FAO CGAA Year 1: Fantastic Voyage - Final Crit & Submission Checklist & Final Crit Requirements 01/05/2015

What follows are instructions for your crit presentations and reminders of what you need to present and submit. Please use your network of creative partners to ensure that everyone has seen this information and understood it. Any queries, please leave a comment and I'll clarify where necessary.

In response to one of the scenarios presented to you at time of briefing, you are required to produce a complete 3D animation that demonstrates creatively your ability to interpret, transcribe and represent complex ideas in engaging and dynamic ways. Your final animation should demonstrate clearly your creative methodology as established by your Year 1 curriculum, i.e. pre-production (production design and art direction via concept art and the structuring of time-based narratives via storyboarding and pre-visualisations), production (modelling, UV layout, texturing & lighting, and animation), and post-production (compositing, digital editing, sound design, publication and promotion).

Format Requirements

• PAL 25fps
• 16:9 ratio
• Mpeg or Avi

Please note: only royalty-free music is to be used and voice-overs must be professionally produced (Sam Niemczyk's talents excepted!) The use of inappropriate formats and codecs may result in viewing problems. 

You are required to produce a deluxe ‘Making Of’ publication showcasing your creative methodology. Your ‘making of’ should provide a complete record of your project work and should include your research and development, supporting concept art, storyboards, a ‘behind-the-scenes’ look at your models and animation - from wire-frame through to finished renders – and your sound-design and post-production. Your ‘Making Of’ should be designed graphically, engagingly and presented professionally. 

You are asked to produce a comprehensive blog archiving and annotating your creative development during the duration of the unit. You should use the blog to reflect critically upon your own creative practice and the wider cultural and thematic context of the unit.

Important! Your blog must include:

1) Your final animation
2) Your ‘Making Of’ publication (as Scribd Presentation)* 
3) Your Pitch presentation (as Scribd Presentation)
4) CG Pre-vis
5) Animatic
6) Final storyboard
7) Final script
8) Concept art (16:9)

9) Final Production art (16:9)
10) Matte paintings (if applicable)
11) Final textures (and development).
12) Your sound design archive: (Original SFX/Processed SFX)
13) Your cg pipeline;

Wireframe Models, Untextured Models, UV Maps, Texture Maps, Textured Models, Lighting Tests, Rendering Passes (Beauty, Ambient, Occlusion, and Effects),

14) All supporting artwork (thumbnails, preparatory drawings etc.)
15) Supporting research/Influence maps
16) Market/audience research
17) Your Creative Partnership Archived
18) Your submission disc artwork/branding

You will present on crit day from a single presentation blog post comprising your final animation only. On this day, it’s all about the animation.

While you will present at the crit from your blog, you must also submit a submission disc to me on Tuesday 5th May @ 2pm (before the film screening in L1), which must include:

• Final Animation
• Deluxe ‘Making Of’ publication
• PDF archive of blog. For instructions on how to export your blog as pdf. go here.

*As announced, your Deluxe Art Of publications should be uploaded to your blogs by 10am on Monday, May 4th.  I want the final animation and the Art Of together in a single post, so you'll need to edit/update your Crit Presentation post to include the Art Of publication.

Important: please note, your Fantastic Voyage crit starts at 10am sharp in Lecture Theatre 1. The order in which you'll be presenting your work will be randomised, which means any one of you may be presenting first!

If circumstances beyond your control* prevent you from attending on time, you must contact Natalie Holmes before 10am.  Lecture Theatre 1 will be open at 9am. Students should seek to arrive in advance of the start time to ensure they are prepared. Your project management and professionalism counts. Please prepare for your crit as you would for an interview or pitch. For some 'Rough Guide' style advice re. the stuff of engaging crit presentations, please go here.

And finally...

and

And a note to any 2nd/3rd years - your input on crit day, as always, is welcome.

*But not issues in regard to last-minute technical problems (including writing of discs etc.) that reflect poor project management. No student should be rendering etc. on the morning of crit day. Thursday is your deadline, not Friday.