$
      $$\begin{pmatrix} -4 \\ -6 \end{pmatrix}$$
      $$\begin{pmatrix} 4 \\ 6 \end{pmatrix}$$
      $$\begin{pmatrix} 6 \\ 4 \end{pmatrix}$$

      Q5.
      Describe the translation from position c to point A.

      An image in a quiz
      $$\begin{pmatrix} 7 \\ 3 \end{pmatrix}$$
      $$\begin{pmatrix} 3 \\ 7 \end{pmatrix}$$
      $$\begin{pmatrix} -3 \\ -7 \end{pmatrix}$$
      Correct answer: $$\begin{pmatrix} -7 \\ -3 \end{pmatrix}$$

      Q6.
      Describe the translation from position d to point A.

      An image in a quiz
      Correct answer: $$\begin{pmatrix} -6 \\ -6 \end{pmatrix}$$
      $$\begin{pmatrix} -5 \\ -5 \end{pmatrix}$$
      $$\begin{pmatrix} 5 \\ 5 \end{pmatrix}$$
      $$\begin{pmatrix} 6 \\ 6 \end{pmatrix}$$

      To help you plan your 9 maths lesson on: Media - films and games, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...