1/developing technical skills

what i'm gonna do throughout this whole thing

Filmed interview

1.1, Task 1: Describe areas for development in your current knowledge, understanding and skills; What are your technical skills and expectations for development (filmed interview). Upload your interview and also any links to film work, photos, music etc.

Past experience: I took part in a drama and writing group with Bounce Theatre where I was awarded the Jack Petchey award and some work I made during that time is now part of the National Archives. I have attended two National Saturday Clubs with Escape Studios in both Holborn and North Greenwich (for one of the courses I took part in a masterclass with Adobe), and am currently attending the BRIT School for Interactive Digital Design.

Strengths and weaknesses: I believe that I can come up with some good ideas from a brief; I can draw quite well; I can animate somewhat (although this is an area that I'd be more than happy to improve on); I can work with a group of people without many problems; and, given time, I can

How I see myself in 5 years: I can see myself working in the creative arts, probably as a freelancer because I believe that's what I wanna do: I can work with a lot of different clients and I can have a diverse range of stuff that I've worked on.

What I'm going to do to achieve these goals: I'm planning to take a full course at Escape Studios once I complete the BRIT School, and from there I can build a nice portfolio which could help me attract more clients and that in turn would help me develop my skills even further. 

Portfolio link: https://sites.google.com/view/alex-mouette-idd-portfolio/home

1.2 Take a role in the production of a short film (Please answer the following questions in full sentences.)

Task 2 Resources needed to produce your group’s film (for example camera, recording equipment, editing software).

1.4 Review your technical skills and use of equipment

Do you agree with the feedback? Give reasons for your answers.

In general I do agree with the feedback about my strengths and weaknesses.

What did you do in your role? My role on the project was assisting with the 2D animation, which consisted of drawing frames in sequence to create the illusion of motion. My additional role on the project was as an asset designer which meant further jobs were to implement the brainstorming of characters and objects that will be present in the animation. 

How well do you think you carried out your role in production? I believe my part in the making of the film was a success, working in the team boosted the productivity of my work. I feel like the morale in the team was so high that not only did I enhance the skills I was already equipped with, but took on new challenges, such as working with the Adobe Animate Software which I was fully connected with after I knew the team would help. I found drawing the scenes and bringing them to life to be a huge success on my part, the animation was brought to life exactly how it was briefed and planned.  

What were your strengths and what were your challenges? My challenges on the project weren't so much to do with the animation process, but more to do with time management. I feel like if I were more disciplined in my time management, I would have been better prepared for the tasks that I wasn't too comfortable with. For example: I found the scene of pausing the music player a challenge due to not giving myself enough time to be fully prepared with Adobe Animate software, as this was a new system I hadn't worked with before. On the flip side, although I found it an initial struggle, I worked with the software and found it to be a success in what I was able to produce. I feel like I showed a great team player mindset, by meeting up with my group to discuss and brief what the next move was. I feel like I was very well connected with listening to ideas and then inputting my part to help the production move forward. 

In what ways did your technical filmmaking skills develop over the course of film production? Developing frame-by-frame animation skills was one of the most rewarding aspects of the project. I learned how to create smooth transitions and expressive character movements, which added depth to my storytelling. As previously mentioned, Adobe Animate was not a software system I was familiar with, but over the course, I have learned how to utilise the available tools, such as the brush which creates lines and strokes onto the canvas, the paint bucket tool which assists in colouring the large parts of the drawing and the keyframes within the timeline window where you can store the different drawings and lay them out in a sequence, which you can then layer on top to create multiple levels to the animation. Just a handful of these useful skills not only helped me in this process but will also help me in future projects. 

How far has your knowledge and understanding of film production developed? I strongly believe that my understanding of the film process is far more than just the computing and software. I have found an appreciation of all the hard work that's put in before the project even meets the computer, such as the storyboards, the drawings and preparations, working as a team to come up with the best solutions. Also working with different roles in a film production such as storyboard artists and editors (in which I learned how to compile the different animations into a fluid video) improved my skills further.