C P D ?

*disclaimer: I move my hands A LOT, this was the only take with the *LEAST* hand movement. :/

In the first brief, in technical terms, I learned about risograph printing and how to make them. Although it was unfortunate that due to COVID we were not able to physically print them, it was still an interesting process to learn about. I have previously done silk screen printing and enjoyed it so it’s nice to know that there is an easier process of printing to achieve similar results. Even though it was just a digital print we created for the risograph posters, I learned how to manipulate it through photoshop to look as if it was actually printed out and scanned back in. The jittery effect and paper texture made the print come to life. My working process during this brief was a little messy however since it was the first brief after the holidays, it took me a couple of weeks to actually get into a proper routine.

I started this brief with a whole lot of worry about the lack of data I had to convert into an object. This is where the staff support came in super handy as I told Chris about this and he really helped me out. His suggestion was simple but so effective; work with the data I already had. Interestingly enough music was what inspired the final outcome of this brief. I was inspired by how NASA Scientist took a study of a gamma-ray burst and turned the points into a musical score. Though it wasn’t visual, it was able to translate the dramatic nature of the burst through sound, which was fascinating to me. I also learned how to use Autodesk Fusion 360 for this brief, which was a lot easier and more enjoyable than I initially thought. The infographic poster and the 3D object were completed by the time we had our first touchpoint with STFC so we were able to get feedback from Poppy on the first 2 briefs. I was initially nervous about spreading misinformation with my posters as I wasn’t completely familiar with the topic myself. I was extremely relieved to hear how Poppy and her manager liked my posters and were intrigued by my abstract telescope! The meeting with STFC made me feel so much more confident going into the 3rd brief.

For this brief, I found that I used a lot of the skills I learned from the previous 2 briefs. Through all the practice I got from brief 2, I was able to create my exhibition using Autodesk Fusion 360 and Adobe Dimension. We also learned about creative tech and how to use that in our projects. I was inspired by the workshop we had with Tanya. In fact, phase 1 of this brief, the space goggles, was purely made with what I learned through the workshop. The way Tanya explained the kit and the tech behind the kit to us made it feel so doable. I think it’s a very handy skill to know and I can see myself applying it in future projects. I was even able to make a small mock exhibition with the playground circuit and chibi light kit. Creating the mock exhibition helped legitimize the project a little more. Going through that process with the exhibition and prototyping the space goggles, I was able to understand that in future projects, clients might want physical mocks of the project I’m proposing to see how it works.

In the last brief, I learned a lot about After Effects and how to present my work in a video format. Johnny’s After Effects workshop helped build my confidence as I started making the video. I also looked at a lot of different video essays on youtube, channels like VOX, Ted-Ed, What IF, to name a few. I studied how they spoke, animated the ideas, or even structured their videos from start to finish. This helped me construct the format of my video and the way I did my voiceover. I felt so accomplished after finishing the abstract. I felt like I applied so much of what I learned in classes, whether it was theoretical or technical, to all of my briefs. One other thing I was able to explore was the Studiocity resource with the written document, as I sent it over to get some feedback after I finished the first draft. I liked the way they were able to highlight areas where I could improve and it definitely enhanced the final written work. I had the last touchpoint with STFC earlier today and I was pleased with how Poppy and her manager could see my phase 1 and phase 2 outcomes being used in real life. It’s interesting to think that I was so worried about spreading misinformation because of my lack of knowledge in astronomy as a whole but then being told by Poppy that both she and her manager thought I was able to express a really complex topic in a simple way. I’m happy I was able to achieve my aim.