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.
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