Chapter 1 - Who am I?



Benjaman GreenUAL Games Development Year 2UAL Extended Diploma: Creative Media Production and TechnologyUnit 12 Specialist Study in Creative Media ProductionFigure 1 Please put your own, relevant picture here. Personalise!CONTENTS TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Chapter 1 - Who am I? PAGEREF _Toc501630498 \h 4Chapter 2 – The Report PAGEREF _Toc501630499 \h 5Chapter 3 - Experimentation and Skills PAGEREF _Toc501630500 \h 6Chapter 4 - Unit 12 Presentation and Plans for Unit 13 PAGEREF _Toc501630501 \h 7Chapter 5 - Weekly Schedule of Work PAGEREF _Toc501630502 \h 8Chapter 6 – Peer Reviews PAGEREF _Toc501630503 \h 14Chapter 7– Weekly Progress Tracker PAGEREF _Toc501630504 \h 15Appendix PAGEREF _Toc501630505 \h 20Appendices 1 – Unit 12 Criteria and Work to be Produced PAGEREF _Toc501630506 \h 20Appendix 2 – Students Calendar, Checklist and Scheme of Work PAGEREF _Toc501630507 \h 21Appendix 3 – Chapter Bibliographies PAGEREF _Toc501630508 \h 23Chapter 1 PAGEREF _Toc501630509 \h 23Chapter 2 PAGEREF _Toc501630510 \h 23Chapter 3 PAGEREF _Toc501630511 \h 23Table of Figures TOC \h \z \c "Figure" Figure 1 Please put your own, relevant picture here. Personalise! PAGEREF _Toc501626581 \h 1Chapter 1 - Who am I?I have had experience when it comes to working in a team as well as working independent. I've experienced obstacles that other people might go through in their life and I've experienced having loved ones by my side. Before I never really worked in a company/industry but lately I’ve started working at a toys store, working in retail. I have come to realise that working in retail gives you the opportunity to show how hard working you are and how much you try to succeed even when you hit barriers. Working in retail has to be one of my best experiences due to me learning a lot from it.Multiple ways to getting to where you want to be. I believe that there isn’t just one route that you can take to get to where you want to be. I believe that there are multiple, I want to become a games developer but that doesn't mean I have to study it in college or university to become one... there are other ways, like YouTube.I value one friend; that's all I need in my life. She gives me the strength to keep fighting my demons and to carry on with my life. I've ran into so many problems and obstacles, yet she has always been here for me to support me in my time of need. Without her I don't think I would've carried on with this course or anything else that's considered. In the end, I value friendships more than anything because friends may not always be there for you but it always teaches you a lesson or two about who your real friends are and to what lengths they go to support you.My influences in my life has been my one friend that I can always rely on. She is strong; both physically and mentally. I would love to be like her when I get older since she does everything for so many people; she helps from the kindness of her heat, she gives from the generosity that she has and she trusts even know people might use her. She's a lovely person and I want to be like that in the future.I'm not a big fan of talking about my 'background', even if that means getting a grade. I haven't had the best background and let's leave it at that. I have learnt to deal with the problems that I have faced in my earlier life to be able to grow bigger, better and stronger. As the year has progressed, I have felt a lot better since all my problems started. I have grown enough to be able to put my problems to one side whilst working on my work.We wasn't an exactly rich or poor family; we were roughly average. We had food, drink. Electric, water etc. etc. so nothing that an average family doesn't have.Yiruma, He's my inspiration since he's talented at piano and learnt at a very young age. There may be a lot of people in the world who can play the piano at a very good level but Yiruma plays his own music the way he feels it should be played. His music makes us all feel at ease. He learnt at a new age when other people thought it wasn’t a good idea for his future, he could’ve gone far doing something else they said, but he did what HE wanted to do.My one friend is my inspiration since she doesn't ever give up; she believes in herself a lot and she makes me want to try ever harder when it comes to course work or just work in general. With her around I feel like I'm always in a competition; I need to be better! I need to be stronger! With all the stuff that she goes through and the stuff she has to deal with; I'm surprised she makes time for me or anyone else for that matter. She influences me to become a better, bigger and a stronger person. Since last year, my inspiration hasn’t changed and I don’t think it ever will. I will always focus on being better in more aspects than one.This is who I am, as a person and as an individual.My favourite media product is 'League of Legends'. League of legends is a fast-paced game that gets your mind at a focused pace. It is a competitive online game that puts 5 players against another 5 to see which team is the stronger/smarter team. Both of the team's goals are to complete objectives, farm, kill other players and lastly, destroy the enemies' nexus. League of Legends is an RTS (Real-Time-Strategy) game with RPG (Role-Playing-Game) elements. Each champion (A playable character) has a unique design and playstyle. There are different game modes that you could choose, from the original 5v5 to 3v3. League of Legends has an ever-expanding rooster of champions, frequent updates and heart-racing tournaments.League is my favourite media product because of how much I have played it, how much I've trained myself to get better at a single character within the game. I try to make sure that I do the best that I can possibly do, and when I actually do really well within the game, I become proud of myself. Winning a game of league and doing well gives you a sense of accomplishment, that’s what I really love about it. The game is always rewarding too. When you play and do well, you get in-game rewards such as more characters or skins (Different looks/outfits) for your characters. Last but not least, it's my favourite game because every game that you go into, it's different, different characters and different types of players to play along with. League of legends is a challenge, that's what keeps me playing.League has been my inspiration for games ever since I started playing it which was in 2011, which was 2 years after it was developed. It's not my inspiration just because it's my favourite game, it's an inspiration due to how much the founders have worked on their game. Both Marc Merrill and Brandon Beck did an amazing job. From when it was low resolution, slow animations and bad graphics to top-notch graphics, high-spec resolution and funny, yet serious animations. Marc Merrill and Brandon Beck are my favourite media practitioners, they are my inspiration for games. At first League of Legends only caught the attention of a few hundred players, this was because Dota was the dominant MOBA game at the time, now League of legends dominate it. That's how far the founders have gone to make their game a success, it's inspiring.You also need to include your skills timeline which details the skills you joined the course with, and the skills you have nowYou also need to include your skills focus, which details and explains the skills you are considering developing and working on for your Extended Project.Chapter 2 – The ReportThis chapter needs to include: -Your research, your analysis of that research and your conclusion of how that research is going to facilitate your work for your Extended Project.You can produce either of these reports, or both.Product Report which will detail all aspects of your favourite media product. Covering research, analysis and application of that research. This should be a personal report, it is about why you like it, but it is also about its contextuality, its relevance to the wider world of media and it’s place in the development of media products i.e. was it ground breaking? Genre creating? Technology driven? OrPractitioner Report, which will look at two inspirational media Practioners that you feel have influenced your media development. There should be a present one (active in the last 10 years) and a past one (technically dead! but can be not active in the last 10 years) . The report will cover your research, analysis and application of that research. This should be a personal report, it is about why you like them, why you chose them. It is also about their contextuality, and their relevance in the wider world of media i.e. were they ground breaking? Genre creating? Etc etc!Do not just choose one because it is less work. You choose the report that is most relevant to you, and ideally, to benefit you, you do both reports. The more you research, the more informed you are, the better your decision on your Extended Project will be, and therefore the better your Extended Project will be.Chapter 3 - Experimentation and SkillsThis chapter needs to include: -The research questions, research plans and analysis of that research, for each of your experiments and skills development. Each experiment needs: -An introductionA clear explanation of what was undertaken A conclusion of how this information was used by you.ExampleFinal Major Project ExperimentsExperiment One:Photographs of the Environment:Setting Up CameraBefore going out to take photographs of the environment, I had to make sure that my camera was set up correctly. This means making sure the contrast is synchronised well with the sun’s light, making sure the lens isn’t dirty so that when the photographs are taken, there wouldn’t be marks. Making sure that I am zoomed in the right amount as well as making sure that I’m not too far zoomed out. Lastly; and most importantly, I had to make sure that the camera was in focus, if it wasn’t then I wouldn’t be able to clearly see the photographs for my reference. A clear photo is a good photo, it will allow me to easily make smooth, HD textures for my virtual environment.Choosing a Destination and Why I Chose ItI chose multiple destinations when taking photographs. I had to keep in mind that the theme for my environment is abandoned. Meaning that there will be a lot of foliage growing within the environment since the foliage has been unattended by humans. I chose the back of our college since the roads and paths are mostly cracked, it was also damp and wet which is perfect for my virtual environment since it gives the effect that the area has been abandoned due to the cracked paths and potholes within the road.Lastly, I chose a road going down in the middle of a field. Within the area, there is barely anything in sight. In the background there is a small industrial estate. Trees all around the background and a lonely road. I took a photo of this area because it shows a lonely road, just like the player; he will be lonely, all by himself in the middle of an abandoned area. When creating my environment I will be going back and forth, looking at this picture. This is because this picture gives me inspiration on how the environment is when it’s been left unattended.Talk About The lighting/SunWhen taking photos at the back of the college, there was no extra light from the sun so the camera took photos easily however, when I left college grounds, it became a different story. I started taking photos but the photos would come out white, so I decided that I might need to change the contrast (brightness) to be a little darker. By doing this, it made the camera view the environment darker instead of having the natural sunlight interfering with the pictures. This made it easier to take photos in the light.Talk About The Fixed RangeWhen using the camera, the range is always fixed unless you’re taking pictures off the environment. When taking pictures of grass, trees, concrete or pavement, you will always be at a fixed range from the material that you’re taking a photo off. This is because you don’t want to be too close that the photo becomes blurry, not only this but if you’re too close to the material, when you create the texture and place it into the Unreal Engine, the texture will repeat itself too much and it won’t look naturalistic. You don’t want to be too far away when taking photos of materials because you only want the texture within the photo, this is because it saves time from editing the photo, to make sure the material fits within the canvas size.The Question That I Am Trying To AnswerBy choosing to experiment with textures and how they’re created with different tools, I wanted to get an idea on how the type of tool would impact the final creation of the texture. Not only this but I wanted to create a texture that was from a damp environment and the same texture in a warm environment. By doing this I will see how the texture changes from it being damp to what it looks like in a hotter environment. In the end, this will give me the information that I will need for my project. I will find out if there is any need of making a texture look damp looking and using more of my time on creating that texture rather than just using a normal texture that was taken from a hotter environment. My question is “Is there any need to spend more time on creating a damp looking environment compared to a natural, sunny one?” Also, “What’s the difference between natural textures compared to damp/wet textures?”Experiment Two:Creating the Textures:Setting Up Photoshop DocumentAfter the photographs were taken, I headed back to the college to create my seamless textures. First thing’s first, I transfer the files from the camera onto my computer, then I create my own folder and name it ‘Project_Photographs’ and place all my photographs into that file so it’s neat and tidy, easy to find.Once all the transferring was complete, I created a new document for my photo. I had to make sure the name was ‘Concrete_Texture’ so that I knew what this was and is going to be. After, I changed the width and height to 1000 pixels.After the document was created, I imported my photograph into that document that we just created. Before I do anything, I would have to Rasterize the image, this allows me to crop and edit the photo to my liking. I then went onto the ‘Crop’ tool, as you can see in the below screenshot. After I clicked onto the crop tool, I clicked on my image and pressed the ‘ENTER’ key located on the east side of the keyboard. After that was completed and cropped, I then had to change the offset of the photo. This was done by locating ‘Filter’ at the top of the software. After locating, click on ‘Other’, after clicking, it will show ‘Offset’, click it. It should then open a new window, just like the one in the below picture. We then change the Pixels on both horizontal and vertical to ‘1584’. We’re choosing this amount of pixels because this is the amount of 44 Inches converted into pixels and then halved. We do this so that Photoshop can find the centre point off the photo and then converts the image into four separate parts so that it makes the image ‘Seamless’. We need it seamless so that when we use this texture in the Unreal EngineLastly, we used the tool located on the left side of Photoshop, this tool is called the ‘Clone Stamp Tool’. This tool allows me to copy other parts of the photo and place them wherever I like. I do this so that I can remove the lines that are going through the image. The idea is to make this texture smooth and consistent.After playing around with the tool to make the image smooth and consistent, it didn’t turn out the best as you can see in the below screenshot.Texture Artist, Inspirations and Their WorkAnselm Kiefer (Born 1945), is a talented man that focuses his work on the style of textures within his art. Kiefer is my inspiration for creating textures because he makes the textures as if you can feel what the painting feels like just by looking at it. I want to create my textures as if the player knows what they would feel like even though they’re not in the game themselves. My work is related to his because I have made my texture a little 3D like even though it’s a 2D image. The point of this is to make the texture stand out more within the environment. The ground is what the player will see the most so it has to be suitable for the type of environment and generation as well as being eye-catching for the audience so it grabs their attention for the detail that was put into the work.Explain How The Image Can Be Changed/Morphed For My ProjectThere are a few things that I can do to a photo that I’ve taken and placed into Photoshop. First off all, there’s the contrast. I can make the photo look more happy and joyful rather than dull and bland, this is done just by changing the brightness off the texture/image. Secondly, I can create a spec map, bump map and UV map to change the texture within an environment to stand out more. It will make the texture more 3D within the game as well as making the texture reflect light, this is ideal if the texture is based off a damp environment. Chapter 4 - Unit 12 Presentation and Plans for Unit 13This chapter will include your presentation that you have given to the class and lecturers detailing the work and research you have produced, and your analysis of how that work, research and experimentation have informed your plans for Unit 13.Chapter 5 - Weekly Schedule of Work Week 1 w/c January 1st2018Introduction to Unit 12PowerPointTasks to be undertaken this weekApprovedMonday am x 3 A’s not inWednesday am x 3Monday pm x 2A’s not inThursday am x 3Tuesday am x 2Thursday pm x 1Tuesday pm x 2Friday am x 3Wednesday am x 2Friday pm x 1Week 2w/c January 8th 2018The Report PowerPointMain Research Question: -ApprovedTasks to be undertaken this weekMonday am x 3Wednesday am x 3Monday pm x 2Thursday am x 3Tuesday am x 2Thursday pm x 1Tuesday pm x 2Friday am x 3Wednesday am x 2Friday pm x 1Week 3w/c 15th January 2018Experimentation and Skills PowerPointMain Research Question: -ApprovedTasks to be undertaken this weekMonday am x 3Wednesday am x 3Monday pm x 2Thursday am x 3Tuesday am x 2Thursday pm x 1Tuesday pm x 2Friday am x 3Wednesday am x 2Friday pm x 1Week 4w/c 22nd January 2018Main Research Question: -ApprovedTasks to be undertaken this weekMonday am x 3Wednesday am x 3Monday pm x 2Thursday am x 3Tuesday am x 2Thursday pm x 1Tuesday pm x 2Friday am x 3Wednesday am x 2Friday pm x 1Week 5w/c 29th January 2018Main Research Question: -ApprovedTasks to be undertaken this weekMonday am x 3Wednesday am x 3Monday pm x 2Thursday am x 3Tuesday am x 2Thursday pm x 1Tuesday pm x 2Friday am x 3Wednesday am x 2Friday pm x 1Chapter 6 – Peer ReviewsWeek 1Reviewed by: Rowan Beck & Jack SimpsonWho Am I:I was told by Rowan that I should include my hobbies and Inspirations within my Who Am I. He said that I didn't talk much about my hobbies, instead I only spoke about my love for piano. Secondly, I was told by Rowan that some of my work can be taken off, this is because I have waffled a little bit in my work or that I am adding unnecessary information to my work. Lastly, I need to cut down some of my work in chapter one and then put the removed pieces into chapter 2.My Skills Timeline:Since my skills timeline is not finished, I was told to just use my old skills timeline and add onto that. When I finish my skills timeline I will ask for it to be reviewed again.Week 2Reviewed by:-Week 3Reviewed by:-Week 4Reviewed by:-Week 5Reviewed by:-Chapter 7– Weekly Progress TrackerProgress Tracker - Week 1Reflection on the work you have produced this weekProblems/situations you encountered this week and how you resolved themProblemResolutionNotes on Resources and Sources used in the production of this week’s postChecklistSpellcheckedProofreadIntroductionConclusionHarvardPresentationPublishedLecturers Feedback, detailing further actions you need to take (student to complete)Progress Tracker - Week 2Reflection on the work you have produced this weekProblems/situations you encountered this week and how you resolved themProblemResolutionNotes on Resources and Sources used in the production of this week’s postChecklistSpellcheckedProofreadIntroductionConclusionHarvardPresentationPublishedLecturers Feedback, detailing further actions you need to take (student to complete)Progress Tracker - Week 3Reflection on the work you have produced this weekProblems/situations you encountered this week and how you resolved themProblemResolutionNotes on Resources and Sources used in the production of this week’s postChecklistSpellcheckedProofreadIntroductionConclusionHarvardPresentationPublishedLecturers Feedback, detailing further actions you need to take (student to complete)Progress Tracker - Week 4Reflection on the work you have produced this weekProblems/situations you encountered this week and how you resolved themProblemResolutionNotes on Resources and Sources used in the production of this week’s postChecklistSpellcheckedProofreadIntroductionConclusionHarvardPresentationPublishedLecturers Feedback, detailing further actions you need to take (student to complete)Progress Tracker - Week 5Reflection on the work you have produced this weekProblems/situations you encountered this week and how you resolved themProblemResolutionNotes on Resources and Sources used in the production of this week’s postChecklistSpellcheckedProofreadIntroductionConclusionHarvardPresentationPublishedLecturers Feedback, detailing further actions you need to take (student to complete)AppendixAppendices 1 – Unit 12 Criteria and Work to be ProducedUNIT 12- SPECIALIST STUDY IN CREATIVE MEDIA PRODUCTIONLearning Outcomes Assessment CriteriaWork to be producedAIM: Research and critically examine the influence of historical and contemporary contexts on their own practice.Understand the principles and practices of a chosen discipline in creative media production.1.1 Critically describe a range of contextual perspectives influencing a chosen discipline in creative media production.The Report Practioners ReportProduct Report1.2Apply knowledge of critical perspectives to inform own practice.Unit Portfolio and PresentationBe able to locate and evaluate information form a range of sources 2.1Identify a range of relevant academic and cultural sources for a personal research project.The ReportExperimentation and Skills2.2Critically evaluate information from a range of sources to inform ideas.Unit Portfolio and PresentationBe able to communicate ideas and arguments in a variety of forms. 3.1Apply academic conventions in the production and presentation of ideas.Unit Portfolio and Presentation3.2Effectively communicate ideas in appropriate formats.Unit Portfolio and PresentationAppendix 2 – Students Calendar, Checklist and Scheme of WorkWEEK 1 – w/c 1st January 2018Tuesday amRemainder of the weekCollege not open MonIntroduction to Unit 12Power Point 1 – Introduction to Unit 12What is expected i.e. Portfolios etcHow it works – Personal ScheduleStudy GroupsPeer ReviewCritiquesWhy – Unit 13WHO AM I?Objective for session: - Schedule Week 1 producedWork on your scheduleLast lesson of the week: -Peer ReviewCritiqueReflective LogWed pm (x3)Tues pm (a’s) Thurs am (x3)Introduction to Unit 12Power Point 1 Introduction to Unit 12What is expected i.e. Portfolios etcHow it works – Personal ScheduleStudy GroupsPeer ReviewCritiquesWhy – Unit 13WHO AM I?Objective for session: - Schedule Week 1 producedSchedule agreed with LecturerAdvisory Schedule: -Produce Timeline for skills development to dateMind Map on Who am I? – my favourite media products, my inspirational media producerMy skills focusWEEK 2 – w/c 8th January 2018Mon am (x3)Mon pm (x2)Remainder of the weekWed pm (x3)Thurs am (x3)Power Point 2 – The ReportHow to undertake a Literature Review, both generally and specifically for The Report, based on weeks 1 tasks – favourite media Practioners, and favourite Media Product and should tie in with skills focus.Objective for session: - Schedule Week 2 producedSchedule agreed with LecturerAdvisory Schedule: -The ReportWork on your scheduleLast lesson of the week: -Peer ReviewCritiqueReflective LogWEEK 3 – w/c 15th January 2018Mon am (x3)Mon pm (x2)Remainder of the weekWed pm (x3)Thurs am (x3)Power Point 3Experimentation and SkillsHow to structure an experiment – what is the research question and what is the research plan to find the answer to that question.Based on weeks 1 tasks – when you looked at your skills, and what you want to focus on.If you are unsure of what to do, then use the FEAR project to get you focused and doingSchedule Week 3 producedSchedule agreed with LecturerAdvisory Schedule: -Detail planed experimentation and skills task What is their research question and what is their research plan to answer that question? You can leave college if necessary and relevant.OrFEAR ProjectWork on your scheduleLast lesson of the week: -Peer ReviewCritiqueReflective LogWeek 4 and Week 5 w/c 22nd and 29th January 2018Mon am (x3)Mon pm (x2)Remainder of the weekWed pm (x3)Thurs am (x3)Independent Study now….Schedule Week 4 and 5 produced and approvedWork on Schedule – With constant checking by staffWork on your scheduleLast lesson of the week: -Peer ReviewCritiqueReflective LogWeek 6 – 5th February 2018Presentation and Progress Review Week – All students present their findings and possible thoughts on Unit 13. Portfolio made perfect!Self-Directed Study Week Appendix 3 – Chapter BibliographiesChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download