OUAN602 PPP3: Evaluation

On a whole, I would say that I have enjoyed my time on the course. I do however, regret that I would have used a lot of my time more efficiently, I could have produced a higher standard of work. 
First year was probably my favourite of the three, as I feel as though then I was at my time management peak which led to me producing a decent standard of work. I went into the course wanting to main in 3D so I was quite disappointed when we were told that the first year would be devoted to drawing/2D animation. It turned out I actually really enjoyed it and discovered a love of 2D which I stuck with for the duration of the course. 
I'm not sure what happened when it came to second year. We started the year with a 3D project which I thought I would thrive in but the project was a bit of a flop. I found myself really struggling to grasp Maya which put a dampener on the project. I enjoyed making a 2D animation for Applied but found it hard to do a good standard of pre and post production alongside blogging which made my marks suffer. It was mostly down to poor time management which unfortunately led into third year. 

Therefore, while I was fond of the course, I am going to practice animation as a hobby in future. I don't think I pushed myself enough to learn as much as I could have on the course which will effect me when it comes to finding the job in the industry. 

OUAN602 PP3: PANPAN NO TOU - Ongaku Wa Tomatta

PANPAN NO TOU - Ongaku Wa Tomatta MV 　　パンパンの塔 / 音楽は止まった MV from saigo no shudan on Vimeo.


I stumbled upon this video when browsing saigo no shudan's channel on Vimeo. This one in particular stood out for me at first as it was an animated music video but the animation was really the thing that kept me engaged. The use of mixed media was done really well and the style of traditional Japanese anime used really made this video enjoyable for me. I didn't really have a clue what was happening when it came to a story, but the animation was very memorable. 

OUAN602 PPP3: The Accidental Origin of the Hit Song ‘American Woman’

The Accidental Origin of the Hit Song ‘American Woman’ from Great Big Story on Vimeo.

I found this video when perusing the Animation/Music category on Vimeo. As it was probably quite obvious from my COP3 and Extended Practice submissions, I really enjoy the use of music and animation together. This video falls under that genre in a different way - using informative narrative and audio recordings from The Guess Who's Randy Bachman to describe how they accidentally created their hit 'American Woman'. It was very fun to watch as the animations were very simplistic yet smooth and expressive, but I also found it very inspiring to do something like this myself. 

OUAN602 PPP3: The Dam Keeper

The Dam Keeper is one of my favourite and highly anticipated animated shorts. I think the quality and work put into the film is outstanding. The animation resembles the illustrations of a storybook, in the style of a painting--which is quite unusual for an animated film. But the paintings are of an extremely high quality and there is an amazing artistry that set this one apart from other shorts I have seen - it just looks great. The filmmakers, Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi, used over 8000 paintings to make this short film, and it really shows. The story itself is very sentimental and sweet, and not in way that is forced or over the top. The Dam Keeper is a rare animated film that manages to make an impact on the audience despite its short run time. 

OUAN602 PPP3: SWOT Analysis

Now that I have finished uni and have to go into the real world, I thought it would be a good idea to do a SWOT analysis for myself.

• STRENGTHS: Able to create an engaging story. Character designs. Digital Illustration. Sense of humour. Photoshop. 
• WEAKNESSES: Lack confidence. Leaves things until the last minute. Struggles when approaching new software. 
• OPPORTUNITIES: Signed up to updates from Linkedin so will see potential jobs as soon as they are released. 
• THREATS: Cash - not being able to do any voluntary work for experience due to bills etc. Getting too comfortable in a normal job and letting skills slowly fade. 

In terms of my weaknesses, they are some bad traits that I dealt with through university. Only I can change them if I am serious about getting a creative job. My threats can't really be helped at the minute as the student life has destroyed my financially. I will need to have some sort of cash safety net first before I can attempt finding a position within the industry. 

OUAN602 PPP3: Sailor Moon Crystal

Before I found a job, I found myself binging watching anime for days. One of the series I gazed at for hours was Sailor Moon Crystal. This beautifully done revamp has been mistaken as just a remake of the 90's anime however the story of this series is true to the manga. I'd heard a lot of bad reviews beforehand so I was quite skeptical of what to expect. The original animated series was my childhood. I adored it because as a child, I didn't really care about the quality of animation, I just loved the ditsy, meatball headed, sailor scout moon princess and her journey. This series was magnificently done, it ignited a flame of nostalgia in my heart. It was a lot more serious than the original, however I understand why they have done this. This reboot has to attract not only original Sailor Moon fans but a whole new demographic which is today's generation, which could not be done if they were reusing material from the 90's as it would be extremely outdated. Today's generation of anime watchers are privileged with new and updated graphics and animation and I, as a long term fan, am happy that Sailor Moon has been given the opportunity to be redone so beautifully in the 21st century. 

OUAN602 PPP3: The Witcher III

It's no wonder how this game won Game of the Year 2015. The conclusion of Geralt’s saga couldn’t be better. The large open world, great storytelling and dozens of hours of pure fun – this game is an absolute must for every RPG fan.
The scenery of the game is one thing that stood out the most for me. The landscapes and buildings are outstandingly beautiful. The developers have absoloutely nailed the medieval fantasy vibe.
Some amazing concept art was featured on the loading screens within the game which spurred me into looking to see if there was more. I was not disappointed. The attention to detail is fabulous and the colour scheme is definitely in keeping with the vibe of the game. 

OUAN602 PPP3: Pokemon GO

I was crazy excited once Nintendo announced Pokemon GO, an iOS and Android app that allows players to capture, battle, train, and trade Pokémon who appear throughout the real world. I thought the concept was fantastic and followed every piece of information as and when it was released. As more details kept becoming available, I just thought about how big the game was going to be - and that it was. Yet I cannot get into it.

Once I’m actually playing, I guess I can understand the fuss, because it is, in a very real sense, a cultural phenomenon. Never has a game managed to get people to flock over to specific parts of their area like birds to seed. People point to it being too simple as a game, but really the game bit is barely relevant. What is relevant is that this game has people out and about, socialising and exploring. Which in that sense is great, however the 'game' side of it is disappointing. While I understand that it is only an app, Nintendo have definitely flagged when it comes to the animation side of it. The characters and gameplay itself, to me, feels really clunky. The characters have very limited animations and are very static when it comes to finding them in the street and the battling side of it. To me, this is not what a Pokemon game should be like. 

Perhaps it will improve with updates, but at the minute Pokemon GO has been quite a let down for me. 

OUAN602 PP3: Kingdom Hearts III

Kingdom Hearts III is at the top of the list of my most anticipated games. I have played 4 games from the series (there's about 1000 now cross platform, it's really confusing), but this is the biggie that I've waiting just under 10 years for. The animation in this trailer is beautifully fluid and while there is not much information on the game as of yet (Square Enix are keeping schtum on details which is really annoying), I can already tell there has been a lot of improvements to the gameplay and quality of animation within the cutscenes. 
The (very few) images for the game that have been released look incredibly vibrant and polished which kind of understandable why Square have pushed back the release date a few times. I hope they have done this with good reason and I really hope the wait is worth it. 

OUAN602 PPP3: Frankenweenie

Whilst we were without internet for a month and a half, I had to dig in to my DVD collection for the sake of my sanity. I watched Frankenweenie for the second time (first was in the cinema >3 years ago) and I had forgotten how beautifully made it was. It did however destroy me emotionally (leaving me clinging onto my cat for dear life), but the story plus the attention to detail on the characters models made this film, for me, one of Tim Burton's best. He has beautifully crafted a homage to classic horror films whilst making the film his own. It is clear that he and his team poured so much effort into the monochrome surroundings, from the suburban décor to Victor's laboratory to the carnival midway.

OUAN602 PP3: Uncharted 4

I recently finished playing Uncharted 4 for the PS4 and it did not disappoint. The game demonstrates an incredible technical achievement but also one of the most cleverly crafted and most cinematic action games ever made, in my opinion. This scene for example, features Nathan and his wife just sitting down to dinner, nothing too fancy, but I literally felt like I was watching a live action film. The attention to detail in this game was astonishing and the gameplay itself did not suffer for this. It was very action packed and the frame rate was really smooth. My only quibble was that it was fairly short to be the last of a series of games. This was one of my favourite cutscenes as it featured an Easter egg from Crash Bandicoot (which was created by the same developer, Naughty Dog). Watching cutscenes like this really makes me regret not looking further into 3D. Uncharted 4 was a great game, highly recommended. 

OUAN602 PP3: Overwatch

I recently played Overwatch for the Playstation 4. While I'm not the biggest fan of first person shooters, I really enjoyed the design of the game itself. The stages were based on different countries which they got across nicely with a futuristic spin. The stages were very well designed with vibrant colours and the characters were very stylised. The whole game seemed really well polished. The FPS was very smooth and was an enjoyable game to play for a while with friends. 

OUAN602 PP3: Sausage Party

I'm really looking forward to this film being released. I am a big fan of Seth Rogen, the films that he stars in/creates are really to my sense of humour. I think this film has a really interesting concept, and could have done well as a kids film, but the fact that it will be released as a minimum of a 15 (official rating has not been confirmed as of yet), I think it shows real promise to be a hilarious film with the strong language and the stereotypes that will be featured.
It will be interesting to see an adult feature film, but after seeing the trailers that have been released and interviews with Seth, I think it will be one that does not disappoint.  

OUAN602 PPP3: ITV

I had a browse of the ITV careers site to see if there would be anything to my interest. I saw that they were advertising for a Talent Pool for scriptwriters. I jumped at the chance to apply as I am a massive fan of Emmerdale and Coronation Street and scriptwriting is a skill that I have been interested throughout the course. It would be a dream job for me. 

I sent in an application and cover letter so fingers crossed I will hear back from them. 

OUAN603 PPP3: Sequel to Always

I've recently started a job which requires me to be on the phone for 8 hours a day. While the job itself is quite creatively un-stimulating, time between calls does give me the chance to doodle and my mind to have a wander.
I got thinking about the positive reaction I received at the end of year exhibition, and how much people seemed to enjoy my story and characters. Reactions like that are very encouraging which spurred me on to think about creating another sequel in my spare time to make my bird and fish series a trilogy. 

I had the idea of using Eric Carmens 'Hungry Eyes' (obviously keeping in with the cheesy music I use for my animation), with the piece telling the story of what happened 7 years after Always. 

Horatio (the bird) has now moved on with another bird and is awaiting her to get ready for a night out. He seems uninterested, but she is persistant she wants to go and continues getting ready. They meet with some friends (also birds) at a dive bar where there will be live music being played. Horatio's girlfriend is very flirty with one of their friends but Horatio does not seem bothered as his mind is elsewhere. They then enter the bar and await for the show to start. The act comes on stage and it happens to be Payola (the fish) who will be singing. Horatio is completely oblivious to the fact his girlfriend is clearly flirting with his friend, he is fixated on Payola. 


The story still needs some development but I like how it seems to be panning out so far.  

OUAN602 PPP3: Digimon Adventure Tri.

I have recently finished watching the revamp of Digimon which was created in celebration of the series' 15th anniversary. 
I was originally quite skeptical to watch it as I thought that it may just be a remastered version of the original series but I was pleasantly surprised. It was 5 part series of 'films' and it was apparent that it was created for original fans of the show as the stories were much more in-depth and perhaps could not be grasped by younger audiences. The character development was really well thought out and the art style was a lot less bright and 'clunky' than the original which seemed to give it more of an anime vibe. All in all, the films were a good follow on from the original series without being too aimed at kids but also had nice boost of nostalgia for fans of the show. 

OUAN602 PPP3: Showreel 2016

SHOWREEL 2016 from Cassie Ward on Vimeo.


Here is my final showreel showcasing my university work. I have used pieces of work from all three years and I am quite happy with how it turned out. I am a big fan of the work by Vik Sharma (a British composer who does the music for TV shows such as An Idiot Abroad and The Undateables) as it is very unusual and quite nostalgic. He had a link to his Facebook page on his Soundcloud and I decided to message him asking if it would be possible to use his track Junkyard Waltzer within my showreel. As we are not friends on Facebook it took him a while to see my message but he eventually granted me permission to use the track, which was very kind of him.

OUAN602 PPP3: Business Cards

 
Here are my revamped business cards for 2016. I have used my characters from previous animations within them but in a cute, simplified form to give the client a feel for the style I animate in. 

The font is the same used within my CV and my extended practice animation Always. It is the typeface used for the Bewitched logo and I just think its really pretty. 

I have described myself as a 2D Animator and Illustrator as I previously stated that I was more drawn towards the preproduction side of animation which features more illustration work. 

I really like my business cards this time round, I think the colour palette works nicely and isn't too flashy and I think they effectively give a good feel for my work. 

OUAN602 PPP3: Qwertee

I decided to illustrate a couple of designs to enter to Qwertee again. I entered a handful when I was doing Responsive and I really enjoyed seeing the feedback I got for my work, it kept inspiring me to do more. Career wise, it's looking like I'm probably going to distance myself from animating and concentrate on my drawing skills, I thought this would be a good opportunity to polish them.

I really enjoy creating fan art of existing characters and you often see lots of weird and wonderful hybrids of characters being featured on t-shirts on Qwertee, so I decided to have a go for myself. 

• Catbus

For my first design, I decided to create a hybrid of Catbus, who was featured in Studio Ghibli's My Neighbour Totoro, and Catbug from the online cartoon Bravest Warriors.

I decided to do this because 1) I love both characters and 2) because of the play on words with their names. 

The design was very straightforward to do due to Catbug's simple features. I illustrated the majority in SAI and cleaned up in Photoshop along with adding the text. 

The term 'I'm Catbus' comes from Catbug's catchphrase 'I'm Catbug!' which hopefully the audience will know. Catbus comes complete with sugarpeas which he is famously known for dropping them. I do like this design, however I do feel like I could have made it a bit more Ghibli like. 

It is currently up for voting and I'm looking forward to hearing some feedback. 

• Vaporeon

My second design is a simplified linear illustration of the Pokemon Vaporeon. I have always loved anything that evolved from Eevee therefore I wanted to create a really pretty design for an Eeveeloution. 

I chose to design the water Pokemon Vaporeon with a watercolour effect. I drew the Vaporeon with very simplified features to amplify the colour. I used a mixture of the acrylic and watercolour brushes with a colour palette of different shades of blues, whites and pinks to create the desired effect, then blending them all together. I wasn't too keen on the design on my screen as I thought it looked quite bland but once I had added it to the Qwertee t-shirt template the colours really popped on the black t-shirt and I am very happy with it. 

Again, this design is now up for voting and I look forward to seeing how many votes it gets. I will continue to submit to Qwertee with work like this. I have considered submitting to RedBubble but I will only do that with work that is 100% my own characters. I know many people do it, but I don't really like the thought of making money with designs that features copyrighted characters. 

OUAN602 PPP3: Fettle Animation

Fettle Animation is a studio in the small village of Marsden, Huddersfield which specialises in 2D animation. The team is small but have created many different styles of animation for big name clients such as ITV and BBC and many more. 
The studio is conveniently located about 2 minutes away from my boyfriends grandma's house in the village and a few weeks ago I spoke to Kath Shackleton on the phone to see if I could arrange a tour of the studio once I had finished university. She was happy to oblige and requested to see some of my work and showreel when I go for a visit. Now that my showreel is in production, I will be giving her a call very soon to arrange plans. 

OUAN602 PPP3: Pixar

This job is the whole reason I applied for the course in the first place. I have had my eye on this position since I was at least 13 but have only just been reminded of it when I was browsing Linkedin. 
Pixar Studios is located in Emeryville, California and it is common knowledge that they created the insanely huge Toy Story and many other blockbusters and shorts. 

As I've previously stated, I was unsure whether the skill set I have would be enough the carry me in a creative job but after reading the description for this vacancy I genuinely think I could do it. 

You need the following:

• Ability to analyze scenes in written form and translate into visual product
• Ability to express story and character through drawings
• Ability to invent action and express it through drawing
• Ability to present work in a clear and entertaining way
• Ability to work collaboratively
• Ability to work under pressure, in a fast paced, deadline driven environment
• Must be open to direction and able to embrace change
• Experience with Photoshop and Wacom Cintiq drawing tablet helpful

It also states that you need to provide them with 3-5 storyboards to accompany the application. I am definitely going to whip out some refined storyboards over summer and apply for this. I don't for a minute think I've got a cat in hells chance but I'm going to give it a go.

OUAN602 PPP3: Mediatonic Games

This vancancy with Mediatonic Games as a concept artist caught my eye whilst browsing Linkedin. From the course, I have learned that I am more into the preproduction side of an animation therefore this will be the field I would most likely be looking into should I find myself a creative job. 
Mediatonic Games is a small company, ranging from 51-200 employees altogether. They work across a range of digital platforms creating their own original IP as well as partnering with well established companies such as Square Enix (who I love), Microsoft and Sony in developing new games.

The position is entry level, and would require creating the following

• Concept Art - Set the style and define visuals of new titles in the studio. Working closely with our Studio Art Director, Concept Artists, Writers and Designers to help bring new worlds to life. Iterate on mood, setting and art style to find the perfect fit.
• Production Art - Produce sketches, quick-paints and annotations to create briefs for Art Teams - to help them completely understand your work in order to correctly reproduce the style and bring them life.
• Asset Production - Create in-game artwork and assets ranging from backgrounds and characters, to in-game objects and icons.
• Pitch Concepts - Rapidly developing ideas and producing high quality, evocative artwork for new game concepts and project pitches within the studio. Supporting artwork for presentation slides to accompany the Key Art images.

The art style is very much up my street so I'm definitely going to polish my portfolio and send it off. I'm not overly keen on the thought of moving to London but it would be an opportunity I couldn't pass up. 

OUAN602 PPP3: Splash Damage

I found this vacancy on Linkedin which looks really interesting. It is to be an intern with the studio Splash Damage which is located in Guilford. Splash Damage is an independently owned studio on the outskirts of London, which creates massively multiplayer games. This year, they've launched the multiplayer shooter Dirty Bomb on the PC and Gears of War: Ultimate Edition for Xbox One. I have a great interest in video games, especially online, so this looked right up my street. 


The requirements to apply were as follows

• Completed or studying towards a bachelor’s or master’s degree in animation or other recognised animation course
• Some experience of using game engines or level editors such as Unreal, Unity, Source or similar
• Some experience of working on mods or independent game projects
• Experience with technical animation – rigging/skinning

So as interesting as this vacancy was to me, I better hold off on applying for now. I currently have 0/4 requirements (soon to be 1/4, hopefully!) so I think I should brush up on these skills if I'm seriously thinking of applying. Knowing me, this could take quite a while so maybe keep an eye on this studio for next year.

OUAN602 PPP3: Linkedin

Initially, I was a little apprehensive about creating a Linkedin profile but now I am glad I have. Before hand I was quite ignorant to the sorts of positions there are within the animated field, and I was wary about the skills you would need to apply. After having a browse through some vacancies, I was pleased to see that there are plenty of jobs within the industry, within the UK and overseas, that I could potentially apply for with the skill set I have. However, seeing some of these vacancies has inspired me to polish my drawing skills and get up to scratch with the required softwares - which is definitely a change as before I was adamant that I did not want a creative job. 

OUAN602 PPP3: Always Poster

Once I had handed in Extended, I posted the poster for Always on Facebook, inviting people to come see it at the exhibition on the 20th June. 
I was happy to see how many likes it got (20 is a lot for me, I'm unpopular on Facebook) and have had many people telling me how excited they are to see it being shown. Having your work being so anticipated by people is a thing I have never experienced before but I really enjoy it and it makes the work worth it. I'm not one for really showing my work off, but as I was so pleased with this animation I decided to do so and I'm glad I've got it out there. 

I have since put the poster on my Linkedin page and will be continuing to accompany any work I do with a promotional partner.