LO3 Task 4 Contribution to a Production Role

Unit 22 LO3 Task 4 My Contribution to a Production Role

Roles and Responsibilities

My role in the gaming unit was production designer. The role of production designers in gaming is to think up the idea for a game on their own or in a team. It is their responsibility to see that the product looks and feels like they want it to, it is one of the key creative roles in the production of a game.  They must work directly with most departments to visualise and see that the game is produced to their vision.

Contribution to Media Products

My contribution to the game was thinking of the concept of the game. I visualised the sort of game I wanted and brainstormed how I would like it to play and look as well as thinking of the many different features it would have to offer. I wrote up a full document explaining the concept and the main game mode so that my team could read it and see the idea behind it. I had to think up what the game would look like in game and on the menus as well as the many different game types that the user can play. Once the idea was thought up, I had to go into detail on what is possible on that game mode. I thought up all the attributes that will make the players perform how they do as well as thinking up the story behind separate game modes. To the group I brought my vision, leadership and team working skills, this allowed me to explain my ideas properly, as well as discuss roles with my team and then help get the best out of my team.

Interaction Within my Team

I had to write up a full concept document that included an explanation of the main game mode, which enabled my team to see what it is that the game was about, therefore my communication skill when writing had to be very good so that nothing was misunderstood. I went above and beyond the necessary needs here and composed a document of more than 1000 words, and went into specific detail about everything from the games to the individual stats of each player and how they could be increased. In the team I had to work with my lead designer. His job was to make sure all the ideas I thought up were brought to life through illustration. I had to communicate with him when designing everything from what the kit would look like to how the menus would look. My communication skills had to be excellent so that no time was wasted with poor designs. I had to communicate with my team when working on the pitch so that we got the correct points across quickly and fully so that curiosity to points we have raised were kept to a minimum. Our team meetings occurred on Friday mornings to discuss progress and make points that have arisen over the past weeks, in this meeting the group had a chance to make improvements that they felt were needed too.

Development of Skills

As the production designer my ability to communicate my ideas with others and listen to their was very utilised, as this was very important for brainstorming how the finished product would look when playing the game, as my artistic talents are lacking, I needed to communicate with the artist well. However, a few of my pre designs gave my artist ideas, and a few technical drawings of mine were used, so that is where my practical skills came into use. My ability to think up fresh ideas was utilised well in the team as it was my idea that we used to develop the game, so my originality in my ideas was perfect for designing the product.

My leadership skills improved over the course of the project, by the end I was able to fully cooperate with my team with a necessary amount of control, as I was still happy to take constructive criticism from my team. My skill in idea development came along very well, as I was able to develop the new idea, learning lots of development techniques along the way, and still being able to allow my team to help and suggest changes to get what is best for the product.

Areas for Further Development and Action Plan

To work in this role permanently I would need to further develop my communication skills so that I can communicate to a much larger team, so that everything can still run smoothly. I would also need to improve my time keeping skills so that when in charge of a larger group of people I can keep track of the team without having to panic that everything is getting done. I would need to learn how to use design software such Photoshop and 3D Studio Max to help the artists in a company when getting my points across, and also to make designs. I would also need to be able to use a game engine like Unreal so that I can help the level designers and programmers make the game as the team have agreed.

To develop the skills I need to be a Production Designer for a company, I will need to take a course at university. The course will be at Sheffield Hallam and will take 3 years, or 4 years with a work placement. The course provides a strong foundation for art and visual design, which would allow me to get my ideas down on paper so visual learners would be able to see the styles I would want in the game. The work placement would also allow me to get real life experience in the gaming world so I would also be able to develop my communication and time keeping skills. With all this I would be a suitable candidate to be a production designer at any place of work within gaming.

I feel I have the necessary basic skills to be in the role I worked in, as the game was made well and in time, with the team working well together. However my skills would need to be heavily developed if I was to go into a job in this role. My skills with people would need to be improved a small amount, as well as my time keeping. However it would be my technical skills that would need the largest amount of improvement as I would need to be fully competent in using the software.

The Images below are a selection of things I did as a production designer. There is a concept slide from a presentation that I made. The Moodboard is one I made to show the target audience for my game. The production schedule is something I made so our group knew what they were doing over the weeks. And I drew one of the visuals, and the rest I helped my lead artist to draw through my influence.

LO2: Task 3 Understand Skills Needed to Carry Out a Chosen Media Production Role

Unit 22 Task 3 Understand Skills Needed to Carry Out a Chosen Media Production Role

My suitability to be a production designer

I have always been interested in designing and creating ideas in media products, and games design is one of the most expressive ones. Therefore it is a role that greatly interests me. To carry out the role of production designer, I feel I would be moderately successful, as I have an array of skills that would be useful, however I lack in certain areas too. 

Written Communication

A production designer needs to be able to communicate through writing  as they must submit pieces that inform the project participants what the game is about and how it shall be played. They also need to be able to email to talk to members of the team. My written communication is usually excellent, this is helped as I study English at A level. This has been proved in many projects. In Unit 46: Audio Visual Promos, I sent an email to Kobalt music, for a music request for a trailer. 

Verbal Communication

A production designer must be able to communicate verbally with a group so that they can hold meetings and make crucial decisions to do with the game. This is vital when making changes and discussing the best options. My verbal communication skills are also good, this has been shown in presentations I have give, even if the feedback from the idea was not great, I am frequently told that the information was well presented and easy to understand. 

Practical Production

A production designer must have good practical skills on an array of programmes such as mudbox, photoshop and unreal. They do not need to know everything but should know enough to be able to contribute when working with a particular group of people, like artists. My practical production has been shown in Unit 31: Photography for Media Products as I had to take, select and edit a large number of photos, which I did fairly well to the best of my ability. Also in Unit 32, I demonstrated decent photoshop skills, having never used the software before. Showing I am a quick learner.

Creativity

The key skill to a production designer is creativity, they must be able to bring new ideas to the table that are good and will be able to sell. They must be able to picture a variety of characters, levels and a great deal of other things that will be used in a game. My creativity has come into good use when writing the script for introductions to Unit 43, as they have to be original and able to draw in the viewers. 

Areas for Further Assessment

A gap in my skills is in my technical abilities when it comes to drawing on both paper and on computer. My photoshop skills are decent but not up to the standard that they need to be if creating levels and characters on a game. Also my skills on professional gaming software, like on the autodesk suite are not up to the standards needed to do a professional job. I would also need to improve my practical skills on games engines like unreal, as it is a key skill when helping the programmers make the physics of the game work. TO learn these skills I would have to study a games design course at either college or university. Sheffield Hallam University do a course on this subject, so would be a place to look at going for skills development.

LO1 Task 2 2 Job roles within a media production

Unit 22 Task 2

Topic of Research

I chose the games section of media, as it is one I have worked in,  so I have a small amount of experience. One of the roles that I chose to research is the Production Designer, the other is the Lead Artist. I have chosen these as I have done a small role in both and understand the necessary steps to know how to perform the role within the organization.

Production Designer

Function and Contribution:

The role of a Production Designer is to control the dramatic and artistic aspect of the game. The Production Designer’s job is to come up with the game themselves, or by brainstorming it with a group, then leading the team to make their vision a reality in the game. The Production Designer has a big part to play in the choice of characters and gameplay, as it is crucial that the appearance of the characters and the way they are perceived on screen is to their vision, aswell as the game playing the way they want it to. They have a say in art department too as they will aid the designers in how the characters, scenes, and all manner of artistic creations will look and feel in the game.

Their contribution to the production of the game is a large one. They will lead or help with the concept of the game, deciding on the story, and what sort of game it will be. They contribute to the artistic side of the game as they must well inform the artists how they want the game to look, so they have to make clear instructions for the artists so that the game looks how the Production Designer wants it too. They will contribute to the game play aspect as well because they will inform the programmers how they want characters to move and what sort of abilities they will be given in the game.

Equipment:

The Production Designer will use a number of pieces of equipment in the process. They must have a working knowledge of photoshop and other graphics software, to help get their idea across to the artists, so they can start them on the right lines. They will use engine software like unreal, to aid the programmers to show them a basic design for the gameplay, as well as to be able to chip in with ideas further down the line. They will also need to be able to use a variety of consoles to a good standard for when the testing process occurs, as they will need to be able to play the game to see how it feels, then communicate with the necessary teams on what improvements need to be made or not made.

Skills Needed:

A Production Designer’s most important skill is their vision to create a game in the way that they see fit, the best Production Designer will have fresh, new ideas that haven’t been done before, or be able to twist an already developed idea to make a new concept from it, so creativity is a major factor in this role. Another skill that is vital is fantastic communication skills. The Production Designer must be able to work with, and pass ideas on to the development team, so they also must have great listening skills to take on board ideas from the team they work with. The Production Designer must also have great leadership skills to be able to take on the tasking role and tell the development team what to do, and how to do it, but they must also be able to listen to criticism if a crew member disagrees or feels a change would be needed. The Production Designer should have skills to be a calming influence on the team, as long, busy days may be tasking, so tensions can build high, they must be able to deal with these and make sure their development team can too, so that tension is at a minimum. The Production Designer must be able to keep track of time, so that a key part of production does not run over the allotted time and slow down the production of the game.

Lead Artist

Function and Contribution:

The lead artist is the main designer of the games look when playing the game, they are in charge of a team of other artists and has the main say over them as to what they should be designing. They must communicate with the Production Designer and their team to seek out what the characters, scenes, menus and all manner of things should look like. They lead a group of speciality artists, like scene designers, animators, character designers to perfect the Production Designer’s vision, as well as heavily contribute to the art themselves.

Their contribution to the game is the way the game looks. This a very important part as strong artistic design can make or break any big game, and a dull looking game will be boring to play. The lead artist helps to create the look of the game by collaborating with all artists from the different areas and getting their ideas together so that the art supports the work from all the other designers and has the same feel.

Equipment:

The lead artist must be able to use a wide range of equipment throughout their role. They must be able to fully operate a computer or mac, including the designing software they are using like photoshop, and must have a vast knowledge of all the techniques used on this type of software so that they can not only design whatever they want, but collaborate and help the other artists as well. The lead artist must also be able to engines and other programming software to help the other teams get the art and characters their team has created working and looking how they should in the game.

Skills Needed:

The lead artist must have the skill cooperate with all the members of their artistic team and bring their ideas together to share with other members of the team. They need good communication skills so they can work with Production Designer to get their ideas on paper, as well as communicating with the artists they oversee. They must have excellent vision to create and develop artistic ideas alone and with a team so that the design comes out as best as it can.

Comparison of Roles

The largest contribution of the roles comes from the production designer, this is because the designer must be able to give a comprehensive description of wht should be made to the lead artist, therefore they have more of a contribution. However, the game would be no where near as successful if the lead artist didn’t have the technical ability and insight, to be able to create the design and communicate with the other artists so that the art looked as smooth and professional as possible. Within the roles, both have to have excellent written and verbal communication skills, this is for plans from written pieces, as well as email communication and verbal communication for one on one and group discussions. Both roles require a certain amount of technical ability, the production designer needs a broader knowledge of  software, however the lead artist needs a more specific and in depth knowledge of a few pieces, like photoshop and mudbox.

Lo1 Task 1