Evaluation

Evaluation

In this essay I’ll be discussing the successfulness of my final project and whether it reached the criteria’s I intended it to.  

I think that my production was successful in creating an effective 80’s opening sequence that demonstrated various skills, such as, conducting research, adapting that research to improve my own work, using the editing software etc. The final outcome was very suitable in being what it was intended for; I purposely included common conventions of an opening sequence in my own, grabbing the audience’s attention and keeping them engaged with the piece. For example I used credits, titles and animation to present the show to the audience, by doing so I was able to establish the genre, key members of the production, and the production company itself (Universal Studios). By using animation I was able to present the show in a creative way; giving it an artistic edge. Additionally, through animating everything I was not only able to demonstrate certain high-level skills (showing that I can use advanced editing software) but it also made my time easier to manage as I wasn’t concerned about cast or any crew, therefore I was able to work on my production freely. Furthermore, credits were a large part of my production as I used the Universal logo (showing the distribution company was important in my research) and named multiple cast members, each credit was presented properly using readable text ensuring that my audience can clearly recognise what they're watching.  

For my secondary research I looked at conventions of an opening sequence (as mentioned in the paragraph above) and analysed multiple different opening sequences that I felt would help to influence mine. Before I changed my idea, (it was originally going to be an opening sequence for a horror/post-apocalyptic show) I looked at the openings for Avengers Infinity War, James Bond Skyfall, and Friends, after analysing these I didn't feel like there was much I could bring into mine which meant I perhaps wasn't looking at the right kind of openings. From this I now know that I need to spend more time carefully selecting what I want to analyse, and make sure that there's something valuable I can take away from it. After changing my idea to the 80’s opening sequence I analysed the openings for Stranger Things, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, and Back to the Future (all things related to the theme of my own). The main aspect I took from these was the Universal logo featured in both E.T. and Back to the Future; I think the logo was presented it a unique way. Therefore, I decided to re-create the logo and use it in my own production, successfully giving it more depth and further expanding for skills when animating. Another thing I did for my secondary research was who the target audience was, looking into the different conventions (demographics, geographic, psychographics, and behavioural), these were all things I took into consideration when defining who I was aiming for production at. For my primary research I conducted a short survey, asking people questions like what they’re preferred genre is, if they skip the opening sequence of a TV show, and what they expect to see when watching an opening sequence etc. All the questions asked were successful in helping me create my piece, for example, most of my respondents stated that what they liked to see in an opening is the titles so this was something I focused on and tried to make sure I presented all the titles in a creative and eye-catching way to ensure my audience stays intrigued and wants to continue watching. 

 My planning for this project was limited as I wasn’t using any camera equipment nor was I going out to a location, I therefore didn’t need to fill out much paperwork. However, I did make an action plan at the beginning of the assignment, and although I didn’t follow it completely (because of the idea change) I think I was still able to manage my time well. With my production complete ahead of the deadline, I had enough time to receive feedback from peers and make any changes needed to improve; something I had failed to do on previous projects. In addition to a time plan I had two storyboards, one was for my first idea and the other was one I had to remake after the idea change, creating these storyboard enabled me and those looking at my work to have a clear outline of what it was I wanted to put together, I also gave me a good place to start at the beginning of the animation. In addition to this I filled in a target plan at the start of each day, this gave me targets to achieve by the end of the session helping to ensure my time was being spent productively. Although, I didn’t fill it in every week as I’d often forget, this is something I could’ve improved so that I had clear aims that I could reflect on after each lesson.

As said in my previous paragraphs I changed my idea in the middle of the project, originally wanting to make an opening sequence for a post-apocalyptic show to an opening for an 80’s show. I think it was a sensible decision changing my idea because I was planning on using Blender to create the scenes, however after learning the basics for the software I came to the conclusion that making such an advanced sequence in a time frame of a few months wasn’t going to be possible. Therefore, I decided that using the programs After Effects and Cinema 4D, software I’m familiar with, would be the better idea. Even though changing my idea was a good decision, I did become somewhat stressed as it meant I had to change a lot of my research and redo some of the planning which effected my time management, therefore in future projects I’ll ensure  that my idea is achievable before going ahead with it meaning, I won't change it halfway through and have to redo any research or planning. Overall, I think through changing my idea I ended up with a better production it allowed me to be creative and work faster with a software I’m comfortable with. 

Through doing this project I think I have learnt a lot. For example, my time management has improved since doing previous assignments, throughout this one I have ensured to get each stage done a head of it's deadlines so that I’ve had enough time at the very end of the project to make any improvements needed. I also gained some valuable knowledge when it comes to analysing opening sequences; I have learnt all the conventions and aspects that are commonly seen in them. However, there are also things in which I feel I could've improved on. For example, I think my primary research was lacking detail which could have effected how I defined my target audience, as I didn't have enough information to have an exact demographic. Additionally I could've included more planning; although difficult due to my production being animated, I think I should've done some sketches to show the different shots I wanted to have, this would've gave the reader a better insight into what I was creating before seeing the final production.

In conclusion, I feel my final production was successful in meeting it's intended purpose as I included multiple conventions of a traditional opening sequence, such as credits and titles, whilst also being creative and sticking with an 80's retro theme. Also, I have been able to learn new skills and knowledge and have been able to identify any areas I can improve on for future projects.