Evaluation

1. What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?

In this module i have learned how to plan and organise my work, as to me, this is the most important part of design for digital. I planned my story boards and timings before i went to the computer and i feel that this forward planning helped me achieve my designs as i had changed my idea towards the end of the project. If i hadn't planned the times and scenes then this process would have slowed me down and i might not have finished the changes i wanted to do. I have also learned how to use illustrator files effectively in After Effects. I think i have used my skills that i have developed quite effectively in the time provided and my subject matter. I think if i would have had a different subject matter that i feel related more to the E4 audience than i could have been a bit more experimental and extreme in my animation, but i feel that with my chosen subject matter i have used appropriate effects, transitions, timings, colours, fonts, imagery and music. I think i effectively carried over the visual language used in my animation to my website as i kept everything simple and clean while using appropriate fonts, colours, layout and imagery.

2. What approaches to generating work and solutions to problems have you developed and how have they helped?
When generating work i have looked towards visual imagery that is known to be mathematical, such as numbers, patterns, equations and fonts. I think this solid visual imagery has helped me to focus more on experimentation with my idea/concept instead of spending all my time thinking of what colour, font or image to use i can actually focus on transitions, timings and concept. When faced with problems such as my idea not conveying maths appropriately, i went back to story boarding and planning my idea before i went to experiment in After Effects. I think this helped focus my idea and organise my thoughts about what i want to achieve instead of playing in After Effects until i find something appropriate. I have also developed a more regimented approach to organising material, for instance when creating my website, i duplicated relevant material for each page which saves time and i prepared all my files for importing to iweb before i started my design of it.


3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
My strengths in my digital work are my organisation and planning, as these developed strengths are what has helped me to finish my project on time and to a good standard. I will capitalise on these strengths by taking them into other projects, not just digital projects. I think another strength would be the creation and presentation of iweb. I found it easy to navigate and control and


4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how could you exploit these more fully?
I think my weaknesses are my technical skills using After Effects. I think i had a good concept to convey my subject matter but i feel i didn't have the technical skills to carry out my idea as professionally as i wanted. I could use these weaknesses to help me develop my digital skills more by experimenting more with the programme, but personally i feel i know enough to get by, as i feel my skills and interests lie more in traditional tools and materials rather than digital media.


5. Identify five things that you will do different next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?

1. Stick to one idea and try to make it work so i wouldn't need to have a huge change and feel as though i was starting the project again from the beginning.

2. Not really work related but..... i wouldn't move house halfway through such a big project as it causes unnecessary stress!

3. I would start to look for music from the beginning instead of waiting to see what i think would fit my animation so i could gauge my timings more accurately, to fit my music.

4. I would choose a different subject matter that i feel would be more appropriate to E4's audience as i feel this would have let me be more experimental in After Effects and with my choice of music.

5. I would experiment more with what After Effects has to offer. I feel i used a limited amount of the programme and i would like to see what else i could produce.


6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas:

Attendance = 5
Punctuality = 5
Motivation = 4
Commitment = 4
Quantity of work produced = 3
Quality of work produced = 3
Contribution to the group = 3