Building Up Anytime and Always Studios - Studio Journal - Issue #2

 

Building Up Anytime and Always Studios

Studio Journal - Issue #2

Production Design - Botanist's Workshop - Portfolio Build

By A.A. Lopez

Quick Learning

    There are times when I hear the words "quick learner" and get reminded that you shouldn't put that down on your resume. I forget the exact reasoning why, though. It's either because it's something a lot of folks think is just a flash in the pan sentence, or that there's really no way to back it up. But whenever I look at the stuff I do, that's just the reality.

    From my current day job to these creative briefs I'm doing, I'm diving headfirst with little to no understanding of what I'm doing. Heck, for the first six months of my job, I was certain I was gonna get canned cause I didn't understand a bit of the business jargon they were spouting, and I still don't. But I was able to figure out what the things they wanted me to understand, find the spots to finagle with, and see what I was able to get away with, and what could make the system stop working. Now I understand our systems to the point that the people maintaining and updating them ask me for advice about them.

    Though I guess you're probably wondering where I'm going with this, huh? Trust me, the fast learning and implementing portion of this is important. But let's catch up on what this is about.

Too Many Roles

    In the last studio journal issue, I mentioned how I'm using AI to give me prompts to build out my portfolio. It's a decent, low-stress environment that gives me space to learn each skillset I've either been curious about or have always wanted to explore. Such as: Researcher, Production Design, Copy Writer, Narrative Director, etc.

    All of these roles are ones that I've always wanted to try out, but without a direction, it's been hard to find a starting point. Cause I know that some folks would say, "Oh, just make something up on your own and work from there." Like doing a spec commercial or something similar, and that is an awesome idea. The problem I have is that if I don't have a voice that says do THIS ONE specifically, I'm going to do every single one of them at once and burn myself out.

    So by using AI, I have it give me only snippets of what I want to do for each role, and then ask me for the most likely deliverables I would need by the end of each of these roles.

    Here's the breakdown of the roles it has given me and the deliverables it's asking for:

• Role: Researcher - Case: The Great Train Robbery of  1963
• Goal: Build out a factual report that helps a creative team accurately portray the event's timeline and media coverage
• Deliverables:
• Verified timeline of the robbery, arrests, trial dates + outcomes, significant aftermath
• Primary & Secondary sources
• Format in a Deck and Doc, include citations, links, and image credits
• Role: Creative Technologist - Project: Nova Bike Interactive Ad
• Goal: Click a bike icon and have it zip across, leaving a light trail
• Deliverables:
• Prototype Script
• Spec sheet
• Run QA on Desktop & Mobile
• Minify + Package code for handoff
• Role: Game Narrative Designer - Project: Echoes of the Garden
• Goal: Explore a ruined mansion's overgrown garden to uncover family secrets
• Deliverables:
• Write a narrative design doc w/story beats, key choices, branch map
• Build a Twine Prototype for the intro choice
• Script sample dialogue + tooltip text
• Write a lore snippet or item description
• Role: Creative Director - Project: Nova Bike Co.
• Goal: Urban bike brand rebrand for sleek commuter appeal
• Deliverables:
• Design a new logo (sketch or digital)
• Build a style guide snippet (color, font, logo use)
• Mock an Instagram ad or digital billboard
• Draft a creative rationale deck
• Role: Podcast Producer - Project: Static Signal
• Goal: Sci-fi audio drama about eerie space station transmissions
• Deliverables:
• Script 1 minute cold open
• Record + edit (clean, EQ, fade)
• Add 2 layers of SFX (e.g. static, hum)
• Create a run-of-show doc
• Draft show notes + ID3 metadata
• Role: YouTube Strategist - Project: City Sketcher
• Goal: Artist sketches street scenes + narrates architecture
• Deliverables:
• Build a 30-Day content calendar (titles, posting dates)
• Design 5 optimized video titles
• Sketch/descript 5 thumbnail concepts
• Write a report outlining a growth strategy + engagement plan
• Role: Copywriter - Project: Summit Flask
• Goal: Rugged insulated bottle for extreme hikers; tagline: "For those who don't quit."
• Deliverables:
• Write 10 new tagline options
• Write a 30-second ad script (visuals + voiceover)
• Draft 3 social ad captions (witty, inspiring, minimalist)
• Create a copy matrix (show headline + subhead + CAT combos for testing)
• Write a rationale explaining your copy choices
• Role: Production Designer - Project: The Botanist's Study
• Goal: A recluse scientist's study filled with exotic plants, dusty books, strange tools, and a massive terrarium lit by moonlight.
• Deliverables:
• Build a deck with moodboards, material swatches, color palette, and lighting reference
• Sketch a floor plan + elevation (hand or digital)
• Draft a sourcing + build budget list
• Write a 1-page rationale explaining how the set supports the character's story

    ...

    ...

    ...

    Gods Damn! I didn't realize it was that many. Like seriously, it feels like I'm biting off more than I can chew. My inner-Californian is coming out with all these likes, like you know?

    The best thing I can do now is breathe and take it one step at a time, and focus on the one I'm working on now. Especially since that's the one in the title of this journal entry.

Flora, Fauna, Don't you wanna?

    From bottom to top, I'm currently working on the Botanist's Study. Mostly cause it seemed the most fun. Who doesn't like the excuse to draw and think about what a madman who observes plants and the like might have around? Especially a recluse who studies exotic plants, I just can't help but think of "Don't Go Into the Basement," from Goosebumps.

    This is also where my introduction portion comes in. You see, I started to sketch, but I'm not a great, or even a good, artist. Not to say I don't know how, but rather I'm just always attempting to adjust to a style I have no idea how to do. And so my work always comes out crooked, warped, at odd angles, and never exact. Yet, I still try, and here, as I couldn't get it right in the two-dimensional, I thought, why not the third?

    I've had practice in SketchUp, but given that subscription model it has I'm staying away as my wallet really can't handle any more subscriptions right now. And while I have used Blender, it's still a bit overwhelming for me to get the shapes, placement correct. So I decided to look for a free online software, where I found TinkerCAD (this is not a sponsorship, if it were, it's a really lousy spot to put in).

    Never having used it before, I played around with it for a few minutes and decided, well, let's try adding shapes together. And there are definitely a few things going on here: 

1. TinkerCAD is very beginner & user friendly
2. Having minor knowledge of similar software, as well as things like Lucid help
3. Even a minor understanding of shape breakdown in art is helpful

    But just as luck is a combination of timing and preparation, so too is being a quick learner. And it's here that you can see what I was able to accomplish after 30 minutes of using this program.

Pat Yourself on the Back

    While it's not much, I still have to give myself a pat on the back for what I was able to accomplish. Just like quite a few of my friends and contemporaries, I suffer quite a bit from impostor syndrome, feeling like I am unable, or rather unwilling, to see my abilities for what they are. Perhaps it's mistaking a healthy bit of pride for overindulging in self-adulation and overcorrecting, but it's hard to see past it.

    But right now, I have a list of eight, or rather nine if you include the creative brief from the previous issue, of roles I am looking to put together for my portfolio. So, each time something like this pops up where I find that I'm doing better than I thought, or that I'm more experienced, I'm going to give myself a well-deserved high five.

    It's too often that we forget that doing these things, while great for money, are there for us to be creative. To make worlds others can enjoy and fall into. Or that's just what I want to do. Either way, with each new addition to each of these roles, I'll be sure to add the updates for each here in the Building Up series. See you next time!