Conscious Creatives: Sustainability of Fungi - Evaluation

Evaluation

Due to having only a week to submit the entry, the design had to consider the methods and forms of production that would work within this timescale. Following on from the 60 second documentary brief, the design was eager to explore the depths of the relevant softwares, with more time and knowledge. As such, this brief became a great outlet for progressing my skills with industry software, whilst also presenting information in a new and eye-catching way. 

The projects area of investigation was fascinating and inspiring. I had been eager to lear about fungi since visiting The Future Starts Here exhibition and learning about Jalila Essaidi's tree antenna, which monitor the communication of trees in a way that was described as tapping into nature's Internet. 

The research informed the majority of the project, from the factual elements, to the animated visualisations of the various forms of fungi. The most notable part of the research process was hearing about how little humans know about fungi, and how much the knowledge has grown in recent years. By listening to some really inspiring talks, the top mycologists seemed to all react the same. They are both amazed and motivated by this kingdom to spread awareness of its incredible and hidden potential in aiding human advancement. The design thus wanted to capture this narrative and present it in a way that a viewer who is visiting an exhibition on this topic (thus most likely is open to learning about it) could take away a 'cool' new piece of knowledge. 

The design process played with what AfterEffects has to offer, matching visual and audio, composition and design. Indulging in the software for four days straight, all through self-teaching, made the production a rewarding experience. 

Initially intended to be a 3 minute video, but doubling in length in the process of development, meant the design had to use methods that correlated with the new timespan, to get the best results in a short period of time. This meant editing various key videos in different ways to respond to the relevant dialogue. 

Matching depictions with the intended message, meant that the documentary spoke to both visual learners and auditory learners. This sort of all-inclusive design considers the designs capacity in achieving its solution. If the design was to be reformed, some dialogue parts would have a better flow, but for a beginner with no prior taught editing experience this project gave me confidence to move forward in this sector and take on more briefs that require the use of After Effects. 

On reflection the documentary could have been less visually compact, however this is a style that the design wanted to give a better context to. There is an audience for this kind of psychedelic aesthetic, and using the context of education to present it juxtaposes these two areas in a way that combines to make a really unique-audio visual experience, with a strong message of sustainability and mycological inquiry. 

Thus, ultimately the design was fit for its purpose. An art exhibition where the audience will most-likely be creatives who are intrigued by methods of production and by visual learning. Additionally, attendees would be interested in the plant and fungi world, and sustainability, making this an exciting way to present them with the facts and informations.