END OF YEAR REFLECTION

In a few days, I will be graduating from high school and leave e-Communcation. I have greatly enjoyed my time at eComm, and am quite sad to be leaving the program. I have learned a variety of skills and beginning concepts of CARP, making storyboards and taking part in events hosted by eComm.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

I gained a lot of my technical skills through programs like Photoshop, After Effects, Illustration, and Maya throughout the years. I remember my sophomore year, I didn't understand how to use keyframes in After Effects and how to create certain items like a motion path and in Maya. By watching online tutorials and exposing myself to these programs, I gained a better grasp of following tutorials and used what I had learned in future projects. My technical skills were especially great in 2D Animation, where I excelled in the most. However, while making my bone rigged Fish in Maya earlier this year, I had trouble with the Painting Weights and got some assistance on that through classmates and Lynda tutorials.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Sometimes, the end result of a project doesn't show the effort that an individual took on a project. The effort came in while planning out a project and completing it within a certain deadline. During my junior year while working on Ten Apples Up on Top, I had to effectively plan out how to finish my project within a quarter. While I had planned out deadlines to reach certain pages at certain times, I found my end goal to be impossible to reach. This was when I started looking for shortcuts and spending lots of extra hours outside of school just to meet the deadline. Although my Ten Apples Up on Top project didn't turn out like I had expected, I used the animation skills that I learned from that experience my senior year to quickly finish up certain parts of my projects and focus on parts that required more attention. I wish I would've changed my project and not overwhelmed myself into finishing Ten Apples Up on Top in such a short amount of time.

From my experiences with time management with Ten Apples Up on Top, I successful used them again while working on Birds. The reason why this project turned out to be an overall success was not just because of my content, but my time management. I gave myself a longer time frame to finish Birds and thoroughly plan out my storyboard, animation cycles, and each scene.

COLLABORATION AND COMMUNICATION

In the classroom, I learned just about everything I needed to know through online tutorials and forums. My classmates also did the same, but sometimes, they needed a bit of a helping hand. I have helpedmy classmates evaluate their personal logos and websites they made present to industrial professionals  and Senior Showcase. While looking at students' projects, I offered suggestions on what design elements can be edited and what content should be added or removed. They also did the same thing as I presented my online portfolio and logo. This experience helped me improve my public speaking skills in a small group, help me understand what key points I need to cover while presenting and commenting, and listening to others.

LEADERSHIP

To me, leadership in eComm doesn't just mean taking charge of a group project or event, but taking charge of individual projects and doing what is expected. During my junior year while working on the Notebook, I took charge of the 2D animation part when the office supplies are inside the notebook animating them to life. While this was my central role in the project, I demonstrated my leadership by offering help to my other group members planning out the storyboard, taking still frames, and the overall appearance of each scene.

CONCLUSION

After spending several years in eComm working on a variety of animations and preparing myself for the future to come, I will use my 2D animation and design skills when working on designs for myself, family members, and potential clients as much as possible. I will continue to do what I've learned in eComm no matter where I am, as it has helped me become the person that I am today, and I am very thankful for the teachers and students that have helped me be a better person.