Final Project Critical Review

When initiating my project proposal I brain stormed a range of different possibilities for the context and looked at which would have the strongest end user context. I also asked my peers and tutors for feedback on a range of ideas which helped me make an informed decision and clarified the finer details of my project. The research I carried out was broad in media, this meant that I was supported in gathering a deeper level of information so I could create a contextualised outcome. I carefully planned my time and organised what I needed to complete each week. I maintained my weekly evaluations so that I had an overview of my project development and could see clearly what I needed to do in the next week in order to stay on track.

Through developing my designs I had a clear idea, after looking back at my research, of what I wanted to create visually. I had a lot of research to support my ideas which help them to develop in an interesting and creative way. I managed to explore different ideas before finalising my designs. Before starting my final designs I asked my peers for their opinions of my work. This was really helpful as I got a different perspective that I wouldn't have seen. From this feedback I was able to easily target any issues that I found and could make changes to resolve them. My tutor bought up concerns about the amount of work I had planned compared to my time remaining and thought it would be best to choose one character to create. However I decided to continue working on all three as I felt that this would give me a better outcome for the video as I would have more material to work with.

During the making process I selected materials that I thought would work best based on my research. However when I started the process I faced some technical and practical issues that would have slowed down the process. I managed to adapt my designs and planning so that I could continue to create something visually similar. Creating a maquette before making the final pieces allowed me to test my materials and visualise how it would look. Through creating a maquette I notice any flaws with my designs early on allowing me to fix the problems. As my project progressed I realised that I needed to simplify my designs slightly so I could create everything I had planned. I struggled with timing towards the end of my project, I feel I could have balanced my time between all of the characters as I didn’t leave myself as much time for my ‘god’ character as I did for my others. This would have allowed me to produce a final outcome that was to a higher standard. However I felt pressure to leave myself enough time to edit my trailer and posters as I was aware that this might take me longer than I planned.

I worked effectively to produce a professional outcome that met the end user context that I set out to achieve in my project proposal. I researched the ‘FX Networks’ and the franchise that I was designing for ensuring that I was creating an outcome they would be pleased with and that fits in with their existing work and programs. Editing the video I didn't have any experience using premiere pro, I overcame this by watching tutorials which helped me quickly learn the basic skills I needed to edit my video. I researched and followed the format that ‘American Horror Story’ currently uses to present my project. Using colours and video editing effects that would fit with the brand and appeal to existing fans of the show, while also grabbing the attention of new potential viewers. I would scan and present all of my design work as a pdf file this would make it easier to be emailed to multiple people to receive their feedback quickly or presented to the company in person. I feel that although the make-up I created fits with the brand, it is still original and hasn’t been seen on the show before.