This Masters project investigates the metaphoric potential of non-linear and multi-path narrative construction within contemporary digital 3D animation.

The project has explored issues of identity and destiny through a study of cognitive therapies, in particular Ego-state Therapy. Ego-states exist in every living, thinking being. They are the core thought processes that allow human beings to deal with the world around them. In different surroundings one's reactions will vary depending on what is needed from them. For example, while at work one's mindset would differ from the one they have at home or while creating. While developing this body of work I have identified the mask as being the closest visual representation of this concept. Through the interactions the main character has with the mask, it becomes a symbol of growth, acceptance and the ability to progress within the world.

The project has also explored the potential of divergent pathways to function as effective narrative structures. Every choice one makes leads them to an end goal, but that end goal will differ greatly depending on what choice was made at each step. This idea of divergence and its effects on the viewer is also connected to the masquerade theme within the work. The mask is used to highlight the various decisions that are being made and their consequences. Each scene of the animation is constructed with multiple outcomes where the character either succeeds in obtaining a new mask or falls short of achieving it. The consequences of these variable outcomes build up and lead to several possible end scenes that play only if certain choices were made.