2008 FINAL PROJECTS- ANIMATION FILMS and GAMES

FILMS: Points to consider- WORKLOAD All proposals will be considered on their own merits, however as a rule: 1 student = 1 minute of animation with no more than 3 characters 1 student = 1 minute of animation with no more than 3 characters One or two environments only One or two environments only

NARRATIVE etc: Your curriculum at QANTM includes drawing, narrative, character development and scriptwriting You are required to demonstrate this in your final project

TEAMS: Teamwork is encouraged Project management is v. important! Choose your team members wisely Peer assessment component for teams

GENERAL: All models, environments and other assets to be completed by the end of this trimester (pre-production) Also lighting and sound design If a project is not at this stage then it will not go into production Projects may receive a red light at ANY stage

GENERAL: You are expected to work in-house at QANTM 2 days a week. If you miss two milestones a panel meeting will be called and you may be red-lit. You will meet with a supervisor once a week for a progress meeting Quality vs. quantity

GENERAL: AUDIO = very important Second biggest factor letting down student work The first is over-scoping!!!! Students to source voice talents if applicable

PAST STUDENTS: “The biggest problem was trying to do too much in my film. If I had finished my pre-production by the end of the first trimester (trimester 5) I would have produced better quality animation.” “I should have backed up my work more regularly. When my hard drive died I lost about 2 weeks work.” “By falling behind in my schedule I was unable to do the things I scoped for, like using fur and particle effects. I also didn’t have enough time to make the lighting as good as I wanted.”

PAST STUDENTS: “The schedule was the biggest downfall with my production. From the end of trimester 5 it slipped slowly. By week 11 I had hoped to complete the project, instead I was at the stage originally proposed for completion by week 09.” “Another set back to the schedule occurred with the crashing of my hard drive whilst moving house.” (4 students) “My cat urinated on my story-boards” true story!

GAMES PROJECTS Why work on a game? qantm students have TWICE won best unsigned game Nearly all students that worked on Final Justice now have JOBS Most other teams also EMPLOYED

Games cont’d Even the teams where the game was not completed got jobs Produced great showreels to show off their game assets CINEMATICS must be created by each animator working on games

Games Workload One level 2 Characters 20 second cinematic

EXAMPLES

PITCHING Pre-pitching (must book a time- 20 mins only) Lift-pitch- v-quick and CONCISE Pitch in week 1 trimester 2. State your idea clearly up front Define the whole project fully first, then fill in the gaps

PITCHING DON’T WAFFLE!!! BE PREPARED- make sure you bring something to write with to take down recommendations from the panel Also be prepared to NEGOTIATE An AMBER light is common