Critical Appraisal – Exploratory Practice

The aim of the unit was to learn and meet as many expected learning outcomes as possible.

Most importantly, trying to find my style as an auteur.

My journey started later than I intended as I was working on a client project two weeks into the unit.

During my journey through this unit I have experienced many difficulties.

Areas of difficulty:

1. Decision-making on the final idea – changing my mind during the process.
2. Meeting my own scheduling and time management.
3. Putting too much workload of myself
4. Unrealistic schedule.

If I worked in a team, perhaps it would have been realistic. Hence I commented on that possibility. I had researched animation production processes, roles and pipelines, trying to see where I fit in and how I could make my ideas come to life in a team.

This has, in turn, made me more enthusiastic about the idea of working in a team.

     I have worked solo since everyone I had approached were already working on their projects, seemingly mostly on their own too.

Areas of strength:

I found out that I enjoy listening to others and was very interested in their ideas/processes.

Since the first interim, I was taking notes on other students’ work and ideas and reflected on how they could improve their workflow.

This is contrasting with the fact that I can not, yet, regulate my own workflow effectively.

I discovered that I am interested in people’s talents and enjoy giving advice and possible directions to take in their own work, or rather, how to implement it in a bigger picture.

I have been touched by people’s messages some of them very personal.

I found myself giving feedback a lot during the interim. However, the lack of time during the interims has made me less willing to speak to avoid taking time which was limited.

We have been talking about projects outside of the classroom and discussed them.

What surprised me was that I have found people’s schedules unrealistic and recognised this in their production plans. However, I was myself not on track.

We discussed how beneficial it would be to collaborate and many of us felt it would have been better to work in teams, or at least in pairs.

My second difficulty:

Thinking ‘too big’. I have been exploring other people’s work and creating contact lits and address books. Identifying other students’ strengths and their possible roles in a production.

As if I thought I could engage with them later on.

I failed to realise everyone has the same struggle and the unit was very busy – we all struggled with the schedule and it seemed impossible to try and collaborate in a rushed atmosphere.

     Perfectionism is a flaw, what I have learnt is that I have a different profile and different difficulties.

I observed that many fellow animators ‘get stuck’ on in-betweening, colouring, character animation.

My experience was that I have produced many ideas, storyboards, animatics, and left them unfinished.

I have about eight different animatics stored.

I animated all the time but I could not help and put most emphasis on the ‘message’ and the bigger picture.

I have focused on making:

• Sets, characters, environments, mechanisms.

A whole ‘stop motion’ world I have never explored.

However, my cross-media practice was difficult to follow.

• Together with the 3D media, the 2d animations, my asset management grew more chaotic..

I use symbolism a lot.