I just had a look at your pitch and I think there is a bit of a suspense in it. I couldn't really see a lot of the storyboard (or rather read it), so I cannot make any useful comments. However, your textures look absolutely fantastic. You are absolutely right in saying that this is a very challenging project, mainly because it is aimed at undergraduates and therefore needs quite some information. From our previous discussion, however, I think you are very much on the right track. Similar to Sebastian, you have the big challenge of introducing your key players and I am very interested to see, how you are going to address this issue. I am very excited about this project and I hope to see more soon.
This project is challenging because I realized that by trying to put all the information in an animation format, many opportunities to include scientific data are lost. Video is certainly more entertaining than still images but for educational purposes an image would be much more suitable. There will be question-marks in student's heads after the video no doubt so it can only serve as an introduction. A textbook version of this subject will have to hold all the information.
I must say I'm a bit frustrated by this because if we're going to make a video about this subject, it could as well be "all in there". This would be a one hour video though - and at the end of the day the textbook version would still be more efficient.
I fear that by having to leave things out (for example I will not be able to look into Effector T-Cells) the video might actually confuse some students. To solve this, I will try to find the right tone for the video generally, so the student knows what to expect right from the start, and how to assess it.
Hey Pol (not Poly, unless things have changed even more so since you left these shores!),
Yes - posting a more 'client-facing' storyboard would be useful. Peter will be able to reassure re. that balancing act between info and flow. I suggest you relax about the different roles of video/text book. They wouldn't be replacing each other, rather accomplishing different sorts of engagement. You're absolutely right about the importance of staging the intent of the animation in a clear way; i.e. if it was a written assignment, you'd begin by defining the remit of the discussion - what is to be included, and what isn't. The problem with any subject is that the more you know about it, the more it proliferates in terms of detail, but if undergraduates were to encounter this animation at the beginning of their curriculum, and the job of the animation was to invite them into the world of their subject, then a simpler approach would be both welcome and appropriate. I suggest you work closely with Peter - via a storyboard he can follow easily and continued email discussion - as he is best placed (being a lecturer of this stuff at UG level) to know what should and should not be in the mix.
Meanwhile - love those textures, Pol; love the softness and the undulation. Very beautiful!
Hi Pol (sorry about the 'y', autocorrect on my computer was switched on and it does some very bizarre things),
I absolutely agree with what Phil said in his previous post. The aim of your animation is to give students the desire to look further into this subject; and to introduce e some of the key-players. If you want to show all the intricate details of the immune system, you probably would fill an entire evening. What you really want to do is, make the students go 'wow - this stuff is sooooooo cool -I need to read up on it'. And this is where the textbooks and the still pictures come in. Your job is to whet their appetite, you are the person, who offers them their first 'shot' (in a good way). You make them addicted to learning. That is what your animation should achieve. If your viewers become 'learn-junkies' then you have done YOUR job extremely well. Does this make sense?
Thanks for the input Peter, it makes sense. I think I was a bit mislead by the "biology students" audience. I'll have more to show on this in my next post then.
Hi Poly,
ReplyDeleteI just had a look at your pitch and I think there is a bit of a suspense in it. I couldn't really see a lot of the storyboard (or rather read it), so I cannot make any useful comments. However, your textures look absolutely fantastic. You are absolutely right in saying that this is a very challenging project, mainly because it is aimed at undergraduates and therefore needs quite some information. From our previous discussion, however, I think you are very much on the right track. Similar to Sebastian, you have the big challenge of introducing your key players and I am very interested to see, how you are going to address this issue. I am very excited about this project and I hope to see more soon.
Hi Peter,
ReplyDeleteI will post the storyboard in a larger document.
This project is challenging because I realized that by trying to put all the information in an animation format, many opportunities to include scientific data are lost. Video is certainly more entertaining than still images but for educational purposes an image would be much more suitable. There will be question-marks in student's heads after the video no doubt so it can only serve as an introduction. A textbook version of this subject will have to hold all the information.
I must say I'm a bit frustrated by this because if we're going to make a video about this subject, it could as well be "all in there". This would be a one hour video though - and at the end of the day the textbook version would still be more efficient.
I fear that by having to leave things out (for example I will not be able to look into Effector T-Cells) the video might actually confuse some students. To solve this, I will try to find the right tone for the video generally, so the student knows what to expect right from the start, and how to assess it.
Hey Pol (not Poly, unless things have changed even more so since you left these shores!),
ReplyDeleteYes - posting a more 'client-facing' storyboard would be useful. Peter will be able to reassure re. that balancing act between info and flow. I suggest you relax about the different roles of video/text book. They wouldn't be replacing each other, rather accomplishing different sorts of engagement. You're absolutely right about the importance of staging the intent of the animation in a clear way; i.e. if it was a written assignment, you'd begin by defining the remit of the discussion - what is to be included, and what isn't. The problem with any subject is that the more you know about it, the more it proliferates in terms of detail, but if undergraduates were to encounter this animation at the beginning of their curriculum, and the job of the animation was to invite them into the world of their subject, then a simpler approach would be both welcome and appropriate. I suggest you work closely with Peter - via a storyboard he can follow easily and continued email discussion - as he is best placed (being a lecturer of this stuff at UG level) to know what should and should not be in the mix.
Meanwhile - love those textures, Pol; love the softness and the undulation. Very beautiful!
You're right Phil, I have added the download link for the storyboard on this post.
ReplyDeleteHi Pol (sorry about the 'y', autocorrect on my computer was switched on and it does some very bizarre things),
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with what Phil said in his previous post. The aim of your animation is to give students the desire to look further into this subject; and to introduce e some of the key-players. If you want to show all the intricate details of the immune system, you probably would fill an entire evening. What you really want to do is, make the students go 'wow - this stuff is sooooooo cool -I need to read up on it'. And this is where the textbooks and the still pictures come in. Your job is to whet their appetite, you are the person, who offers them their first 'shot' (in a good way). You make them addicted to learning. That is what your animation should achieve. If your viewers become 'learn-junkies' then you have done YOUR job extremely well. Does this make sense?
Very best wishes,
Peter
Thanks for the input Peter, it makes sense. I think I was a bit mislead by the "biology students" audience. I'll have more to show on this in my next post then.
ReplyDelete