Jonathan Pearmain 25/09/2012 Minor Project: Proposal 01 Learning Objectives Complete a full character rig.

rig. Make more confident design decisions and experiments. Increase efficiency of the Character Design pipeline. Cultivate character animation skills.

My aims for this project are to identify and work on the skills needed for the area of CG I am beginning to head towards. I have no desire to be the head of a start-up studio, or a self-employed director or artist; instead I want to be part of a studio team a cog in the wheel of a larger machine. The area I see myself working in is Character Design, from concept to creation and anywhere in between. My confidence with the various parts of this pipeline vary from a good level of competence in anatomy and draughtsmanship to never having built a complete humanoid rig. The purpose of this project then is to identify and improve the weaker areas in the pipeline and increase my efficiency in areas where I am more adept. Aims for this Year Create good habits and disciplines to promote productivity and discourage lethargy. Build upon time and project management skills. Increase my creative output and confidence in my own decisions. Expand and solidify my technical skills and solve any deficiency or lack of Maya knowledge.

After missing or avoiding much of the technical tutorials in the the second year, I have fallen behind in terms of competency with Maya which in turn affects my efficiency and creative skills when it comes to the production stage of the pipeline. My goal is to encourage a discipline of regularly looking to expand my technical knowledge through both discovering gaps in my tool-kit while working on the project, and regular use of general tutorials. Partly responsible for my lack of attendance last year was my tendency to fall into lethargic moods when something was defeating me or had gone wrong. I aim to combat this by creating appropriate and productive project timetables and cultivating habits of discipline and self-motivation. I also want to generally increase my creative output through regular creative study and personal work. Minor Project Idea Inspired by Terry Pratchett's, Scarlett Thomas' and Lewis Carol's narratives based in or involving dream worlds I wish to explore the idea of being trapped in or travelling through dreams. Are they creations in our own heads, or pre-existing environments that we populate with our own interpretations and imaginations? Could they be travelled between? What are the rules/limits of dreams? What creatures exist there, and what is their origin?

I like the idea of creating a protagonist through which to explore these ideas and environments, and creating antagonists or co-explorers she/he may meet.