Unit 4 - Interactive Project - Evaluation

1. FMP Evaluation
Will Stewart

2. Production Process Evaluation

3. Research
• The greatest strength of my research was the way it explored the current
trends and styles of the stick figure internet culture. The most common
threads connecting them were the use of colour, lighting, space, motion
and sound, with the amount of control over these subjects deciding the
overall quality of the video.
• My research did lack however, the more technical aspects, such as the
exact equipment used in the animation process, including the software
programs that might have been utilised.
• In terms of improvements, if I had been aware of the types of programs
and techniques used, I might have been able to apply those principles to
my own work, enhancing it’s level of quality.

4. Planning
• The greatest strength of my planning was the way I laid out my schedule.
By dividing production into various stages of quality development, I was
able to carefully manage the way it progressed, from a simple drawing on
paper to a fully-functional Premier file with careful editing and sound.
• The biggest weakness of my planning was that it didn’t allow a lot of
fluidity. If an unforeseen variable came about, it might have delayed
production past the allotted time slot, and depending on the severity of
the situation, could have put me back by more than a day.
• If I could improve anything about my planning, it would probably be to
make it less rigid, and to make it more adaptable to outside factors. This
way, if I did come across a delay, I could at least have some form of fall-
back plan that might help me overcome any obstacles.

5. Time Management
• As I managed to complete my project for the assigned due date, I do
believe that I managed my time well. Thanks to the schedule I created, I
monitored my own progress with what was expected of me, moving my
production along as was intended.
• If I had additional time, I probably would have explored more sound
options for the resulting Premier file, instead of immediately choosing the
first result I found suitable. The extra time could also have helped me with
the final frames, allowing me develop more unique movements instead of
the repeated actions in the final stages of the project.

6. Technical Qualities
Both products use bold
colours and graphics to
construct subjects and
environments. This
creates a bold image
that sticks within the
viewer’s mind,
attracting attention
from otherwise
unrelated parties.
Both products are prominently
action-oriented, featuring
combative scenarios with
commonly over-the-top fight
scenes, oftentimes defying the
laws of physics and/or reality.
This is to appeal to the viewer’s
sense of wish fulfilment,
something that deviates from
reality with such vigour
enthralling them through their
need for escapism.
Both products are fairly minimalistic in
terms of detail, the whole concept of stick
figures being focused solely on action and
movement. This allows the producers to
focus more upon smoothing out the
animation process with less cluttered
details to worry about.

7. Aesthetic Qualities
Strengths
- Easily animated, does not require
overly complex or extravagant
movements.
- Requires minimal alteration for extra
subject models, rotations and flips
being the only things that could
necessarily constitute an overt change
in the overall animation.
- The basic colour scheme and
environment allows for minimal
conservation of detail, elimination of
unnecessary add-ons being one of the
core tenets of stick-figure animation.
Weaknesses
- The extreme minimalism could deter
some members of the audience,
namely those who are concerned with
the art and design quality, or those
who are simply not interested in this
kind of style.
- Others could be turned away by the
way the piece is constructed,
Photoshop not necessarily being the
best type of program to do animation
in.
- The animation itself is also disjointed
in some areas, mainly towards the end
of the project as the time limit began
to close in.
Improvements
- If I had more time, I would go back over and see if I could add
any extra frames to improve connectivity, or see if anything
could be more streamlined to improve the flow of the
animation.
- Possibly work a little more on the subject and environment
design, just to smooth them out a little bit.

8. Audience Appeal
The violent nature of the animation is
sure to appeal to those with more
confrontational tendencies, likely those
invested with combative video games.
The bold colouration is used to attract
potential interests, mainly by
appealing to the audience’s need for
extravagance, related to their
tendency to crave escapism. By
utilising this habit, the producer can
carefully craft scenarios that appeal to
this escapist nature, drawing the
audience in with their own fantasies.
The environment around the
subjects is comprised colours that
fall on both ends of the light
spectrum. This is to convey a sense
of drama to the piece, by using this
combination to represent conflict
between light and dark, appealing to
the audience’s primal hunger for
something greater than themselves.

9. Peer
Feedback

10. Feedback 1
• What did you like about the product?
– The game works effectively, the sound works well with the
production. The characters are distinguishable between
each other.
• What improvements could have been made to the
product?
• The product could have some more flow with
animation but does work well with the sound. The
background looks good but could be done with more
detail.

11. Feedback 2
• What did you like about the product?
– Funny sounds that are accurately placed
– The background was detailed and the characters
were satisfactorily designed and it is clear which
character is on which side.
• What improvements could have been made to
the product?
– The characters could have had an attack
animation or some sort of movement animation.
Luv u Will <3

12. Feedback 3
• What did you like about the product?
– I think the bright visuals and the timing of the audio is
really effective. It clearly would be attractive and
interesting for the target audience and it is clear what the
action of the game is that you play.
• What improvements could have been made to the
product?
• A intro page with the name of the game would give
more details and also a HP counter and health bar
added to the characters would be an effective addition
to the gameplay to add suspense and extra information
for the player.

13. Peer Feedback Summary
• What do you agree with from your peer
feedback?
– The game is easy to understand with it’s very clear
intent, and has accurate animation and sound
editing.
• What do you disagree with from your peer
feedback?
– The piece works well with it’s current animations,
and while it would work better aesthetically, it
was all that could be done within the time frame.

14. Peer Feedback Summary
If I had the time, I would probably try to make some other animation models, so
that more movement sequences could be created, enhancing the quality of the
piece.
With further time, I could also explore more options in terms of sound editing,
allowing for a greater variety of sound files. This is due to using one of the first
options I found, something that might not have happened if I had found
something better.
Successfully, the animation quality overall is good, carrying itself through the
frames smoothly and without any notable irregularities. I consider this endeavour
a success, and it has helped me become more confident in my animation skills,
thankfully easing the anxiety I had before the project started.