Critical Analysis of Pre-Production

During the Pre-production phase of my Work. I have created 5 character designs, environment and prop concepts and storyboard and an Animatic. Overall I believe that this has been a very successful project. However, now is as good a time as ever to review the work I have produced.

Overall I have found this module to be a rewarding challenge. it helped me expand upon my knowledge of Character design and the production process that goes into creating a successful character design. My overall goal of this module was to create a series of portfolio-worthy characters, as well as an animatic that succeeded any previous animatic I had done before. I wanted to use this module to improve as a designer and Animator, with the intention of becoming industry ready by learning new design techniques and theory, while also improving my knowledge on existing industry software. It was also a chance to improve my communication skills and pitch my ideas to a potential audience. I set myself very high goals and perhaps overextended myself in order to achieve as many as I could in the time that was allocated. The module was difficult and time-consuming, but I enjoyed creating the work, and I hope the outcomes reflect that hard work and diligence.

In my written proposal for this module, my aims were to create a series of characters with the use of semiotics and a good understanding of the fundamentals of design. The target audience was for teenagers to young adults, with the aim of having underlying themes to help drive the narrative of the characters on a physical and also emotional level. I feel that that has been achieved, and am very happy with the end result. Through the study of fundamentals, industry practices and also my own understanding, I feel that I was able to create a series of characters that follow my design brief. I have been able to take on board ideas such as using basic shapes to help craft characters with distinct personalities. The use of semiotics also plays a role in this, coupled with colour theory, help take my characters from not just aesthetically pleasing, but to good designs on a deeper level.

On this page, you can see examples of how I used the shape in my characters. For example, the protagonist Robyn. Her personality is inviting, happy, and independent. To help convey this in her body shape, I used mostly soft edges and some bright accent colours to help give her an inviting feeling. She wears her sleeves rolled up to show that she isn't afraid of getting herself stuck in and dirty. her large blue eyes help give her a soft, inviting expression, with a large range of emoting. The sharper edges on her design give her a little kick, showing that she doesn't want to be messed with, and is quite independent. Just from a few basic shapes and use of colour, i was able to get across a lot of information to the viewer, even if just a static image, and for that, i feel that her character design is very successful, and more than just aesthetically pleasing.

Throughout this module, my aims have altered slightly. Initially, for the production phase, I was to create my characters in 3D using software such as Maya and Zbrush. However, as I was developing my characters, I felt that it was best to stick to 2D animation, as it would give the project a better cohesive structure and more focus. I also decided to change as more of a personal preference. This module helped cement the theory that I wanted to be a concept/character artist upon graduation.

While I am very happy with the outcome of this project, there are always ways to improve. Time management has always been a struggle for me, as I often get carried away on a single idea, or easily distracted. The schedule written at the beginning of this semester helped me stay focused for the most part, however, aspects of my time management could still be improved. I found it beneficial working with my peers, so in the future, I will consider more outsourcing options, so my work can stay more focused, and hopefully improve because of it. Working in a group is a fundamental part of the animation industry, so by working with others, it will not only help my social and communication skills but also make me more desirable as an employee.

While my understanding of character theory has improved as a result of this module, I still feel that there is room for improvement. While I wanted my characters to keep their relatively realistic proportions, therefore limiting the exaggeration of my characters to an extent, if I were to redo them, I would push this area of their designs a little further. I would also explore the use of semiotics a little more, and perhaps add little design elements to their character that will tell you a little more about the characters at hand.

Going forward, I plan to create a full 2D animation based off part of the animatic created during this pre-production module. While doing this, I must be aware of potential continuity errors, and confusion within the artwork that I will be creating. Such things will involve the placement of objects, what a character is holding, whether a door is opened or closed and so on. during the production period, I will be outsourcing the score and collaborating with working professionals to create a unique and exciting soundtrack for the animatic. I will also be working with voice actors to help bring these characters to life. I also plan to work on advertising for my film, creating potential funding options, as well as creating possible posters, as well as other such design pieces, which will all be used to benefit my portfolio. Continuing the trend from this year, I would like to get lots of feedback from my peers to see how i can improve upon my work in the future. I want to be open to critisim and feedback, as it will allow me to evolve and become a better working professional.