MPI305 – 2006 #4

REVIEW

 

The idea was to test out my working strategy on my MPI306 animation assignment. After all, that was what I designed my strategy for. However, by week 8 I noticed something wasn’t quite right. My strategy remained the same and I believed it was very straightforward and foolproof, but my problem was that I hadn’t started anything. My working strategy appears to work, but without motivation to use it, it is worth nothing.

 

So that is my next area of research: motivation.

 

In all honesty I am not surprised that I didn’t use my working strategy. I did think that I would do the work because I went to the trouble of creating a strategy, but apparently I need more than that. Admittedly I’ve had a lot of personal problems this year, this term in particular, and this hasn’t helped motivate me to do my uni work.

 

I am thinking the best plan of attack would be to class my personality traits and working habits and work from there to find a way that I can motivate myself. I am deferring the first 6 months of next year, which is a start. I believe that I am tired after 16 years of schooling and that some time off might refresh myself – though that remains to be seen. This assignment will continue well after the due date as I want to find a way to motivate myself.

 

 

MOTIVATION

 

As I mentioned previously I think the best way for me to find a way to motivate myself would be to ‘study’ myself and discover what my personality is like and how it affects my motivation. To do this I have taken a number of tests and self evaluation checklists on the internet. I don’t consider them entirely legitimate, but I do believe they are valid enough to show a trend in results which can therefore give me a semi accurate image of what I am like. And I myself know what I am like, so I can vouch for their accuracy.

 

I found the following checklist from Virginia Tech University, Virginia, USA. It is rather basic but I think it is useful for pinpointing areas that could be affecting my motivation.

 

 

MOTIVATION CHECKLIST

 

The following checklist may prove helpful in getting at the sources of poor motivation. If you want to improve your motivation you may want to choose a self-directed improvement program or use the information as a focus for counselling.

 

1. Really preferring something other than attending this university:

N Would prefer not to go to college.

N Would rather attend another college.

Y Would prefer a different kind of training.

 

2. College as means to ends other than learning:

N To avoid getting a job

Y To find a mate

Y To have a good time

Y To get away from home

N To prove self-worth

 

3. Distracting personal problems:

N Conflict with same sex

Y Conflict with opposite sex

Y Conflict with parents

N Lack of confidence

Y Undefined resistance to college

N Angry at the world

Y Overuse of drugs or alcohol

Y Fear of evaluation

Y Difficulty in making decisions

Y Lack of financial resources

N Marriage problems

N Phobias and other anxieties

Y Insecurity

N Loneliness

 

4. Lack of interest

Y Undefined vocational goals

Y Undefined educational goals

Y Course material is not what I think is important

N Interest in school is not the “in” thing among my friends.

 

5. Continuing self-defeating behavior patterns:

Y Excessive dependence on parents or others

Y Fear as a motivator

Y Parents as motivators

Y Grades or academic achievement as motivator

Y High school habits

 

[http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/motivate.html]

 

I have put Y (yes) or N (no) next to each point as I feel it applies to me. Some affect me more than others, but all in all I appear to have a lot obstructing me from my main goal, which is getting through university.

 

I had no idea I had so many things negatively affecting my university degree until I completed this checklist. I knew I had problems with everything I ticked ‘yes’ to, but I had never thought to expose them all in one place and evaluate how they are affecting me.

 

 

MOTIVATION AND CONCENTRATION

 

Quick-Scoring Achievement Motivation Quiz

 

While taking the quiz below keep track of your score on a sheet of paper.

 

Points

 

1. 0 I have no clear goals in life.

1 I have a general idea of a career in which I want to succeed

2 I have set daily objectives which advance me toward my long-term goals.

3 I set daily, weekly and quarterly goals which will advance me toward my long-term goals.

 

2. 0 I am too proud to accept help, no matter how stuck or lost I get.

1 I will accept help, but only when it’s offered.

2 I actively seek out expert help whenever I get stuck or lost

3 I am acquainted with most campus resources and regularly use them without becoming dependent upon them.

3. 0 I tend to give up after the first setback.

1 I eventually bounce back from a setback after a period of immobilization.

2 I analyze my setbacks instead of kicking myself or blaming others.

3 A setback inspires me to try again, using new methods if needed.

 

4. 0 My fantasies about career success are limited to scenes from

“Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.”

1 My fantasies about career success include practical details of my future world of work.

2 My fantasies about career success include thinking about practical steps I can take on a daily basis.

3 My fantasies about career success include long-range, intermediate, and daily plans to reach my goals.

 

5. 0 Most of my goals are so high that I seldom reach them or so low that I

reach them with very little effort.

1 At least some of my goals are moderately difficult – high enough to challenge me but low enough not to overwhelm me with anxiety.

2 Most of my goals are moderately difficult.

3 Most of my goals are moderately difficult, and increase their difficulty as I reach them.

 

Scoring:

0 Points – If you don’t crawl out from under the doormat and join the human race, you will have about as much a chance at success as a slug with a lobotomy.

1-5 Points – The beginning stages of the blue-chip mindset are showing. Still a ways to go though.

6-10 Points – You’re on the way, but watch out – success can be addictive.

11-15 Points – Blue-chip material. You can turn your dreams into reality.

From The Blue Chip Graduate by Bill Osher and Sioux Henley Campbell

 

[http://www.ucs.umn.edu/lasc/handouts/achievement.html]

 

Unfortunately for me, I scored a total of 0 points which apparently makes me on par with a lobotomised slug. Silly metaphors aside, it has highlighted the fact that I really don’t have any solid goals in my life. I want to earn myself some money, work hard, have a career, etc, but I don’t have a plan of attack to get myself there. When I imagine myself in a few years time, I see myself enjoying the spoils of my hard work. What that hard work actually consists of remains to be seen.

 

I am wary of this kind of quiz as I tend to take a negative approach to questions about my work and uni, which means I chose the most negative responses I can give. Today I was asked what I had been up to lately, and I replied “failing all my subjects”. This is definitely not the case, but I seem to like the drama.

 

However, this isn’t to say that I don’t deserve the results I got for this test. This quiz has made me realise that I need to start planning my long and short term goals better than I have been. Locating the things that are lowering my motivation and recognising that I have little or no plans for my future has made me decide to try and find a way to turn things around. I believe it is called being proactive.

 

 

STRESS

 

While researching motivation I came across the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) by Thomas Holmes & Richard Rahe. It is a list of 43 life events that each have a different numerical value assigned to them in ranking order. To complete the evaluation you need to highlight which events have happened to you in the last 12 months and add up the points next to them to find your final score.

 

“If your score is 300 or more, statistically you stand an almost 80% chance of getting sick in the near future. If you score is 150 to 299, the chances are about 50%. At less than 150, about 30%. This scale seems to suggest that change in oneÕs life requires an effort to adapt and then an effort to regain stability.” [http://www.ucs.umn.edu/lasc/handouts/socialreadjustment.html]

 

The scale is below. I found several slightly different versions of it, but the top 38 or so are always the same regardless of what version is being taken. There is also the option to create your own event and assign points to it as you see fit (though it is important to remain within reason – for example a pet running away is not worth 70 points, etc).

 

Assessment:

 

1. Death of a spouse 100

2. Divorce 73

3. Marital Separation 65

4. Jail term 63

5. Death of a close family member 63

6. Personal injury or illness 53

7. Marriage 50

8. Fired at work 47

9. Marital reconciliation 45

10. Retirement 45

11. Change in health of family member 44

12. Pregnancy 40

13. Sex difficulties 39

14. Gain of a new family member 39

15. Business readjustments 39

16. Change in financial state 38

17. Death of a close friend 37

18. Change to different line of work 36

19. Change in no. of arguments with spouse 35

20. Mortgage over $ 50,000 31

21. Foreclosure of mortgage 30

22. Change in responsibilities at work 29

23. Son or daughter leaving home 29

24. Trouble with in-laws 29

25. Outstanding Personal achievements 28

26. Wife begins or stops work 26

27. Begin or end school 26

28. Change in living conditions 25

29. Revision of personal habits 24

30. Trouble with boss 23

31. Change in work hours or conditions 20

32. Change in residence 20

33. Change in school 20

34. Change in recreation 19

35. Change in religious activities 19

36. Change in social activities 18

37. Loan less than 50,000 17

38. Change in sleeping habits 16

39. Change in no. of family get- together 15

40. Change in eating habits 15

41. Vacation 13

42. Holidays 12

43. Minor violation of laws 11

 

[http://chipts.ucla.edu/assessment/Assessment_Instruments/Assessment_files_new/assess_srrs.htm]

 

I scored 334 however this isn’t considering the fact that a lot of what I ticked isn’t as bad as what is being implied by the test. In reality I think I would have scored around 284 or so once you take some points away from a few of the events I selected.

 

This shows me that I have about a 50% chance of becoming ill in the near future. More importantly it shows me that I have been under a lot of stress this year, which means that my study problems are more than just a lack of motivation. Or more accurately, my motivation has been affected by the life events that have occurred to me during these past 12 months.

 

 

SOLUTION

 

Now I have established what is causing my lack of motivation I can attempt to find a way for me to adjust my habits and ability to cope with stress. By doing this I can ensure my motivation is not affected by the events in my life.

 

The first step is to take care of myself by making my body as healthy as I can. I have perused several sites and they all suggest regular exercise, good sleep and healthy eating as ways to protect your body from stress. Exercise allows you to release tension, sleep stops you from becoming delirious and blowing your problems out of proportion, and eating well helps you to function at a basic level you need.

 

In a way, this is very much like Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs.

 

 

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs.png]

 

This year I have had trouble with some of the needs in Esteem and Love/Belonging, and this has affected the way I approach the needs in the Self-actualisation category.

 

I believe that by going home for the first 6 months of next year I can meet the needs I have been neglecting/missing this year. This will prepare me to completely give myself to the needs at the top of the pyramid, much like I did in my first year of uni. And then I will hopefully make use of the working strategy I created for myself, though only time will tell.

MPI305 – #3

SEMINAR 

SLIDE 2 

“If you know exactly what you are going to do, what is the point of doing it?” – Picasso  

This quote sums up the attitude I have developed during my time at university towards work. It is my working method and my excuse.

“If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun.” – Katherine Hepburn 

I am also a big believer in this quote by Katherine Hepburn. Unfortunately I apply it to all the rules it shouldn’t be applied to such as: start your assignment early to avoid trouble later on.

SLIDE 3 

I am now going to discuss the pros and cons of my current working method (if you can call it one).

Pros

• Allows me to excuse myself from conventional working practices.
• Relies on intuition rather than planning.

As a working procedure it is both fantastic and flawed. I enjoy it because it allows me to excuse myself from conventional working practices (in my case preproduction and pipelining). As a result I can concentrate on making works using intuition rather than pre-planning. In my experience this way of working appears to be favoured by those who are more creative than technical.

Cons

• Does not respect preproduction and the purpose it serves.
• Can result in hours being put into a project that amounts to nothing.
• The nature of the marking process can involve regular presentation of works in progress.

However, this way of working is flawed because of its lack of respect for preproduction and the purpose it serves. Skipping the preproduction stage can result in misguided hours being put into projects that amount to nothing, which can be very frustrating for everyone involved. As a working method for university it is particularly inefficient because the nature of the marking process can involve regular presentations of works in progress.

It is difficult for a lecturer to gauge the potential success or failure of a work if they do not have continued access to it over the period before it is due. This does not necessarily pose a problem to someone using the working method being discussed as it is possible to present what work has been done (as opposed to presenting a storyboard or script of what work will be done). The marker can then achieve some idea of what the end product is going to be, even if the subject of the work is not yet finite.

However, in my case this working method does cause a problem. I do not bother with preproduction because I wait for an idea to present itself to me that I can run with. This would not be a problem were I to find inspiration early on. However, I am flighty with my choices, each idea stimulates me for a short period of time before it becomes a chore to complete, at which point I tend to abandon it in favour of another.

I get frustrated because due dates draw close and I have no work to show for my work in progress and no ideas for a story. Yet I refuse to attempt to write up a script, block it and complete it because I don’t like knowing what I am going to end up with.

SLIDE 4 

I must find a working strategy that includes or can be manipulated to include the essence of Picasso’s quote (which is essentially a summary of my current working method) while offering a way to introduce more structure into what I am doing so that I am always creating and expanding ideas rather than suffocating them. 

SLIDE 5 

 

SLIDE 6 

When I first receive a project I should consider all of my constraints. Constraints are unavoidable commitments that will directly affect the outcome of the assignment.

Constraints affect the outcome of a project by restricting certain aspects of the production process.Examples of constraints are:Due dateTime limitPrograms requiredNumber of people workingThey must be kept in mind while working on the project. 

Ignoring or not identifying a constraint can cause many problems with the assignment. For example: you decide to make your animation assignment have a large battle scene that requires multiple programs and lots of time. Your assignment is due in three weeks and you do not have access to all of the programs you need, and it is a condition of the assignment that you cannot collaborate. As a result you hand in your assignment uncompleted.

SLIDE 7 

Proactive Time Management Review

• Know what has happened so far

I sometimes have trouble knowing what I have and have not done as I do not keep documentation of what I need to do (from which I could gather what I have already done). As a result I am usually confused about where I am up to in my assignment and how I should go about continuing.

Plan

• Identify what needs to be done

This would involve keeping a list of some sort describing what needs to be done.

Organise

• Organise the upcoming tasks so that you can handle them effectively

Prioritising the list I mentioned into most important to least important is a good start. Planning a schedule can help with time management and increase efficiency. I will discuss this in more depth later.

SLIDE 8 

Tools of Time Management The Tools of Time Management are designed to further develop the ideas presented in plan, review and organise. 

• Know your goals

Most people cannot recall every commitment off the top of their head. Late changes to timetables, planned dates of activities, busy schedules – all of these things make it difficult for people to remember what they can take on board and what they cannot.

Knowing your goals means writing a list, whether hard copy or soft copy, and keeping a version with you at all times. This takes a lot of pressure off your shoulders; you can spend all your extra mental space thinking about your assignments rather than about whether or not you were supposed to be somewhere 10 minutes ago.

• Decide on how you can achieve your goals

Consider what needs to be done to complete each task. If you need to travel for one task, see if there are any other tasks you can make a start on, too. For example, I might need to travel to
Canberra to take some photos for a photography assignment. I could also visit the National Library for another assignment to gather a variety of resources I may not find in Wagga. Little things like this can save a lot of time and worry in the long run.

• Prioritise

Once you’ve developed a list of what you need to do you should prioritise it. Some tasks may be more important than others, but may need to be pushed back a little because something else is due before it. The list should include all of your tasks, not just assignments.

• Keep control of new tasks

Sometimes you will be given additional tasks to complete. Some of these will be unavoidable, such as university assignments, some you may be able to avoid, such as spending an afternoon at the netball associations working bee. When considering taking on additional tasks, make sure you look at what you already have to do and make your decision based on your workload rather than your conscience.

• Schedule your time wisely

People tend to work better at different times of the day. I prefer to work at night, but I also prefer to have fun at night, too, so I have recently taken to working during the day with good results. Sometimes you need to do your own trial and error to decide on what time is best for you. Of course, you need to consider your other commitments, too. There is no point saying you will work every morning from Monday to Friday if you have class or work during that time.

SLIDE 9 

In one of my resources they recommend you keep a calendar, a tasks/project list, an action list and a daily planner, or a variation of this at least. Because I have so many commitments this semester I have started using a daily planner. I also use a wall calendar.

My wall calendar has my major commitments on it such as when assignments are due and when I have rehearsals. Each type of commitment is highlighted in a different colour; orange for an assignment due date, purple for rehearsals and yellow for my other rehearsals. Keeping my calendars content to the most important tasks only avoids the problem of it looking too busy. I know from experience that if my schedule looks too full I tend to avoid looking at it at all.

My daily planner looks like the picture on this slide. It is small enough that I can carry it anywhere and I put all of my daily tasks in it. The major commitments are highlighted like my wall calendar, so that I can quickly look through and know what my priorities for each day are. I write in new commitments as they come, which is helpful because I often say yes to something only to have to say no once I get out my diary and see what my schedule is like. I also have a space in the top left of each week where I can write a to do list. The tasks I put here usually don’t have a due date, such as ‘buy photograph paper’. I also use this space to let myself know if I have any assignments coming up in the next few weeks. There is nothing worse than turning your diary to a new week and realising you have an assignment due.

 

SLIDE 10 

Ways to Save Time 

• Acquaint yourself with library

I have learned the importance of acquainting yourself with your library and the services it provides. It seems very simple however, I have to admit that I didn’t attempt to use the uni library until second year, all because I decided to skip the library tour in O-week and was too scared to go in and ask the librarians for their help. So I spent first year commuting to and from the National Library in
Canberra every so often to do my research for my assignments. Was the uni library as hard as I thought it would be? Not at all. Those hours I spent driving to my resources could have been spent with my resources being productive. I have learned that every hour counts.

• Keep references organised

Something else I have learned since first year is the importance of keeping an organised and readily available copy of your bibliography. This saves hours of poring over pages of notes in an attempt to find a resource to add to your bibliography or to rehire. This also works for quotes. Keeping page numbers and titles with each quote can save a lot of time at the end. There is nothing more frustrating than finishing an assignment only to realise you have 5 unsourced quotes and 20 resources to go through to find them.

• Set deadlines for each stage of production

Deadlines are important because they help keep your work moving. I usually don’t work with a deadline but I recognise their uses and am going to try and use one when I test out my new working strategy.

• Keep a timeline of events handy

This is similar to keeping a calendar and personal diary, only what is being presented is relevant only to the one assignment. This is to be used as a way to display deadlines. For example: You have an assignment due in 5 weeks. You decide that: week one is devoted to finding and idea and developing it into a script, as well as looking into your constraints,

week two is finishing off the script and designing sets and characters as well as beginning storyboards,

week three is completing storyboards and learning new software if you need to,

week four is animating to a schedule,

week five is animating and revising, and also when the assessment is due.

• Concentrate on results, not on being busy

Sometimes it is easy to get caught up with the amount of work you have to do. I find I will have a spare day that I plan to allocate to doing university assignments, only to find that at the end of that day I have spent hours being busy and trying to work (and procrastinating, too) and have very little to show for what I have done. This last points stresses the importance of keeping a diary and a schedule so that you do not lose track of what you are working on. Sometimes it can be very overwhelming when you look at an assignment as a whole; this is why you should break it down into smaller pieces and complete each piece separately and comfortably.

Essentially, the key to time management is knowing what you need to do and breaking it down large tasks into smaller tasks.

SLIDE 11 

General Research EncyclopaediaOnce you have your idea or have been given your research assignment question it is a good idea to research your topic. A good place to start is the encyclopaedia. An encyclopaedia will give you a general overview of what you are researching. Research should never end with the encyclopaedia! Once you have an understanding of the topic you can use the encyclopaedia to direct you to other resources. For example, in the topic of vampires the encyclopaedia might mention the names of some specific vampires or vampire countries that you may wish to research further.Internet

• Google
• SIGGRAPH
• CTheory

Additional research can be done in the library and on the internet, though it is important to be cautious when using the internet as some sites are not as trustworthy as others when it comes to the legitimacy of their information.

For the most part I use Google to search the web for sites. Google seems to be the most reliable engine for returning relevant and usable sites, but you still need to be careful. I also use SIGRAPH and CTHEORY to find information online. These sites provide entry to a good database of articles and writings on many different topics.

SLIDE 12 

Specific

• Books
• Internet

Once you have completed your general research you can begin researching specific areas. Searching the library for relevant books as well as internet databases is an excellent way to start. I continue using the sites I mentioned previously as my search is now more refined. This means my search may return more articles than I received in my initial search.

• Original research

Original research is something I did not come across until I came to university. It is about conducting your own research into a topic. For example, I might contact the director of a film and interview him or her and include excerpts of the interview in my assignment. This is original research, as it was generated by me. If I used someone else’s interview with the same director it would not be original research.

Research comes naturally to most people as it is something that is learned throughout school and university. As a result I have not researched extensively on this topic.

SLIDE 13 

Basic Research

• Driven by curiosity

Basic research refers to the type of research where there is no reason for the research to be done other than the persons own interest in a topic. It generally does not apply to assignments however, in the case of finding an idea for an assignment I think it can help. I will be discussing basic research later on.

Applied Research

• Driven by a set goal

Applied research is research that is being done for a goal other than curiosity. Assignments are examples of applied research. It is more relevant for assignments with set questions, such as written research assignments, than for assignments where you can choose your topic. The latter involves doing some basic research to decide on a topic followed by applied research once the subject has been chosen. I will note now that for creative assignments, such as animations, applied research may not be necessary at all, as sometimes animations are based on a persons own imaginings rather than on facts. In this case, only basic research would be necessary (if the person needed inspiration for their assignment).

SLIDE 14 

Inspiration

• Cinema
• Fine art
• Photography
• Writings/poetry

I have a lot of trouble coming up with ideas for my creative assignments. Usually I have a vague image of a still from a scene in my head that is unattached to a story or an articulated event. Rather, it is a snapshot of something I find interesting (such as a fight scene or a stormy beach etc) asking me to design a story around it which more often than not is too difficult a challenge for me to meet. So essentially it is not finding the idea that is my problem. Rather, it is the development of an idea into a coherent story/script that is the biggest hurdle in my creative process.

So far I have found one way of combatting this mental block. I am yet to test it out, so it remains a theory for the time being. I have decided that going to the library and looking through creative books and videos (such as photography, fine art, cinema, and poetry) could assist me in finding ways to develop my ideas into finished works.

The visual stimulants (photography, fine art, cinema etc) could help me with visualising my thoughts. This means I would have a better idea of character and set concepts and for the composition of scenes for storyboarding. Obviously the idea is not to copy another artists work. It is about gaining an idea of what is acceptable aesthetically and what is original (and cliched, so you know what to avoid). It also helps to see other completed works to get an idea of how to tell a story both visually and structurally (does it have to be told in a linear fashion or could you tell the story from end to the beginning or from someone elses perspective etc). Of course, this would only be helpful if the student is willing to analyse and learn from the resources.

SLIDE 15 

Develop Idea  A simple way to build an idea is to adapt it from something small, such as a poem, to a completed script.  Written works (scripts, stories and poetry) are helpful with providing examples of how well written pieces should sound. This means the student can get an idea of what sounds good and what does not sound so good. They can also learn about grammar and different writing styles (such as prose, haiku and ballad). A brilliant piece of work could have started as a small idea that turned into a poem, then a story, then a script. Reading a wide variety of writings allows you to develop an idea with ease using the techniques you learn from those writings.All of the practical and written works mentioned could provide inspiration for the student, and a formula to work to if they are unsure of how to go about their work in the beginning.Decide what you want your work to say and develop it around that. 

If you know what you want to say it can help give you purpose with your writing. For example: you want to make a love story where the lovers are star-crossed, like Romeo and Juliet. One of the images you have in your head that you are yet to develop involves a fight between two people. If you choose this image as your inspiration you may write a short poem that twines the idea in your head to the purpose you have created. From there you may choose to develop your script.

SLIDE 16 

Outline           

The outline is where your work starts to come together. It should be very basic to begin with and by the end of the preproduction process it should be more sophisticated. I will again stress the importance of considering constraints throughout your project from concept to creation. It would be frustrating to get this far and realise you cannot complete parts of your assignment. Concept ArtCharactersSets 

The concept art should consist of a large amount of different styles of character and set designs. The more variety shown at this stage, the less likely you will be to make large changes later on. The concept art should eventually include copies of completed characters and sets. Because I work mainly in 2D, I also like to create very rough versions of my sets using 3D software. That way I can easily experiment with camera angles (and later on I can use it as a reference to draw my 2D shots in the storyboard).

Storyboard / Written draft / Drawn draft/s 

I like to write out a rough draft of my story board so I can get all of my thoughts out of my head quickly before I forget. From there I draw it as many times as necessary before I am happy with it. I don’t believe in showing the exact time for the shots as I have found that I drastically underestimate timing in my animations anyway. However, I do give an indication of the length of the shot by writing short or long underneath each frame.

SLIDE 17 

Decide on           

Programs required Can I access them?If not, what programs can I use?

Learning software List what I need to learnHow can I learn it?(ie: ask, F1, tutorial, etc) 

As I mentioned before, this should all be kept in mind throughout the production process. This step should be done at different stages, depending on your situation. In my case it is fine to leave it until this point in the process as I know what programs are available to me. My only problem is learning how to do a task I haven’t done before (such as creating the write-on effect for text in After Effects). If your situation is different, perhaps you don’t know what programs you have access to or you can only afford to purchase one or two licences, then this stage may be better considered early on to avoid problems.

SLIDE 18 

The formula for my new working method is simple to use. I like it because there are no final copies (of characters, shots, etc) so I am left with the flexibility to change things at any time.

There is more work to be done on this formula.

 

1. 1.Hunt, A., Your Research Project: How to manage it, Routledge, Abingdon, 2005, p12-13
2. 2.Hunt, A., Your Research Project: How to manage it, p15-19
3. 3.Inglish, J., Jackson, J., Research and Composition: A Guide for the Beginning Researcher, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, 1977, p14
4. 4.Hunt, A., Your Research Project: How to manage it, p23-31
5. 5.Time Management Skills, [http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_00.htm], Mind Tools, 2006
6. 6.Inglish, J., Jackson, J., Research and Composition: A Guide for the Beginning Researcher, p16
7. 7.Research, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research], Wikipedia, 2006
8. 8.Hamlett, C., Could It Be A Movie? How to get ideas out of your head and up on the screen, Michael Wiese Productions, California, 2005, p11

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

n      Books

q     Hamlett, C., Could It Be A Movie? How to get ideas out of your head and up on the screen, Michael Wiese Productions,
California, 2005

q     Hunt, A., Your Research Project: How to manage it, Routledge, Abingdon, 2005

q     Inglish, J., Jackson, J., Research and Composition: A Guide for the Beginning Researcher, Prentice-Hall,
Englewood Cliffs, 1977

n      Web sites

q     Time Management Skills, [http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_00.htm], Mind Tools, 2006

q     Research, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research], Wikipedia, 2006

n      Quotes

q     Pablo Picasso “If you know exactly what you are going to do, what is the point of doing it?”  

q     Katherine Hepburn “If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun.”

n      Resources

q     [http://www.google.com.au/], Google

q     [http://www.siggraph.org/], ACM SIGGRAPH

q     [http://www.ctheory.net/], ctheory.net

 

MPI305 – 2006 #2

Ideas, Research and Time Management

I have trouble with both written research and creative practical assignments. As a result I have decided to research a working method that is structured so that it is comprehensive to encourage thoroughness yet flexible so as to be applied to both kinds of work.

I have begun creating a rough sketch of what the preproduction and production process of my assignments should be like. For this part of my research I have been referencing exclusively from Research and Composition: A Guide for the Beginning Researcher.

At the moment my reasearch is split into three sections: Ideas, Research and Time Management. Ideas and Research can be performed simultaneously or seperately (one after the other) depending on the assignment, with Ideas being more applicable to practical creative assignments than written research assignments.

Ideas (practical creative assignments)

I have a lot of trouble coming up with ideas for my creative assignments. Usually I have a vague image of a still from a scene in my head that is unattached to a story or an articulated event. Rather, it is a snapshot of something I find interesting (such as a fight scene or a stormy beach etc) asking me to design a story around it which more often than not is too difficult a challenge for me to meet. So essentially it is not finding the idea that is my problem. Rather, it is the development of an idea into a coherent story/script that is the biggest hurdle in my creative process.

So far I have found one way of combatting this mental block. I am yet to test it out, so it remains a theory for the time being. I have decided that going to the library and looking through creative books and videos (such as photography, fine art, cinema, and poetry) could assist me in finding ways to develop my ideas into finished works.

The visual stimulants (photography, fine art, cinema etc) could help me with visualising my thoughts. This means I would have a better idea of character and set concepts and for the composition of scenes for storyboarding. Obviously the idea is not to copy another artists work. It is about gaining an idea of what is acceptable aesthetically and what is original (and cliched, so you know what to avoid). It also helps to see other completed works to get an idea of how to tell a story both visually and structurally (does it have to be told in a linear fashion or could you tell the story from end to the beginning or from someone elses perspective etc). Of course, this would only be helpful if the student is willing to analyse and learn from the resources.

Written works (scripts, stories and poetry) are helpful with providing examples of how well written pieces should sound. This means the student can get an idea of what sounds good and what does not sound so good. They can also learn about grammar and different writing styles (such as prose, haiku and ballad). A brilliant piece of work could have started as a small idea that turned into a poem, then a story, then a script. Reading a wide variety of writings allows you to develop an idea with ease using the techniques you learn from those writings.

All of the practical and written works mentioned above could also provide inspiration for the student, and a formula to work to if they are unsure of how to go about their work in the beginning.

Research (written research assignments and some practical creative assignments)

Once you have your idea or have been given your research assignment question it is a good idea to research your topic. A good place to start is the encyclopaedia. An encyclopaedia will give you a general overview of what you are researching. Research should never end with the encyclopaedia! Once you have an understanding of the topic you can use the encyclopaedia to direct you to other resources. For example, in the topic of vampires the encyclopaedia might mention the names of some specific vampires or vampire countries that you may wish to research further.

Additional research can be done in the library and on the internet, though it is important to be cautious when using the internet as some sites are not as trustworthy as others when it comes to the legitimacy of their information.

For the most part I use Google to search the web for sites. Google seems to be the most reliable engine for returning relevant and usable sites, but you still need to be careful. I also use SIGRAPH and CTHEORY to find information online. These sites provide entry to a good database of articles and writings on many different topics.

Time Management (written research assignments and practical creative assignments)

As I mentioned in my last post I am terrible with time management. As a part of my research into finding a better working method for myself I am looking into ways I can save time so I can spend it on being more productive.

So far I have learned the importance of aquainting yourself with your library and the services it provides. It seems very simple however, I have to admit that I didn’t attempt to use the uni library until second year, all because I decided to skip the library tour in O-week and was too scared to go in and ask the librarians for their help. So I spent first year commuting to and from the National Library in Canberra every so often to do my research for my assignments. Was the uni library as hard as I thought it would be? Not at all. Those hours I spent driving to my resources could have been spent with my resources being productive. I have learned that every hour counts.

Something else I have learned since first year is the importance of keeping an organised and readily available copy of your bibliography. This saves hours of poring over pages of notes in an attempt to find a resource to add to your bibliography or to rehire. This also works for quotes. Keeping page numbers and titles with each quote can save a lot of time at the end. There is nothing more frustrating than finishing an assignment only to realise you have 5 unsourced quotes and 20 resources to go through to find them.

Areas I need to research are: preproduction and motivational techniques. I will also provide a diagram illustrating how the working method I am developing for myself can be applied to both practical creative assignments and written research assignments.

Inglish, J., Jackson, J., Research and Composition: A Guide for the Beginning Researcher, Prentice-Hall Inc., New Jersey, 1977

MPI305-2006 #1

Work and Working Methodologies

Problem:

“if you know exactly what you are going to do, what is the point of doing it?” – Picasso

This quote sums up the attitude I have developed during my time at university towards work. It is my working method and my excuse.

As a working procedure it is both fantastic and flawed. I enjoy it because it allows me to excuse myself from conventional working practices (in my case preproduction and pipelining). As a result I can concentrate on making works using intuition rather than pre-planning. In my experience this way of working appears to be favoured by those who are more creative than technical.

However, this way of working is flawed because of its lack of respect for preproduction and the purpose it serves. Skipping the preproduction stage can result in misguided hours being put into projects that amount to nothing, which can be very frustrating for everyone involved. As a working method for university it is particularly inefficient because the nature of the marking process can involve regular presentations of works in progress.

It is difficult for a lecturer to guage the potential success or failure of a work if they do not have continued access to it over the period before it is due. This does not necessarily pose a problem to someone using the working method being discussed as it is possible to present what work has been done (as opposed to presenting a storyboard or script of what work will be done). The marker can then achieve some idea of what the end product is going to be, even if the subject of the work is not yet finite.

However, in my case this working method does cause a problem. I do not bother with preproduction because I wait for an idea to present itself to me that I can run with. This would not be a problem were I to find inspiration early on. But I have noticed over the past 3 semesters that this is not the case. Overwhelmed for choice, I sit on an idea until another more interesting one comes along. I am flighty with my choices, each idea stimulates me for a short period of time before it becomes a chore to complete, at which point I tend to abandon it in favour of another.

I get frustrated because due dates draw close and I have no work to show for my work in progress and no ideas for a story. Yet I refuse to attempt to write up a script, block it and complete it because I don’t like knowing what I am going to end up with.

Solution:

I need to find a way I can work that allows me to feel like I can adapt what I am creating as I create it. I dislike preproduction because it ruins the surprise of what I am creating for myself – I enjoy never knowing exactly what I am going to end up with.

As a result, I must find a working strategy that includes or can be manipulated to include the essence of Picasso’s quote (which is essentially a summary of my current working method) while offering a way to introduce more structure into what I am doing so that I am always creating and expanding ideas rather than sitting on them and suffocating them.

Areas I need to research are: time management, preproduction, aquiring ideas and motivational techniques to keep myself on track.