Final Major Project: Mega Post

This blog showcases the work I have done for my Final Major Project.

Week 1:

Looking back on the 1st year of the course:

I was asked to create a timeline, indicating the events that have transpired over the course of this past year and what I have learnt from those experiences. I created this timeline using Adobe Photoshop SC6.

Reflecting on the Timeline:

While looking back at the work I have done throughout the 1st year of doing this course I realised how much work and things I have actually learnt, the course has taught me the basics of several applications such as Adobe Photoshop CS6, 3DS max, Audacity and Adobe premiere pro. It has also taught me how to create and produce sounds using Folly and Bfxr, Characters, 3D models, Digital design pieces such as posters and info graphics. I learnt the process of creating a 3D environment, dubbing a video with new sounds and even create my own game. All of this could come in use for my FMP, I have a rough Idea of what I wish to do which mostly revolves around Concept art and potentially 3D modelling and I can use and adapt those skills I have learnt for the tasks I will have to complete in order to produce a solid FMP result. I have also learnt that the work I have produced although some of it good as it is, nearly all of it could be improved in some way or another by varied amounts, some not as much as others but others could be improved vastly, Reason is because I didn’t really put all that much effort into the work on several occasions and managed my time poorly. This gives me the incentive now to properly manage my time and resources as well as putting full effort into the work I aim to produce.

What I did and didn’t enjoy throughout the Year:

I can say for certainty that I have enjoyed the majority of the course, more specifically I enjoyed the more artistic elements to the course, such as the creation of the 3d models and the designing of the characters for the game, the pixel art tasks and the group name and logo tasks such as coming up with names and logos. I did not enjoy the sound tasks the first time around [limbo paper cut] in any way, his is likely due to my own disinterest in the subject and method of dubbing the limbo clip, however when we returned to dubbing later on with the princess bride clip I found the process a lot easier and therefore enjoyed it a lot more despite the repetitiveness of pasting he same sound over and over again for different sections of the clip, however I also likely enjoyed it due to the subject, dubbing of a sword fight with 8-bit sounds I found entertaining somewhat, due to its anticlimactic scenario. The technical parts of the course such as creation of blueprints of the Hansel and Gretel environment and the programming of the 2D platforming game I found to be boring and tedious, definitely not for me.

My Intention for my FMP:

What I have in mind for my FMP is that of character creation, I will likely use the skills I have learnt to research, draw and create character concept pieces and potentially even delve deeper into the 3D modelling department and create a 3D model of those characters. I have a few characters that I have had the ideas for a long time already but never visualised so I aim to do just that with My FMP. I’m likely to even do some writing to make the character seem like their potentially real by adding backstory and facts about those characters in the form of a character sheet. I am still unsure on what characters of mine I should use for this project, for example I have characters that are already divided into different “potential game ideas” and genre’s including a set of fantasy characters, a set of sci-fi characters and a few odd ones. These characters are also from my own worlds I wish to someday create as well.

Who Am I? Task:

Towards the beginning of the year I was asked to create a who am I mind map detailing what makes me who I am, I have now been asked to recreate this considering all the changes that have happened since then.

Reflection:

For this task I tried to include everything I could that I knew about myself, I avoided adding my values and belief’s because their very controversial topic’s and I could easily offend. When their is a subject such as games, I decided to include my favorite genre’s and some games from those genre’s that I enjoy, the same goes with anime/manga as well as music and movies. I listed every major event that has occurred through my current life so far as well as my backstory involving home town, family and pets. I’ve also included some other interests such as my interest with mythology specifically the gods and goddesses of various pantheons such as Norse, Mayan, Japanese and others. However I forgot to add my interest of the eastern countries such as china and japan and their culture such as their festivals, food and royalty. I also mentioned my keen interest in character’s which is likely going to be the subject of my final major project.

 

Week 2: [And Easter Break]

My Three Ideas:

My interest: Characters

Idea One: A Roster of Futuristic Characters [Concept Art]

For my first Idea and the most favourable idea is to create concept art for a roster of character’s that are to be used in a Future setting aimed at for potentially games, animation and film. Im considering making this because of my love of character’s ever since fell in love with many characters from various media formats such as Cecil [Final Fantasy IV, Link and Midna [Zelda], Dante [Devil May Cry] and many more which made me wish to create my own. I will use many skills including organisational skills, research skills, and various concept art aspects. My target audience is lovers of futuristic settings as well as lovers of the art style and genre’s,  as well as other developers and concept artists. I will be carrying heavy research tackling every subject of concept art and the theme of the character’s as well, I will also research marketplace facts such as trends and popularity of the cyberpunk genre for example.

Idea Two: A Borderlands Vault Hunter [Concept Art]

For my secound Idea I have the intention of creating my own playable character [Vault Hunter] for the Borderlands franchise in the form of concept art. I am considering this idea because of my love of the series and character’s in general. It’s important to me because of my love of character’s and I have always wanted to create my own and have then look and act like their real. I will be creating the concept using pencil and paper and then possibly colour and edit using adobe Photoshop later on. I will also organise and record my work and processes as I create he outcome. My target audience is not only the lover’s of the franchise but also the developer’s themselves. I will be conducting heavy research to gain as much information and techniques that I can implement into the project, for example I can research the backstory and lore of the series as well as research the art style by performing studies and using references.

Idea Three: A League of Legends Champion or Two [Concept Art]

My third Idea is to create my own very own League of Legends champion or even two via concept art and character design. I have played League of Legends since may 2012 over 2 accounts and fell in love with many of the characters in the game and from time to time I create my own playable characters each with a set of abilities and backstory. This is important to me because of the love of the game and characters in general, I have the desire to create my characters of my own in time, I think league of legends sparked the idea of me wanting to become a character designer for games. I will be drawing the character concepts using paper and pencil, inking over the drawing, scanning it onto a computer and editing/colouring the concept using Photoshop. My target audience is Players of league of legends, Riot games themselves creator of the game and selfishly myself because I think their is no character out of 136 at this present time that I adore and will stick with. I will research the games extensive story elements such as the stories of each faction to decide where he character originates from. I will be researching various skills and techniques related to character design as well as researching ways to come up with a set of abilities that won’t seem he most powerful thing in the game and have some balance to the character.

 

Project Proposal:

UAL Awarding Body – Level 3 Diploma

Unit 8 – Project Proposal

Name	Lars Jael Johnson
Pathway	UAL Level 3 Games Development
Project Title	A roster of character concepts.
Section 1: Rationale (Approx. 100 words)
For my Final major project, I aim to explore the principles of character design, I am doing this because of my love of characters ever since I played through Final Fantasy IV and grew attached to the character Cecil and his story. I aim to create some characters of my own putting together various skills I have and will acquire throughout this project. My project is important due to my connection with characters I aim to look at different aspects of character designing including colour and shape theory as well as fashion to create characters that will capture the interest of my audience.
Section 2: Project Concept (approx. 200 words)
My intention for this final project is to create up to 4 characters’ total that would be mainly intended for a video game but also could be used in other media such as Film and animations. The game would be an Open-world Action Role playing game set in High-tech false-Utopian city in the near future, this will affect my designs drastically. My influences are as follows; I quite like the fashion found in the Mirror’s Edge games. The tech of the Deus Ex games I also find to be a profound influence. For research, I will be looking at several key factors, the most important is the setting, High-tech and false-Utopian to see what these may bring to my characters, I will also be researching weaponry both new, present and old including swords as well as research into super powers. I will also be researching other future tech such as gadgets to implement ideas. I will also research fine art, and fashion My target audience is young adults who love stylistic science fiction and action             orientated characters, also other artists, developers and myself. My role is to create the characters from scratch and come up with a concept, I will do this with the tools at my disposal these are; Pencil, Paper, Computer, Graphics-Tablet, Software, Light-box and scanner.
Section 3: Evaluation (approx. 150 words)
The way I tend to evaluate my work is in a varied method of ways, the first is to take notes of my decisions and methods of creating my work, I will annotate my work on what I like and didn’t like as well as keep records of all the work I complete via screenshots, recordings, and photo’s. I will gather feedback for my work in the form of questionnaires, comments on social media websites and art station, Opinions on others and my own weekly reflections and evaluations. I will ask questions that avoid leading to other questions and my questions will not influence the answers that I receive.
Proposed Research Sources and Bibliography (Harvard Format)
(Dice, n.d.), (Pixar, n.d.), (Creative Bloq, n.d.), (Oatley, n.d.), Bibliography Artstation, Unknown. Art Station. [Online] Available at: https://www.artstation.com/ [Accessed 22 04 2017]. Brooks, J., Joined 27th March 2012. Draw With Jazza. [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNaAcA0yN3KYup8psSoyOd_mKW27av89V [Accessed 20 04 2017]. Creative Bloq, n.d. [Online] Available at: http://www.creativebloq.com/animation/top-40-character-design-tips-part-1-animal-based-characters-5132659 Dice, n.d. Mirror’s edge art collection. [Online] Available at: https://www.artstation.com/artist/fabienchristin/collections/71235 Lafferty, K., Joined October 22nd, 2008. Youtube. [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/user/KienanLafferty/videos [Accessed 22 04 2017]. Oatley, C., n.d. Good Character Design Goes Deep. [Online] Available at: http://chrisoatley.com/character-design-goes-deep/ Pixar, n.d. Character design. [Online] Available at: http://pixar-animation.weebly.com/character-design.html Unknown, 2010. Pinterest. [Online] Available at: https://uk.pinterest.com/ [Accessed 20 04 2017].

 

Project Action Plan and Timetable
Week Beginning	Day	Activity / What you are intending to do – including independent study	Resources / What you will need to    do it – including access       to workshops

WEEK THREE

1.1:

1.1 TASK ONE:

Introduction – For my project I aim to create concept art for 4 characters for use in a large scale video game.

• How is the games industry organised/structured?

The games industry is made up of various demographics that are involved with the development of a product, In the case of the Games industry there are; Publishers, Developers, Consumers, Retailers, Platforms and their holders and also Education and industry bodies that may work within the games industry.

To start things of, the publishers are those companies that are approached and sometimes approach developers to publish and distribute their products to the public via various means. Since the dawn of the games Industry it was the publisher’s job to appeal the game to various retailers in order to sell the game to the general public. There is also Steam which works like a publisher and publishes the game on the Steam service for user’s to purchase, all what’s needed is to send a partition to the developers of steam, valve. Some Publishers are not strictly just publisher’s either, some are parent companies such as Zenimax who is the Parent company to famous developers such as Bethesda and arcane studios. Some also develop games themselves such as Nintendo. Most if not all publishers can have a word in the development of a game to change things to their liking however not all publishers do this and allow the developers to do what they want within limits.

Developers are those who make the product and the teams behind the development can range from small independent teams of 1 or 2 people to up to over 1000 people working on 1 single project.

The Consumers and Audience are those who not only are interested in games but also those who buy them, this may also include other developers, educational and industry bodies.

Retailers are your stores and online services that allow the purchase of games possible and they play a huge part in the games industry as well as the retailers themselves increasing the total profits made by the industry.

Industry bodies are your companies such as Pegi who monitor the games being sold, usually involving the lawful, religious and social standpoints into the decision to give an age rating to a game or even allow it to be distributed.

Educational facilities such as schools, colleges and universities help develop the minds of learners in order to produce new talent, some of which then go into the games industry fuelling the development process of new and interesting games rather than the same types of games we may have been playing back way back in the beginning of the industry.

And most importantly you have your platform holders, these are your companies who develop and builds your systems that allow the games to be played, examples being Microsoft and the Xbox, Sony and the PlayStation, Nintendo and their various consoles and even Apple, Samsung and other mobile companies.

All of these demographics are linked together in some way or another, for an example a student from an educational facility has just entered one segment from the games industry, they will then work with people from other areas of the industry in order to release a better product for consumers to buy.

So in my opinion and many others the games industry is very organised and well structured.

[Information came from work from the 1^st project in this course, the information came from various websites within the infographic]

• How does my work fit within this organisational structure?

I believe that my work would fit into the developer portion of the structure in the games industry, this is because I’m very much creating a product aimed at the creation of the game rather than the marketing, or consumption of the game, I aim to create character designs and concepts for use in a large scale 3D game, my task would take place in the Pre-Production phase of the development of the game, this is where all the planning and conceptual work would take place.

• Is my work aimed for an Independent or Mainstream project? Why is this the case?

To decide whether or not my project is an independent or mainstream project I first would need to differentiate the two in order to decide.

An independent project or Indie for short generally are projects based of passion, consisting of smaller development teams and low production funds, there would also be a lack of publisher unless the Indie developer manages to get published by one. Examples of indie games are Fez and Super meat boy. Which each had 2 developers each at points in time and took several years to complete.

Whereas Mainstream projects tend to follow suit with current trends within the games industry, for example since the release of Hearthstone the card game genre has become popular, and the Open-world genre has also become popular likely because of the Witcher 3 setting new standards. These projects tend to have less passion within them although some can still have that passion from various developers. The scale of the development teams tend to be much larger ranging from 100 to over 1000 people working on a single project. They have more development funds in order to continue production of the games and generally have publishers backing those games. Examples of AAA and mainstream developers are Bioware makers of Mass effect, Dragon age and various other games as well as Dice who made the famous battlefield games, the reboot of the battlefront games and Mirror’s Edge.

My project is to create a group of character’s for use in a large scale Science fiction game, Given this Information my Project involves; Passion, Is large scale, would require a large production team for the complete game, would require a lot of funds, and would require a publisher to advertise and distribute. This makes my game aimed towards the Mainstream production.

• Examples of organisations that would assist in the development/Publication of my project?

I would think various organisations would be willing to assist in the development of my project, one I have in mind would be Square Enix to develop and publish my project and the game it’s for, this is because of the style and theme of my project ties in very similar to the more recent Final Fantasy games, Final Fantasy XV in particular in terms of gameplay, however my project is very much more Science fiction and future based which they have tackled before in terms of Neir: automata and Deus Ex however my Idea is different because it’s not cyberpunk like Deus Ex, and it’s not post-apocalyptic but more like a Utopian setting of which they haven’t really tackled before apart from the city Academia in Final Fantasy 13-2 game, but even then they are different from each other. [Think mirror’s edge].

I also considered Platinum games to develop the complete project however they seem to focus on Hack and slash games just like their own Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

• How and where it could be distributed and why?

I think the complete product that my project would be a part of would be published and distributed by a large organisation via various outlets and stores such as the store such as game and Tesco’s as well as all the other major stores as a hard copy as well as download codes, this would also be to every major country in the world, It could also be released online via the products very own website, online stores like amazon and online services such as Steam. The game would also be exhibited at conventions, private showcases and advertised in countries the product is sold via various media. To showcase my personal work however I would be posting it on social media if I choose too.

• How would my project be regulated and by whom?

I think my project would be regulated by local industry bodies such as in Europe it would be Pegi regulating the product but also the publisher and the target audience in some way. They handle the law side of things such as Copyright, Obscene publications act and various others, they then give the product an age rating. They would also consider social standards at the time and views of each country.

• Is my project aimed for a niche or mainstream audience and why is that the case?

First I would need to differentiate my audience within these two categories or demographics. The Niche audience are those who are keener on playing indie games and new IP’s with niche gameplay and visuals for example those who play games like Fez but then also maybe games like guns of Icarus or smite. Where as a mainstream audience member is more likely to buy and play games that are trendy such as the war games like call of duty and battlefield but then maybe new trends such as Skyrim and Witcher 3 when they released and you also have fans of different developers such as the Blizzard audience. Considering my project and where it fits into this, let’s say if my project really was being assisted by Square Enix I think the game would then become mainstream due to the company is well known for their series like Deus Ex and more noticeably Final Fantasy.

Bibliography:

Square Enix. (2017, 04 27). Square Enix. Retrieved from Square Enix Global: http://www.square-enix.com/

My Infographic for the Structure of the Games Industry. https://larsjohnsongamedev.wordpress.com/2016/10/13/unit-4/?frame-nonce=735ff5b28a [accessed 26/04/2017]

Citations:

(Square Enix, 2017)

 

1.1  TASK TWO

What equipment would you need to successfully complete your project in a professional context?

-Consumable

Consumables are things such as physical tools that will degrade over time or are not reusable such as Pencils, paper and pens. I personally will be using both my A4 and A5 art sketchbooks as well as some A4 thick card to draw onto, using my 0.7 Mechanical Pencil and my artist inking pens, I will not be using Coloured pencils although I could because I have another method of Colouring my drawings. This is a standard for all artists and professionals in the industry. I would have to spend any money on the tools I am using but it ranges depending on the quality of the paper/tools your purchasing, currently [27/04/2017] my A4 Sketchbook (Easynote Stationery, n.d.) Normally costs £4.94 however at the time of writing this it is on sale for £2.95. The A5 Sketchbook (Easy Note Stationary LTD., n.d.) Currently costs £2.92. My mechanical pencils that I use are (Rotring, n.d.) Are at a price of £7.13 and then additional costs of extra led of £1.70 a pack (Rotring, n.d.). If I was to buy some High quality pen’s for colouring a very popular brand among the industry are Copic markers which are alcohol based pens that are fairly expensive, there are cheaper alternatives. (Copic, n.d.)

-Technology

I will be using various other Technology along with the Consumable products that I mentioned previously. One of these is a computer desktop for use within college grounds, and then I will work on my laptop from home. I will use this computer to further complete my drawings and colour them using software but then also write up about this project using word processing software. I will also require a list of peripherals, one example is the Graphics tablet, the one I own is a Wacom Bamboo pen tablet (Wacom, n.d.) which at the time that I purchased it I got it on sale at £15 reduced from around £70-£90 however now it seems to be discontinued but people still sell theirs at fluctuating prices of around £100, The Industry lead in graphics tablets is Wacom, and they have two major product lines. The Intous and the Cintiq, the Cintiq are much more expensive due to their design featuring a full working screen and also sometimes are a computer themselves and the latest version the 27HD which costs $2,799.95, which when converted turns out to cost around £2171.18. (Wacom, n.d.) A Mouse and Keyboard is also necessary as with any computer. A light box could also be used to create neater drawings these can range from simply just over £10 all the way up to £60, £70 or even £80 in price, I don’t actually have access to one of these though, and however I would love to have one. To transfer my images onto the computer I will be using a scanner, that of which I have access to from college as well as from home. Usually for scanner you’re looking at around £60 and over however there are some printers that are combined with a scanner. A form of internet connection is required to access some features of the software needed as well as to communicate via the web.

-Software

For different software you have things such as the Operating system itself for your computer system which for windows 10 it costs around £20 to £30 from various stores. For image editor’s you have Adobe Photoshop which can be expensive however as an alternative you have Corel PaintShop Pro which for the latest version X9 costs £69.99 but is currently available for £62.99 (Coral, n.d.), however Adobe PhotoShop is the industry standard. An internet browser is required for gathering information and reference, most of these are free and either internet explorer/Microsoft Edge, Firefox and Google Chrome are industry standards as well as at home. Microsoft Office and more specifically Microsoft Word are requirements for writing up this project and storing text based information.

-Specifications

A computer or reasonable specifications are required to run most of the software that I mentioned previously, such as the earliest operating system would need to be windows 7 or later, A processor of at least 1.5GHz in power, the minimum amount of ram to run the programs such as Corel Painter is 2GBs but 4GBs is recommended, 1GB of HDD storage, a 16-bit colour display or higher, Direct X9 or later. This would cost reasonably low for computers but still in the mid-price range. These specifications could either be via Desktop or laptop. Also an optional graphics card could help with image work on a computer system.

-Services

A connection to the internet via a provider such as Talk Talk would be required to perform various functions required for creating concept art. A Microsoft office license would be required to do write ups on the project just like now. A license to the software would also be required if using them. And some sort of email service such as Microsoft Outlook to communicate between team members and other co-workers. Finally a video chat service such as skype or use Discord for voice. You could also use Cloud storage for easy access from anywhere with an internet connection, but you could also carry external storage devices as a replacement.

Bibliography:

Copic. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved from Copic-Shop: http://www.copic-shop.co.uk/

Coral. (n.d.). Coral PaintShop Pro X9. Retrieved from PaintShopPro.com: http://www.paintshoppro.com/en/products/paintshop-pro/standard/

Easy Note Stationary LTD. (n.d.). Easynote A5 Artists Sketch Pad. Retrieved from Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Easynote-A4-Artists-Sketch-Pad/dp/B008HUP5DM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493288748&sr=8-1&keywords=easynote%2Bsketch%2Bpad&th=1

Easynote Stationery. (n.d.). Easy Note Sketchbook. Retrieved from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Easynote-A4-Artists-Sketch-Pad/dp/B00BH5S72U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493288748&sr=8-1&keywords=easynote+sketch+pad

Rotring. (n.d.). Rotring 312690 Tikky Hi-Polymer Lead Refills, HB – 0.7 mm. Retrieved from Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rotring-Refill-0-35mm-Mechanical-Pencil/dp/B000VK948S/ref=pd_bxgy_229_2?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=AQ99G7547GKG166VDJHC&th=1

Rotring. (n.d.). Rotring 801310 Tikky Mechanical Pencil, Black Barrel – Set of 3. Retrieved from Amazon UK: Rotring 801310 Tikky Mechanical Pencil, Black Barrel – Set of 3

Wacom. (n.d.). Wacom . Retrieved from Wacom.com: http://www.wacom.com/en-us

Wacom. (n.d.). Wacom Bamboo Pen Tablet. Retrieved from Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.com/Wacom-CTL460-Bamboo-Pen-Tablet/dp/B002OOWC3I

 

1.1   TASK 3

I have been asked to produce a minimum of two profiles for audience members using demographics and psychometrics that may be interested in my work so that I can gain a better understanding of my audience and better refine my work to fit their expectations. These profiles are to detail the identities of the members, providing age, gender, occupation, income and educational details. I am also to provide a psychometric summary of the type of person the member is such as including the attitudes, interests, lifestyle, likes and dislikes and I am to support these with research.

 

To create these profiles, I needed to research deeper into why people like different aspects of my project, I started off by researching the attraction to genre’s, the first thing to look at is to what type of people like the action genre, I found a website that goes into the different demographics that like action in their media, (Salam, 2013). In this website, it mentions that all types of people like action films, both mass and niche audiences making it one if not the most popular genre out there, however it goes on to mention that there is a specific demographic that will pursue any action film that’s released, these are typically young adult males who have an attraction to action, thrills and excitement. And the social class that mainly see these action films are of the middle class due to their disposable income and access time due to not having as many commitments. I can apply these facts to games as well.

 

The next genre I am to research is the Science Fiction genre and to see what demographics like that genre, when researching this I came across an article about the who reads science fiction books which I can incorporate some of the information found here (Niemann-Ross, 2014). The author had asked 581 people in the US do they read science fiction? 21% of them said yes, He then says that google tells us that 57% of science fiction readers are male according to a 2011 us census, the population of internet users is 48% male, making the population of science fiction readers ever so slightly male, however the 2013 U.S book consumer demographics and buying behaviours review tells us that women buy more books and spend more per book, this makes the chance of a male or female buying a science fiction book equal. He goes on to say that the ages of people buying science fiction is even at all ages apart from those within the 45 to 65 bracket. And 60% of e-book buyers are below that 45 bracket.

Finally, it’s time to research the demographic of people who play games. I found this article by polygon (Frank, 2016) which answers these questions. The page tells us that 63% of U.S households that where surveyed included at least one frequent gamer, 65% of homes own a game-playing device while 48% own a dedicated console. 47% of gamers are between 18 and 49 years old. The average ages are 35 for men and 44 for woman. 59% who play games regular are men and 41% are woman, and the average gamer has been playing games for 13 years.

Audience Member One:

Name: Kevin Solomon

Age: 33

Gender: western white

Ethnicity: English White

Income Group: middle Class

Hobbies and Leisure activities: Gaming and watching TV

Preference’s: Action, Sci-fi

Favourite sources of information: News networks, Forums, and chat rooms.

 

Audience Member Two:

Name: Mika Akiyama

Age: 22

Gender: Female

Ethnicity: Japanese

Income Group: working class

Hobbies and Leisure activities: games, anime, talking with friends.

Preference’s: science fiction

Favourite sources of information: blogs, forums, chat rooms, developer talks, magazines, friends/colleagues.

 

Bibliography

Frank, A. (2016, apr 29). Take a look at the average American gamer in new survey findings. Retrieved from Polygon.com: http://www.polygon.com/2016/4/29/11539102/gaming-stats-2016-esa-essential-facts

Niemann-Ross, M. (2014, January 02). Who reads science fiction? Retrieved from sfwa.org: http://www.sfwa.org/2014/01/reads-science-fiction/

Salam, O. (2013, febuary 26). Target audience of action films. Retrieved from Prezi.com: https://prezi.com/euq8hsfwbltr/target-audiences-of-action-films/

 

1.1   TASK 4

I have been asked to research the relevant job roles specifically related to my work on my project, this must be an industry specific job role using a real title.

Job Role: Concept Artist

What Qualifications would I need for this job role?

There is no requirement for a college degree, however an education in fine art, graphic design or game art is a preference among employers.

What Skills would I need?

Art based skills including; life drawing, anatomy, architecture, being able to convey emotion and facial expressions, have knowledge of colour, composition, perspective, modelling and techniques, lighting, and mood. Having skills in comic book art and/or storyboarding. Being imaginative and creative, being able to work as a team as well as independently, being able to pay close attention to detail and having strong observational skills. Being able to communicate well. Being able to work to a style guide.

What experience do I need?

Some work experience would be needed to highlight that you have skill working in a work place, A portfolio would be used to showcase your experience in the field of work.

What Knowledge should I have?

Knowledge of the health and safety legislation and procedures as well as the field of work and industry. They also must be aware of the technical limitations of the platforms that the game is going to be played on.

What personal attributes should I have?

Being able to communicate and work within a team. Being creative and having an imagination.

What existing practitioners work in this role?

There are thousands of practitioners who work in the role currently, to give an example Remko Troost is the concept artist behind many of the designs of the game For Honor, He has also worked on titles such as assassin’s creed 3 and Unity as well as Far Cry 3. (Unknown, Unknown)

 

Other Key Team Members;

I am to identify other key team members of which I would work with as part of my job role, once again this must be industry specific using real job titles.

What are the job roles?

A games artist that specialises in characters and concept art would require working with many other employees within the industry, first of you have your boss the lead and senior artists, you would then you would also need to work with other artists who specialise in different skills as well as animators, technical artists and of course QA testers.

 

Research on job listings;

Senior character artist:

Skills/Experience/Knowledge

CD Project Red looks for in a senior character artist in particular are these features; A minimum of 5 years of experience in the games development industry as a character artist, proven success in creating outstanding characters in a AAA game, Solid modelling and texturing skills in a diverse visual range of characters and creatures, strong understanding of human form and anatomy, outstanding creativity and a very strong commitment to the project, ability to work effectively within game design and tech constraints, comfortable working quickly within an interactive development process, excellent communication skills and the ability to work efficiently within a team. Able to use the following software; Zbrush, Maya, Photoshop, Substance painter (or similar). Be an avid and passionate game and the ability to communicate in English. Additionally, Animation and skinning rigging skills as well as tradition drawing, painting or sculpting skills are nice to have. (CD Project Red, n.d.) [accessed 2^nd May 2017]

Their Place in the Production Pipeline:

A Senior character artists place in the production pipeline is throughout the pre-production and production phases keeping a keen eye and giving feedback on the game art that is being produced.

 

Animators:

Skills/Experience/Knowledge

From the job listing I found by Hi-Rez studios they are looking for someone who demonstrates a strong understanding of animation principles and the production art pipeline, the ability to work collaboratively and communicate with multiple teams, the ability to thrive in a fast paced environment, a strong work ethic and communication skills, open to direction and feedback, able to embrace change, a strong understanding of game animation creation and implementation and 3+ years of industry experience. They say that even better candidates should have 3DS Max and Unreal engine experience. (Hi-Rez Studios, n.d.) [accessed 2nd May 2017]

Their Place in the Production Pipeline:

An animators place in the production pipeline is after the assets such as characters and interact able objects have been created to a point where animations are able to be created and implemented.

 

Technical Artists:

Skills/Experience/Knowledge

(Studios, n.d.) [accessed 2^nd May 2017] I found a job listen made by Hi-rez studios on ArtStation looking for a technical artist and in this listing, they mention that a technical artist need; a programmer’s skill set, an artist’s eye, the ability to work collaboratively and communicate with multiple teams, the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, a problem solver and self-motivated worker, well organised and able to multitask, a passion for games and a strong work ethic. They continue to say that if you have strong knowledge of 3ds max, an understanding of character animation and rigging as well as unreal 3 engine experience you are a better candidate.

Their Place in the Production Pipeline:

They will work within the production phase of a project, ensuring an art asset can be easily integrated in a game while keeping its artistic vision as well as keeping within the limits of a platforms capabilities.

QA testers:

Skills/Experience/Knowledge

A QA tester requires no experience however they do need the skill and knowledge to be able to give detailed opinions and reports on faults of a product.

Their Place in the Production Pipeline:

They play a part towards the end of the Production phase.

 

Bibliography

CD Project Red. (n.d.). Senior Character Artist. Retrieved from ArtStation.com: https://www.artstation.com/jobs/e68M

Hi-Rez Studios. (n.d.). Animator. Retrieved from ArtStation.com: https://www.artstation.com/jobs/J2vq

Studios, H.-R. (n.d.). Technical Artist. Retrieved from ArtStation.com: https://www.artstation.com/jobs/bqQl

Unknown. (Unknown, Unknown Unknown). For Honor Concept Art by Remko Troost. Retrieved from Concept Art World: http://conceptartworld.com/news/honor-concept-art-remko-troost/

 

1.1   TASK 5

Identify and explain the legal requirements of the project:

I am to identify and explain the legal requirements for my project. I will ensure that I will avoid copyright and plagiarism with my work however because my project is concept art this is unlikely to happen.

Identify Paperwork that I will need to produce:

The only paper work I will need to produce is the actual project itself, I should not need to produce extra paperwork alongside this however I will take mid process images to show that I have created this product.

Copyright:

I am to explain how copyright law is relevant to me, my work, and the work of others in the context of your project:

Use of trademarks:

I will not be using any existing trademarks in my project there for the copyright law is not relevant here.

Use of music:

I will not be using music for my project there for the copyright law is not relevant here.

Use of intellectual property:

I will not be using any existing intellectual property there for the copyright law is not relevant here.

Health and Safety:

I will be abiding to the copyright law in terms of health and safety.

Identify relevant health and safety risks:

Use of equipment such as graphics tablets, monitors and computers in general as well as their peripherals.

Repetitive strain injury as in looking at a monitor for too long, causing injury to your wrist through repetitive movements and sitting in an unhealthy way.

Unsafe environment, this includes things like cable management, frayed/open cables, broken materials, hazardous workspace, and environments and so on.

General health and safety such as using specific hazardous tools such as a paper cutting tools.

Explain what you would do to minimise any risk:

Make sure I understand the health and safety regulations as well as making sure that my work space is safe and I sit and work comfortably. As well as handle any equipment with care to avoid accident.

1.1   HOMEWORK TASK:

I am to detail the different skills and techniques that are needed for my project.

What skills will I need to use for my project?

I will need the skill to use traditional art tools such as pencil and paper, as well as the ability to use a graphics tablet effectively and a computer in general. I will be using Photoshop or an alternative so I would also need to know how to use that effectively as a skill. I can’t create characters if I don’t harbour the necessary skills required so it is best for me to have these skills to produce the best possible result.

What techniques will I need to use for my project?

I need to know how to implement anatomy and proportions, I will also need to apply shape and colour theory to my project. Lighting/shadows via shading/erasing as well as composition are also important to make my project stand out. These are relevant in order to create the best outcome possible.

 

WEEK FOUR: 2.1

TASK 1:

My project is to create some character designs and concepts for an open world sandbox action RPG with a gameplay style similar to final fantasy XV.

What have I learnt from previous Work/Literature/Resources and how I position myself in relation to previous work in the chosen discipline/theme/topic/interest within which my project is located?

I have learnt many things about how to design characters and draw in general from previous work and resources, for an example I often watch video’s by content creators on YouTube by the likes of Draw with Jazza (Youtube, n.d.), Keinan Lafferty (Youtube, n.d.) Who has worked within the games industry creating concept art and artwork, most noticeably Riot Games, Brookes Eggleston (Youtube, n.d.) And Brush boost (Brunet, n.d.), previously Cube brush which was founded by Mark Brunet, a previous employee at blizzard and I intend to continue using these resources because I find them reliable and effective. I have created characters of my own beforehand but there has always been something that goes wrong in the drawing such as he proportions, the hands and feet or the clothing. I have learnt various things from both of these including the importance of character design fundamentals and drawing fundamentals as well as its okay to drop a project if things are not going according to plan.

I believe I have improved at drawing characters since I started however I’m far from a professionals standard this is due to my lack of knowledge or skill in specific areas of the subject, I believe that this project will help me get closer to that goal.

 

Exploration and examination of existing media products, practices and ideas in the spirit of creativity and imagination:

LITERATURE REVIEW: Re-organize

For this task I am to conduct a literature review showcasing potential secoundary research sources that I plan to use. I have decided to categorize my sources thematically into groups of themes.

Character Design/Concept art and Drawing [Principles]:

Drawing basics and video game art (Solarski, 2012), this is a book that can give me information on various drawing principles and game art.

Character Design at Disney: The Jin Kim Interview (Kim, Unknown), is a podcast that I can listen to where two former Disney animator’s interview Jin Kim another ex-Disney animator to learn about what his choices where when creating various characters.

Manga University (Manga Universiy, n.d.) Has an article about how to draw clothing, more specifically the folds of clothing, I can use this to design better outfits for my characters.

The Production process of creating characters (Jazza, 2017) is a video where he will tell about the process of creating a character which is a simplified version of his book (Brooks, 2016) which can help me to design better characters by going through a simple process method so I don’t get confused and overwhelmed.

Fashion:

Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst (Electronic Arts 2016), is a game where the Fashion and character design is a great inspiration for me and not only is it the style I’m going for with my character’s fashion but I can also take things from it. I can also look at original concept art for the game for the same reason, (Multiple).

Deus Ex Mankind Divided (Square Enix 2016), is a game where the fashion and character design is also a great inspiration and I can learn from them.

Remember Me (Capcom 2013), the fashion found within this game is very appealing and I may use it as inspiration.

Cyberdog (Cyberdog, n.d.), is a clothing retailer and brand, I think some of their clothes are very well design (others not so much) and I can take some inspiration from them.

Plastik Wrap (Plastik Wrap, n.d.), is a clothing retailer and brand, Despite their limited library I think I can take some inspiration from the clothes that they do sell or have done.

The Matrix (siblings, 1999), is a film where the fashion is reminiscent of the style that I’m going for and I think I can take some inspiration from these films.

Manga University (Manga Universiy, n.d.) Has an article about how to draw clothing, more specifically the folds of clothing, I can use this to design better outfits for my characters.

Technology:

Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst (Electronic Arts 2016), is a game where technology is something that I can look into for my character designs.

Deus Ex Mankind Divided (Square Enix 2016), is a game where the technology is highly advanced, more specifically artificial limbs is what I shall be looking at from this game.

Remember Me (Capcom 2013), is a game where the technology seems interesting and I can defiantly look into it to get some inspiration for my characters.

Weapons:

Remember Me (Capcom 2013) is a game where the weapons within the game have a very cool style to them yet they seem to be realistic from what I’ve seen and I intend to take inspiration about this.

Medieval ages weapons (staff, 2013), is an article on the weapons found during the middle ages, using this can help me create weapons for my characters if I know more about them.

The Unique Weapons of Ancient Japan (Rich, 2015) is an article about the unique weapons found in ancient japan, including weapons such as shuriken and katana this can help me create weapons for my characters if I know more about them.

Wikipedia has a list of Chinese swords (Wikipedia, n.d.), I can use these Wiki’s about each type of weapon to help get a better understanding of these weapons to create better ones for my characters.

Wikipedia has a list of Fire arms (Wikipedia, n.d.) Which using these I can pick and choose different guns to reference to create weapons for my characters.

Skallagrim on Youtube has a video showing how a gun works via an animation (Skallagrim, 2013), if I learn about how a gun works it might give me a better understanding on how to design firearms for my characters.

Creative Bloq (Staff, n.d.) Have a blog detailing a methods of designing sci-fi weaponry which can be essential to my project.

Writing:

Nameberry (Nameberry, n.d.), is a website intended for naming babies and other things but I can use this for the naming of my characters, I will do this just by simply searching for different criteria such as a meaning and using them, sometimes I will make slight tweaks to those names.

Writers Write (scholar, n.d.), have a post that goes into detail on how to write a character profile such as their basic information, to the more complicated information and I can use these to create better characters.

Now Novel (How to create a character backstory that feels real, n.d.), this article details how I can create a backstory for my characters that feels real and overall creates a better character.

Bibliography For the Literature Review.

Brunet, M. (n.d.). BrushBoost. Retrieved from Youtube.com: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKtu_JtQCY0yryIy6zK4ZCg

Cyberdog. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved from Cyberdog.com: https://www.cyberdog.net/collections/new-for-men

Glaser, J. (2010). Horror Characters Learn how to draw step by step. Guangdong, China: Walter Foster Publishing,inc.

How to create a character backstory that feels real. (n.d.). Retrieved from nownovel.com: http://www.nownovel.com/blog/talking-character-backstory/

Kim, J. (Unknown, Unknown Unknown). Animation Podcast #52 – Character Design at Disney: The Jin Kim Interview. (T. a. Bancroft, Interviewer)

Manga Universiy. (n.d.). HOW TO DRAW CLOTHES. Retrieved from Manga University: https://www.howtodrawmanga.com/pages/tutorial_clothes

Multiple. (n.d.). Collections / Mirror’s Edge Catalyst Art. Retrieved from Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/artist/fabienchristin/collections/71235

Nameberry. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved from Nameberry.com: https://nameberry.com/

Nozue, T. (Director). (2016). Final Fantasy XV: Kingsglaive [Motion Picture].

Oshii, M. (Director). (1995 (UK)). Ghost in the Shell [Motion Picture].

Plastik Wrap. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved from Plastik Wrap: http://www.plastikwrap.com/

Rich. (2015, august 7). The unique weapons of ancient japan. Retrieved from tofugu.com: https://www.tofugu.com/japan/ancient-japanese-weapons/

scholar, t. l. (n.d.). How to Create a Character Profile. Retrieved from Writerswrite: http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/jun98/how-to-create-a-character-profile-6986

siblings, W. (Director). (1999). The Matrix [Motion Picture].

Skallagrim. (2013, sep 13). How a firearm works – Animation (1911 semi-auto handgun). Retrieved from YouTube.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJMXXuGhINE

Solarski, C. (2012). Drawing basics and video game art. New York: Watson-Guptill.

Staff. (n.d.). How to design sci-fi weapons. Retrieved from Creative Bloq: http://www.creativebloq.com/digital-art/how-design-sci-fi-weapons-111413361

staff, e. (2013, january 30). Middle ages weapons. Retrieved from Medievalmiddleages.com: http://www.medievalmiddleages.com/middle-ages/middle-ages-weapons.html

Wikipedia. (n.d.). List of Firearms. Retrieved from Wikipedia.com: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_firearms

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Pages in category “Chinese melee weapons”. Retrieved from Wikipedia.com: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_melee_weapons

Youtube. (n.d.). Brookes Eggleston – Character Design Forge. Retrieved from Youtube.com: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJklo0Zl5tLV9kkk_Jd81EA

Youtube. (n.d.). Draw with Jazza. Retrieved from Youtube.com: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHu2KNu6TtJ0p4hpSW7Yv7Q

Youtube. (n.d.). Keinan Lafferty. Retrieved from Youtube.com: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvM8sIthAK1KOQ4nq5mYCTw

TASK 2: PRIMARY RESEARCH

For this task I am going to list the Primary research that I plan to conduct.

Observations: For this I can perform observational drawings of different subjects such as anatomy, materials, lighting from either/both from different photos and videos that I can collect via either taking them myself or by using websites such as (Pinterest, n.d.) And (youtube, n.d.), to do this, from these I can do studies and learn about these different subjects. Looking at art and magazines is another research method I intend to do in order to get a better idea for things like Fashion for my characters.

Surveys: I can conduct survey’s to see what people think about my project and my work to get ideas and feedback in order to improve my own work. I will do these surveys by creating a questionnaire of sorts and getting other’s to complete them via in person or over social media.

Experiments: I will be conducting experimental drawings in order to create my concept art throughout the entire production process of my project. These experiments will include me sketching in my sketchbooks in order to come up with ideas and concepts.

Feedback: I will ask for feedback from my lecturer’s and comment on it.