Exit Interview Questions

1) My essential question is: What is the most important aspect of designing a character for an animated feature.
    My best answer would have to be my first answer, the 3P’s of character design.  It is important because it is the very first step in creating a character. It is actually the brainstorming process, where you decide how the character will look and act, all of which depends on the traits that you apply to him/her.  The overall appearance of the character is heavily influenced by personality and powers.  If this vital part of character development was passed over, then there would be no character to animate!  The storyboard could not be created if the character was not modeled, and the model sheet could not have been developed without designing how the character would look and function, even before they are initially drawn.
2) I came up with this answer over the summer, which started off as a sort of a funny incident. I watched several superhero movies over the summer, and because I love Pokémon, I was curious as to which Pokémon would most likely suit which hero. I did not want to pair off Pokémon with heroes based off of looks alone. I came up with 3 traits I was looking for in each pair: Power, Personality, and Physical Appearance.  While the match-making game was short-lived, my 3P’s idea never went away.
   Later on, while I was taking a character design class in Pasadena’s Art Center, College of Design, I rediscovered my 3P’s. I learned from my instructor that personality is very important in developing characters, as flat characters elicit no emotion or compassion from the audience.  Also, the physical design of a character can determine the character’s role in the storyline.  This was just like my 3-part answer, and I knew then that it was legit.
3) One of the biggest problems I faced was trying to find mentorship hours during the school year. I was lucky to have gotten 10 hours during the summer at Duncan’s Studio, a real live animation studio.  However, no other studio could accept high school students and it was already hard for the workers at Duncan Studio to allow me for the 10 hours.  They could not do this again for the school year. 
   Luckily, due to some work between one of my teachers and a close friend of mine, I was able to get my mentorship hours with my friend, Cat, at her mom’s school.  I also received mentorship hours on Sundays working as an assistant to an art teacher at Pasadena’s Art Center, College of Design.
   My second biggest problem was trying to find research.  I relied heavily on Internet articles, which provided excellent information I used for much of my senior project, but were not considered quality resources. However, while there are several books on animation, few actually concentrate on character design.
   This problem was a little easier resolved, as while I was receiving my mentorship hours at the Art Center, I had access to the College library, where I found excellent books to assist me in my research.  Two of the best books I found there were titled, The Art of Animal Character Design and Ideas for the Animated Short.
4)  My first significant source would have to be the character design class I took at the Art Center.  I learned so much about character design from this class alone.  I learned what model sheets and concept art were and how they were used, and I learned about character development and personality.  This class helped me better define my first answer (the 3P’s) and helped me come up with my second answer, model sheets and concept art, which involve drawing the character to get an idea for what it looks like and how to keep them proportionate from all angles.
   My second significant source would have to be this amazing book I found titled, Ideas for the Animated Short. It was a very useful book, taking about more than just animation.  It had a lot of information about creating a storyline and the role a character(s) play in it. It even mentioned common role a character may play, such as hero, villain, mentor, etc.  It also gave examples of movies displaying these themes. It gave me my idea for my third answer, storyboarding, which is the process of placing the characters in a series of panels (like a comic book) to come up with ideas for an animated scene. This was very useful to me, considering before I received this book I had not yet decided what I was going to do for my third answer.
5)  My final product that I have taken away from this experience would have to be an improvement in my skills as an artist.  I started off as a sort of novice artist before senior project, knowing little about the subject of character design and even struggling with designs for my own characters.  However, as I progressed through senior year, studying how to make convincing characters as well as how to draw them effectively, I strongly believe my designs have improved considerably.  For example, some of my characters, particularly a dragon, went under several different designs before I could settle on one I found suitable. He started off looking somewhat like a Pokémon and later better developed into a more traditional dragon.  Not only that, but I also learned how to draw him facing forward (front view, like on a model sheet).  A task I found difficult in the past.  This is very important to me, as when I finally get a chance to work in an animation studio, I plan on making a full-fledged cartoon series, with this dragon as my star character!