Project Reflection - Cutting Down The Stress

As my idea had started to overwhelm me, I decided it was time to stop and look at the project as whole and reflect on what the next steps I need to take were. I became so overwhelmed by my project that I was considering throwing the whole thing out and just making an animation. This would mean me having wasted time on everything I have done so far and would be cutting it close to the deadline. I considered making an animation for the MA and then using the research proposal and the work I had done so far for a PHD proposal. I spoke to some colleges and my MA tutor and have decided to back track my idea but not to the extreme of throwing it out as I was close to doing. On reflection I am going to stick with the same idea but I am going to simplify it. I will keep the same theme over all and will also continue with my dissertation as planned, but now the focus of the work in my masters will be a small section of what I was originally proposing. 

I will now focus my project on the 3D printing element to make the character I will use to test all the other processes I had originally outlined, I will then look at how to use photogrammetry, how to input the footage into Maya, and compositing for 360 video. This still gives me new processes and softwares that I need to learn but gives me less to learn than the original mountain. 

This does mean that I need to change the style of my proposal again. Instead of writing a research proposal it will now be closer to a project proposal and pitch bible. This is something that I am much more comfortable writing than the research proposal, so it again removes another stress. 

When speaking to my tutor, I had mentioned using this idea as a proposal for a PHD and she pointed out that I should worry about a PHD proposal before I have even finished my MA, that it would  be running before I could walk so to speak, and that thinking of it as a proposal for a PHD at this stage world only cause me more stress. She suggested that instead I have the research proposal for applying for a PHD as one of my aims to come out with at the end MA. Once I thought about her suggestion it definitely made sense and again removed another stress and gives me something to work towards. 

From this point I need to re draft my project proposal, and make sure I have all the points I need to cover. I also need to see what elements of the practical I need to make and then plan when I will make them.

Along with realising these changes I have started to make a schedule/Gantt chart to help me plan and know what I need to do at this stage.