Pre-Production skills:

At the start of the term I came in new to all the course. I

was new to photoshop, new to animation and new to the
college environment.

I started to use moodboards to help with the ideas of what

I’m going to do for my topic. I was somewhat new to
moodboards as I didn’t really use them in school, and I was
never taught how to use them properly. However, since
coming to college I have been using them properly to
develop my ideas more and they’ve helped me a lot to get a
better understanding of what I want to achieve.

I started to use mindmaps to again, help me get a better idea of

what I wanted to produce. I occasionally used them in school
however I was never taught properly or how to use them to my
advantage. Whereas in college they help me a lot as I know how
to properly make them and use them to help me. For example,
when doing a silhouette of a boxing match in Fraziers lesson I
used the mindmap to help get a better idea of what colours to
use.

I started to use storyboards to help me. I never used them in

school. My understanding of them is still limited however I now have enough of an understanding to
use them to my advantage. I used a storyboard to make the robot animation. It helped me and the
group to get a better understanding of the story and we all knew what we wanted to happen.

When I started the college course, I was shy and anxious. In school when I worked in groups, I was
always the quiet kid that would let the rest of the group decided what to do. However, I feel like that
has changed and I’m inputting ideas and giving ideas towards a group discussion.

Production Skills:

I had never used photoshop until I started college. Within the first 2 weeks I
had already learnt the basic functions and how to use it properly. Now I’m in
my 4th month at college I can use photoshop well, with a much better
understanding of it. My abilities on using photoshop keep improving as I’m still
learning how to use it, its shortcuts and understanding all the available tools. I
used photoshop to make my moodboards and logos for: Kingdoms of Valour.

I started using cameras when I was 14. I got my first camera at 14, it was a
Fujifilm FinePix S9500. It had simple functions such as take a single picture and
video. I stopped using a camera at 16 as I had nothing to photograph and I had exams to focus on -
stopping me from using my camera for a good 6-7 months. When I started college, I relearnt how to
use a camera. When shooting the animations, I preferred to be taking the photos as it is what I had
experience in, and I enjoyed doing. We did swap over, so I was doing some of the movement in the
animation and someone else was behind the camera taking the photos.
I had success making physical animations with clay, robots we made from foam blocks and basic stop
frame animation. I prefer this kind of animation as it’s a lot more hands on and creative. I have had
experience in stop frame animation; however, it was very basic stop frame animations shot on a
Nintendo 3DS.

I had success in digital animation. However, I did find it hard as I had no experience in doing it. My
favourite animation was sprite animation as I had never done that kind before and I enjoyed the
creative side of it, and it was one of the first animation types that had properly engaged my fully
attention.

Post-Production Skills:

To edit photos, we use photoshop. Its one of the main software’s used to edit photos.
I had no experience in editing photos other than cropping them. However, I feel like I
can do a lot more than crop now. I enjoy editing photos a lot more than editing
videos as it gives me the freedom to do whatever I want with an image and use that
image however I want. I used my skills of editing photos in my moodboards and
silhouette image I made. I used the colour overlay feature to get the red and blue
boxer.

To edit videos, we use a various amount of software’s such as Adobe Premier Pro. I
had experience in video editing before I joined college. This
allowed me to be more confident within what I was doing.
However, I’m not as confident in Adobe Premier Pro as I am
with the editing software I use at home and I’m still learning
basic functions of Adobe Premier Pro. I used Adobe Premier
Pro to make the robot stop frame animation.

Soft Skills:

To think of my ideas for animations and logos I took

inspiration for online. Then used moodboards, mindmaps
and storyboard to get down my ideas.

To plan and organise I used storyboards and mindmaps. I used mindmaps because its ordered and
simple to follow, so following and sticking to 1 idea is easier, keeping me organised. To plan I used a
combination of mindmaps and storyboards. I used storyboards to plan my animation and what I
wanted to happen, and I used the mindmaps to help me get a better understanding of what should
be included in the animation.

Working in groups isn’t my strongest ability, as I use to just let others get on with it. However, that’s
changed since joining college. I prefer working in a group as it helps me think of ideas and it lets me
help others. When working on a group task we all input ideas and then produce a successful
animation. For example, the Santa animation me and my group made. We used clay to make the
models.

Leading a group is something that I’m not strong at. I prefer to hear other people’s ideas and then
input and improve on that idea.

I’m currently retaking English. I believe the reason I failed was because I lose all interest in English
altogether and didn’t try or bother in the exams. I stopped enjoying English around year 9 and from
there I never got the proper help I need to get me back on tracks. However, I’m starting to enjoy
English again and the lessons I’m in, I feel like I’m able to show what I’m truly capable of doing.