Being able to come up with and develop an idea from scratch has been amazing, difficult and intense. The intensity came from several place. One of the main things that has been a lot is covering something so personal. I found it emotionally draining, but also emotionally exciting to explore ways of sharing something so personal with an audience. Also, developing an idea without a given starting point is a different way to make something than previous projects. There has been a lot to learn about what makes a strong premise and how to develop that premise in a way that keeps that.
I have taken some of the steps I mentioned in my presentation and added in points about changing the narration, adding sound design and thinking about all the different assets I will need. I need to consider what I need to do next and as the project goes on to make this film work.
- Continue working on animatic - stronger shots/expressions/timing
- Play around with different narration options
- Start exploring sound design
- Begin thinking about all the different things I will need to model and rig, start organising and considering which things will need a full character and which parts will just need part of the character.
- Name my film. I really feel like there is something simple but effective just out of reach here, and digging deeper in to the narration will help me find it.
I still need to work on planning project tasks more efficiently, in terms of accurately estimating the time and effort a task will take. For example, I drew my storyboard/animatic out in a strange order, drawing out all the body first and adding in faces afterwards. This made it take longer and also made it harder to create good expressions. Also, formatting the storyboard took longer than I expected and I need to properly consider the time needed for certain tasks and the best order to do them in.
I often do things one at a time as well, focusing too much on one task, which can make something I enjoy seem tedious. I have let film reviews and the magazine article slip and know that it is important to look at what makes other films work and to be aware of the industry. I think this is to do with poor planning and getting too stuck on one aspect of a project. There are lots of different aspects to making an animated short and I need to plan my time in a way that allows me to get stuck into something, but also give the work and myself a break by working on other parts of a project.
I have a big job to do with sound design, which is something I know I haven't put huge amounts of time into in previous projects. I do enjoy sound design and I think this is a symptom of the problems I mentioned surrounding planning.
I am pleased with my art direction on this project, there were times I was unsure of how it would play out and if it would come together. I often go for simple designs with lots of colour and I was worried about sticking with the same thing, but I think this worry came from looking at what other people are doing and what I thought I would be doing when I was younger. I really love bright colours and simple designs and am often drawn to this way of representing things. I feel like I am developing a style now. For this project in particular, the intensity of the colours and the first aid vibe does help me make the impact I want to make, as well as just being something I enjoy drawing and looking at.
I have been nervous about sharing this work and worried about missing the mark, but it's come out a lot closer to what I want than I thought I could get and I can't wait to push it even further. I will look back at past mistakes and successes to make the most of the next year. I am excited to continue making this film.
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