Now that I have finished my project I feel it would be helpful to have a conclusion and review decisions, analysing parts of the project that went well or anything that went wrong so I can improve next time.
Starting Point
I really struggled at the start of this project. I always find idea generation and the creative process very difficult, as I tend to panic about whether it's good enough or whether it fits the brief. My tutors helped me with this by suggesting research points and direction that proved useful and while ultimately I didn't completely use these it did help me get started, which always feels like the hardest part. I did write a schedule at the start of the project which helped me chart my progress and set myself small deadlines.
My Idea
Looking at it now I don't really know what my idea is about, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. I used slightly abstract ideas of text from my old idea but not on the same level, as there were clearly some tangible and recognisable elements. Stylised might be a more apt word for what I have produced. The visuals and music are very vibrant and more modern than what Magners is associated with, which is why I thought it would be a nice challenge to try and take it in a different direction with fast paced music. I still wanted a representation of heritage and age in there, so I came up with the idea old old wooden barrels and old ships taking the barrels from Ireland to England and this became what you see in my sequence. I'm not really sure if this works in the final result, but it seemed moderately popular among my peers at least.
Mistakes
I didn't make any 'mistakes', but there are things I should have done that I didn't and small things that might have helped me. One of the biggest things was that I had a hard time with the pacing and timing of my sequence. When I storyboarded the sequence I couldn't think of how it would work with the music until I started actually doing it, but as one of my tutor Giles pointed out making an Animatic would have really helped with this. It would have allowed me to get a feel for the pacing in time with the music without actually making it, just doing a rough using illustrations and elements adapted from my storyboards.
Best Parts of the Project
My favourite part in the project, and the part I enjoyed the most was preparing my files in Photoshop and getting to grips with After Effects. Animating a camera in 3D space really opened my eyes to the possibilities and my piece only used a fraction of the potential.
Changes I Made
After the class crit I had a lot of feedback to work with so I could improve my sequence. I already commented on this in my original blog post but now at the end I should talk about what I did change.
I fixed the glitch with my sea not appearing, I improved the movement and look of the waves and I made the sea to drink transition faster. I changed the boat sequence by making many boats at different depths so there is more of a sense of 3D (one close to the camera, one far away), I added motion blur to make it look better and I made some of the animation more wild so they rock back and forward as they move. I changed the barrel scene so it falls differently, never leaves the screen, I made it fall sideways so when the camera turns the barrel corrects its orientation. I improved the timing and positioning of the typography throughout as well as matching it to the beat more. I changed the way my sequence worked so I could have the background move with the camera to give more of a sense of movement, so it is no longer static. I also improved some of the camera movement. I didn't add a splash when the barrel falls in the sea.
There are several other minor improvements made all over that will likely go unnoticed and I can't remember them.
Conclusion
Even though I had a very slow start with this project, and completely changed my mind half way through I believe I have created a satisfactory piece. As always there are many things that I would change if I could do it again but I have to present a finished piece even if I don't feel as though it's finished.
