From Script To Screen - Reflective Statement

This project has pushed me to my limits and forced me to start working in ways that I would normally run away form. I'm still uncomfortable with some of the techniques that I’ve had to use but I feel that if I used what I have learnt and practice with some small personally work then over time it might not feel so alien to me. This mostly comes from the way that I draw my characters as I had to work away from my normal style which made it difficult for me to see in my mind how they should look even when using the references that I had.

Other parts of the project came a lot easier to me, such as the script writing and storyboarding, as I could easily visualise the shots in my head as well as working out what would be the best way of showing something to create the right feel and what details need to be included to make sure that it makes sense if someone else was reading it. This mostly comes from that fact that I studied media and camera angles in the past along with looking at storyboards and watched animacies done by studios, such as PIXAR and DreamWorks, and have picked up on small details in them that I have tried to put in to my own work e.g. the same shot drawing being used but the expression on the character’s face changing to show that they might be thinking about something before responding.

I am starting to get a grip with the software but the addition of new elements in them still makes them feel daunting and difficult. Trying to get my head round programs like Adobe Illustrator lead me to cutting down some of the details in my drawings as well as spending too much time trying to work out why something wasn’t working and having to be reshown how to done something repeatedly. In the end this lead to me having to jump from Illustrator to Photoshop to get round the problems I was having to make sure that everything got done on time.

One thing that I need to try and improve on is the speed I work at even if I’m using every hour I have to spare. This problem could be down to two things, it could be down to me over thinking parts of my work or that I’m spending too much time on something that could take a few minutes to do. In my next projects, I might try designating a set time to try and complete a piece of work and when that time is up moving on to something else.

Overall, this project has made me understand the level of work that I need to product to make a full animation in the future along with the fact that I need to start breaking some of my own habits to become a much more flexible designer.