XandersCollegeBlog

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Survive / Thrive FINAL EVALUATION

One of the strongest aspects of my project this time round is my research and blogs. I have carried out a range of sources for primary and secondary research. I think that the most effective research task was the Instagram survey about the color chart. That research helped me because I couldn’t really decide what color to use. My Instagram audience were a massive help in the creative process. To apply my research to my project, I put apply sections under every post. This ensures that my research is relevant and can help me in my project. I have also done a range of secondary research into existing Graphic Novels and comparing colors, characters etc. My target audience for this project are young people who like simplistic DIY designs with vintage undertones. I think that I have definitely appealed to my audience by including the pin board design and the Polaroids. 

I wasn’t nervous going into production, I knew what I wanted and how to do it. In Flash I added a background with some pins and post it notes saved in my library. The post it notes were actually a late “during production” idea that worked out to be very effective. Before production I was questioning what to add the text on. I looked through various frames and notice board designs, but It didn’t really fit my original DIY idea. Post it notes perfectly fit the theme and Idea I wanted to portray. After that I added the Polaroids and Pins to the design. Adding the text was the last thing I did, choosing the right font was crucial to pull of the initial style. After I found the perfect font I realized that I was done and I real love how the final product turned out. My skills in Flash have 100% improved from the start of college to now. 

My Planning stage was very effective in general. I created storyboards and documents about what I was going to research. My Research Proposal PowerPoint shows this better in detail and lists the different types of research that would be carried out. One thing I would like to improve for next time is to finish planning sooner. I was a few days overdue and it ate into my pre production time. I think that my pre production work went very well because of how consistent it was. The DIY feel was the driving force behind my ideas and it stayed the same throughout my pre production. I think that the best piece of work from my pre production is my Design Document for Candyland. This piece of work stood out for me because of the theme and ideas that I discussed about the world and the characters. 

Near the end of production, there was a slight change in plan. Jess, Dan and I thought it would be best if I worked on my own for this project. This is because our storylines did not link or have anything to do with each other. Overall I think that this was a good decision because it would not have made sense having two completely different storylines and characters. Form this I learnt that I am better working on my own or in a position where I make most of the decisions in my group. 

Overall this project has been my most successful in this course so far. I think this is because that I have managed to get everything completed in a reasonable time frame. The project wasn’t too big this time either which meant that I could get it completed to a really good standard. I would say that the most challenging part of the project was trying to stick to my Gantt Chart and my time management. Next time I would get planning done faster so it doesn't eat into my pre production time. I also need more time because initially I wanted to add music and potential animations, which unfortunately.

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Making my Graphic Novel: Production Diaries

Today I have finished working on my Interactive Graphic Novel. 

When I started, I wanted to end up with a DIY style design. I wanted a pin board design with the Polaroids pinned in a messy style. After I created My Polaroids, I put all of the in my library. I created different layers for the buttons and the Polaroids so they didn’t clash. 

Coding this Graphic Novel was relatively simple. I coded the actions of the Polaroids and made them stop on each page. I also converted the arrows to buttons so my audience can go back and forth throughout the story.

The final touches that I made were adding the little details, like the pins or the post it notes. I wanted the post it notes to explain what was going on in the Polaroid. I am very happy with using post it notes because in reinforces my original DIY idea. 

Overall I am very happy with the finished product. I think that it meets my teenage demographic perfectly with the color scheme and Polaroids. The extra interactive element with the arrows is also a really cool feature which appeals to my online audience. 

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Storyboard Scans

These are my storyboard scans for my Interactive Graphic Novel.

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Making the storyboards helped my story develop because of the visuals, and what the characters look like in their natural setting. I want the art style to be simplistic and I think that these rough sketches really show that. My target audience like simplistic art styles and minimal colors, so it is perfect for my project.

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Main Characters Concept Art

This is my Concept Art for the two main characters in my graphic novel (Rihannon and Gabriella)

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Drawing the characters really helped me with the visual aspect of my Graphic Novel. It helped me see what the characters will look like and give me an idea of their personalities. I wanted to cater to my target audience and have characters that are of a younger age range. This way my audience can relate to their situations and feelings.

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Life is Strange Polaroid Inspiration

One of my main inspirations for the Polaroid layout was the game Life is Strange. I have seen the entire game played on youtube and thought that the DIY aspect of the scrapbook was simplistic, but very effective. There is something very personal about the scrap book layout.

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This inspiration helped my project immensely with the design aspect. I think that Polaroids are very effective to pull off a more personal style. This is relevant to my project because my panels are Polaroids. My target audience are also young, this is relevant because Polaroids are seen as a trend for young people. I also want to use Polaroids to keep my audience focused on the art style and to keep them interested.

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Making The Polaroids -Production Diaries

I made the Polaroids for my Interactive Graphic Novel on Photoshop. 

First I start out with the groud and the characters that are in the Polaroid. Keeping with the theme of pastel, I chose a lighter green for the grass. 

Next I created the background with the sky, broken Candy Canes and various Houses. I wanted the sky to be red because it contrasts with the first 2 Polaroids which were more calm and neutral. The houses are in the frame to foreshadow that Rihannon (The Main Character) will run to one for safety.

I finished the image by adding some drop shadows and extra textures. I added shadows under each of the characters to give them more realistic definition. In addition to this, I also added grass textures to suggest minimal realism. The clouds in the background really show how dark the land has got after everything that has happened. Lastly, I inserted lines to give definition to the houses with windows and bricks.

After finishing the image, I opened up a new file with the Polaroid template. 

The Polaroid is inserted and fit to scale so it shows as much of the scene as possible. 

The Final Polaroid which will be put into my Interactive Graphic Novel.

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Borderlands 2

In today’s lesson we played Borderlands 2. It was released in 2012 and was met with massive success. There is a wide range of customization options which reinforce the RPG element of the game. I also like how the split screen is lid out with one on top of the other for a wider perspective.

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This game has an amazing unique art style which has inspired my artwork in my Polaroids. I really like the minimalism and have incorporated that into my project. I will incorporate this into my project by using a minimalist art style myself. Furthermore my Target Audience likes that style so I can appeal to more people.

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Starting Production

Today I have officially started production on my Interactive Graphic Novel. I have made 3 of my 18 Polaroids which will be used in my Graphic Novel. 

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Making these Polaroids really helped me visualize what my final project will look like. I can now see how great my final project will look. The bright colors really appeal to my target audience as well as the Polaroid layout.

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Graphic Novel Design Outline

For my Graphic Novel, I want to challenge the traditional approach to laying the page out. For each page, there will be 4 - 6 Polaroids depending on how many pages there are. I made 18 Polaroids to fit with my 18 storyboard panels. My Graphic novel will have 6 on each page in a different messed up structure every time. I pan for the pictures to be messier as the story progresses to suggest turmoil about the characters. I also want the pages to be colored with the 5 colors I used in the survey. I also think It would be effective to add dirt marks and maybe burn marks to the pages further into the story. The filters for the Polaroids will have a light fog aspect to reinforce the gentle side of the design. 

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This idea really helped me structure my idea and go against what is normally expected in a graphic novel or a comic. I also love the design idea and the old fashioned DIY element that will be used in my project. My target audience are very creative and will understand my decision to use Polaroids from an artistic perspective.

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Color results Bar Graph

These are the results of my Instagram survey in a Bar Graph. I plan to use blue the most in the graphic novel design because it got the most votes over any other color. I will be using all of these to a degree in my project.

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This research helped me a lot with deciding what the primary color should be in my Interactive Graphic Novel. I now know that my audience on Instagram are active and are always willing to take part in surveys. This is great for future reference and other Primary Research. All of my comments that I have received are from my target audience which really makes their opinions matter on crucial decisions.

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Primary Research (Instagram Survey)

My main source of Primary Research was a survey on my instagram (@navyukedits). For this I asked my followers which color they prefer. This helped me decide what the main color will be in my interactive graphic novel

These are the results....

Next week I will be making a bar graph to be finalizing my results for this survey. 

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This research really helped me decide and think about which main colors to use in my Interactive Graphic Novel. The people who answered my survey are also my target audience so their feedback is crucial to my project. I will use this information I have gathered in the design and color of my Polaroid Panels. 

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Dark Souls 3

Today in class we played Dark Souls 3. Going into the game, it has a wide variety of customization options. I would say that this game is sold for it’s gameplay and challenging boss battles. It is known for being extremely difficult and sometimes unfair in certain circumstances. The camera is in 3rd person to suggest that the player is watching the protagonist rather than being and playing the character. This game has quite a dark art style and symbolizes a dark fantasy with the creatures and characters. 

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My Graphic Novel is focused on characters and their back stories. I have taken inspiration from the games character design and various character traits. I used this to help with my character profiles. I will incorporate this into my Graphic Novel by using unique character designs with both genders. My target audience reflect the characters unique personalities and traits.

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Survive Thrive Reference List

Youtube (November 18th 2015) Melanie Martinez - Soap (Online) Available From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjZNBGY0A38 (Accessed 24th March 2017)

Forbidden Planet (September 7th 2010) 50 Best Of The Best Graphic Novels (Online) Available From https://forbiddenplanet.com/log/50-best-best-graphic-novels/ (Accessed 19th April 2017)

MelanieMartinez.com (no date) Official Merchandise (Single Covers) (Online) Available From http://melaniemartinezmusic.com/ (Accessed 20th April 2017

Outlast Wiki (2013) Outlast Chapters (Online) Available From http://outlast.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Outlast_chapters (Accessed 26th April 2017)

The Walking Dead Wiki (no date) Development (Online) Available From http://walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/The_Walking_Dead_(Comic_Series) (Accessed April 27th) 

DC Database Fandom (no date) Batman: The Long Halloween (Online) Available From http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Batman:_The_Long_Halloween (Accessed April 27th)

Morrelle, J. (2008) Bullies, Bastards and Bitches: How to write the bad guys of fiction. Ohio: F+W Publications Inc.

Outlast Wiki (2013) Outlast Maps (Online) Available From http://outlast.wikia.com/wiki/File:Sewer2.png (Accessed May 3rd)

Celtx. (2017) Using the TV and Script Editor. (Online) https://support.celtx.com/hc/en-us/articles/214280298-Using-the-Film-TV-Script-Editor (Accessed 5th May 2017)

Field, S. (2005) Screenplay: The foundations of screenwriting. Bantam Dell: New York.

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Scheduling Blog Post

As of Wednesday (10th May) I have completed all of my pre production. One Sheet, GDD Page, Proposal, Character Profiles, Concept Art, Beat Chart, Gantt Chart, Research Mind Map, Script and target audience analysis I have also been doing lots of research, both primary and secondary. I have finished a week earlier than the deadline which really helps my time for production and gives me an extra week than expected. Next week I plan to start my designs for my graphic novel and putting them into flash. I have stayed on track by working very hard in college lessons to get everything done. I wanted to work as fast as possible so I could have the extra week to really polish my production. Overall I am very happy with my time management.

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This blog post really helped me stay on track during pre production. It also helped me finalize my pre production and keep track of my work. 

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Resident Evil 4 Vs Resident Evil 7

Immediately going into RE 4 After the latest game, there are definitely some major differences. The camera angles are the most notable aspects of each game. Resident Evil 4 is 3rd person while Resident Evil 7 is 1st. I personally prefer Resident Evil 7. This is because it really sets the atmosphere with the low lighting and jumpscare mechanics. Also it is more realistic in terms of textures and body movement. The enemies are also scarier because the blood and gore textures have improved massively since the 4th game.

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Playing both of these games helped me realize how much a series of games can change over time. Also resident evil 7 has some scary content and mythology which could potentially be used in my game. I will incorporate this by adding mystery and suspense into my game. I will do this by putting the antagonist in a cloak with a hood to shield their identity. This will appeal to my target audience because they like horror and anything creepy.

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Character Profiles

This blog post will outline what my characters traits and personalities are like so I can further develop my story.

Rihannon

STATUS: Main character

AGE: 17

PERSONALITY: Kind, respectful, shy, isolated. Not afraid to speak her mind. Doesn’t care what people think about her. 

BACKSTORY: Had a normal upbringing in Candyland. Her parents are on holiday when the events of the Graphic Novel occur. She graduated high school with very high grades unlike Gabriella. She lives in the rich district with apart time job. Her parents are rich lawyers who can afford to live on the richest street in Candyland.

Gabriella 

STATUS: Secondary character (Rihannon’s best friend)

AGE: 19

PERSONALITY: Loyal, shady, bold, outgoing. She is the typical definition of a “Fake Friend” The people around her don’t seem to realize until she leaves and never contacts her “Friends” again.

BACKSTORY: Her upbringing was a lot rougher than Rihannon’s. Her parents died when she was little and she had no immediate family to care for her. Due to this, she was put into foster care and was transferred multiple times. She met Rihannon in High School and now lives on her own. Her troubled childhood really reinforces her fake friend antics and the events in the Graphic Novel.

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This activity helped me with developing my characters stories. This will also affect their actions and how they react to certain situations in the Graphic Novel. I tailored this around the age and backstories of my Target Audience who are really reflected through these profiles.

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Character Development Research

This exercise focused on Character Development. 

MEDIA INSPIRATION EXAMPLES

MUSIC: Melanie Martinez (Ascetic, Looks) 

GAMES: Outlast (Smooth Textures, Dark Themes)

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This activity helped me massively with my character development and drawing from personal experience. I may not have a direct antagonist, but I use what I watch and listen to as inspiration for my other characters and settings. The multimedia devices also helped forge my world and characters. I put what specifically inspired me in those media products to include in my game. I want to appeal to my Target Audience by following my inspirations and putting them into my game.