Reflection on Semester and Project Turnout

Well, looks like we’ve arrived at the end of the semester! As I reflect on my project for a final time as a student, here are my thoughts:

1. Have a clearer plan from the beginning. I was indecisive at the beginning of the semester. I was sure about my episode concept coming into the semester, but I wasn’t sure if the idea would serve a full-length episode well, so my co-writers and I regrouped and wrote a new episode that we were happy with, save for some polish needed on it. I began getting nervous that the scope of that episode was too big to get accomplished before the showcase, as it was long and required several different voice actors. I decided to put that script on the backburner and focus on vignettes instead. While I’m happy with how the vignettes came out, I wish I had that plan earlier.
2. My advice for future students who may follow in my footsteps would be this: If you have an idea that you like and are passionate about, do it. Don’t fret about the difficulty or your own skillset, I would advise to start creating what you have in mind to the best of your ability. You learn things the most by jumping in and doing them, in my opinion. Also, I would encourage working on a project that captures your voice and is a reflection of who you are, and proudly show that project to the world. It’s not often you get to channel your personality into a creative medium, and I would take full advantage of that opportunity.
3. A definite skill that has improved during the creation of The Four 20-Year-Olds is project management. My After Effects files were a complete mess, but I learned some very solid ways of keeping my files more condensed and easier to navigate. I also learned a lot about the software I was using by simply poking around in it and trying out different things, as well as researching any questions I had about it. I am stronger in these programs now than I ever was before. Also, I think some of the more experimental tactics used in the creation of this project paid off in the end, which encourages me to continue to experiment in the future.
4. During the showcase, I was happy with the overall reaction I got for the project. I got a lot of laughs, which was my main objective from the outset. I also noticed that my project seemed to resonate with some people, which is as refreshing as it is encouraging. The reception at the showcase has motivated me to immediately continue work on the project.
5. For the future, I want to continue this project for as long as my co-writers and I continue to have ideas that we are excited and passionate about. I have several scripts underway at this moment in time, and my tentative plan is to get about 5 or 6 scripts written and polished, and hopefully fully produced, over the course of the next year. The work on this project was… draining to say the least. But seeing it have a positive reaction with viewers made me want to immediately get back to work. I want to continue pushing the script ideas we currently have and continue working on The Four 20-Year-Olds for my portfolio.

For anyone interested, the project can be viewed here.