Evaluation

        This module has provided me with my first experience of working on a stop motion production, and it has been a steep learning curve. Whilst I have previously experimented with model making and brief animation tests, never before had I had to consider the sets, props and various other technical aspects which would need taking into account to produce a finished film.

        Ultimately, the main lesson which I will take from this experience is one which I was beginning to suspect: that I am far more interested in the design, modelling and fabrication of props, puppets and other assets than I am in the animation process itself. While I enjoyed positioning the characters in the set, when it came to arranging the camera and light, I lost passion and motivation. While I realise that I will need at least a basic knowledge of how to light and photograph my work (for portfolios if nothing else), this is not a process I enjoy, and I would be best ensuring in future that I work with someone who has an aptitude and an interest in the more technical aspects of producing a stop motion animation.

        While Fiona and I were in constant contact throughout the module, in retrospect there are areas of our project management that could have been improved. While we made week by week to do lists, we perhaps would have benefitted from developing a long term plan at the outset of the module, setting ourselves strict deadlines and production goals. As it is, or indecision regarding a firm narrative concept set us back quite a bit, leading to production being rather rushed and stressed in the final few weeks.

        Such indecision could be attributed to the fact that we did not assign specific roles at the beginning of the module, as each of us had a desire to be involved in all stages of the project, sharing the responsibilities and gaining experience of the entire pipeline. While this worked well during the research and early development stages, it began to be problematic during the character design, modelling and narrative development stages. We should have completed a collaboration agreement form similar to that we used in Responsive, and agreed on our specific roles and responsibilities. Not only would this have helped to ensure continuity in the character and set designs, but it would have presented certain tasks (narrative and storyboard) from falling by the wayside as we reached a stalemate over which direction to go in. It would have been best had agreed that one of us would select a story, and eliminate the need to negotiate a compromise.

        Despite these earlier issues, when it came to modelling and casting the character heads and props, as well as building and clothing the characters, I felt as though I were in my element. As opposed to the stress of narrative development (or the filming to come) I felt relaxed and at ease, and importantly, productive. When working on tasks which I find less enjoyable I can sometimes find myself procrastinating or lingering on small and ultimately irrelevant details. Yet on the days when I was working in the ceramics studio, I was surprised and pleased with how much I was able to achieve, and was motivated to work long hours each day. It was immensely satisfying to see our vision begin to take form.

        As I am unquestionably a perfectionist, I cannot say that I was immediately happy with everything I managed to produce. Some of the clay props for instance, I spent far too much time trying to sculpt to perfection, when in reality a simpler version would have been perfectly adequate. As Lee Hardcastle mentioned during his visit, there is no need to be precious or fuss excessively over sets and models, particularly when you are on a tight production schedule. 

        I also took inspiration from some of the pearls of wisdom offered during our studio visit to Mackinnon & Saunders. In my previous attempts to model a character's face, I sometimes struggles to match the sketched character to the sculpted character. The sculptors at Mackinnon & Saunders, while no doubt talented enough to work to a beautifully realised character design, are also used to taking scrappy, five minute sketches from clients and developing them into a fully formed character. While my modelling and sculpting abilities are still developing, I felt it would be beneficial for me to attempt to capture the essence of a character rather than obsess over creating an exact likeness. With this in mind, I focussed on the key features (thin, pointed face and large,haunted eyes), and was happier with this sculpt than when working to fixed designs. In future I ope to develop more control over my modelling abilities.

        Another piece of advice I took from Mackinnon & Saunders, yet perhaps did not realise the importance of, was to consider the practicality and viability of a puppet's design. The staff were very emphatic that tall spindly characters present problems for multiple departments, yet it was not until I was attempting to build such a character myself that I appreciated their advice. The joint of the Armacreature were really too large for such a thin character as I had in mind, making his arms bulky and somewhat difficult to manoeuvre. There is also a delicate balance between making the puppet big enough to work with comfortably, and keeping the set manageable. We perhaps neglected this consideration, as our set is almost 2m long, many times bigger than the set of any of our classmates. As a first attempt, we should perhaps have worked at a smaller scale.

         Yet for all the stress and tears of the last few weeks I am immensely proud of what Fiona and I were able to produce. We managed to avoid any arguments, and rationally overcome any problems which we encountered. I am incredibly grateful to her for completing much of the photography and post production work, while I am pleased with the quality of the models I was able to produce, given my lack of practice and experience up until this point. I am looking forward to further experimenting with props and models at Level 6.