Claire was the third lecturer that I consulted about this idea. I really wanted to get a variety of opinions on this idea before I went all in, as I couldn't risk having to start over again. Gareth really supported the idea and helped me gaining information of primary social media education. Ade seemed to much prefer this idea to the last, and encouraged me to keep the dinosaur theme for the younger students. So, I just needed to get a positive response from Claire...
Claire generally seemed to enjoy and understand my idea, and was really useful in the advice she gave...
- She recommended I look into activities and quizzes to add into my presentations to make them more engaging.
- Claire agreed that I was right in really focusing on my research for these few weeks, and suggested watching videos and reviewing what made them/good bad.
Thursday 31 January 2019
Tuesday 29 January 2019
Deciding on Visual Themes
Key Stage 2 (ages 7-11): Safety Online
- Respond better to bright colours and characters.
- Ade mentioned his enjoyment for the dinosaur idea.
- Dinosaurs could be good metaphors for different people online.
- Non-realistic colours.
- Predominantly primary colours.
- Fairly basic character designs.
- Comic-y font (NOT Comic Sans).
Key Stage 3 (ages 12-14): Communication Online
- Important not to patronise.
- No need for the 'narrative'-like characters.
- But a little narrator/mascot to fill up space.
- Robot - very neutral, fun, tech-y.
- Quite sharp and clean, mostly.
- Maybe quite fancy titles (like comic book mastheads).
Key Stage 4 (ages 15+): Employment and Social Media
- Very clean cut and tidy.
- Minimal and modern design style.
- Maybe hints to a few memes to keep it entertaining (be careful not to date the presentation by doing this).
- Incorporate photography maybe?
- Respond better to bright colours and characters.
- Ade mentioned his enjoyment for the dinosaur idea.
- Dinosaurs could be good metaphors for different people online.
- Non-realistic colours.
- Predominantly primary colours.
- Fairly basic character designs.
- Comic-y font (NOT Comic Sans).
Key Stage 3 (ages 12-14): Communication Online
- Important not to patronise.
- No need for the 'narrative'-like characters.
- But a little narrator/mascot to fill up space.
- Robot - very neutral, fun, tech-y.
- Quite sharp and clean, mostly.
- Maybe quite fancy titles (like comic book mastheads).
Key Stage 4 (ages 15+): Employment and Social Media
- Very clean cut and tidy.
- Minimal and modern design style.
- Maybe hints to a few memes to keep it entertaining (be careful not to date the presentation by doing this).
- Incorporate photography maybe?
Deciding on the Presentation Themes
Key Stage 2 (ages 7-11): Safety Online
- Very at risk.
- Shouldn't be using social media, but will.
- React better to "if you MUST do this, here's how to do it safely" than "DON'T do this".
- Basic information that they may already know but in a more exciting way.
- Important to encourage children to communicate and share with their parents.
Key Stage 3 (ages 12-14): Communication Online
- Cyberbullying is very prevalent at this age.
- Teens like to show off online and post things they don't mean/understand.
- Talk about the 'it's out there forever' rule.
- Give information on where to go if you're being cyberbullied.
- The importance of thinking about what you say - future employers.
Key Stage 4 (ages 15+): Employment and Social Media
- Are going to be starting to think about their future.
- Mentioning social media hindering job applications (finding old tweets, etc.), but explain that this can work the other way and what you post can make you more employable.
- Jobs in social media.
- My personal experience.
- The Wendy's guy. The Innocent Smoothies dude.
- LinkedIn.
- Breaking down the separation between your social media life and your professional life.
- Very at risk.
- Shouldn't be using social media, but will.
- React better to "if you MUST do this, here's how to do it safely" than "DON'T do this".
- Basic information that they may already know but in a more exciting way.
- Important to encourage children to communicate and share with their parents.
Key Stage 3 (ages 12-14): Communication Online
- Cyberbullying is very prevalent at this age.
- Teens like to show off online and post things they don't mean/understand.
- Talk about the 'it's out there forever' rule.
- Give information on where to go if you're being cyberbullied.
- The importance of thinking about what you say - future employers.
Key Stage 4 (ages 15+): Employment and Social Media
- Are going to be starting to think about their future.
- Mentioning social media hindering job applications (finding old tweets, etc.), but explain that this can work the other way and what you post can make you more employable.
- Jobs in social media.
- My personal experience.
- The Wendy's guy. The Innocent Smoothies dude.
- LinkedIn.
- Breaking down the separation between your social media life and your professional life.
Monday 28 January 2019
More In-Depth Project Description
Below is a slideshow I produced to give a better insight into my project. This will also be used when pitching my idea to an industry panel next week.
Monday 21 January 2019
My Project Brief
- A series of three educational presentations will be produced, all aimed at different age groups and on different focal points, but with the central theme of social media.
- Each presentation will be between 10 and 20 minutes long, so as to suit the 'assembly' lengths of most schools.
- Each presentation will include a supporting slideshow, basic activities (quizzes, suggestions, 'spot the problems', etc.), and verbal communication of the majority of information.
- These presentations will be adapted and filmed for online distribution.
- The information from the presentations will be condensed and displayed in printed booklets (around 8-12 pages).
- A full website will be produced to host the online presentations and provide more information.
- A brand/house style will be produced to gain cohesion and brand identity.
- Full social media campaigns will be kept.
Saturday 19 January 2019
Starting Points for My New Idea
During my meeting with Gareth, I identified the parts of my idea that were worth keeping. I also pinpointed my personal skills and interests, so that I could make sure I felt really passionate about my project, which would ensure I did my best work.
Good points from my previous idea...
- Constructing workshops.
- Working with children/students.
- Building my network.
- Working with digital technologies (website building).
My skills and career interests that could be built upon...
- Social media.
- Marketing.
- Vlogging/video creation.
- Graphic design.
Good points from my previous idea...
- Constructing workshops.
- Working with children/students.
- Building my network.
- Working with digital technologies (website building).
My skills and career interests that could be built upon...
- Social media.
- Marketing.
- Vlogging/video creation.
- Graphic design.
Friday 18 January 2019
Why I'm Not Doing My Initial Idea
I've been nervous about this idea since I came up with it. I felt it was over complicated, stressful and not very concise. But, due to the fact I'd already lost one idea this semester and was already behind, I felt to scared to move on from this idea.
However, today I sat down with Gareth and voiced these concerns, and he agreed with me. We broke down my idea and identified what the issues were, as well as the strengths (and things I'd want to carry into my new idea). I found that I was trying to force too many things into the idea, because I was too scared of not having enough work. I feel like this idea really put quantity and complexity above quality and cleanliness.
Because of this, I won't be continuing on with this idea. Whilst this is a very scary decision to make, I know that I will create better and more valuable work with a new idea.
However, today I sat down with Gareth and voiced these concerns, and he agreed with me. We broke down my idea and identified what the issues were, as well as the strengths (and things I'd want to carry into my new idea). I found that I was trying to force too many things into the idea, because I was too scared of not having enough work. I feel like this idea really put quantity and complexity above quality and cleanliness.
Because of this, I won't be continuing on with this idea. Whilst this is a very scary decision to make, I know that I will create better and more valuable work with a new idea.
Thursday 17 January 2019
Structure of My Initial Idea
My first idea involves using puzzles and kids' own artwork in an educational way.
I plan to use the students' current syllabus to centre the theme of the work, but for ease of communication, I'm going to use my fallback theme of 'dinosaurs' to explain this idea.
There are numerous steps and layers of my initial idea...
1) A short workshop with primary school kids, teaching them about drawing dinosaurs.
2) Getting the kids to draw a dinosaur each.
3) After the workshop, the kids' drawings would be compiled into four or five large images (the background and features drawn by me, and the characters being the kids' work).
4) These would be turned into jigsaw puzzles, complete with QR codes that link to a website.
5) The webpage will have information of the types of dinosaurs on the puzzle, illustrated with comic strips and basic animations.
This way, I get to organise a workshop, interact with schools professionally, work with kids, produce a game, work with QR and website building, create artwork, and play with animation. This really works well with the theme of my over module - learning and building on a variety of skills.
I plan to use the students' current syllabus to centre the theme of the work, but for ease of communication, I'm going to use my fallback theme of 'dinosaurs' to explain this idea.
There are numerous steps and layers of my initial idea...
1) A short workshop with primary school kids, teaching them about drawing dinosaurs.
2) Getting the kids to draw a dinosaur each.
3) After the workshop, the kids' drawings would be compiled into four or five large images (the background and features drawn by me, and the characters being the kids' work).
4) These would be turned into jigsaw puzzles, complete with QR codes that link to a website.
5) The webpage will have information of the types of dinosaurs on the puzzle, illustrated with comic strips and basic animations.
This way, I get to organise a workshop, interact with schools professionally, work with kids, produce a game, work with QR and website building, create artwork, and play with animation. This really works well with the theme of my over module - learning and building on a variety of skills.
Where to Start?
While I'm still very anxious about finding a good starting point for my work, Gareth's meeting did help me with this. I managed to work out where my priorities are for this project, and the things I wanted to gain from it...
My desired features for this semester:
- Include some sort of 'event' organisation and management (to improve my employment/post-grad prospects).
- Include some work with children (to show my ability to work for other demograhics).
- Include some external work (to build my contacts, and practice working with real world clients).
- Include a social media campaign.
- Include some online/web-building work.
- Include a final, physical product
- Some level of crafting and interior design for the exhibition!
My desired features for this semester:
- Include some sort of 'event' organisation and management (to improve my employment/post-grad prospects).
- Include some work with children (to show my ability to work for other demograhics).
- Include some external work (to build my contacts, and practice working with real world clients).
- Include a social media campaign.
- Include some online/web-building work.
- Include a final, physical product
- Some level of crafting and interior design for the exhibition!
Tuesday 15 January 2019
Meeting with Gareth Cowlin
Today, I met with my lecturer Gareth to discuss current personal struggles, but I also mentioned my dismay at having no project for this semester, and Gareth helped me break things down and decide whether the small idea I had would be acceptable. He agreed that it would and pointed out a couple of ways that it would be more effective and have more use within my portfolio for the future.
This meeting settled my nerves about the workload a little.
This meeting settled my nerves about the workload a little.
Monday 14 January 2019
Careers Adviser Meeting
Today I had a meeting with one of the uni's in-house careers advisers. I chose to do this as I was really struggling with not only which Masters course to chose next year, but also what to do with my career in general!
Speaking to Stephen lead my to discover my intention for the future is to work within the media and internet industry. He directed me towards a website called 'Prospects', which helps job-seekers work out their best career path. The Prospects page shown below is the types of skills that are valued in the industry I am currently looking at...
I decided to add this to my blog, as it actually helped me with a starting point for my new project. I know for certain that I want a project that aligns with my career goals and strengthens my application for my MA (currently looking to apply for the Esports MA).
Speaking to Stephen lead my to discover my intention for the future is to work within the media and internet industry. He directed me towards a website called 'Prospects', which helps job-seekers work out their best career path. The Prospects page shown below is the types of skills that are valued in the industry I am currently looking at...
I decided to add this to my blog, as it actually helped me with a starting point for my new project. I know for certain that I want a project that aligns with my career goals and strengthens my application for my MA (currently looking to apply for the Esports MA).
Sunday 13 January 2019
Update: 13/1/19
Katy decided last night that she no longer wanted to work with me on this project. She gave no more reason than the things we had planned to discuss in the meeting that was supposed to be happening today (deadlines, etc.). This happened through Facebook Messenger and - despite consistent requests to discuss the decision and issues in person - Katy did not allow for any in-person conversation.
This has very much come out of nowhere, as we were happily planning the project together a few days ago, and I'm very upset to lose this partnership and project.
I'm not sure where to go from here, and will be seeking assistance from a few people over the coming days to see what I can do now.
This has very much come out of nowhere, as we were happily planning the project together a few days ago, and I'm very upset to lose this partnership and project.
I'm not sure where to go from here, and will be seeking assistance from a few people over the coming days to see what I can do now.
Friday 11 January 2019
Exhibition Plan
The degree show exhibition this semester is something Katy and I are really excited for! We already have a fully developed idea and can't wait to get started on it!
Basic idea:
The intention is so make a small 'room' from temporary walls (potentially using the real walls just left of the entrance to the 2nd year space?) that will give the feel of being in a spooky cave. We will paint the walls in a way that replicates stone, and try to shut out as much light as possible (we'll add a spooky curtain over the entrance to add to the mood). I will use my experience with LEDs that I have gained as a cosplayer to set red, yellow and orange LEDs around the walls in certain places, to imply fire. Then, on one wall, we will have an image of our dragon, printed about A1 and mounted on foam. On the adjacent wall, we will have a TV playing the animation through, with a shelf below that holds the printed comic.
As I'm not very good at explaining, I have attached a little floorplan I drew up, below...
Basic idea:
The intention is so make a small 'room' from temporary walls (potentially using the real walls just left of the entrance to the 2nd year space?) that will give the feel of being in a spooky cave. We will paint the walls in a way that replicates stone, and try to shut out as much light as possible (we'll add a spooky curtain over the entrance to add to the mood). I will use my experience with LEDs that I have gained as a cosplayer to set red, yellow and orange LEDs around the walls in certain places, to imply fire. Then, on one wall, we will have an image of our dragon, printed about A1 and mounted on foam. On the adjacent wall, we will have a TV playing the animation through, with a shelf below that holds the printed comic.
As I'm not very good at explaining, I have attached a little floorplan I drew up, below...
Thursday 10 January 2019
Key Elements and Themes of Our Story
Things we will need to consider when developing this specific story...
- Young target audience. Probably seven upwards. Cute art style, simple words, obvious moral.
- Feminist. We want to use this to empower young girls in a way.
- Accurate. I will do research to ensure I relate my story to the original. I also want to include lots of hints and clues to the original.
- Short. As Katy wants more time to work on animation, we've agreed to reduce the length of the comic to around 12 pages. Due to this, I intend to either write a sequel, or to write the script out in full prose (as this will bulk up my writing portfolio).
Revisiting Our Chosen Story: George and the Dragon
We chose to develop the George and the Dragon story we pitched to the industry panel in September. We chose this story in particular, as it was really well received by both the panel and our peers. It was chosen as the second most popular of our six ideas (second only to the idea we developed last semester). The plot outline I developed for this story can be seen below...
Main plot points:- George is working in the local stables, tending to and grooming the horses.- She hears stories of a princess trapped in a tower just through the woods out of town, guarded by a fierce dragon.- She watches knight after knight set off through the woods to rescue the princess, and return telling stories of the dragon that forced them back.- When she's grooming one of the knights' horses, she notices that the horse has no signs of being near dragon fire like the knight had described. More so, the horse barely showed signs of being far into the forest...- She notices more and more inconsistencies in the stories.- Determined to prove herself right, she sets off to see if the stories are true.- When looking for a horse to carry her the long distance, she finds it too risky to steal one, so ends up settling for Matilda (Tilly), one of her father's dairy cows.- She travels through the woods and as she nears the edge she begins to hear growling and stomping from the apparent dragon. She finds discarded armour from the cowardly knights along the way.- When she finally arrives, she finds the dragon to be a sweet, happy cutie! And the princess seems to adore him! George gets talking to the princess and explains what the townspeople think and what the knights had said about her dragon. The princess is hurt by this, so decides to join George in her mission to prove the liars of the town wrong.-They ride back into town on Tilly, dragon in tow, and have fun spooking all the townspeople, before explaining the situation and letting the princess find new friends!
I'm really excited to develop this story, as it's something I have a real passion for and I think Katy's artwork will really make it look perfect!
More information from the origin of this idea:
letswriteacomic.blogspot.com/2018/08/basic-idea-1.html
letswriteacomic.blogspot.com/2018/09/george-and-dragon-development-plot-and.html
letswriteacomic.blogspot.com/2018/09/presenting-our-six-ideas-to-industry.html
What I've Learnt From Last Semester
All-in-all, I really enjoyed the work we produced last semester. I think Katy and I worked really well together and produced a piece of work that was really close to what I had originally envisaged at the start of the project. Both of us received some of our highest marks ever, with complimentary and very useful feedback to accompany those marks.
Some issues that I plan to be wary of this semester, when considering the last, include...
1) My Use of Social Media.
- In my feedback, it was mentioned that my social media campaign was lacking. This was, in part, because of the fact I only started my social media work once the book was finished and ready to be fully marketed. This meant that these posts seemed to 'come out of nowhere', so to speak.
- To avoid making this mistake again, I will post the production process of our comic as we create it. This will hopefully build hype for our product, and get our audience more involved in our brand.
2) My Design Work.
- I really enjoyed working on the design elements of the comic, to a far greater extent than I had expected. I was really proud of my work on the covers (back and inside), logo and poster for the exhibition.
- During this project, I will volunteer my design skill to help Katy and utilise them more. I will also use these design ideas to boost the social media content mentioned in the last point.
3) App Development.
- As partially anticipated at the start of the semester, the development of an app to accompany our comic proved a little tricky. Due to this, I did not end up with a publishable app.
- The app still comes as an optional part of the project for me this semester. I don't intend to put too much weight into it. However, if I do give it a go again this year, I intend to do more research and take more time for it to really make it work.
4) Exhibition Display.
- While I was really proud of my layout design for the UniQube last semester, the execution didn't really live up to what I had planned. We also agreed to print the pieces on my personal printer, instead of through the uni or a professional, and I think we really slipped up there, as we were then limited in both size and quality.
- This semester we already have much grander ideas for the degree show! So this will immediately improve this side of things. As well as this, we will print through a professional printer this year.
5) Teamwork.
- Generally, Katy and I worked brilliantly together! We were complimented by many people on our teamwork skills, and both agreed we were super happy with how it all went. However, minor issues are always expected to surface when working in a new situation with a new partner.
- To make sure we're working together in the most optimal way, Katy and I have planned to sit down together to discuss and review last semester in a little meeting on Sunday (13th Jan). We expect to find no issues in this meeting, and instead to clarify things that have been previously mentioned (working out fitting deadlines for each element, making sure we are both fulfilling our roles correctly as if we were working in a published creative team). We also mentioned this idea to Gareth and Ade in our end-of-project presentation and they agreed it was a good idea.
Some issues that I plan to be wary of this semester, when considering the last, include...
1) My Use of Social Media.
- In my feedback, it was mentioned that my social media campaign was lacking. This was, in part, because of the fact I only started my social media work once the book was finished and ready to be fully marketed. This meant that these posts seemed to 'come out of nowhere', so to speak.
- To avoid making this mistake again, I will post the production process of our comic as we create it. This will hopefully build hype for our product, and get our audience more involved in our brand.
2) My Design Work.
- I really enjoyed working on the design elements of the comic, to a far greater extent than I had expected. I was really proud of my work on the covers (back and inside), logo and poster for the exhibition.
- During this project, I will volunteer my design skill to help Katy and utilise them more. I will also use these design ideas to boost the social media content mentioned in the last point.
3) App Development.
- As partially anticipated at the start of the semester, the development of an app to accompany our comic proved a little tricky. Due to this, I did not end up with a publishable app.
- The app still comes as an optional part of the project for me this semester. I don't intend to put too much weight into it. However, if I do give it a go again this year, I intend to do more research and take more time for it to really make it work.
4) Exhibition Display.
- While I was really proud of my layout design for the UniQube last semester, the execution didn't really live up to what I had planned. We also agreed to print the pieces on my personal printer, instead of through the uni or a professional, and I think we really slipped up there, as we were then limited in both size and quality.
- This semester we already have much grander ideas for the degree show! So this will immediately improve this side of things. As well as this, we will print through a professional printer this year.
5) Teamwork.
- Generally, Katy and I worked brilliantly together! We were complimented by many people on our teamwork skills, and both agreed we were super happy with how it all went. However, minor issues are always expected to surface when working in a new situation with a new partner.
- To make sure we're working together in the most optimal way, Katy and I have planned to sit down together to discuss and review last semester in a little meeting on Sunday (13th Jan). We expect to find no issues in this meeting, and instead to clarify things that have been previously mentioned (working out fitting deadlines for each element, making sure we are both fulfilling our roles correctly as if we were working in a published creative team). We also mentioned this idea to Gareth and Ade in our end-of-project presentation and they agreed it was a good idea.
Tuesday 1 January 2019
Introduction
This blog will detail my final Cartoon & Comic Arts project from start to finish. Should all things go to plan, this project should follow on neatly from last semester, and develop from mine and Katy's ideas from the summer. These can be found here...
letswriteacomic.blogspot.com/2018/09/
letswriteacomic.blogspot.com/2018/09/
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