Now that the project is finally tied up and finalised there is time to reflect on the experience. It has been much more high pressured than I realised and I really have put my heart and soul into it. This has definitely been a lesson on time management and handling pressure and work loads. I have always been very hard working and put 100% into my projects however I have never felt quite as tested as I have been in this project.
Personally it has been a very difficult time and time of change and it has all happened in a very short period, mostly the duration of this report, therefore I was really challenged and put to he test to see if I could be strong and continue for my own personal goals or if I was going to crumble under the pressure. I am not saying that it did not affect my working schedule at all but for the most part it has given me even more drive to try to achieve what I know I am capable of and strive for my future career. I am very pleased that I have managed to do this and feel that it is a really good reflection on my personal and professional abilities at coping under real life strains in the future.
From a purely academic point of view this was still a very trying time, I felt as I have said before, that there was as much work to take on as the John Lewis project between 12 of us. It therefore was a very difficult but educational battle to try to learn to manage my time, cope under pressure and most importantly remain focused on the point of my report and not get taken over by trying to add too much in that was not actually helping to make my point, something I think I struggled with but have learnt a lot from as a result. At times my time management was not spot on and I would under estimate time scales for certain components and end up behind my schedule but this is all part of the learning curve and has helped me to develop professionally as a result.
Practically it has been again very trying and educational. In this project we were all taking on a lot of new elements as well as continuing with work that we were familiar with, this feels like an extremely big task when the magnitude of the report itself is already more than we were used to. I know some people are already well versed in making movies, and others in finances, I however do not find figures easy so the financials were great to finally get my head around and produce results but they were also very long, hard and trying. Making the movie was also a slow learning process but one which I will find very valuable as I do love being creative as well as practical.
Over all I feel this has been a very difficult but eventually great experience in which I had a chance to really put myself to the test and create something I can ultimately be very proud of. My technical abilities may not be great still but having started from scratch I am very pleased with my campaign. I have enjoyed tying everything together and seeing the potential of all the elements we have learned over the course of the past two years. I am very grateful for the input from all the tutors as well as my peers and friends and family and ultimately my drive and determination to work hard and achieve work I can be proud of.
I hope I get to continue on with my BA next year a and continue to learn and to grow, personally and professionally.
Friday, 3 June 2011
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Week 8
This part of the report is always a stressful time, just a few days to go and I am trying to pull all my work together. It starts to get difficult to ever see the end as more and more details seem to crop up. I am very happy with my project so I just need to give myself the final push to bring it all together to ensure it comes out at the standard it should be.
My advert and visual elements are all pretty much done now, it is just a matter of polishing them off and posting them in their relevant places. I wish I was a little more technically competent so that I could have made it a little more professional but I think that my message comes across well and that it is a good concept so I am quite pleased. I had to reshoot some parts of it this week but I think it all comes together well enough and it has been a really good experience to work in a new media and with new programs.
There has definitely been a lot of pressure and a lot of work to carry out, I feel I have worked solidly for weeks and could still do so much more. I think I have pulled it off okay but this term has been a very big challenge! I think it would be for anyone. There are so many parts to think about and so much information and knowledge that can be applied it is quite hard to manage the volume whilst remembering to add in all the important parts and not get bogged down in things that are a little less relevant. I keep trying to remember Rachel's words of wisdom and encouragement last week to help me through. I really hope I have done enough to fulfil what is expected of us this term.
I will be back in a couple of days once everything is (hopefully) nicely tied up and ready to go to post my reflective essay and visual elements.
Off to finish the final push!
My advert and visual elements are all pretty much done now, it is just a matter of polishing them off and posting them in their relevant places. I wish I was a little more technically competent so that I could have made it a little more professional but I think that my message comes across well and that it is a good concept so I am quite pleased. I had to reshoot some parts of it this week but I think it all comes together well enough and it has been a really good experience to work in a new media and with new programs.
There has definitely been a lot of pressure and a lot of work to carry out, I feel I have worked solidly for weeks and could still do so much more. I think I have pulled it off okay but this term has been a very big challenge! I think it would be for anyone. There are so many parts to think about and so much information and knowledge that can be applied it is quite hard to manage the volume whilst remembering to add in all the important parts and not get bogged down in things that are a little less relevant. I keep trying to remember Rachel's words of wisdom and encouragement last week to help me through. I really hope I have done enough to fulfil what is expected of us this term.
I will be back in a couple of days once everything is (hopefully) nicely tied up and ready to go to post my reflective essay and visual elements.
Off to finish the final push!
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
Week 7
As the deadline draws in on the project I am starting to really feel the pressure. I feel as though there is as much work as we did in our groups of 12 last year to manage on our own! And although I am confident in my ability to carry out the project I am worried about time restraints and keeping my head so as to organise my time properly and not over cram my work at last minute or over work myself and let my standards drop as a result.
I am very pleased and excited about my project so far, the report is coming together nicely and I just have the final but time consuming task left of bringing all the information together into a logical order and format and ensuring everything is tied in and referenced, annotated etc. It is rewarding to see my hard work coming together but I keep noticing little details that need to be added or cross referenced within the report so it feels a little never ending. I have shot my video footage and familiarised myself again with iMovie so I should be ready to edit soon. This is something I am very nervous about although I am very happy with my idea so I hope it will come together to portray my desired message.
I have finished a lot of my artwork and visuals in rough form but want to perfect them fully before posting as promised, this should be sometime in the next couple of days. I am happy and quite passionate about the ideas behind my visuals and hope it will make good supporting evidence for my report and the concept within.
I had a good tutorial today. Rachel helped me to focus my energy and stay calm. It was good to talk about my work and get some positive feedback and pointers on time and thought management. The one on one sessions have definitely been very helpful as I feel I can talk more freely and honestly than infront of a big group and I am grateful for the in depth discussion and feedback on not only the project itself but also my personal experiences. As discussed with Rachel I have had quite a trying month personally and have worked hard to ensure it does not effect the quality of my work, although at times it has definitely added to the pressure on me and made it a lot harder to focus. It was great to be able to talk freely and honestly about it and receive such encouragement at how well I have managed myself and my work in amongst it.
The next week is going to be tough but I think also quite enjoyable and definitely rewarding at the end. I hope to have a piece of work I can be truly proud of to round off the past 2 years of hard work.
I am very pleased and excited about my project so far, the report is coming together nicely and I just have the final but time consuming task left of bringing all the information together into a logical order and format and ensuring everything is tied in and referenced, annotated etc. It is rewarding to see my hard work coming together but I keep noticing little details that need to be added or cross referenced within the report so it feels a little never ending. I have shot my video footage and familiarised myself again with iMovie so I should be ready to edit soon. This is something I am very nervous about although I am very happy with my idea so I hope it will come together to portray my desired message.
I have finished a lot of my artwork and visuals in rough form but want to perfect them fully before posting as promised, this should be sometime in the next couple of days. I am happy and quite passionate about the ideas behind my visuals and hope it will make good supporting evidence for my report and the concept within.
I had a good tutorial today. Rachel helped me to focus my energy and stay calm. It was good to talk about my work and get some positive feedback and pointers on time and thought management. The one on one sessions have definitely been very helpful as I feel I can talk more freely and honestly than infront of a big group and I am grateful for the in depth discussion and feedback on not only the project itself but also my personal experiences. As discussed with Rachel I have had quite a trying month personally and have worked hard to ensure it does not effect the quality of my work, although at times it has definitely added to the pressure on me and made it a lot harder to focus. It was great to be able to talk freely and honestly about it and receive such encouragement at how well I have managed myself and my work in amongst it.
The next week is going to be tough but I think also quite enjoyable and definitely rewarding at the end. I hope to have a piece of work I can be truly proud of to round off the past 2 years of hard work.
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Week 5-6
The past few weeks have been very intense. Getting back to University made me realise just how much is expected of us in this final project compared to the rest so I am quite excited as well as nervous and feeling the pressure.
It has been useful to come back to University after the break and get some feedback on the work we are doing and to meet with tutors and peers again to know I am on the right track. I have also found the excel classes to be incredibly useful, not only in refreshing knowledge from years ago at school but also in learning new formulas and understanding better what is expected and how we are to go about the financial planning, which is the part I am perhaps the most apprehensive about in the report as it is the least familiar.
The report is coming together nicely and I am really happy with my business plan. Having spoken to Sian and Rachel Velody last week I have refreshed enthusiasm in my ideas as it was nice to see a positive reaction when I put them across. I have decided to do a prestige range of limited footwear for Aldo and to incorporate collaborations with big names such as Louboutin. I have therefore also started having fun with the creative element and have a clearer idea for my advert. I hope to have a storyboard and some other visuals ready to upload by next week and will also want to have filmed the advert very soon as the editing is also something very new to me and I want it to look really good.
It has been a very positive few weeks and I am going ahead full steam to try to make this the best project yet and something I can be really proud of!
It has been useful to come back to University after the break and get some feedback on the work we are doing and to meet with tutors and peers again to know I am on the right track. I have also found the excel classes to be incredibly useful, not only in refreshing knowledge from years ago at school but also in learning new formulas and understanding better what is expected and how we are to go about the financial planning, which is the part I am perhaps the most apprehensive about in the report as it is the least familiar.
The report is coming together nicely and I am really happy with my business plan. Having spoken to Sian and Rachel Velody last week I have refreshed enthusiasm in my ideas as it was nice to see a positive reaction when I put them across. I have decided to do a prestige range of limited footwear for Aldo and to incorporate collaborations with big names such as Louboutin. I have therefore also started having fun with the creative element and have a clearer idea for my advert. I hope to have a storyboard and some other visuals ready to upload by next week and will also want to have filmed the advert very soon as the editing is also something very new to me and I want it to look really good.
It has been a very positive few weeks and I am going ahead full steam to try to make this the best project yet and something I can be really proud of!
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
Week 3 - 4
I was abroad last week and unable to connect to the internet but did still continue with my work in this period. . . .
Week 3
As I had no internet connection I could not go online for research so I continued working on what I had so far. I felt it was a good time to allow some creativity to come so I started working on rough ideas for my advert and story board. I have an image in my head now of the direction I want to take the advertising in, quite young and sexy and fast paced with the message of taking footwear into the future to gain the interest of the target customer. I also used this time to continue writing up research and constructing my report.
Week 4
On my return to England I did some more research on Aldo and it's competitors to see what had been occurring whilst I was away. I spent some time playing on iMovie so that I felt ready to start putting my advert together as this is a slight nervous doubt I had in the back of my mind as it is something which is very new to me. I feel that the program might be a little limiting and although I realise that the advert quality is not essentially important I would quite like to make the best shot of it that I can so I have also started looking into using final cut pro and having tutorials from a friend who has made short films on it before with the view to possibly using it for my final project.
Week 3
As I had no internet connection I could not go online for research so I continued working on what I had so far. I felt it was a good time to allow some creativity to come so I started working on rough ideas for my advert and story board. I have an image in my head now of the direction I want to take the advertising in, quite young and sexy and fast paced with the message of taking footwear into the future to gain the interest of the target customer. I also used this time to continue writing up research and constructing my report.
Week 4
On my return to England I did some more research on Aldo and it's competitors to see what had been occurring whilst I was away. I spent some time playing on iMovie so that I felt ready to start putting my advert together as this is a slight nervous doubt I had in the back of my mind as it is something which is very new to me. I feel that the program might be a little limiting and although I realise that the advert quality is not essentially important I would quite like to make the best shot of it that I can so I have also started looking into using final cut pro and having tutorials from a friend who has made short films on it before with the view to possibly using it for my final project.
Monday, 11 April 2011
Week 2
Having done extensive research into both brands I have decided that Aldo would be a better option for me to work with as Christian Louboutin is pretty well established and has a very strong and individual brand identity and a lot of marketing and promotional activity already going on and therefore the potential to develop new ideas is restricted as is the potential to fulfil a problem that does not really exist.
I already have some creative ideas starting to form for my marketing plan and advertisement and I have identified some issues through primary and secondary research which I will be aiming to resolve throughout my project. Namely awareness amongst the target market in the UK and the reputation of the brand within the same demographic.
I am very much looking forward to getting stuck into the report over the rest of the holidays so that I can start bringing all of my ideas together and start building on my project to bring it all together.
I already have some creative ideas starting to form for my marketing plan and advertisement and I have identified some issues through primary and secondary research which I will be aiming to resolve throughout my project. Namely awareness amongst the target market in the UK and the reputation of the brand within the same demographic.
I am very much looking forward to getting stuck into the report over the rest of the holidays so that I can start bringing all of my ideas together and start building on my project to bring it all together.
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