Evaluation

Maris Zaharevics

000932943-9

CINE1102

Animation Studio

"Lacuna Reef"

Evaluation

00|Overview

The group work at the university rarely brings the desired results, given the difference in desires, skills, artistic thinking and other influences behind the educational institution. The given assignment in terms of the group work can't be equated to an industry level job, as each participant motivation will differ based on individual circumstances and so the level of contribution can't be controlled without proper management. Despite the fact, that the initial stages of the animation pre-production had a solid basis, the production phase felt disorganized, and a strong sense of motivation and all the general desire began to fade away. Although we had a milestone plan for each participant with clearly outlined tasks and goals, unfortunately, it was hard to follow it given that other modules were going on in parallel. It should not be treated as an excuse as it is a fact. However, the problem with the discipline and overall disorganization led to such issues and not the parallel module existence. One of the factors, which personally seems to be difficult to manage is the quality of work and time constraints. As each group member most likely is pursuing personal goals (exceptional portfolio pieces etc.), the production piece starts to lose its identity and the visual consistency. This paragraph is the negative side of this evaluation, but as in everything there are good and even great moments of excellent professionalism. 

01|Group work

Our group had great meetings in terms of idea generation and plot creation. We had a very democratic approach to each idea given during the individual presentations as well as visual style and character suggestions. Every group member was given or was proposing an effective plan and goals he wants to accomplish; therefore intra group artist units started to develop based on similar tasks and roles. For example, Environment Artists were working closely with the Character artist and the Sound designer was given continuous feedback by the Story designer to keep the animation as consistent as possible across multiple departments. Group meetings were increasingly held to report on the work done and to receive constructive feedback as most of the time the production was individual. As for the production, I was guiding the group in terms of the visual aesthetics quite regularly (lighting setup, and overall look of the animation) Many of the production aspects were going through my feedback (plastic pollution production)

02|Individual accomplishments

I can not proudly say that I have accomplished my work in full as some of the ILP goals I have set weren't finished. But I can say for sure that I did my best and was always in the center of main events during the production. I was involved in almost all departments, giving advice and feedback on the work and some tutorials on software. At some point, I began to notice that most of the group members were asking for my opinion on how I want things to look like in the animation, giving me the role of a Lead designer if I may say so. Perhaps this is precisely because of my active interest in the project and regular checks on the progress within all departments. I was also persistent within the limits of permissible and stood on my vision on how certain aspects should be done, in particular - "pollution" production and overall underwater appearance. But frankly, I did not meant to supervise the production as I just had a keen interest in the product delivery.

I believe that every artist in the allocated or chosen department should be his own boss with critical thinking and specific characteristics beneficial to the production of the material.  

03|Group contribution

Project check
lighting setup
feedback on other work
scene assembly
tutorials

03|Improvements

After some experience in the group work, I realized the actual importance of the clearly outlined milestones and how neglecting them affect the overall production of the product. It concerns me personally and the rest of the group in terms of the group commitment. It was clear that many decisions and changes were made spontaneously without a definite plan of action. To improve quality and productivity, I would rely on constant communication among all departments and weekly meetings to solve the tasks already set. Instead of theoretically discuss new ideas which might not be relevant to the current state of the production, since time is the most valuable and scarce resource.  And even though some areas are lagging behind the set goals, it is essential to deliver a complete product on time, even if there is a loss of the desired quality.