My role as Graphics Operator and Creator came with many challenges which I felt like I overcame to the best of my ability however there are many things I feel I need to improve on. From Scheduliing to file structure.
What Went Well?
- Graphics went smoothly on shoot day
- Graphics were made quickly
- I made changes based on feedback from Producers/Directors
Graphics went smoothly on shoot day
On the day of the shoot the graphics went smoothly, we didnt have a software crash and all the lower thirds and prices went up on the screen without an issue. This was a relief as previously we had been having issues with loading up new graphics would crash the computer.
Graphics were made quickly
I Found that I was able to make the graphics at a quick pace, changes and the creation of graphics went a lot quicker at the end of the project as we had agreed on a style. I also found a tool which allowed me to drastically reduce the time it would take for me to animate the graphics.
I made changes based on feedback from Producers/Directors
I thought I was able to make changes quickly based on the feedback I would recieve from Directors/Producers, The most productive times I had were when I was able to sit down with a Producer and make changes based on their live input rather than sending images back and forth and trying to interpret what they meant through a message.
What Didnt go Well?
- Graphics Couldnt be animated
- Wasnt happy with final graphics
- Lost graphics
- had to go through many changes
- Render times
- Typos
- Style bible wasnt constantly updated
- Time management
Graphics Couldnt be Animated
Something that was a bit dissapointing was the software and hardware we had for the graphics were unable to render the graphics in sufficient quality to be animated during the show, once played they would be stutter and could make the programme crash, because of this the animations I had previoulsy had on the graphics were unable to be used and a still graphics would have to be used instead. This may have been an issue with the format I rendered the graphics in however when I researched the Motion 4 Programme several sources stated to use Apple Pro Res 422.
Wasnt happy with final graphics
I Personally didnt like the final graphics very much, the title felt a bit too simple to me, however this could be down to my personal tastes rather than what suited the show.
Lost graphics
At one point I had to re-render several graphics because I couldnt find them anywhere on my computer, I think this was due to me rapidly creating and rendering the graphics. This want a big issue as I had the original file and the only thing it cost was time to render. However this still was an issue.
Had to go through many changes
Going into the project I underestimated how often I would have to change the final graphics, things I thought were set in stone suddenly needed to be changed. I was able to make changes quickly however on the day of the shoot I suddenly had to completly change the credits, in my rush to render the graphics before Transmission I missed some errors within the credits and thus we had to use an older version.
Render times
Render Times became a problem as I had to render some graphics that needed to be changed on the day of the shoot, I managed to get most of them done in time however I was unable to get the credits rendered in time.
Typos
There were several Typos in the credits, some of the names I was given were incorrect and had to be changed when noticed, I should have gone through every name to confirm it was correct myself, or at least put the credits up to be shown to the whole crew before Transmission that way changes could have been made.
Style bible wasnt constantly updated
I found that updating the style bible became a hassle as the graphics were constantly changing, I didnt keep it as updated as I should have as it was easy to forget about as I was creating almost all the graphics.
Time management
This is something I struggle with for most of my projects, I would try to set myself to do lists with mini deadlines but they would get forgotten or I would spend more of my time on one task compared to another. I didnt miss out on any deadlines in that regard but I did find it an issue a few times.
What could I do to improve?
- Offered different alternatives
- File structure
- Keep a track of changes
- Get desired changes written down
- Confirm before rendering graphics
- Update the document after every change, or at least regualy.
- Schedule a sit down with producers to confirm graphics at least weekly
Offered different alternatives
In regards to not liking the final title graphic I should have offered my opinion in a stronger fashion and provided several alternatives, if the produced wanted to stick with it I would have also seen if there were any improvements I could make and provide examples as such.
File structure
I did initially create a file structure as follows :
-Stings
-Lower Thirds
-Credits
-Social Media
-AE files
-AE Back-ups
-Source Files
-Other
However towards the end of the project the files begun to get messy and filed away in the wrong place, In the future I will try to slow myself down and keep myself structured, maybe creating a buffer folder rather than sending the rendered files where they belong to be cleaned up at the end of each day.
Keep a track of changes
There were many changes made to the graphics over times and I went through dozens of permiations before I got the final product, to help mark my changes and progress I should have kept notes of the changes I made and why, that way I could look back in the future and know not to make the same mistake.
Get desired changes written down
there were times when I would be asked to make several changes but I would forget to write one of them, I did write down the changes a few times but not everytime, in the future I will make sure to keep an accurate record.
Confirm before rendering graphics
A few times I would render the graphics only to have to go back and change them, If I will be rendering a large amount of graphics I will first run them by the producer to save the hassle of having to re-render large files.
Update the document after every change, or at least regualy.
In terms of the Style Bible, should update it after every change, even if that change is only in place for a day, I will also go through it once a week to make sure its completly updated.
Schedule a sit down with producers to confirm graphics at least weekly
The most productive times I had were when i could sit down with a producer and get feedback straight away. In the future I will try to arrange frequent sit down sessions where I can go through all the current graphics and see whether it meets with their approval then rather than on the day of the shoot.
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