A lot of thoughts went through my head seeing Capstones this past Friday. I know I need to bring my "A" game to it next year because this is it, this the last thing I will do at the collegiate level and I need to make sure I leave my mark and make a good impression on future employers, if there are any there that night. I discovered a lot of blood, sweat, and tears go into Capstones and you have to give it your all.
I found it helpful because I got to talk to different people who were presenting and it gave me an insightful look into how people approached Capstones. It was a good thing to go and have a look to see what everybody did.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Capstone Interviews
At Capstone Night yesterday, I interviewed three people there. They were Xian Guan, Lawrence Marshall, and Nate Moody. Here is a recap of what they said.
Xian Guan, Character Modeler
1. Why did you choose this for your capstone project?
She wanted to be a character artist, so she decided to model and texture two high detailed characters for her portfolio.
2. What are some of the changes that you had to make between your original idea and what you are presenting today?
She was going to do 3, but didn’t have enough time, so she had to drop one. She was also going to texture the clothes, but ran out of time, so she put a maya procedural texture on instead.
3. What is your opinion of the timeline for your capstone? Was it helpful or a waste of time? Why?
She said it was alright, but she had to overshoot her timeline, so she wouldn’t finish it, but would still get a lot done.
4. If you could change anything about your capstone, what would that be?
She wanted to have a layout made, so she could spend time more correctly and waste less time. If she had a layout, she would of spent more time getting a better pose of the characters for the scene.
5. What advice would you give me in planning for my capstone?
Start now, watch out for scope creep.
Lawrence Marshall, Stereoscopic Scenes
1. Why did you choose this for your capstone project?
I wanted an opportunity to try and use all the different skills I have learned in the master's program.
2. What are some of the changes that you had to make between your original idea and what you are presenting today?
Originally I planned on shooting one 20 second short. Because I used one camera to shoot in stereo, I was very limited in what kinds of shots were possible. I split it into two small videos so that I could cover all the different skills and focus on playing to different strengths.
3. What is your opinion of the timeline for your capstone? Was it helpful or a waste of time? Why?
I never bothered with the timeline. There were a few blind alleys that I went down. Quite a bit of my project involved experimentation and incorporating what I discovered along the way.
4. If you could change anything about your capstone, what would that be?
A stereo rig would have allowed me to do more interesting things.
5. What advice would you give me in planning for my capstone?
Having done capstone as an undergrad where I started two years ahead of time and a grad where I started 9 months out, time is everything. That being said having the vision to work so far ahead requires a lot of thought. It also rules out skills you may pickup in the intervening time period.
Nate Moody, Graphic Novel
1. Why did you choose this for your capstone project?
Expand storytelling skills
2. What are some of the changes that you had to make between your original idea and what you are presenting today?
Not many
3. What is your opinion of the timeline for your capstone? Was it helpful or a waste of time? Why?
It's a guideline and good way to gauge progress
4. If you could change anything about your capstone, what would that be?
More physical things
5. What advice would you give me in planning for my capstone?
Do something you're familiar with
Xian Guan, Character Modeler
1. Why did you choose this for your capstone project?
She wanted to be a character artist, so she decided to model and texture two high detailed characters for her portfolio.
2. What are some of the changes that you had to make between your original idea and what you are presenting today?
She was going to do 3, but didn’t have enough time, so she had to drop one. She was also going to texture the clothes, but ran out of time, so she put a maya procedural texture on instead.
3. What is your opinion of the timeline for your capstone? Was it helpful or a waste of time? Why?
She said it was alright, but she had to overshoot her timeline, so she wouldn’t finish it, but would still get a lot done.
4. If you could change anything about your capstone, what would that be?
She wanted to have a layout made, so she could spend time more correctly and waste less time. If she had a layout, she would of spent more time getting a better pose of the characters for the scene.
5. What advice would you give me in planning for my capstone?
Start now, watch out for scope creep.
Lawrence Marshall, Stereoscopic Scenes
1. Why did you choose this for your capstone project?
I wanted an opportunity to try and use all the different skills I have learned in the master's program.
2. What are some of the changes that you had to make between your original idea and what you are presenting today?
Originally I planned on shooting one 20 second short. Because I used one camera to shoot in stereo, I was very limited in what kinds of shots were possible. I split it into two small videos so that I could cover all the different skills and focus on playing to different strengths.
3. What is your opinion of the timeline for your capstone? Was it helpful or a waste of time? Why?
I never bothered with the timeline. There were a few blind alleys that I went down. Quite a bit of my project involved experimentation and incorporating what I discovered along the way.
4. If you could change anything about your capstone, what would that be?
A stereo rig would have allowed me to do more interesting things.
5. What advice would you give me in planning for my capstone?
Having done capstone as an undergrad where I started two years ahead of time and a grad where I started 9 months out, time is everything. That being said having the vision to work so far ahead requires a lot of thought. It also rules out skills you may pickup in the intervening time period.
Nate Moody, Graphic Novel
1. Why did you choose this for your capstone project?
Expand storytelling skills
2. What are some of the changes that you had to make between your original idea and what you are presenting today?
Not many
3. What is your opinion of the timeline for your capstone? Was it helpful or a waste of time? Why?
It's a guideline and good way to gauge progress
4. If you could change anything about your capstone, what would that be?
More physical things
5. What advice would you give me in planning for my capstone?
Do something you're familiar with
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