Propercorn: The Final Outcomes and Submission

The final outcomes were successful as not only did they suit the target audience but it worked with the company with the way their popcorn is made, with how popcorn is done properly. I felt that this was enhanced through the inclusion of the photography of the popcorn as well as the animation of the lightly sea salted flavouring which was emphasised with the animation of the switch and the movement of the sieve. The quirkiness of the animation worked with the aesthetic especially with the animated water which made it that much more appealing to the audience. The movement of the water was animated well and was enhanced with the audio that we recorded for the post production. The addition of the animatic helped the audience to understand the world of popcorn that we had created, the overall different and quirky style to how popcorn is made, from the corn fields to the packaging. With the addition of the pitch boards the final outcomes were coherent with development work and our descriptions of why we wanted the outcome to have that aesthetic; to refer to the product packaging. 

When submitting the final outcomes I ensured that the folder was labeled correctly including our names and brief before turning it into a zip file. Compressing the file in a zip file ensured that the content would not exceed the 2GB maximum file size, as the rendered animation was quite large due to the render settings. Uploading the zip file to WeTransfer was very easy and simple compared to how difficult I thought it would have been, it took awhile for the file to be uploaded but we were notified by email when the file had been sent to YCN. After adding the link to the submission page we submitted our work to YCN. Overall I really enjoyed this collaborative project, it was interesting with the different skill sets and ideas that helped to design the final idea and how our feedback helped each other to refine our work. More importantly I found that it made me more organised and time efficient as I was able to focus on the pre production stage which is the part that I enjoy the most. 

Propercorn: Editing the animation files in Premiere and the inclusion of sound

For the post production of the animation, Alex sent me the animation files via Google Drive so that I could easily download and import into Premiere. I decided to use Premiere for the post production as it is easy to use for manipulating both video and audio files. The video files did not need that much manipulation as the scenes transitions moved smoothly so I did not need to add any ease out/ease in or cut any any of the video away with the razor tool. For the majority of the sound files I added key frames to the file to be able to add a ease out to the ending of the recording, to stop the audio from stopping so abruptly. This also aided the transition of the next audio file. In order to change the volume of the audio, as some of the sounds needed to be quieter than others, I used the Audio Mixer to change the levels of that particular recording. Sounds taken from free sound and made own sounds using audacity to record. In order to create the salt shaking, we shook a bottle of salt next to the mic and for the dripping water from the sieve as it rises, we used a colander pouring water into it. I felt that these sounds worked well as it replicated the sound that we wanted within the scene and the timing of the sound worked with the movement.

I encountered a problem with the rendering of the final outcome as the rendered file would not take the ratio of 16:9 without being extremely pixelated. I tried many different settings when rendering to the point that I was able to get a high quality image but with no audio. I decided to see if anything would change if I was to render from the Adobe Media Encoder, as I wanted the rendered file to be H264. I imported the file into media encoder and the rendered file was in a gorgeous crisp quality with the sound being perfect as well. I am not entirely sure why the render worked in media encoder and not through premiere but for future projects I will ensure to use this to render to ensure that the work is always in a high standard.

Propercorn: Moving the carts in after effects and importing to edit in photoshop

Whilst Alex was animating the gnomes movement I helped with the movement of the carts using After Effects to the animate the position of the image. Using the transform keys such as the position and rotate keys helped to move the cart from one side of the the frame to another and to move the design in the wheel. Setting the key points was quite simple as I only needed to keyframe one of the wheels before duplicating the keys into the other wheel properties. However doing this sometimes moved the layer in a different place on the frame, I was able to solve this problem by using the anchor point keyframes to move the layer back into its original placement. Another problem I encountered was that the rotation of the wheel would reveal parts of the background. In order to solve this problem I imported the mov file to photoshop, making it into a video layer and coloured in the gaps of the wheel. This was time consuming but it was the only quickest and easiest solution that I could think of, I did find that I could make it even easier for myself by only saving the cart on the mov file and not the background. I found that I couldn't separate the background from the cart so I had to use the clone tool to edit the video layer after I had coloured the wheel and removed some of the colour that had escaped the wheel as it rotated. I also discovered that I could render a transparent background with the movement of the cart in After Effects. In order to render this transparent background in the render settings, changing the channels to RGB + Alpha. This made it easier to paint in the colour of the wheels, adding the background in photoshop in a separate layer.

Using After effects

Using Photoshop

Propercorn: The new pitchboards

I created the new pitch boards using the same layout that Alex used for the previous pitch boards, adding a title to each of the pages. I included a beginning page describing the idea and outcomes that we had made for the submission, I felt that this was necessary as the viewer needed to be able to understand the general theme and idea of the work to be able to hold any interest in the idea being pitched to them. I then went on to adding more pages that involved character designs, backgrounds and the storyboards. The pages for the storyboards were hard to cut down with the description of the boards. I wanted to keep each board with hardly any text, only what would be needed to tell the audience why these were the final designs, etc. For the storyboards I needed to include what was happening in each frame which I found incredibly hard to cut down. In order to solve this problem I wrote down everything that I would have described for each of the page and then crossed out any lines that described too much or was not needed so that the paragraph was to the point. I found that this helped me alot with ensuring that the text was direct to the point and did not clutter the page.

Propercorn: The new storyboards

For the narrative I cleaned up the lines and coherently sketched the sequence in thumbnail detail before creating the final version which would be set in 16:9. The rough storyboards showed the journey of the popcorn as it is made into Propercorn, from the moment it is picked from the fields to it being placed into the packet. As I was drawing the storyboards I realised that a few of the frames could be taken out which would make the narrative run smoother when animated. For example the profile view of the carts going into the furnace and the signposts of the flavours, this text could be outside next to the entrance to the flavour room. I purposely made the beginning frames last longer just incase Alex wanted to add a title or the company logo before the animation/animatic would begin; an ease in beginning. In order to apply the salt to the popcorn we both came up with the idea of a sieve to shake the salt onto the product, in which it gathers the salt from the sea water in the room before heading to the stand where the gnome would twist a switch to lightly shake salt on the popcorn. With Alex's positive feedback and notes on which scenes to cut I took the designs to photoshop and began to make the refined versions.

Rough Storyboard

Rough Storyboard

With the final storyboards I cut out a few of the scenes with Alex's help with timing and how well it would transition to the next scene. I also added more detail to the environment within the frames to give the audience an idea of how the finished design could appear. This can be seen in the second page third frame with the carts traveling to the next destination. I felt that the wall or environment that the carts would be going past to reach the flavour room needed to link to the packaging of that flavour, so I added the illustration from the packet in the background. I wanted this detail to be moving as the carts move, whether the illustration is depicted as graffiti or in the actual location. 

For the ending the narrative I wanted the story to end on the product packaging, showing the flavour that the ident had referred to with the inclusion of the other packets. I visualised the packets making crinkly sounds as they moved into the frame behind the flavour that was advertised. I added blue notes to each of the frames as to show the viewer the movement and direction within the shot. 

  

Final Storyboard

Final Storyboard

Final Storyboard

Propercorn: The background designs and revising the final outcome

Unfortunately with the task that we had set ourselves with making a such a long animation, which had intentionally been an ident at 10-15 seconds, we had to revise what we would be able to make for the submission deadline. After much debate we agreed to make an animation sample with the rest of the animation being depicted through an animatic. We both wanted the narrative that we had created so far to be submitted as we loved the idea and felt it would work well with the target audience through how different it is. Having this animation sample gave Alex the opportunity to focus on one part of the narrative and animate this to the best of her ability. We also decided that the animation sample should show the room in which the flavour is added to the popcorn as that is one of the most important scenes in showing how the popcorn is made and what flavour it would be aimed at.

For the backgrounds I focused on the ending scene with the flavour taking into account the sea like room it would be situated in. I added shells hanging from the ceiling that Alex would later add water falling from the shells and mixing into the sea. I could visualise the water being different shades and mixing together giving that quirky edge to the imagery. I felt that the general aesthetic of the composition referred to the packaging well with the lines and cut out appeal I had added to the edges of the walls and shells; I did not add this to the tracks or the stand that the gnome would be standing on in the next background image as I felt that it would not work successfully making the overall design look cluttered. I purposely made the tracks weave slightly into the water as to show the audience the perspective and distance of the tracks as well as make it level for the stand. For the next background design I zoomed into the stand that the gnome would be mainly working on and which the cart would pull up to for the salt to be lightly sprinkled over the top.

 After gaining Alex's feedback on the backgrounds her only constructive criticism was that the water was too dark, in which she lightened when she began to animate.  The second background image includes a mock up of the cart and photography of the popcorn which we both believe worked really well with the aesthetic of the animation so far. The last background I created was for the exit leading to where the carts would be emptied into the product packaging. I included the company name and slogan on a sign above the exit with two pointing hands that I made on photoshop with the idea that these would be lights and would blink between each other as the popcorn carts disappear into the exit. I felt that this composition worked well as it included the company name and worked with the illustrations from the packets.

Overview

Close up

Exit

Propercorn: The edited character designs

I revisted the character designs, changed the colouring and outfits due to the flavour and the scene that the gnome character would be situated in. The colour of the packet for the lightly sea salted was a light blue which I sourced from the photography pack that came with the brief on the YCN website. After changing the colour of the beards and adding slight crosshatch to the helmets I felt that the design worked well and would appeal to the target audience. I added crosshatch to the design as to match with the illustration on the product packaging with the intricate lineart. For the clothing of the characters there needed to be three variations to suit the job roles that the gnomes would have: the farmer gnome would need dungarees and a flat cap to be recognized as a farmer, the lab gnome would need a lab coat and clip board to suit the scene with ensuring that the popcorn is cooked properly, and lastly the worker gnome which would be adding the flavour by hand next to the popcorn, this gnome needed overalls and a hard hat helmet to ensure safety and to suit his rule. I felt that these character designs worked well with the jobs that they had been given in the scenes for the new narrative. The colour scheme included muted tones which helped the character suit the target audience even more than it did in the previous concept designs.

Alex's feedback was very positive, liking the colour scheme and outfits that I had designed for the characters. I asked her about the overall appearance of the animation, as we wanted to begin to suit the animation to work alongside with the product packaging with the style of the illustrations. We felt that only a few things should be coloured such as the characters, cart and popcorn, in which we wanted the popcorn to be photography of the product to make it stand out to the viewer.

Propercorn: The new concept

From the peer feedback I began sketching new concepts involving a more open world, showing the corn growing in the field to being cooked and adding the flavouring. After talking to Alex about how the popcorn could be transported to each of these scenes, we decided to keep the cart and tracks that we had in the previous concept. We both agreed that it worked with the characters and it helped to tie in the wacky world that we wanted to create. This new concept gave more room for ideas and developing them further.

For the popcorn to be cooked I debated from huge frying pans to a furnace, asking Alex for feedback on these ideas, she decided that the furnace was the best idea. I began to design the furnace thinking of different ways to incorporate the tracks, each of these tracks would represent a different flavour. As the popcorn cooking scene would only be possibly 3 seconds at the longest due to the amount we wanted to show in the short animation we wanted to make, I felt that the furnace needed to be simple and incorporate the gnome characters. I thought that there could be a small window for the gnomes to check on the popcorn to ensure that it is done properly and could also allow more character designs for the gnomes. For example in this scene there could be gnomes dressed in lab coats experimenting with new flavours in the background as gnomes in the foreground control the temperature of the popcorn. After this scene we wanted a room to be dedicated to the addition of the flavour, with this room being the most craziest and interesting scene compared to the previous. I found inspiration for this through the concept art of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Wreck It Ralph with the Sugar Rush game level. As we wanted to focus on one flavour, being the lightly sea salted one, I decided to fill the room with shells and sea weed, the tracks being slightly underwater, and possibly huge shells pouring more sea water into the room.

Corn in the field

The flavour room

Tracks

The flavour room continued

Cooking the popcorn

Propercorn: Pitchboards

For peer assessment we created our pitch boards focusing on the initial pre-production work that we had created so far, with the narrative being clearly described to the audience. Alex created the pitch boards with a good quality finish that incorporated the logo, making it look professional. I created storyboards for the pitch however I didn't allow myself enough time to design them as well as I would have liked. I believe this is due to my time management with the other modules, I felt that I had organised my time efficiently with the other modules, I just did not give myself enough time to create the work; I ended up spending longer on creating the boards then I had originally anticipated. Due to this the peers did find it hard to follow the narrative but they understood the main message towards the work that we wanted to create. The feedback was overall very positive and gave both myself and Alex ideas on the character design and editing the narrative to ensure that it would suit the target audience. We asked the peers questions about the character design with the use of the coloured beards, and the feedback was mixed, some liked the idea of coloured beard and the others felt that the use of the coloured beards made it seem as if it was suited for a younger audience. I agreed with the use of colour targeting a younger audience so we decided to only show colour through the clothing of the characters, keeping the beard grey.

The narrative itself was one that the peers were not sure about, they liked the idea of a gnome as they felt that it was quirky but needed muted tones to make it suit the target market; however with the gnome character, the peers did believe that it would help to widen the target market more. The use of the narrative being kept underground in a mine wasn't popular with the peers through how it could be seen as dismal and not as fun as we intentionally thought. The world that we had created needed to have one skies, possibly showing the corn in the fields before it becomes popcorn. I quite liked this idea and felt that we would be able to make interesting and different scenes for the popcorn to made into the final flavour.

Propercorn: Character design

I started to develop and refine my ideas for the character a bit more, trying to see if I could use a gnome like character for the final outcome. I began my designs with fairy like characters as at first we debated about using a gnome character but after drawing the fairy creatures, which I felt didn't really differ from a normal human as we didn't want to use wings, I felt that I needed to try to use the gnome creatures as a development in style at the very least. I felt that the fairy like beings would have worked if the wings were added or they continuously floated just to show that they were a supernatural being, referring to how small they are in relation to the popcorn and the crazy world that the popcorn is made in. 

Drawing the gnome designs were extremely fun, drawing the beards and noses were different compared to what I would normally draw which made it a challenge but also enjoyable. I began with a full normal figure before squashing the proportions and the length of the limbs which I felt worked successfully on the first page, last design. I felt that I could develop this further as the placement of the arms didn't look like it worked as well as the rest of the proportions, the arms needed to move back slightly. I continued to draw different body shapes and styles, using designs from Bob the Builder as influence for some of the noses and shapes of the limbs. I liked the head and shoulder design on the second page on the right, I felt that the use of not being able to see the eyes worked quite well; with this I took it further and added different styles of beards to the design. I really liked the different beards and felt that any of these designs would work well to the point that each of these could represent a different flavour or simply just another gnome character in the ident. I took these designs to Alex and she agreed with the last page of beards with the body from the first page of designs that I had made. 

From this I began to add colour to the designs using Photoshop, for the ease of the tools and workspace for drawing. After adding colour to the designs I felt that these were successful as they worked with both the target audience through the use of the character and the colour used, as well as the theme that we had originally intended. I purposely coloured the beards in different colours as I felt that it would be interesting to match the gnomes with the colour of the packet, for example the green beard would relate to the sour cream and chives flavour. Even though I believed it was a good idea I wasn't too sure if it would suit the target audience; it would suit a younger audience through the use of the vibrant colour. Using feedback from Alex, I coloured the full figure of the gnomes with different tops in which the colour would refer to the packets, using the grey beard gnome head as a basis. I quite liked the idea of the tops being a different colour however after considering if the top would be seen well from a distance or for the short amount of time it would be on the screen, we decided that the hard hats could be a different colour as it would be easily seen. 

Propercorn - Creating a concept

For this Propercorn brief we knew that we wanted something different, using inspiration from the research that we both conducted, we came up with an idea that incorporated a world of making popcorn. This world needed to be different and quirky, much like the Willy Wonka factory in Roald Dahl's works. Using this as a basis, I generated ideas in which most revolved around the use of gnome like characters, from this both myself and Alex came up with the idea of a mine like factory to create this popcorn with the flavours being crystals that the gnomes would mine. I started to generate sketches of a storyboard and possible narrative for the flavours of the popcorn. Immediately I knew that we would have to focus on one of the flavour productions as the animation would need to be over the duration for an ident, that was the original intention to produce for the brief. I felt that this would help us to focus on the imagery and how it can be aimed at that particular flavour with the premise of a series of idents that would be dedicated to the other flavours.

I wasn't entirely sure which flavour to focus on at first as there was so much choice with the products that Propercorn have, for example the coconut and vanilla flavour would be interesting to design for with the crystals and backgrounds that would relate to that flavour. I did however believe that the lightly sea salted flavour would possibly be the best choice through how even though the use of the seasoning is simple, it would help to generate innovative ideas to represent these elements.

I started to move on to a possible character design which I quickly sketched as a warm up before properly beginning my work. So far I realised that I was focusing too much on a normal figure, I knew that I needed to change my style to suit the gnome like creature that we wanted for the animation; my quick sketches looked more like children rather than small gnome creatures. In order to solve this problem I needed to draw stereotypical gnomes and then develop from there. I did however draw a robot to see how that would work but I felt that it made it seem as if the company were robotic themselves which was not a good message to present to the audience. 

Propercorn - Visual Research

Before beginning any major pre production work , I first researched into the packaging and illustrations from different artists and other media. Researching into the packaging helped me to understand the illustrative style that they would want with in an ident, one that would relate to the packaging and the flavour. It was interesting looking into the window and outdoor displays in which they involved the audience, making the display look much like the illustrations in the packaging. One of the main inspirations we found were from product adverts such as the Ben & Jerrys ice cream ident which involved the packaging containing a world that animated characters interacted with and related to the flavour. We were quite inspired by this idea and wanted to develop this further for a possible idea for our final outcome. With this idea we wanted characters that were different to be shown with in this concept, the character first started with a small fairy like creature, to gnomes. I felt that the idea of gnomes was interesting and one that I hadn't really seen in most adverts.

Whilst gathering this research I organised the imagery within a board on the site Pinterest. Using Pinterest for my research allowed me to easily view what research Alex had collected, making it easier for me to understand her idea generation which allowed me to develop this further or gather more material.

Propercorn

After deciding to work on the YCN Propercorn brief, we began to mind map ideas that immediately came to mind once reading the brief criteria. It was interesting as ideas that involved a world orientated around the product was one of the first ideas that was noted down, and from this we were both able to generate more ideas incorporating possible animation techniques. We both really wanted to merge stop motion and 2D animation together for the final outcome, however with the amount of time that it would take to create the set and props to then record the stop motion we decided not to continue with this technique; wanted to ensure that we delivered a good quality animation piece to the competition deadline.

After noting the ideas down on the mindmap, we then began to merge ideas together and refine the possible narrative. An interesting idea of having the world in the popcorn packet could have worked well, with the camera zooming into the packet after the consumer opens the packet, with a crazy world inside making the popcorn. The only criticism that we had with the idea was that the product placement of the packets would need to be on longer and I personally felt that this should be the ending. For example the audience see how popcorn is made in this different world to then zoom out and show consumers eating the popcorn, ending on the product placement. We both liked the idea of incorporating the use of the illustrations on the packet, possibly creating an environment depicted on the packet. For example, with the lightly sea salted flavour, have the sea waves crashing into each other as the camera continues to slowly pan in, until the audience see a boat which cuts to a sailor steering the boat before eating some of the Popcorn.

Collaborative Practice Contract

Creating the contract made it clear for each person what exactly they will be contributing to the project, what their skills are, what they want to do for the project, and what the joint responsibilities would be. I also felt that this was a good chance to see what skills you believe you have, and after writing them down you notice that you have more than you originally thought you did. This contract makes it easy to settle any dispute between the partners on the brief, for example if someone did not do the job they were meant to do they can refer to the contract as it is physically written down. I also thought that this would be a good opportunity to ensure that the other person would attend meetings and constantly update with the work progress that they had achieved so far.  Below are the completed forms. 

Collaborative brief - Choosing a brief, continued

After analysing into the briefs that we both initially had some interest in, we looked into more briefs as we decided that the previous briefs would not work for what we wanted to create with the final outcome.

Sage
Can produce a video/animated content that must be shared online - purpose is to persuade small businesses to switch to Saga - two main parts to the brief, one to promote their payroll software - other is to promote accounting software - would need to be more like an infographic - would need to be saturated in facts and statistics - main audience would be businesses just starting out or quite small and need help with accounting - want to work alongside the accountants that they already have but use their software to aid them. Too plain and graphic based for the outcome that we want to create.

Propercorn
Ideas need to be faithful to the brand, encouraging loyalty - need to be commercially viable - think big - think creatively - this is an open brief - if studying animation can consider how you can 'bring our illustrative world to life' - a piece of communication - traditional - engagement - target audience 20 - 35 year olds - time poor, health conscious, have an appreciation for the arts. - Have more creative freedom compared to Sage - Sage is asking for more of an informative and infographic animation. Theme for this brief needs to show how it can communicate with the customer in daily life - show daily routines or how and where popcorn can be eaten? - not just the cinema.

We decided to choose the Propercorn Brief due to its creative freedom, the purpose of the outcome that it is asking for and its audience. Through this brief we both are confident that we can inform our practice further and make something that can be both submitted and used for our show reel,

Collaborative brief - Choosing a partner and looking into briefs

I decided to team up with Alex Neild for the Collaborative Practice part to the module as we both know our skill sets and how we both work towards completing work. We had planned to work together to create a piece that would be worthy for portfolio and show reel content beforehand and we both felt that this brief would be a fantastic way to start a collaborative piece of work. I really like the movement of her animations and idea generation that Alex puts into her work, these elements create a finished outcome that not only feels realistic within the kinetic actions she creates but a finished story that is fun and is portrayed well to the audience. You can view Alex's work here.

To begin the module, we both brought 3 briefs that we thought could work well with both of our skill sets, looking into both D&AD and YCN.

Here are my notes on the briefs that we analysed:

WWF
Can create an animation/video up to the maximum of 2 minutes - target audience 14 - 24 age range - want to help shape their future for generations to come - Want the awareness of the natural world, what state it is in and will be in if they don't get the help they need - non for profit charity - want to highlight the responsibilities that each person has, everyone needs to help.

WPP
Can create an animation/video to promote the awareness towards education for girls, learning through technology - would have to create a name, identity, online presence and the launch of the campaign - feel like immediately this is alot of work to try and create alongside with making an animation which is not mandatory towards the brief. - possibly look at creating a ident for the cause for PPP - different subject matter compared to the rest of the briefs.

SYFY
Alot of creative freedom - can create an animation for it -however they don't know themselves what they want from the final outcome - could possibly be hard to create something for the specific syfy brand that it requires - need to research more into this - gain inspiration - consider how we can twist this into something that can work for both of our practices.

Vice
Ident based on British culture - clear with target audience - use of action footage if needed - ident needs to 10 -15 seconds - preferable to add audio as would suit the audience more - needs to be attractive to their target audiences - is a youtube channel which is quite popular - based on documentaries that are like gossips and exposes, celebrity news etc - both didn't agree with the subject matter.

We looked into two of the briefs in more depth:

Pantone
Chose any town - possibly make our own town? Add colour to the town that you chose - very community based - could start with a black and white scenery and then attack the image with splashed and streaks of colour - could possibly turn futuristic?

This brief has a lot of potential, a little bit too vague in places. Would need to research more into colour, its emotional definitions, possibly colours that relate to a city. We are able chose our own town, all about the local community, endorsing a positive change. There is however no clear purpose for the end outcome, just a constant reminder on how it needs to benefit the community, this could possibly mean a form of advertising for the local business of the town you chose. The chose your own town theme is contradicting in a sense through how hometown can be anywhere you think is your hometown even if you have never been there before - this would require field research and could be expensive with travel costs depending on the place that you chose. The deliverables however do not include any animation or video based content, just eight presentation slides to submit.

Decided not to continue to look at this brief due to it not containing an animation part to the deliverables which is ultimately what we are looking to create - could possibly complete this brief if we were to make the animation on the side as an extra part to the brief - the eight images being screenshots from the animation.

We Transfer
Portray yourself in 10 years - would be hard to create something as there are two of us in the group, however could either base it on each other or do a split screen showing both of our depictions of us in 10 years, much like 'Bad Day' music video by Daniel Powter - could use this for self promotion, make us think about what we want in the future - concept is key.

Even though the brief explains what they want, it is still confusing in what their purpose for this outcome is. You chose your own audience and have complete freedom with the style and setting of the piece. Choosing your own audience sounds strange, matched with the lack of purpose for the work, what is the companies target market? The deliverables ask for a submission of one print image, one illustration or digital piece either as one image or as a video (for moving image or interactive work). I feel like this could possibly be too much work as well as creating the animation.

Decided not to continue with this brief as the problems were too many and out weighed the positives, however this brief would have been suitable if we did not have to submit the outcome to the competition - would be able to take the strengths of the brief and take it outside of the box to inform practice further.

Collaborative brief and considering Project Report - notes

Collaborative brief - A creative response

You will be working as a creative partnership to create another outcome for one of the D&AD or YCN briefs - It must be submitted to the competition - may have to pay for submission depending on which brief you choose - don't forget the deadline for the brief you choose, could be earlier than others.

Choose a creative partner based on what you want to do, how you you help them and they help you to inform your practice? - Two heads are better than one however you will be assessed on your own individual process, how you document, communicate and evaluate your work etc.  You need to complete the contract so that both of you in your team, know exactly what areas you want to do, what you will do and promise to do. Alot of compromise and team skills.

Consider how many people are going to see your work - secret seven competition?
The content must be significant, it needs to be quality and quantity. Your ability to identify specific briefs - need to add more depth with the problems of the brief, how this brief can ultimately help you. Consider Project Proposals/Report - You need to start thinking about it, presenting all the work you have created in both individual and collaborative briefs. bear in mind that the tutors have not seen any of your work yet, so you need to explain what you have done and why you have done this, how has this helped you develop your practice?

A visual evaluation - An aid of all the important parts of your work and blog. What have you taken from this? Context, Product and Function. You know your briefs and they don't. Your ability to present without you standing there. You chose what is relevant to you. Needs to be presented in PDF format. Your project report as your last blog post. Will be the first thing that they will see when they come to assess your work. It is a story, a visual map of what you have done. It can be made through powerpoint etc as long as you export it as a PDF. Don't over complicate it, it is about the content, be precise with your point. If you feel that the development work is more important to you, then add it. You don't however need to show start to finish as that is essentially your blog. Show them in the real world, showing that this could happen.