Backing Work Up

Especially during this third year on the Animation course I have made sure that all the important work of mine has been backed up on an external hard-drive. This is a good habit to get into as I have spoken to many different people and they do the same. In the event that files are lost, corrupted or your computer breaks down, there will always be back ups of your work.

Critical Analysis

We are on schedule in this project however since there is only two of us at the moment working on this project I am concerned that we may not be able to finish this animation short as there is still a lot to do and to learn. The next big task is to model, UV map and texture the character Frank.

I am very pleased with the progress I am making in the 3D side of things. I have learnt a lot and improved in both lighting and texturing in Maya, thanks to digital tutors. I am also pleased with the standard of my work. I believe that I am producing some high quality work that I can include in my portfolio. I am pleased with my time management skills so far, seeing as we have pretty much completed the tasks I set for this term and we seem to be on schedule.

Formative Assessment

Overall the presentation went very well and was well received by students and tutors. The tutors did recommend that I introduce some sort of resolution to the ending to give the animation more impact so that the audience doesn't feel disappointed or cheated.

The tutors did say however that we have made good progress and that some of the visuals should look stunning. They seemed to be impressed with the work that has been done particularly with the mood and design of the apartment interior. I believe that my brother and I presented well as the tutors and the students seemed to understand what we are attempting to convey and we received some positive feedback.

IPP Session Online Presence

In this session we discussed the importance of establishing an online presence. Having an online blog or portfolio or even your own website is important so that when applying for a job employers can have a look at your work. If you have an online presence there is more of a chance of people coming across your work. People can also contact you, send comments and critics of your work. However to get noticed you cannot rely on just a substantial online presence, your work must be of a high standard. A useful thing about an online presence is that you can link other sites that you are a member of to show additional work. An online presence is a useful way to advertise your brand and promoting yourself.

I am a member of blogger.com and deviantart.com where I have showcased an updated online portfolio of my concept illustrations.

I am also a member of facebook which is a good social networking site so that it iseasier for people to contact me online.

Top 10 (Companies I would Like to Work for)

bIt is fortunate that big film productions are coming over to the UK due to the fact that it is too expensive to create films in America at this present time. This is good news as it means that it will mean more job opportunities in the film industry within the UK. This increase in film productions within the UK will also help the economy and may consequently cause growth in the film industry within the UK. Perhaps even new film studios will be built.

1.Warner Bros Studios is one of the companies I would primarily work for as many of their productions are made in the UK at studios such as Sheperton and Pinewood, but more notably Leavesden Studios which they have recently bought. This studio used to be a Rolls Royce factory/ aerodrome during the Second World War for aircraft. It is situated in West Hertfordshire and now serves as an important film studio in the UK. This studio became renowned due to the fact that all the Harry Potter films where made here. I was lucky enough to acquire a weeks worth of work experience during my GCSE year. Their productions are varied and well funded, I have heard they are good to work with, generally well organized and freelance artists are paid promptly.

2.20th Century Fox is another company I would like to have the chance to work for on future film prooductions. Many of Fox's productions like Warner Bros are made over in the UK in film studios such as Sheperton and Pinewood. I have heard that Fox is also well funded, well organised and a good company to work for in terms of experience and payment.

3.Universal is another film distribution company I would like to work for. They produce a variety of films/ genres, they are well organised and well funded and a good company to work for.

4.A small visual effects company based in Twickernham. They have worked on movies such as Kick Ass, Angels & Demons, Hellboy 2, Stardust, 10,000 BC, 28 Weeks Later. This would be appealing to me because it is a small business, however it has recently been looking to expand.

5.

A visual effects studio based in Soho, London. Very well known and a good company to work for. There is more security to work for a company such as this in terms of employment and payment, however freelancing at vfx studios such as this are not as common. However they often look for freelance concept artists for various projects.

6.I would like to work for double negative as it is an appealing vfx studio to work for. I have a few contacts working in the company. This is a very well known vfx studio based in London, Soho. It is easily accessible via the train. They are very good with their employees however deadlines are quick. I would love to work for this company as a conceptual artist/ 3D artist.

7.Framestore is another visual effects studio based in london Soho. It is a very prestigious vfx studio in the uk and worldwide. It has recently been looking to expand due to its success. It has worked on many films. Framestore frequently looks for freelance artists from outside it's studio. I have heard that Framestore is a good company to work for, the employees are well treated. They are organised, relaible and well funded.

8.

Another vfx studio based in Soho, London. Small but growing yet renowned for their work. Easily accessible via the train. They also look for artists from outside.

9.

I would love to work for Blizzard, which is an American games company. It would mean that I would probably have to move out to America. It is perhaps my favourite games company due to the fact that story, design and gameplay is clearly important to the people who work there.

10.

I would like to work for Bungie, which is an American games company. It would mean that I would probably have to move out to America. It is perhaps my favourite games company due to the fact that story, design and gameplay is clearly important to the people who work there.

IPP Session Making the Transition

The whole point of this session was to consider a range of options that will be open to me once I leave College. To discuss resources and different ideas in advance so that we have a better understanding and are more prepared for the future. We also discussed some ideas and possibilities that we could implement in the short term.

Challenges

At the moment I am a little worried about life after college. I am concerned that my work is either not good enough, that I have not enough work in my portfolio and that getting into the industry will be difficult as I may not have enough experience. Perhaps I am being too hard on myself. I am producing good work, and I am producing new work that can be included in my portfolio. Although I have some experience in working in the film industry I think getting more work experience would be a good idea as I have heard that it is work experience and the quality of your portfolio that employers are looking for.

Options

There are several options open to me once I leave college. It is important to think about my options early on so that I am little more prepared.

I can either work in the UK or Overseas. Preferably I would like to live and work in the UK however moving to America later in my career may be an option seeing most of the work in the film and games industry takes place in the U.S.

Self employment is an option that is appealing to me because there is more flexibility and you do not necessarily work in the same place. Although financial security is not guaranteed, you have to look for the work and you have to be prepared to move from place to place even overseas.

I could decide to do an extra couple of years of extra study such as a PGCE, MA, PGdip.

Setting up my own business is another appealing option. I have thought about setting up my own company with my brother and my friends so that we can work on a few projects that could get us noticed. This would be a wise choice if we were unable to find a job in the film or games industry in the short term. The economic climate at the moment is still quite unpredictable and may have an effect on the industry in the future.

I imagine that my career will take some turns and there will be peaks and troughs in terms of motivation and available jobs. I will have to stay in contact with my friends as they will be important contacts for potential jobs. I will have to be on the constant look out for job availabilities and vacancies and I will need to be prepared to chase jobs. I realise that in order to maintain my career I will require hard work. I must remember to keep focused and maintain motivation. To begin with I must be prepared to do unpaid work and I must be prepared to work from the bottom. I must be active online and must always be aware of my brand.

There are ways I can increase my chances of employment. The key point is contacts and networking.

• Keep in contact with friends and tutors.
• Placements - Paid or unpaid.
• Develop new relationships
• Job Vacancies
• Recruitment Agencies
• Competition Entries
• And tell people you are looking for a job.
• Trade Fairs and Seminars
• Professional bodies and Trade Associations
• Annual Conferences
• Career and Recruitment Fairs
• Open Studios
• Talking to speakers or guest lecturers in college.

UV Mapping Maya

The images below show the progression and development of my learning when UV Mapping a 3D scene. I have never UV Mapped before so this method is still quite basic. I have used a couple of online tutorials from digital tutors in order acquire a better understanding of the way UV Mapping works. This scene consists of a vinyl record player which will feature as one of the first establishing close up shots of my animation short.

UV Mapping is necessary as it is a method of creating a map for the textures, so that they can behave correctly on a 3D model.

Above is a finished render of the textures. It is clear in this image that the textures are no longer stretched and look is believable and effective. I am very pleased with this render. It looks realistic and the detail of the textures are clearly visible. I have applied a bump map to enhance the textures so that the details react to the light in the scene.

I have applied a checkered texture to all the components as a temporary test in order to locate any texture stretches.

Above is the UV editor which I shall use to complete the UV mapping process so that the textures look even better. This graph shows the layout of the UVs. This graph can be used to edit the size and look of the applied textures.

Above I have applied a planar map to the record model so that the texture is projected using the correct axis, thus the texture is no longer stretched.

Above is the actual low resolution test render. The textures are still severely stretched. This is not what I want for the final result.

Initially I attempted to apply a wood texture to the vinyl record player frame and a texture to the record without using the UV Mapping editor. Here the consequence of this is that the textures appear stretched and undesirable.