Posted on No Comments on Workshop 3 – Proposal Document Assessment

Workshop 3 – Proposal Document Assessment

During the third week our lecture involved European Connections and highlighted work other students have done in collaboration with universities across Europe. This lecture was also an opportunity to sign up to another collaborative program between a university in Finland and the University of Lincoln. It was refreshing to see collaborative programs that have run within the same course I’m doing, and whilst I may not take the opportunity it’s still nice to see projects other students have had a hand in creating.

During the workshop this week the proposal form for our project was assessed, evaluating whether it’s: Achievable, Potential output formats, and room for improvements. The proposal for my product was accepted and I was given some advice on how to visualise it and make it a reality.

The proposed idea is a retro text based adventure game inspired by early works such as: Adventureland, Zork and Planetfall. The aim is to release this game on mobile devices however I feel as though within the time-frame the direction to take with this is to visualise the end product using After Effects and Photoshop to make stills and a video. The video will highlight how my game will work, and the stills will give a more in depth look at the imagined product. I also feel as though I may create a website to host the product and generally give it more context which is thematic and  appropriate to my product.

Overall I feel as though the project as a whole is engaging and interesting enough to want to continue pursuing throughout the semester. Whilst certain elements may change, it will all be noted and justifications will be given behind my choices, the R&D file will also be updated as further development happens.

 

 

Posted on No Comments on Research and Development Time-scale

Research and Development Time-scale

Starting semester B I had a rough idea of what I wanted to create, in order to reach this process however I had to do a lot of brainstorming in order to reach a suitable product I both felt that hit the criteria and was also engaging enough to want to pursue throughout the semester. Breaking down my ideas into core components felt like the most obvious step to take in order to create an end product of the highest quality.

There was an initial learning curve involved for the usage of some software and applications to help me towards my brief. After research I learnt a few things I had no idea of prior, these small things may feel insignificant however I feel as though they will play an integral part in the creation of my end product. These include: Importance of brainstorming, not sticking to one idea, understanding and using new platforms and technology (Padlet & Pinterest) and not be fearful of experimentation. When creating a product it seems blatantly obvious that the development of ideas is crutial before reaching a conclusion on a final idea, however many times prior to this semester I always settled for an idea based on how much I liked it without seeing flaws in it,  I feel as though being more self critical of your own ideas can push your creative boundaries ensuring you don’t lose sight of the project at hand.
Overall I feel as though justification behind ideas and still seeing flaws within it is the best way to go about creating any item of media, whether it’s a game, magazine, or anything, having a self critical mindset allows for a product top be made of the highest standard.

Development Plan

Detailed below is a development time scale plan, this includes lengths of time and what I’ll dedicate each week of the semester towards in order to complete the brief and make a final product. Certain areas of this brief will require more time depending on the complexity and workload required. I feel as though creating a detailed time plan will help to organise a big project and is a useful skill in general to get to grips with for other modules/assessments in the future.

 

Week 1 – Research/Project Planning Stage

  • What is the idea? (Brainstorm potential ideas)
  • Name for myself and other group members? (Branding)
  • Research inspirations
  • Look at previous examples of EYU categories and winners
  • Research articles of media and output formats that follow a similar narrative to my own work

 

Week 2 & 3 – Conceptualising further ideas

  • Have a refined idea (Still room to work on output formats, what I want to achieve Etc.)
  • Doodles (Name for branding? What am I setting out to achieve? Is it possible? How does it work? Etc.)
  • Work towards a finalised idea [Week 3]
  • Experiment with output formats (where will me idea be displayed? What formats? Mobile app, Website, Magazine Etc.) [Week 3]
  • Research art styles (inform my own choices through inspirations) [Week 3]

 

Week 4- Finalised idea development 

  • Reached a name and final decision on the output format for my media product
  • Work on the R&D file (Decide upon what group member is doing what documentation, 50/50 split has to be evidenced)
  • Branding (Now the idea is finalised work towards a brand, how it’s going to be represented Etc.)
  • Evaluate current likes and dislikes of the product
  • Further development of output formats
  • Research appropriate software (Game/App Programming)

 

Week 5 & 6 – Application of research

  • Apply my research to the initial draft of the game and game branding
  • Create basic program for the game (If this isn’t achieved create a visualisation of the game, software like after effects, or indesign will be good to create an example of a mock-up of how the game will work, either stills or a video)
  • Company branding (final logo has been created, clear and concise decisions have been made towards the branding: Colour palette, Typography, Etc.)

 

Week 7 onwards – Polishing Output Formats

  • Finalise R&D documentation ready for blackboard submission [Week 7 & 8]
  • Have a finalised output (Mobile App. If the app can’t be conceivably created, have detailed demonstrations on how the game will work, a combination of stills and a video highlighting elements of the game) [Week 9/10]
  •  Finalise the branding (Potentially have a website, showcase the demonstrations of the game on a website. Visualise how the game will be marketed) [Week 10]

 

Posted on No Comments on Workshop 1 – Padlet Brainstorming

Workshop 1 – Padlet Brainstorming →

To start off the semester we first had a lecture detailing the module and what needs to be submitted. During week 8 we have to submit a 24 page R&D file detailing proposed projects and our aims for creation, and during week 13 we have to submit our final ideas.

Overall I feel as though having hands on experience with creating a media product, understanding all the legal requirements and what sort of documentation that’s expected is a great skill to learn before leaving university, regardless of whether we use the skills in future it feels like a skill applicable to areas in life and not just academic.

After the lecture,  the group then had the first workshop. Our class was tasked with using a platform known as Padlet. Padlet is a website where you can brainstorm different ideas and post them in the form of a post-stick note, the website is compatible with: Hyperlinks, Social Media and other websites and is a great tool for jotting down ideas and working with whatever you can throw down before refining it.

My focus during this workshop was highlighting potential ideas I wanted to work towards for my R&D and then proceeding to created my proposed project.
My main ideas thus far are based around the European Youth Award Categories, I want it to fulfil a purpose and solve a problem which is currently has a none-existent solution in the world.

Overall I feel as though Padlet will be a good tool to use to both visualise ideas better than a notepad and basic word processing software, and follow a path/Narrative of development.

Links:

http://padlet.com/13395791/7dprugy94223

img_0932-0