Animated Narratives:
In the end we got there, but with so much work necessary, and so much that could go wrong – which it inevitably did at what felt the most inopportune moments – boy at times was it challenging! From the outset, and at at different times during the process, setbacks such as illness, absence and extenuating circumstances affected all of the team, and needing to rethink the storyline, and recreate both the story board and the 3D previs so late on would, without tutor assistance (which was greatly appreciated), have left us significantly behind other teams at the end of the pre-production phase.
Affecting production, delays due to rigging issues where the hands and arms significantly distorted when posed, unfortunately meant that some models weren’t available to begin the animation process until much later than expected. However, while concerning, I took some comfort from reading during my research that even in studios such as Pixar, ‘early on in a production chaos reigns,’ ‘the bulk of what teams are doing is not cohering,’ and ‘when so little is visible and so much is still unknown,’ it’s hard to move forward (Catmull and Wallace, 2014).
The final week before submission was then the most demanding and stressful of all, but by pulling together as a team, we worked down to the wire, and although facing an unknown last minute staging issue affecting the transition of one scene to another, and an animated segment only finally made available a few hours before the submission deadline, we got the job done and I’m proud of what we, as a team, were able to achieve.
Nonetheless, given the opportunity, there are still things I would have done differently. With my ASD making it difficult to process verbal information, especially during brainstorming sessions when ideas are coming at speed from different sources, I often need time to formulate my own concepts or ideas, but found that when I later offered these up, it was seen as disagreeing with the team, when in reality I was only trying to contribute to the creative process. However, concerned with their reaction, I didn’t share this with the team until towards the end of the project, but with this well-received, in future I’ll be sure to inform my team members much sooner. Also, with the others in the group all having part-time jobs, I didn’t mind going the extra mile to create assets for the team, and gladly took any time necessary to help resolve any issues I could, that arose. That said, although possibly an oversight, it was quite disheartening to later discover that credit for assets I myself had created, had been attributed to other team members, but I hadn’t felt confident enough to highlight this. Finally, with time management also an issue, in the future a production schedule with time built in to allow for delays and as best possible mitigate risk, which we could all buy into, or even a simple check list with which we could track and monitor progress, would be a great idea.
First Year Reflection:
Well here I am at the end of what has been a very interesting first year, and it seems like yesterday, when possessing a passion for animation, but little else, that I took my first steps into the animation lab and began my journey, and although faced by many ups and downs; culminating in the production of a group 3D animated short, which at the start of the year I would have never dreamed possible, what can I say other than I’ve come a long way!
I can also honestly say that I found the lectures engaging and informative, and particularly enjoyed completing the tutorial tasks, and showcasing the newly acquired skills I’d learned through both these, and my research, in my work. Also, although previously I hadn’t used any form of 3D animation software, and others in a similar position shared with me that they had struggled, I was fortunate to be able to pick up the technical aspects of Blender quickly, and by investing time and effort into practicing each of the different aspects of 3D model creation and animation at home, I’m delighted with the progress I’ve made, and found a great deal of fulfilment working in this area.
While more challenging, mainly as I hadn’t sketched in many years, I also feel a great sense of pride and accomplishment looking back at my final 2D animated segment, which incorporates many of the 12 principles of animation covered in the course. Although I find speaking off the cuff difficult, with preparation I thoroughly enjoyed presenting to the class, and given my communication difficulties, feel I did well. However, to improve in this area which will become increasingly important throughout the remainder of the course, and our careers, I will need to grow in confidence, and to enable me to maintain eye contact, and utilise body language to better engage with the audience, learn to be less reliant on a script.
While it was inspiring to meet, work, and collaborate with many creative, passionate and like-minded people, at times group work took me well out of my comfort zone, and faced with communication issues, challenging group dynamics, and assertive characters with a particular vision of how the project should and could unfold, I often saw great ideas sacrificed, and compromised my own work simply to prevent disagreements. That said, this was an extremely useful leaning experience, and with the help of my ASD mentor, look forward to improving my communication and conflict resolution skills next year, to hopefully be better prepared to overcome these obstacles.
So while I began the year doubting my ability, and I certainly made mistakes along the way, with hard work and dedication I’ve emerged at the end of my first year a much more confident and competent animator, and encouraged by my progress, look forward to continuing to learn, grow and add to my portfolio in the upcoming year.
References:
Catmull, E., and Wallace, A. (2014). Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration. Toronto: Vintage Canada.