2/24/2023

The production pass came and went last week and it was a huge success! Not just for our team, but for the other projects as well. We all had some great stuff to show off and gained some valuable insight from our peers and instructors. I had assembled a new version of the storyboard using the intro I previously posted alongside some new panels, including the frame shown above. Alongside the art direction, we painted an enticing picture of what our short was going to be. There was another element to the presentation that was a hit, but I'll keep it a surprise until it's finished. Shouldn't take too long!

As for this week, our team decided to relax on most of our stuff, taking the time to focus on school work as well as some much needed RnR. However, we were at liberty to do small stuff on the side, mostly consisting of art direction materials. For me, I had some notes on what to adjust with the storyboard. The hallway scene has been cut, and as per our instructors advice, more time was devoted to the man not being able to open the lid. Both of these changes I felt were justified. I have also been numbering the shots to make identifying them easier when creating scenes or receiving critiques. This stuff is good to get early on.

For the coming week, we will start to get to work in Maya, which for many, is a huge relief. I think we missed the simple process of modeling assets in Maya, and we've had big ideas on what to create, so after some whiteboxing and texting, we'll be producing some great material. I, as per usual, am on storyboard and spreadsheet duty. I do not say this in a demeaning way, in fact I love working on these, but I expressed to my group that I felt a bit guilty taking the brunt of the story elements. I opened the table for others to contribute, and Anna decided to throw her hat into the ring, so things are going well regardless.

On a different note, I picked up on a pattern of behavior on my part that had been slowing down our process. In a recent post, I expressed discomfort for my team getting wrapped up in small details, prompting big discussions that distracts from our goals. But today, I had some introspection about how these tangents came to be, and I discovered that many of them were caused by me. I was blinded by my own vision for the project, and when I saw someone bring up an idea that detracted too much, I provided counters and stoked arguments. It's been my philosophy that discussion and criticism is the foundation of progress, but this early into the project with little reference for how elements will end up looking, I was slowing us down instead. For now, I'll make efforts to hold my tongue and let ideas rise and fall on their own merits. Hopefully when we're later into the project, these discussions won't be necessary and we'll be able to tell what works based on intuition. But just in case, I've instructed Anna to intervene with a beeping sound whenever a pointless discussion begins so that I, as well as my team, can get back to our main concerns.