Major: Lost Boy - Reflective Statement

It's a smorgasbord of emotions to realise that the last two years of seeing this project is soon coming to an end. I have worked really hard to ensure that Lost Boy tells my story - past, present and future and it has been a joy to see it flourish even though its not finished yet. Because this project is really personal I found it hard in the initial stages to open up about my past and let it go and out into the world, but I cannot express how glad I am that I have done so as it feels cathartic to have it out of me,

I loved being as detailed as possible when it come to the world of lost Boy with particular emphases on the UVs and sets as those possessions I did own and things that were written on desks and pencil cases come from personal experience, I also enjoyed being kind of meta with the film as all I ever wanted to do from a young age was to create and to show this through Young Graeme felt like stepping into a time machine - having the bully rip apart the cover page of the art of was fun as it shows the struggle that I felt in school, and it was lovely animating the scene in the closet when present Graeme passes art with having more of the pages of the Art of littered on the desk to show that he never gave up and kept going forward with his art was enjoyable.

My least favourite aspect of this project had to be the rigging and skinning process as I had so many issues, I did and redid the pose space deformers for each character more times than I would like to say and it was really frustrating when something would fuck up and feeling like it wasn't your fault and trying to figure it out where it went wrong was tough, I had to completely redo the skeleton for Mrs Pratt when she was near completion as I had her joints in the wrong place, I also had to unbind rebind and repaint weights with all characters as the joints in them had rotations and the majority of the time the export paint weights option would produce horrendous results meaning that after correcting the placement of the joints I had to repaint the paint the weights which is so time consuming, all these mess ups have thought me that rigging and skinning is very time consuming and honestly it was something that I put off for Minor as I knew I would struggle with it, but I have learned a lot from having so many mess ups I definitely feel more confident in doing it for future characters.


I felt a tinge of apprehension with trying to find a composer for Lost Boy only because I am a perfectionist and it's kind of scary to hand the reins over to someone to bring the film to life through sound as sound is so important. It is hard to explain through words what you want the sound to be like as how can you describe what nostalgia sounds like? in the end I built a trust with Brian Freeland the composer as he understands the film and I loved it when he said he wanted to nail the ending as he said its important for the viewer to get the meaning of Present Graeme talking to his former self, I am glad that I let Brian do his thing as the sound turned out beautifully even though this is a first draft and it can only improve from here, I am confident that Brian will add an element of magic to the film through sound... I must admit I did well up when Brian gave me a chunk of the sound for when present Graeme's head pops off into the rocket to introduce Young Graeme - it really gets across the innocence and nostalgia, I am so glad that I went with Brian to do the score.


I am glad that I made a shot list for Lost Boy as it really helped me to stay on track for each shot as I had 72 in total it would have been easy to get muddled up with wondering how long each shot would last so it was handy to have the shot list next to me when animating a scene as I didn't have to worry about making a shot too long or short and then having to spend more time extending or editing a shot down in post.

Lost Boy has thought me that I want to be a director - I absolutely love messing with cameras to convey emotion and I find myself having to take a step back as I can get lost in camera movements and spend too much time trying to perfect them, I also really enjoyed the animation,
I think the heart of Lost Boy revolves around the three characters and although their animation can definitely be improved I think I have got across there persona's to a point - Mrs Pratt definitely needs more work as those tassel's are tough to animate and because of her long skirt no matter much time I spent painting the weights I couldn't get them to move right when I moved her feet - resulting in weighting everything to her pelvis which makes it kind of feel like her bottom half is too wooden but is something I can work on, The animation of the whole film still needs to be refined and can look so much better which I am looking forward to doing as I feel like I can animate now compared to the shots at the start of the film, My Art Of was rushed I had a lot more elements that I have screenshots for - rigging and skinning for example that I didn't get to include but this is something that I will work on so that it looks well when I get it printed.

I also enjoyed how collaborative it felt from Phil getting the story out of me and helping with edits to Alan helping me all the way through with Maya, to my classmates helping me with ideas that would work for the film. I am really proud of myself and my film and I honestly I found myself not wanting to do much else and got a bit obsessive with it because honestly I love my film and want to continue to make it the best it can be. I have grown my technical skills but also as a person, when I think back to the person I was in first year I think I am more confident in myself and my abilities and I know now that I will always work my hardest to see something through I just want to always move forward and take into consideration everything I have learned from the past three years into continuing to evolve creatively and personally - Now that I have the skills I need I cannot wait to take them into future projects and get those ideas and stores that I have always wanted to tell out into the open, I am exited to know that I can actually do that now  :)

Collaboration: Reflective Statement

This project has really been an eye opener into working in a studio environment. It was exciting working as a team because our team had our strengths but also weaknesses, it was gratifying to upload work that complemented other work in your team and it made me feel motivated as we started to bounce off of each other.

The biggest thing that I learned is that communication and compromise are key to thriving together as a group. It is important to talk to each team member together in person to bounce ideas off each other, negotiate ways around possible issues and to give positive feedback on the work that has been done to a good standard, Its easy for things to get lost in translation when typing out paragraphs to send to your team and its for that main reason that I preferred talking in person so that ideas and opinions were solid.

I found it hard when you have a vision for something and for that vision to not be met or to be scrapped. I came up with the Planet Cuckoo name for our Studio and I had a Brand design in mind for the whole look and feel of our studio but for those designs not to get finished or tested because of majority rules was difficult to let go, However I had to keep reminding myself of "What is best for the animation" and to learn to loosen my grasp of control and realise that its a group effort and we are a team and all voices need to be heard.

I've learned that I need to take a step back and to really think about what is the most productive way to tackle something and not jump into the deep end from the get go because I'm stressed of time constraints. With my car model I knew that I was doing it wrong from the start but I kept trying to make it work because I spent so long getting it to that point, whereas if I took a step back from the start and really thought "what is the best way to tackle this?" I think I would have saved more time. It wasn't until Alan showed me the best method for the model that I realise I need to adapt this into every project that I do and I enjoyed finishing off the car after that because I didn't have this nagging feeling that I'm not doing this correctly.

I thoroughly enjoyed using basecamp, It made me feel more productive with its clear interface and I felt encouraged to upload my work onto the site, it felt fulfilling to know that the to do list started to dwindle and that you were closer to a finished piece that you as a team can be proud of.

Even though we didn't get the animation completely finished and polished to our standards I am proud of Greta, Karolina and myself because I think all our hard work paid off from getting a few laughs from our fellow students and lecturers. I would definitely be interested to collaborate and use basecamp again because I feel like I have learned a lot about myself from this project and I feel like I have grown as a person and can use the lessons that I have learned from working together as a group on future projects.

Fantastic Voyage: Reflective Statement

Fantastic Voyage has been the most enjoyable and hardest project to date. It's crazy to think that I had not a lick of Maya experience last September and to be able to produce a film in maya that is modelled, textured, rigged edited and produced is really something to be proud of. I feel like I have learned so much about maya from doing this project and a lot of it I had to figure it out for myself which makes it all the more satisfying. I loved having a brief for the client, it was a lot of fun to collaborate with someone to meet their needs and tell a story that tells what they are passionate about.

It is clear that my current working arrangement isn't working. My laptop is on the way out and really stifled things because of how slow and laggy it is with everything, this has to be changed along I did run into a lot of problems with rendering and lighting in maya and unfortunately this put a halt in being able to finish the film in time to show everyone. I wanted to end first year on a high note and push myself to extremes to see what is capable from everything that I have learned during first year and I feel like I have accomplished this. Although I didn't get to show the film to Dr Klappa, the lecturers and fellow students, Im not beating myself up about it any longer, I worked hard and I cannot wait to finish the Cell Circuit as I feel like I know how to do everything I need to complete it and make it look awesome.

Soundscape Project: Reflective Statement

I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this project. It was thrilling to bring the dictaphone with you everywhere you go and try and find interesting sounds to record and then alter these sounds and manifest them into something truly unique to match your own interpretation of the images was electrifying. This project really sparked my imagination and I have learned a lot through observation and mainly trial and error,

I have learned even more so that the best way to learn anything is to make mistakes, but understand where you went wrong and try and work around it, if the sound wasn't working it just meant that I needed to spend more time playing around with audition to problem solve the reason why, I loved editing the static images in After Effects and trying to make them pulsate and contort to match the sound was exhilarating, I have a newfound love for audition and after effects because of this project,

It was inspiring to do my sound Designer profile on Christopher Boyes as he has always had a passion for sound design and I have learned that sound is extremely important in captivating attention, "In a perfect world you'd be able to close your eyes and be able to follow the story completely just by listening to the film" Boyes

Its a pity that I missed so many of Kat's audition classes because I feel like I would have been able to grasp audition quicker and learned more tricks from Kat, albeit I do feel a lot more confident with audition than I did before this project along with After Effects,

I cant wait to use Audition and After Effects more often with the coming projects and to really let my imagination run wild.

From Script to Screen - Reflective Statement

This project was probably the most tough to date but also the most rewarding. It was invigorating to pick 3 random words from a box and have those 3 words flourish into a story that I felt a connection too. I found myself constantly ruminating over ideas that could fit with the story and it really showed me that storytelling is where my heart is, I loved researching and finding information that could fit with the story and combining all this inspiration into one solid nugget while trying to make this world read well with the audience was extremely exciting.

There are some things that I need to work on. I haven't a lot of experience in creating characters and It took me a long time to get my characters to look middling, at one stage I was becoming agitated with myself because I knew my designs weren't working but I couldn't figure out why, with more experience and practice in character design and life drawing I'm going to try and nip this in the bud as even in my finished character designs I still wasn't content with them, I understand now that with the son it was because he looked like his arms and back were detached from his head, it became obvious when it was pointed out to me but I didn't see it at the time and now it is all I see!

My time management still needs improvement, I have definitely improved from the former projects (who knew that keeping a to do list set in priority and sticking by it could be extremely satisfying by scratching out something once completed!) but I really wanted to have a polished professional looking Art of for this project and it is disappointing because I knew exactly how I wanted it to look thanks to the advice from Jordan but I left it too late and wasn't able to make it look how I wanted. For the next project as soon as I have a solid theme for that project and know where I am going with its style I am going to start the Art of ASAP.

It was a lot of fun to try a different style which was the UPA style that I incorporated as it felt more loose and free and I feel excited to realise that not everything needs to be perfect and look real and that animation comes in many vast forms and all I want is to absorb as much information about all the different types of animation that I can and the styles whether it be anything from stylised concept art or character design that occupy them. I do wish though that I dialed up the UPA style a tad.

I much preferred doing the crit in the lecture theatre rather than the bass room and I feel I'm starting to get over my fear of public speaking slowly but surely, I'm starting to realise that nobody gives a toss about how I'm coming across and what they're really interested in is my work, I need to keep this in mind for future crits and stop worrying how I am coming across, I also want to try and use the stage more next time.

I've learned a lot about myself from this project mainly that I love storytelling and that getting a reaction from my classmates from something that you create is truly exhilarating. I'm determined to learn all the programs that we work with whether it be Maya, after effects or audition inside and out so that I can make the Melancholy Man a reality. I cant get the story out of my head and I know that the only way to do that is to tell it and tell it well. I'm excited for the future for when I have the skills to make these stories an actuality.

What If? Metropolis Reflective Statement

I learned a lot about myself from this project. A recurring problem that needs to be nipped in the bud is my time management skills and also learning to get something finished and not perfect. From my last project I said to myself that I was going to work my hardest from the get go and I can honestly say that I have never worked so hard on a project from start to finish before. Even though I worked hard I still wasn't able to feel completely content in the way that my design looked and I feel like I bit of more than I could chew in terms of designing my city. I really need to understand that I have a brief and a deadline to follow and learn and let go of the small nitty gritty details that are eating away at me and my time as I feel like I'm a complete perfectionist and if it doesn't look right to me I won't be happy.

I need to adhere to the fact that technology is never always completely reliable and problems that take time to recover from do happen and they always seem to happen when you really don't have the time. I ran into a lot of issues with programs and my computer and I need to allow time in projects to rectify these issues as not allowing myself any sleep for three days is not healthy!. I also need to allow myself time to finesse my designs and I feel like having my designs done two weeks before the deadline will give me time to finish them properly but again this goes along with understanding that everything just cant be perfect. I am really disappointed in myself for not making my crit in time as I really wanted more than anything to hear the constructive criticism from my lecturers and to learn and grow from this but It is a lesson learned and I'll never miss a cribt again as I cant stop punishing myself for it.

I am proud of myself for this project as I worked very hard on it and I thoroughly enjoyed it and I do feel like it does show in my designs albeit if there not quite up to my standards. I feel like I have grown a lot in terms of my digital painting designs and my Maya skills as I never in my dreams imagined that I would be able to produce something like this in such a short amount of time. I love that its not just in my technical skills where I feel growth but also in my artistic vision as the advice from OGR's were essential in understanding what looks good and what doesn't and I feel like I'm starting to understand this from trial and error as some of the advice I contemplated myself but I wasn't sure of doing, but now I'm just going to give it a whirl and upload it to the blog anyway.

Probably the best thing I did was go to the pub on the Friday after the crit and have a chat with the third years and the alumni and ask them for advice on how they tackle projects and this project in particular, there advice was extremely beneficial and It's definitely something that I am going to adopt for future projects. I am going to be doing "To do" lists every day to keep me on track with my project and follow it religiously, I am also going to try and finish my projects two weeks before the deadline to allow myself time to polish it and have all the supporting documents done, on time for hand in. I also really need to be doing my Art of from day one and chip away at it slowly as I don't particularly like the way the Art of for this project looks and I know that I have the skills to make it look like a professional book which is what is asked of me instead of it just looking like a bunch of pictures plopped on top of a background. I am also going to be asking the third years for advice more often any time that I can as they have been through this before and what could take me hours to figure out an issue in Maya could take them minutes.

In a nutshell im proud of myself for this project but disappointed that I missed my crit and mainly I need to work on my time management and learn to not be such a perfectionist.

Calvino Invisible Cities Project Reflective Statement

There is a lot that I have learned from my first project. The biggest thing that I need to work on for my next project is time management, For the first two weeks from the day of briefing for the second project I am going to be working my hardest to get as much done as I possibly can as I don't want to be rushing and end up having to jeopardise my designs to meet deadlines as I had to do with this project. I have also learned that I need to be less private and really need to start uploading my designs while they are still in progress to get feedback from my lecturers and fellow students on my designs on how I can better them. Time management and uploading to the blog go hand in hand as I need to be working from day one and upload as soon as possible to get constructive criticism. I also found it frustrating how my nerves got the better of me during the presentation as I did not get to articulate everything that I wanted about Argia and why my designs were such a way because of how nervous I was. Presenting in front of people is my biggest fear and It is something that will hopefully get better with practice, The only way to get over the fear of public speaking is to do it, and to do it as much as possible. Implementing all of the above should take the pressure off for the second project and I am going to work my hardest to make it the best that I can. I am very proud of how far I have come with photoshop and using a tablet as I have never used a tablet before. I feel like I have the hang of it now and I am excited for any digital painting class that we have to learn more skills that I can use in my designs. I never in a million years thought that I would be able to produce something like my designs in such as short amount of time and I am proud of myself for that.