Development
CREATIVE PRACTITIONERS
This week our creative practitioners were asked:
What is your development and reflection process?
How has production, risk, failure and your own personal ambition affected the outcome?
OFFSHORE
In addition to their research, Offshore prefers to get deeply into the details of the work as soon as possible. Try out their ideas via experimentation early on to challenge them to prove that they work (or not). Their collaboration sustains this approach as Isabel gets into the design with few approaches neatly and precisely where as XX comes at their projects by trying many things. They then apply that synchronization across the unique phases of the project. They also purposefully add in moments of pause to step away from projects in order to return to them with greater clarity and potential opportunity for seeing new things or seeing things differently. Trial and error is a welcome albeit intense aspect of their work.
They prioritize creating a creative space that allows for a lot of experimentation, risks, failure, testing, implementation, and reflection. They also try to learn something new on any self-initiated projects whether it’s software, ways of thinking, formats, production processes. These desires also have to overlap with the limitations of client-based work, but believe that initiated projects afford more freedom. They acknowledge that could also run the risk of not moving forward at all if too many directions or explorations are afforded. They believe that the more you try (and fail), the better your work gets. They are self-admitted control freaks which has known impact on a given project — especially knowing that you simply cannot control everything.
HEY
Vernonica Fuerte and her team spend a lot of time identifying the root simplicity for a given project, and then begins to iterate when the chosen direction has been selected.
They opened up an online and physical shop to showcase their self-initiated work.
FROST COLLECTION
Vince Frost IS the client on self-initiated projects. He reflects on the project a lot, prints out his ideas and designs, places them on the wall and visits and revisits, iterates and tweaks until he feels he’s got it just right.
“Failure is not great.” Funding has had big impact on the success (or lack thereof) of a given project. Self-initiated projects take a lot of time, but also blitz them or shelf them when other priorities take hold. Self doubt has also had an impact on his work. He finds it difficult to work on self-initiated projects where he works on the brief.
BOMPAS & PARR
Sam doesn’t necessary feel they have time to reflect on projects. He sees his role as more of “connecting things” for the projects they work on. He spends a lot of time absorbing information: events, reading, watching films, across cultures and media. Then attempts to distill those ideas that have collided in his brain overnight into something.
Many of their projects are foolhardy and insane. That insanity has had some tough impact on their team. They are also exciting and beyond memorable. These projects are the ones you reflect on with the most pride and joy.
WERKFLOW
Development can happen at a very fast pace with quick turnarounds for their client work. They use real-time rendering to be able to see development efficiently and effectively to keep pace with the tight deadlines. The game creation thus far has been very iterative. It includes large project phases and milestones. Through outside workshop and focus groups, it has helped to drive further rounds of the projects. Looking at expanding the aesthetics and visual elements and reflecting upon how the costs would be impacted. They debrief each phase the project to reflect how it went. They document this process for future reflection.
Budget has had significant impact on their development phase of their project. They have an ambitious script which means they need to keep a keen balance of their commercial projects and Sovereign. The commercial work undergirds their freedom to work on the self-initiated work. They take advantage of free tools to keep their budget and timeline on track.
REFERENCE
Falmouth University (2018). Development | Podcast Videos. Application and Interactions GDE740 19/20 Part-Time Study Block S1 (Falmouth, UK: Falmouth University)