I need to have a mentor hopefully by next Wednesday. Here is my project outline:
I am just starting my senior project (that thing you need to get out of high school nowadays) and I was looking for some support or like a ‘mentor’ as my handbook says I am required to have for the field I wish to study outside of high school. I want to study animation and graphic design not because I am another ‘fanboy’ looking to go into a field that I know nothing about. I was told to back up my reasoning for wanting to go into that field today during my proposal and this is what I had to say:
“I want to be a part of what makes the game tick, what makes it play smoothly, and what creates the core of what my community plays. I have always looked at games, new and old, and have been fascinated by what gaming has done over the years. I still cant believe what games look like now and how much the quality has improved in such a short time span. On top of this I am not looking for a career that would be fun, I am looking for a career where I can feel proud that I give someone else the hours of fun and entertainment that I have been given over the years as a gamer myself.”
My senior project teacher loved my proposal that he allowed me to start ahead of the group. If anyone from 343 Industries reads this or catches wind of this post all I need from them is the following:
1.) Requirements of what it takes to get into Animation & Graphic Design for a major industry like Microsoft Studios or 343 Industries
2.) A back story (like what it took to get to where they are now and past experiences with what they do for a living)
3.) A personal mentor (someone to watch over my product) that is capable to oversee what my final presentation looks like
-The final product is a presentation of anything that relates to what I would do in this field of study so what I was hoping to do is animate a biped or something and texture the finished product up to snuff with what most major gaming companies are producing. I was also hoping to create a small area that the biped of whatever I create to move around in. That way I could animate the biped to move around that area
-The finished project must not receive any help other than peer editing from the mentor and all the work must be done by me. The mentor may however assist where needed but all work must be new and not copied work from elsewhere.
-The finished project must also be broken down to show the process of how the product was created.
And here is my senior proposal paper:
I have always wanted to know what it takes to make a video game look its best for the people who buy the games that we play today. My interest specifically is to go into the field to animate and design objects that help build the structure and mechanics of the entire game. The main challenge I see is that animation and graphic design both build on one another but they aren’t entirely the same thing. Graphic design is made to texture and make an object look good, and animation is used to create the object for texturing and animating it to fulfill a set task or to be used in unison with a movie or graphic medium.
The concept of “learning by doing” is something that carries on through all of animation and graphic design. Basically the idea is that if you don’t know something, look for the people who know what you’re trying to achieve and then learn the concept. The only restriction to this field is your imagination in the sense that you can create anything you set your mind to behind a computer screen, the only thing stopping you is you and your willingness to get a degree in graphic arts for technology.
The goal I hope to achieve from my senior project to be able to create, design, and animate a fully working and rigged skeleton or “biped” as they are called in animation terms. The idea is that in the process of completing this project is that I will be able to create a game character or recreate a pre-existing character from the ground up and have it come out looking as clean cut as our everyday animated products like movies and game graphics that we see today. When it comes to gaining help for a concept I know nothing about, I am hoping to go to a Fortune 500 company such as Microsoft Studios, 343 Industries, or even Bungie for the help I need.
I hope to take the knowledge I have gained from past experience, as well as, the experience I am bound to gain through this project to learn a new skill and be able to use it more in my everyday life as I practice to get into the field of work I am seeking. This is a field that tests your personal array of personal computer knowledge on a daily basis and can be used in a number of applications.
My goal here is to get the help that I need in this field. Maybe be able to job shadow or something like that but for sure I want to do everything I can to make this senior project one that they won’t forget and will remember for a long time. Maybe even bring me up as a reference as to what a good Senior Project looks like. If anything I just need help in this field of study and going to one of my favorite game companies was my first bet to get the Mentor I need for this project. Senior project is required to graduate in my school district and to be honest I am worried that I will bomb the Oral exam but I have confidence in my project that should help make up for that part of this project.
I hope to hear back from anyone that can help me with this (Graphics Design and Animation)