This is the final product for the ESting that I have created for E4.
For this, I needed to design a character and then create that character. I needed to then do the same for a set. I created my character out of plasticine and made him into a boxer which I then translated to my set for which I created a practice boxing ring with a plasticine punch bag. These were the tools that I could use, working to a brief, to create my stop-frame animation.
Firstly, from a design/aesthetic standpoint, I feel that I created a suitably 'good looking' set and character as they did look like the original designs that I created for them. However, I did have some issues with regards to limited resources at my disposal; I was working to a minimalistic budget. Also, whilst I consider myself creative, my art skills are not brilliant. This lead to difficulties and some decisions on my part to make minor alterations to my character. For example, in my design the character's hair is stuck up high in the air but, when created, his hair lies flat. That is because I found that his hair being up caused a weight imbalance that made it difficult to stand my character up; it was also not conservative of my resources.
I feel that, technically, my ESting was of a suitably professional standard; the animation was fluid and realistic as was the soundtrack and the way that it was edited together. However, there were particular parts that I found jumpy such as the initial left jabs after the facial animation.
As part of this evaluation, I also collected my feedback from showing other people my animation. To do this, I put it on YouTube and circulated an email with the link attached to a questionnaire. I also had a focus group in my BTEC class where I received positive comments as well as constructive criticism from other animators. To ensure that this feedback was useful and appropriate to what I needed it for, I had to establish criteria around which they could give me their opinions. These criteria related to elements such as content, style, narrative, character and the set design as well as the animations technical and aesthetic qualities.
The general overview from the circulated questionnaires was positive. I found that people liked the design for the character and set and they thought that it was appropriate to its purpose as an E4 ESting. Whilst the motion was considered to be "smooth", I was given some constructive criticism that I should have shown more emotion by giving my character "varied facial expressions". People also thought that I should have taken more time to make my character "move like a boxer" rather than just sliding across the ring. Below is a screenshot of one of my questionnaire responses.
As you can see from the image [shown right], in response to question 5, people did not really understand the narrative. In particular, the fact that my character was fighting a punching bag in front of a crowd. My original idea was that it was a press event but I did not really put this across. Therefore, it may have been a better idea to either create another character to fight or alter the background to a training gym or a similar environment. I also received feedback in the form of comments on my animation on the popular video streaming website, YouTube. These comments are shown in the screenshot below.All of the feedback I received was ultimately useful to the development of my ESting and my skills as an animator. Other ways I could have received feedback include discussions, reviews or through online exhibition. To some extent, I covered these with my focus group and YouTube comments but they were not formally put into practice.
There are several ways that I can present my findings. This blog post is one of the ways. Alternatively, I may act on my feedback by doing an oral presentation or written report. From my focus group, I also created an action plan for a few specific ways that my ESting could be improved overall.
To conclude this first part of my evaluation, I have discovered that my audience were generally impressed with the aesthetic qualities of my ESting such as the set and character designs. Whilst the motion was smooth, it could have been more creative and experimental to demonstrate my skills as an animator. There was some confusion with regards to the narrative of the animation but many also agreed that this did not matter too much as it was still a quirky ESting with a clear purpose and genre. I feel that, based on my feedback and my own personal feeling towards the animation, my ESting was a success.
Animation Evaluation Part 2
The aim of this task was to create an ESting for E4 in the format of a stop-motion animation. After doing so, I had to collect feedback and compile my findings in the format of a written report (See Above).
As with every media product that you create, there are certain constraints that you need to be aware of. Legal issues are perhaps the foremost of these constraints that must be considered as failure to meet these criteria, in the professional industry, could lead to serious consequences. In the creation of my animation, one of the things I needed to think about was copyright. This means that I could not use anyone else's work as my own; this includes the sound effects and characters that were the basis for my stop-motion animation. To comply with these laws, I designed an original character with its own character profile. I also used copyright-free stock sounds from the archives that we have on our college network. By doing both of these things, I ensured that my work was not breaching copyright laws by using another's creation for my own purposes.
As
well as legal, there are also constraints regarding certain regulations that my
animation must abide by. Regulatory bodies such as Ofcom and the Advertising StandardsAuthority (ASA) have a code that they enforce to stop inappropriate material
being broadcasted on television. This means that my animation could not contain
material that could harm or offend anyone. If I did include such material and
it was deemed unsuitable for broadcasting, I would invalidate the animation’s
purpose as an E4 E-Sting which would mean that I had failed the brief that I
was supposed to be working towards. As well as legal and regulatory constraints, I also needed to be aware of the financial limitations that could restrict the capabilities of my stop-motion animation. I did not have any personal costs with the creation of my video as they were covered by the college that I attend. However, they were restricted to what they could afford based on the budget that the sixth form receives as an educational establishment. Some of the materials I used, particularly in the creation of the set, were already owned by the college and so they did not incur any further cost. This includes the boxes I used to create my set and boxing ring as well as the string I used as ropes and also the ink and paper I used to create my background. However, there were some further costs with the plasticine that needed to be ordered for the creation of my punch bag and my character. This meant that I needed to be conservative of my resources so nothing was needlessly wasted.
In order to work towards the best of my ability and create a successful media product, I needed to manage myself and my time effectively. A timescale of around one week was agreed with my tutor to complete my animation excluding my design and creative tasks. In order to manage my time correctly, I needed to know exactly what shots I wanted to take and work at a suitable pace when animating. I also needed to allow time for editing and reshooting if it was required. For my animation to meet the requirements and agreed outcomes I was given, good and clear communication with my tutor was essential. This allowed me to ask for confirmation that I was taking the correct approach and also interim feedback that enabled me to change things during the animation. Leadership skills are important in any project. Even though I was working independently on this task, I still needed to demonstrate leadership skills in using my initiative and taking control of the task. Upon completion of my task, feedback that I received enabled me to learn from the things that I did and did not do well. For example, I was praised for my time management and my attention to detail but I was criticised for some of the banal movements that my character was animated to do.
I received feedback on my animation from my supervisor, peers and my audience in different formats. This included a questionnaire, a focus group and comments on my video on YouTube. This allowed me to further evaluate my own performance and the usefulness of the task to me overall. I have learned that I am capable of working appropriately to a brief which is an important skill for the creative media industries that I aspire to work in. More specifically, I have also learned some skills in animation that I feel, with more practice and education, I could develop to have the competence to work as a professional animator should I choose to take that path.
