Brief 05 Collaboration Evaluation

For the Art Fund YCN brief, I collaborated with an animator (B). Due to the collaboration not starting at the beginning stage of the brief, I had already developed research and a number of concepts. The finalised concept was developed once the collaboration started. The roles in the brief were that I would produce the print and still digital media and B would produce two animations. Throughout the collaboration many issues have occured.

Initially, a calendar plan was set out to ensure that we were both aware of the timescale for the brief and individual deadlines. Weekly meetings were also arranged to ensure we kept on top of the work. On numerous occasions these deadlines were not met by B. This meant that my own timetabling had to be adjusted to ensure the continuation of the brief. Due to our set deadlines not being met, the outcomes reduced from two animations to one. This was over concerns over not having sufficient time to produce a high quality animation.

The time management issues have developed my skills in management as the process has involved managing my own and someone elses time throughout a brief. These are skills that I would be able to transfer to a working environment as I would be more confident in being able to manage a project. 

On the 21st March it was timetable that we would submit the brief. On the evening of the 20th March I received an email from B explaining how he would be taking the time provided by the YCN extension to complete the animation. The reason behind this was so that he could spend more time concentrating on his other work. This is a reasoning that has been used on multiple times. This makes me feel that that his commitment to the brief is not as strong as it is for other projects. This is a reason that I understand, however, the last minute alteration meant the submission is being pushed back and also meant my own timetabling has been affected. Through a further discussion with B, he exclaimed how he would send me the completed work so that I could submit the brief. To ensure that the work that is required for the submission is received in sufficient time for submission, a final deadline was been set for B. 


Transferable skills:
- Finding the right communication method: does the person communicate better through email or face to face? 
- Time Management: ensure that the time plan is appropriate for all involved and that this is updated if anything changes. 
- Be aware of those qualities that make it difficult to collaborate with a person: varying enthusiasm through email compared to face to face, poor confidence in own commitements