Hotel Huanted Game Production

Production Project TEMPLATE

SUMMARY

Role: Gameplay Programmer

Intention (SMART Goal)

PRE-PRODUCTION – INQUIRY

Leader(s) in the Field / Exemplary Work(s)

Gameplay Resource: Cuphead the game

Art Style Resource: Super Paper Mario

 World Design Resource: Hollow Knight

 

 

 

Training Source(s)

Project Timeline

An in-depth timeline has not been established at this point but I hope to be done with pre-production by the end of January and have the game ready for release at the end of the 2020-2021 school year and I am shooting to have my first production review at the end of January

Proposed Budget

although I am able to develop the game for free I do have to upgrade my system because the game is growing in scale and I can no longer support it on my current laptop. The estimate for the new laptop that I will get in a few months is around $1200 – $1400

PRODUCTION – ACTION

The (FILM, SOUND, or GAME Creation)

Skills Commentary

POST-PRODUCTION – REFLECTION

21st Century Skills

Ways of Thinking (Creativity, Innovation, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving)

Ways of Working (Communication & Collaboration)

Tools for Working (Info & Media Literacy)

Ways of Living in the World (Life & Career)

Reactions to the Final Version

Self-Evaluation of Final Version

What I Learned and Problems I Solved

Grammar and Spelling

Editor

Peer Feedback

  • Write the feedback you received from other students
  • After you receive feedback, add it to your post
  • Cite the student sources with only their first names
    • Citation with specific names is more professional

Hotel Haunted Text Animation Film Production Project

Production Project TEMPLATE

SUMMARY

Role: everything

Intention (SMART Goal)

PRE-PRODUCTION – INQUIRY

Leader(s) in the Field / Exemplary Work(s)

 

Training Source(s)

Project Timeline

An in-depth timeline has not been established at this point but I hope to be done with pre-production by the end of February and have the video ready for release at the end of April 2020-2021.

Proposed Budget

although I am able to develop the video for free I do have to upgrade my system because the video is growing in scale and I can no longer support it on my current laptop. The estimate for the new laptop that I will get in a few months is around $1200 – $1400

PRODUCTION – ACTION

The (FILM, SOUND, or GAME Creation)

Skills Commentary

POST-PRODUCTION – REFLECTION

21st Century Skills

Ways of Thinking (Creativity, Innovation, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving)

Ways of Working (Communication & Collaboration)

Tools for Working (Info & Media Literacy)

Ways of Living in the World (Life & Career)

Reactions to the Final Version

Self-Evaluation of Final Version

What I Learned and Problems I Solved

Grammar and Spelling

Editor

Game Design – Week 13 – Project(s)

Hotel Haunted

Hotel Haunted is a 2D run and gun game with platforming elements that takes inspiration from the games Contra, Cuphead, and Hollow Knight. The player will assume the role of an employee of Ghost Hunters inc who is called out to deal with a ghost infestation at a local hotel where all the guests and staff of the past have been transformed into a ghost.  You are tasked with riding the hotel of the infestation so that it may reopen. The player will have to face four different bosses as well as the random spirits that inhabit each floor of the hotel. After all four bosses have been defeated the player will have to face off against the owner of the hotel who has also been converted into a ghost.  The player will be equipped with a blaster that has the capacity to fire multiple types of ammo. At the start of the game, the player will have access to one ammo type but as they defeat each boss they will unlock a new ammo type.

This project is intended to act as a sort of portfolio of my skills but also to challenge myself so that I may see just how much I am capable of. The game is currently in the very late stages of per production and hopefully will enter production by the end of the year.

Refresh is a third-person shooter with movement reminiscent of arena shooters such as Quake 3 and rogue-like elements, meaning perma-death and randomly generated levels. The player assumes the role of an unknown person in the form of a parallelogram trapped in the void with a simple goal: escape. In their way stands four deadly boss enemies, Voidkeepers 1, 2, and 3, as well as the Warden, who can only be fought once all three Voidkeepers are defeated. Although on each death, the void is refreshed, resetting the player’s progress toward their goal, as well as regenerating the world.

Sketches

So far I have only made the designs for the player, the first owner, as well as three of the weapon shots

Player Character
The Owner
Splatter Shot
Freeze Shot
Charged Shot

Timeline:

Update 1:

  • GDD Created
  • Player movement and weapon functionality finished
  • Plans for first boss underway

Update 2:

  • Player redesign
  • Owner design finished
  • first boss fight plans finished

Week 3:

  • Game Over screen designed
  • Decisions for themes of the second three boss fights made
  • Designs for Splatter Shot, Freeze Shot, Charged Shot finished.

Week 4:

  • Weapon unlock and switch mechanics created
  • development of player health and ammo mechanics underway

Release Date:

Although a hard release date has not been set I hope to be at or near completion by the end of the 2020-2021 school year.

Film-Week 13-Film Roles And Ideas

  • Role: Editor
    • Film: Something with fast-paced dialogue and a sense of urgency so that I may use a variety of cuts to show the tone of the scene
  • Role: Director
    • Film: A silent film so that I may experiment with character movement and expression and how it tells a story
  • Role: Sound Designer
    • Film: Something that involves a deaf person so that I can play with how sound is perceived from different angles.

Comparative Study Worksheet 2020-21

“Film scripts for sale in Soho! #newyork #newyorkcity #nyc #movies” by Nat Ireland is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Summary

A guide to planning, researching and creating your DP Film Comparative Study

  • Follow the directions for each step below
  • Include for your work where it is required

Student Work

  • To be placed after students create posts

Steps and Tasks

  1. Brainstorm possible films for the task. You must select TWO films from contrasting cultural contexts.
  2. Brainstorm and justify at least three different areas of FILM FOCUS for your two chosen films.
  3. Brainstorm and justify at least two different CULTURAL CONTEXTS for your two chosen films.
  4. Consolidate your ideas and develop at least three different RESEARCH QUESTION topics for your study.
  5. Finalize your choices and select your RESEARCH QUESTION. Choose two films for comparison.
  6. Develop the main arguments you will make about your topic.
  7. Collect evidence from the films that support your argument.
  8. Research secondary sources for information that supports your argument.
  9. Write your Narration and plan the audio-visual components of your video essay.
  10. Recordassemble, and edit your Comparative Study Video Essay.
  11. Create a Works Cited document (separately) once your Comparative Study is finished.

Guidance for Your Work

“Simple formative analysis of film elements, no matter how precise or insightful, won’t cut it which is why the research question needs to be crafted in such a way that it provides scope for theoretical and socio-historic exploration. It’s basically an EE in disguise but focusing on two very different textual sources.”

Comparative Study Task Components

For this assessment task, each student identifiesselects, and researches each of the following task components.

  1. TASK 1: One area of film focus.
  2. TASK 2: Two films for comparison from within the chosen area of film focus, one of which originates from a contrasting time (historical) or space (geographical) to the personal context of the student, and the other film identified for comparison must arise from a contrasting cultural context to the first film. Students are required to select films they have not previously studied in depth. The selected films cannot come from the prescribed list of film texts provided for the textual analysis assessment task and, once selected, the films cannot be used by the student in any other assessment task for the DP film course or the extended essay.
  3. TASK 3: A clearly defined topic for a recorded multimedia comparative study, which links both the selected films and the identified area of film focus. Each student should invest time in researchingdeveloping, and honing their topic (which in most cases is likely to be expressed in the form of a research question) to ensure it is clear, focused and concise, in order to provide them with the maximum potential for success in this task. The topic should seek to enrich the student’s understanding of the chosen area of film focus and should avoid a plot-driven approach to the comparison.

The assessment criteria for this task requires students to provide a strong justification for the choice of task components as part of the recorded multimedia comparative study. This includes the student’s justification for how films arise from contrasting cultural contexts.

1. FILM Choices List

  • Set a timer
  • How much time did you spend?: I spent about 10 minutes on this.
Which films are you considering for your final Comparative Study? List as many as you wish below as part of an initial brainstorm. Remember that you must select ​​TWO​​ films from contrasting cultural contexts for this task.e.g. CITIZEN KANE Year, Country, and Director of the film.e.g. 1941, USA, Dir: Orson Welles
Star Wars: A New Hope 1977, USA, Dir: Orson Welles
V for Vendetta 2006, USA, Dir: James McTeigue
Hunger Games 2012, USA, Dir Gary Ross

2. Areas of FILM FOCUS

  • Set a timer
  • How much time did you spend?: I spent about 25 minutes on this. 
Film Focus Possibility – identify the broad focus area and then add specifics (e.g. “THEORY – Auteur theory” or “GENRE – Horror”). Develop at least THREE options…you can create more by adding more rows. Justification for this Film Focus. Be as specific as possible.
THEORY – Psychoanalysis I feel that this theory lends itself well to the films star wars and Hungar games since both films have protagonists whos motivation for their actions stem from a desired break away or change their lives that are defined by their social standings which they were born into
GENRE – Revolution I feel that this area of focus would work because revolution films  often begin with the protagonist being distanced or disinterested in the cause the adventure that they go on leads to their involvement
THEORY – Marxism I feel that this area of focus would fit in my comparison because it is defined as a desire to obtain and hold onto power which is present in all the films that I am considering for comparison since they all have all-consuming governments that aim only to hold onto power.

3. Chosen CULTURAL CONTEXT

For this assessment task, “cultural context” involves consideration of some of the following factors, some of which may be blended (such as socioeconomic factors).

  • Economic, Geographical, Historical, Institutional, Political, Social, Technological
  • Set a timer
  • How much time did you spend?: I spent about 30 minutes on this.
Identify at least TWO Cultural Context possibilities for your chosen films.
Justification for this Cultural Context. Be as specific as possible.
Vietnam war The development of star wars began at the very tail end of the Vietnam war which is often cited as an inspiration for the message of the film
War on Terror the war on terror started in 2001 and has only escalated and has been a backdrop for both V for Vendetta and the hunger games as terrorism is prevalent in both films

4. RESEARCH QUESTION Possibilities

Consolidate your thoughts above and develop at least ​THREE​​ different research question possibilities. More are possible by adding additional rows to the table below. FYI these will be shared with the full class for discussion of strengths and weaknesses.

  • Set a timer
  • How much time did you spend?: I spent about 20 minutes on this.  
Your Chosen Area of Film Focus Topic for Comparative Study (written as a research question)
THEORY – Marxism How do the desire and despisement of power in storytelling create an outline for revolution in films?
GENRE – revolution what occurrences are common amongst the protagonist in films about revolution and how do those consistencies create an outline for revolution films as a whole?
THEORY – Psychoanalysis How do the actions of characters in revolution films lead to a revolution and how does that create an outline for revolution films as a whole.

5. Final Decisions

Using your topic options in the table above, select ​ONE​​ to be your final topic for this Comparative Study task. NOTE: There are examples from the IB of what this should look like below this table.

  • Set a timer
  • How much time did you spend?: I spent about 10 minutes on this. 
Your Chosen Area of Film Focus Film 1 Film 2 Contrasting Cultural Context Topic for Comparative Study practice task (written as a research question)
GENRE – Revolution Star Wars: A New Hope V for Vendeta While both were made during peacetime they both were also made at the end or beginning of political conflicts have common elements appeared in revolution films over time that creates an outline for revolution films as a whole

6. Developing Your Topic

  • Set a timer
  • How much time did you spend?: I spent about 15 minutes on this 
Develop 3-5 main arguments that can be made about your topic based on your research question and chosen film focus. Brainstorm how you could support these arguments within your video essay.
both films have a symbol that acts as a rallying call for revolution I could examine what exactly is considered a symbol and then see if I can Identify possible symbols in each film by how they are presented
both films have something that acts as the physical personification of what the characters are revolting against I could analyze how the two things are presented in each film as well as if a large focus is a center around it
both films have a passing of the torch to someone who is prominent in the film I can identify two characters and see how their story concludes and if their ending has an element of continuation to it.

7. Selecting Supporting Evidence (Primary)

  • Set a timer
  • How much time did you spend?: I spent about an hour on this section.
Identify at least 15 scenes from your chosen films that will help support the arguments you have outlined above. Screen clip a frame from each scene below. Write notes about how this scene helps support your argument. (These notes will help form your voice-over narration.)
V for Vendetta: Near the end of the scene V reveals to Mr. Creedy that the thing that is behind the mask is more than flesh it is an Idea the scene acts as a form of “evidence” within the film that the driving force behind the film is the ideas, not the people
Star Wars: Obi-Wan talks to Luke about the Jedi and describes them as the keepers of the peace this helps my argument because from this part on in the film and trilogy the ideas of the Jedi are what drives luke and by extension every other character in the film
V for Vendetta: V talks to Evey saying that the Parlement of building and the act of destroying it are both symbols this scene simply helps to show the importance of symbols in revolution films
Star Wars: the death star powers up for the first time and destroys a planet with Grand Moff Tarkin calling it a demonstration. this scene acts as a form of in-person evidence that the death star is meant to be a symbol of power for the empire
V for Vendetta: V takes over the television station and broadcasts a signal all over London this scene introduces V and his plans to the public and lights to spark of revolution in all the people who see the video
V for Vendetta: V asks Evey to dance with him and when she ask why on the eve of his revolution to which he responds that a revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having. this scene shows that the individual lives of those involved in a revolution still exist despite the turmoil amongst them
Star Wars: At a meeting, an admiral speaks out against Darth Vader and his obsession with the force until Vader cuts him off by choking him. this scene shows that the form of government in these films is a very speak only when spoken to the type of leadership and that they don’t tolerate dissension
V for Vendetta: Mr. Creedy speaks out against the grand chancellor saying that they don’t have the resources to go after V to which the chancellor responds very angrily blaming that fact on Mr. Creedy. this shows that the government in this film is similar to the government in Star Wars that has only speak when spoken to policy
Star Wars: The death star blows up after  Luke shoots by using force. this scene fulfills the idea brought up in V for Vendetta that destroying a building can change the world but in this film, it is only the start of the fight but the beginning of a new age
V for Vendetta: Parliament is destroyed by V’s train full of explosives. this fulfills the idea that destroying a building can change the world but unlike star wars, this is the end of a fight and the beginning of a new age
V for Vendetta: During V’s Speech on the television he blames the current government’s rise to power on the people. although it may seem to be the opposite this scene sets up the idea that the people are the ones with the power to make change.
V for Vendetta: As time inches closer to midnight hordes and hordes of people gather in the streets to march up to parliament. this scene shows how in a revolution the power lies more in the hands of the people rather than the hand of the government and those committing the actual acts of rebellion
Star Wars: The death star is destroyed by luke by using the force after the two other pilots are taken down. this scene suggests that the ability to rebel and fight those in power lies in the hands of the few people who are special enough to do so
V for Vendetta: As Evey and Mr. Finch watch the parliament building blow up Mr. Finch asks Evey who V was to which she responds that he was all of them this simply furthers the idea in the movie that the power was and always had been in the hands of the people
Star Wars: Luke, Han, And Chewy are acknowledged for their acts in destroying the death star. this simply furthers the idea that power to influence change lies in the hands of those who are specialists rather than the people.

*Add more rows as needed.

8. Selecting Supporting Evidence (Secondary)

  • Set a timer
  • How much time did you spend?: I spent about 30 minutes on this section.
Identify at least 3-5 secondary sources (articles, books, websites, video essays, etc.) which provide information that help support your arguments being made. In this column include the specific source citations. Summarize the detailed information from the secondary source that you can use in this column. (You can copy+paste if they are from online sources.)
An article from the conversation calls “Star Wars is a fantasy film firmly based on America’s real conflicts. this article is quite long and details the references to the American wars and conflicts found in the film techniques and plot of the film star wars.
a fandom page Called Revolution that references star wars this page details how the past revolutions of the world have played a part in the making of star wars
The hidden meaning of V for Vendetta by world Press this article goes over the deeper meaning of V for vendetta and how it was meant for citizens to see how controlling governments can become
The original V for vendetta graphic novel although this book does not discuss deeper meaning in the film the changes in it compared to the film are useful to compare since the book was written much closer to the release of star wars than the movie was made

*Add more rows as needed.

9. Writing Your Narration

Using the information, scene choices, and external sources you have compiled in parts 6-8, you will now write your voiceover narration and match it up to your chosen visual examples.

For the final Comparative Study, your narration should be no longer than 10 minutes in length.

Assemble in Two-Column AV Formatt in Celtx (Tutorial) or use Google Docs

Remember that you need to:

  • COMPARE and CONTRAST your two chosen film using the arguments and evidence you identified in parts 6-8
  • Begin your narration with a detailed justification for the chosen cultural contrast
  • Use an equal balance of the two selected films.
  • Write in a third-person voice to construct your argument (similar in tone to your Extended Essay and other
    comparative analytical work you have written in Film class).
  • Identify where any WRITTEN TEXT will appear on the screen and highlight this (to reference during the
    creation/editing stage)
Voiceover Narration Ideas Which visual evidence/scenes line up to this part of the narration?

10. Assembling the Comparative Study

Now you will collect all media resources needed for the task and construct your video essay.

REQUIRED STEPS

  • Import the digital copy of your chosen films into editing software
  • Identify and extract chosen scenes and clips
  • Place and edit clips into a rough timeline for your video essay
  • Record audio narration (both partners should participate in narrating this practice task)
    into an audio file using recording equipment (Zoom recorders, iPhone, DSLR Rode video
    mic, etc.)
  • Import your recorded narration audio file into your project timeline
  • Assemble, edit and fine-tune clips and narration until your video essay takes shape
  • Create and add any required textual information in the timeline (including black slate at the start)
  • Audio mixing of narration and movie clips (adjust levels so that narration and movie sounds complement each other)
  • Export the final video essay movie file
    • Upload Unlisted draft to YouTube for peer review
  • Create Works Cited list separately (Google Doc)

*NOTE: Separate tutorial and tips sessions will be held throughout this process to provide guidance on recording your voice-over narration and mixing the audio levels successfully.

Examples of Possible Task Components (from the IB)

Area of film focus Film 1 Film 2 Possible topic for comparative study
Film movement: German Expressionism The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) Edward Scissorhands (1990) How and with what effect are specific film elements of German expressionism used within a chosen contemporary film?
Film movement: French New Wave Breathless (1960) Badlands (1973) The influence of the French New Wave on New Hollywood’s use of innovative film elements in its representation of youth and violence.
Film genre and film style: Black comedy No. 3 (1997) The Big Lebowski (1998) To what extent do “black comedy” films differ according to cultural context?
Film theory: Soviet Montage Battleship Potemkin (1925) Koyaanisqatsi (1982) To what extent are specific features of Soviet montage theory faithfully employed in a contemporary experimental film?

External Assessment Criteria SL and HL

Peer Review Checklist

 

TASK COMPONENTS (ACTION) Notes / Suggestions
__ Assemble Findings
__ Develop a personal and critically reflective perspective
__ Identify and gather appropriate audio-visual material to support the study
SCREENPLAY
__ Justify the chosen topic and selected films
__ Make sure that the text is in a formal academic register (can be in the 1st person)
__ Balance between visual and spoken elements
__ Make clear reference to your sources as on-screen citations (text on-screen)
__ Make sure primary weight of evidence for the study from the two chosen films
__ Make sure each film is given equal consideration
__ Make sure film language information is communicated clearly throughout (avoid “to be” verbs – make statements like “blah is this.”)
__ Make sure information is communicated logically rooted in film language
__ Have another student highlight the WHAT WHY HOW in your draft screenplay
VIDEO ESSAY
__ Recorded voice and edited commentary numerous times until happy with the material
__ Make sure your name and the school’s name ARE NOT IN THE ESSAY
__ Make sure to have 10 second title card with: 1. Area of film focus, 2. Titles of the two films for comparison, and 3. The chosen topic
__ Include breaks in your recorded commentary to enable other audio-visual material included in the study to be clearly heard (if needed)
__ Make sure film clip length matches points being made
__ Make sure still images have citations on-screen, if you have them
__ Make sure text on screen is legible and spelled correctly
__ Make sure information is communicated audibly (levels are good for all sound)
__ Make sure information is communicated visually appropriate manner
__ Make sure background music is from Creative Commons and is cited
__ Make sure edits are clean
__ Make sure presentation is 10 minutes maximum, including title card and credits
__ Make sure two films are listed in sources

Game Design – Week 11 – Updating Workflow – Mind Like Water

“‘Be shapeless and formless.. like water’ (Bruce Lee)” by Akinini.com is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

“Have a mind like water.”

― David Allen,  GTD

SUMMARY

  • Through the assignment, “Week 11 – Updating Workflow – Mind Like Water,” I worked on establishing foundational knowledge in Construct 3. I also updated my GTD with the tasks from this week and refined it more to work more efficiently.

PRACTICE ROOM (TUTORIALS)

Construct 3 / PlayCanvas – Javascript

Unity – C#

CLASSROOM (THEORY & ANALYSIS)

Screenshot from Construct.net

What I learned from the reading in this section is that Construct 3 while simple in its construction is a powerful engine that has power many great games and seems like it will continue to in the future. Along with this I also learned that a large part of Construct 3 is built to teach the fundamentals of game design before doping prospective game designers into the deep end of using code.

LAB (THEORY PRACTICED)

Screenshot from editor.construct.net

OUTSIDE (PRODUCTIVITY & THE BRAIN)

Image from bananatreelog.com

 

During my fifteen-minute break, I was able to figure out what was working in the way I structure my brain and what needed changing. The largest thing that I felt was working was that I have been making a point of focusing on my work so that I can keep my to-do list from getting overloaded and as a result keep me from getting overwhelmed. However, I did come to the conclusion that I have not been giving myself enough time in between my work to take a breather and collect my thoughts. As a result of this, I have been losing steam throughout the day much quicker than I am accustomed to or would like to. Overall I have determined that although my daily structure is great for getting all my work done as quickly as possible it is also making me more tired than what I believe is good for me and that I may need to be willing to take more substantial breaks if I want to keep up with my daily task

STUDIO (CREATIVITY)

Screenshot from Construct Begginer’s Guide

What I made this week in construct 3 was largely based on the project built in the guided tour. What I did was simply play around with the controls provided by the guided tour and see what changes I could make. In the end, what I came to wasn’t very different from what the tour had me develop but it did give me a good understanding of the inner workings of Construct 3.

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

In this week I learned how to use the Construct 3 game engine. I did find that the engine has some good qualities but feel that it is rather limited compared to other engines. One problem I had was learning how to put things together with the drag and drop model that Construct 3 uses. This simply took me adapting to a new engine after using unity for so long to overcome this but after some time I felt most comfortable in the engine.

Game Design – Week 10 – GTD – Getting Things Done – Part 2

Image from BiggerPlate.com

Teens are overwhelmed, partly because they don’t yet have the skills to manage the unprecedented amount of stuff that enters their brains each day.  – from LifeHacker.com

“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”

“You can do anything, but not everything.”

― David Allen, (GTD) Getting Things Done for Teens: Take Control of Your Life in a Distracting World

SUMMARY

This week I decided on and built a GTD system and completed a corresponding blog post

PRACTICE ROOM (TUTORIALS)

  • Set a timer
    • Spend up to 15 minutes in this ‘room’ on either ONE of the scripting languages below, Javascript (PlayCanvas) or C# (Unity)  (NOT BOTH)

PlayCanvas – Javascript

Unity – C#

CLASSROOM (THEORY & ANALYSIS)

Screenshot from Animated Book Summary And Review at YouTube

You are going to learn to develop your own version of David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD) process in this ‘room.’

After watching these videos I discovered many things about the way that I conduct my work. First and foremost I discovered that I could be doing it more efficiently than I am at the time of writing this. this primarily applies to how I organize my work as the products that actually produce are fine but I could make the process of making them easier. At the time of writing this, my organizational system is mostly personal notes taken inside my brain but over time and after watching these videos I have discovered that my brain is not the best way for me to organize these thoughts. Ultimately what these videos have done is show me that I need to think more about the organization of the tasks I carry out from day to day.

LAB (THEORY PRACTICED)

Screenshot of David Allen TED Talk
Screenshot of David Allen TED Talk
Screenshot from Animated Book Summary And Review at YouTube

Examine Two GTD Maps: Basic and Detailed

  1. Detailed map by guccio@文房具社 icensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
  2. Basic map from BiggerPlate.com embedded below

GTD-based Trusted System

Image from Trello.com
  • Examine and pick a trusted system from the 4 options listed below to ‘capture’ your work
    • trusted system is your method for managing your tasks in a way that you consistently get things done
    1. Trello.com with a – GTD Template
      • We use Trello in this class to manage group projects
        • You will create a Trello account a few weeks from now regardless
        • You might want to start now
      • We start using Trello in the second semester
      • Watch Mr. Le Duc Creating a Trello Account and Add GTD Template Tutorial (3:45)
      • You can get the free Trello app at the Apple Store or Google Play
    2. Your phone
    3. Paper and pen or pencil
    4. Examine LifeHacker.com’s GTD Resources

OPTIONAL EXERCISE

Image from GoodReads.com
Image from GoodReads.com

STUDIO (CREATING MAPS)

  • Set a timer
  • Spend up to 15 minutes
  • Then watch David Allen summarize the steps
    • “Very simple folks! …
      1. Just WRITE STUFF DOWN
      2. Decide the ACTIONS and OUTCOMES embedded in them
      3. Get yourself a MAP OF ALL THAT so you can step back and take a look at it.
      4. And then, basically, you USE THE MAP TO DECIDE, “OK, here’s the course that we’re going to go on.”
      5. You then LAUNCH the ‘ship’ on a trusted course in the short term, as well as on the long horizon that you’re moving on.
      6. And then, on a regular basis, you need to REASSESS, “OK, we need to take in NEW DATA, CLEANUP, RECALIBRATE, and REFOCUS for the next leg of the journey.”
    • It’s that simple…”
  • ‘Capture’ all the ACTION ITEMS you can in your GTD Trusted System

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

The main thing that I learned this week was that an organizational system goes a long way in making tasks easier and reducing stress. I also learned that my current way of organization doesn’t really work and that I need to find something new. The only problem I had to solve this week was that I had to find a new system to organize my tasks into which after some research I decided on Trello.

Film – Week 10 – GTD – Getting Things Done – Part 2

Image from BiggerPlate.com

Teens are overwhelmed, partly because they don’t yet have the skills to manage the unprecedented amount of stuff that enters their brains each day.  – from LifeHacker.com

“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”

“You can do anything, but not everything.”

― David Allen, (GTD) Getting Things Done for Teens: Take Control of Your Life in a Distracting World

SUMMARY

This week I decided on and built a GTD system and completed a corresponding blog post

PRACTICE ROOM (TUTORIALS)

Screenshot from Sneakonthelot.com
Screenshot from Sneakonthelot.com
  • Set a timer
  • Spend up to 60 minutes in this ‘room’
  • Complete…
    1. First Time User
    2. Introduction To Film

CLASSROOM (THEORY & ANALYSIS)

Screenshot from Animated Book Summary And Review at YouTube

You are going to learn to develop your own version of David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD) process in this ‘room.’

After watching these videos I discovered many things about the way that I conduct my work. First and foremost I discovered that I could be doing it more efficiently than I am at the time of writing this. this primarily applies to how I organize my work as the products that actually produce are fine but I could make the process of making them easier. At the time of writing this, my organizational system is mostly personal notes taken inside my brain but over time and after watching these videos I have discovered that my brain is not the best way for me to organize these thoughts. Ultimately what these videos have done is show me that I need to think more about the organization of the tasks I carry out from day to day.

LAB (THEORY PRACTICED)

Screenshot of David Allen TED Talk
Screenshot of David Allen TED Talk
Screenshot from Animated Book Summary And Review at YouTube

Examine Two GTD Maps: Basic and Detailed

  1. Detailed map by guccio@文房具社 icensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
  2. Basic map from BiggerPlate.com embedded below

GTD-based Trusted System

Image from Trello.com
  • Examine and pick a trusted system from the 4 options listed below to ‘capture’ your work
    • trusted system is your method for managing your tasks in a way that you consistently get things done
    1. Trello.com with a – GTD Template
      • We use Trello in this class to manage group projects
        • You will create a Trello account a few weeks from now regardless
        • You might want to start now
      • We start using Trello in the second semester
      • Watch Mr. Le Duc Creating a Trello Account and Add GTD Template Tutorial (3:45)
      • You can get the free Trello app at the Apple Store or Google Play
    2. Your phone
    3. Paper and pen or pencil
    4. Examine LifeHacker.com’s GTD Resources

OPTIONAL EXERCISE

Image from GoodReads.com
Image from GoodReads.com

STUDIO (CREATING MAPS)

  • Set a timer
  • Spend up to 15 minutes
  • Then watch David Allen summarize the steps
    • “Very simple folks! …
      1. Just WRITE STUFF DOWN
      2. Decide the ACTIONS and OUTCOMES embedded in them
      3. Get yourself a MAP OF ALL THAT so you can step back and take a look at it.
      4. And then, basically, you USE THE MAP TO DECIDE, “OK, here’s the course that we’re going to go on.”
      5. You then LAUNCH the ‘ship’ on a trusted course in the short term, as well as on the long horizon that you’re moving on.
      6. And then, on a regular basis, you need to REASSESS, “OK, we need to take in NEW DATA, CLEANUP, RECALIBRATE, and REFOCUS for the next leg of the journey.”
    • It’s that simple…”
  • ‘Capture’ all the ACTION ITEMS you can in your GTD Trusted System

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

 

The main thing that I learned this week was that an organizational system goes a long way in making tasks easier and reducing stress. I also learned that my current way of organization doesn’t really work and that I need to find something new. The only problem I had to solve this week was that I had to find a new system to organize my tasks into which after some research I decided on Trello.

Week 9 – GTD – Getting Things Done – Part 1

“Day 092/366 – To Do List” by Great Beyond is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Your toughest work is defining what your work is! –  Peter Drucker

SUMMARY

This week I was able to complete all of the tasks on my to-do list as well as get some extra game design work done.

PRACTICE ROOM (TUTORIALS)

Image of David Allen at TED Talk
Screenshot from David Allen TED Talk

In this ‘room’ you are going to try Getting Things Done (GTD).

STEP 1: MAKE A LIST

Screenshot of David Allen TED Talk
Screenshot of David Allen TED Talk
  • write a personal narrative draft
  • do pre calc homework
  • do reading assignment
  • plan some new Project senior year levels
  • do Christmas shopping

STEP 2: NOTICE WHAT YOU NOTICED

Screenshot of David Allen TED Talk
Screenshot of David Allen TED Talk
  • write a personal narrative draft
  • do pre calc homework
  • do reading assignment
  • plan some new Project senior year levels
  • do Christmas shopping

STEP 3: SET A TIMER

https://giphy.com/gifs/time-clock-konczakowski-d3yxg15kJppJilnW
  1. Set a timer for your first task
    1. Decide how long you think it will take before you start
  2. Start working
  3. Repeat this process for 45 minutes for as many tasks as you can complete, then take a 15-minute break
    • Get up and get a drink of water
    • Get up and go for a walk
    • Every 20 minute blink your eyes 20 times while looking at least 20 feet away
      • This is good for your eyes

Start steps 1 through 3 again, repeat for your school day

OUTSIDE (PRODUCTIVITY & THE BRAIN)

David Allen image
Oct. 2020 Lucidchart interview with David Allen
Image from FastCompany Magazine, https://www.fastcompany.com/3026827/the-brain-hacks-top-founders-use-to-get-the-job-done
Image from FastCompany Magazine, https://www.fastcompany.com/3026827/the-brain-hacks-top-founders-use-to-get-the-job-done
  • Reflect on GTD and getting to the top of the colorful list above for a minute
    • How can the GTD process help you tame the crazy-busy dragon of modern life?

The walk that I took was very much needed because I was starting to get frustrated with my game design work. The walk was most beneficial because I was able to clear my head and find a solution to the issue that I was having.

OPTIONAL EXERCISE – Literally, read the article and go for another walk 🙂

 Katia Verresen homepage
Katia Verresen, kvaleadership.com

“I coach C-suite executives and rising stars from the earliest startups to Fortune 100 companies. My passion is to help ambitious leaders achieve their full human potential.”  – Read more about Katia…

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

One thing that I learned this week largely had to do with time management. This largely had to do with the fact that some of my tasks took longer than expected so I had to allow extra time than I had planned to in order to get them done. A problem that I had to solve was that late into the week some more things that needed to get done poped up so I simply had to fit them into my plan for the week in order to solve that issue.

Developing Quality Workflow

What is Workflow?

Image Creative Workflow from Behance.com, https://www.behance.net/gallery/27919515/Creative-workflow-GIF

Work•flow /ˈwərkflō/

“The sequence of industrial, administrative, or other processes through which a piece of work passes from initiation to completion.” – lexico.com

What is a quality workflow?  How do we develop it?  Below are elements of the production cycle that most creative people move through as they create something.  First, we must identify the stages of project production. What is each stage and what are the quality checks for each stage.  Read on and find out!

Stages of Creation Development

Inspiration

How do we find ideas to develop?

  • WHAT TOOLS SHOULD WE USE?

Tools Could include youtube to get ideas on how gameplay could look and feel but the most powerful tool would be our own experience playing games and knowing what felt good and what didn’t

  • WHAT PROCESS SHOULD WE USE?

I think that we could a simple group discussion group process because we can bounce ideas off each other and gauge a person’s potential enjoyment of the proposed concept based on how they react to the idea

  • HOW DO YOU MEASURE QUALITY?

I measure quality by how I react to and idea (determining if its a good or bad reaction). My emotional state when playing a game also is a way I identify quality

  • WHO MEASURES QUALITY?

I think that the consumer and or critic are the largest judges of what is quality as it is them who has to engage with the product

Intention

How do we clarify our specific goal(s) for a project?

  • WHAT TOOLS SHOULD WE USE?

I don’t think that a specific tool is needed in identifying goals as that is a question that can only be answered by each person individually

  • WHAT PROCESS SHOULD WE USE?

a simple computerless brainstorming session seems to work well in determining what we want to achieve in our projects

  • HOW DO YOU MEASURE QUALITY?

I think I measure quality be determining whether a goal is realistically achievable

  • WHO MEASURES QUALITY?

Teachers and other peers are the ones to determine the quality of a goal however this may be flawed as goals can be set based on skill level and not everyone has the same level of skill

Pre-production

How can we brainwrite, brainstorm, storyboard, and plan our ideas at this phase?

  • WHAT TOOLS SHOULD WE USE?

flowcharts are good ways of placing ideas altogether to see how they fit together

  • WHAT PROCESS SHOULD WE USE?

I think students should have to write a paragraph explaining the basics of their game or should build a flow chart they could choose based on what works best for them.

  • HOW DO YOU MEASURE QUALITY?

I measure quality be how well the pre-production set me up for the production phase

  • WHO MEASURES QUALITY?

I would say the development team as they are the ones who feel the effects of good or bad pre-production

Production

How do we communicate with each other and execute our plan for this phase? This is where we actually make the project.

  • WHAT TOOLS SHOULD WE USE?

we should use unity, visual studios, and a student’s choice of drawing software depending on if their game needs it.

  • WHAT PROCESS SHOULD WE USE?

I think students should be left to their own devices to work as long as they can justify what they are doing. This would also allow people who are motivated to achieve much more while also forcing people more prone to slack off to become motivated

  • HOW DO YOU MEASURE QUALITY?

I would say the quality is measured by whether or not you have a playable game or watchable film by the end of production

  • WHO MEASURES QUALITY?

I would say outside commentators such as peers, the teacher, or the advisory board

Post-production

How do we communicate with each other and execute our final stages of the project for this phase? This is where we publish the project.

  • WHAT TOOLS SHOULD WE USE?

We should use Unity, as well as some feedback gathering tools such as Google forms

  • WHAT PROCESS SHOULD WE USE?

Students should publish the game as is at the end of production and have people play or watch it and get feedback to determine what work still needs to be done

  • HOW DO YOU MEASURE QUALITY?

How well the feedback received is taken into account and applied to the final product by the development crew

  • WHO MEASURES QUALITY?

The people who gave feedback would measure the quality of the product after feedback is applied to the product

Presentation/Performance

How do we share our project with our learning community, advisory members, and the world?

  • WHAT TOOLS SHOULD WE USE?

I think that a simple presentation in google slides combined with a live watch or playthrough, and the advisory board’s comments would be the best tools to use

  • WHAT PROCESS SHOULD WE USE?

students should present their game or film as well as their production process to their peers and the advisory board to get feedback

  • HOW DO YOU MEASURE QUALITY?

By how well my the presentation is received by the advisory committee and if they feel the project has potential

  • WHO MEASURES QUALITY?

The advisory board as well as the teacher

Feedback

How do we conduct a feedback session at the end of the project development cycle?

  • WHAT TOOLS SHOULD WE USE?

I think forums and surveys would be the best tool to use

  • WHAT PROCESS SHOULD WE USE?

Students should take a survey on each teams film, or movie and their presentation so that the team gets ideas on what they did wrong and right

  • HOW DO YOU MEASURE QUALITY?

By the type of feedback, I get and how constructive or critical it is

  • WHO MEASURES QUALITY?

The people getting the feedback I think would be the ones to determine the quality of that feedback.

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