Project Plan Instructions

1. Consider what project you want to work on in this class for the duration of the semester. Your choices are as follows:

•  Class project: Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
•  BYU Animated Film, with approval of director & faculty
•  Tom Durham "indie" film project, with professor approval*
•  Other project with class support & professor approval*

* Story World Pitch required by January 14.

2. Decide on your project and, using the form provided or in your own document, write a short synopsis of the story and a description of the world in which the story takes place. You may also note brief descriptions of main characters.

3. Write a goal for what you will accomplish for each milestone associated with the following dates:

• 1/16  Style Guide (described further below)
• 1/30  Milestone #1
• 2/13  Milestone #2
• 2/27  Milestone #3
• 3/13  Milestone #4
• 3/27  Milestone #5
• 4/10  Online Portfolio

Consider the following list for ideas of what you might design for each milestone:

• color keys
• props (set pieces, weapons, etc.)
• vehicles
• characters / expression studies
• costumes
• creatures
• locations (outdoor environments)
• buildings (or other structures)
• interiors (sets)
• story moments

You may choose to focus your project on environment-related topics such as color keys, locations, architecture, interiors and props. Or you might take another approach of focusing on characters, creatures, costumes and story moments. Alternatively, you may select a variety of different things for a more broad-based approach.

Each milestone should represent a significant piece—or pieces—of concept design, depending on the complexity of the subject. This class involves a fairly aggressive schedule with milestones every two weeks. Because of that, complicated pieces such as story moments or elaborate location designs, might make sense to spread over two (2) milestones.

Depending on the style and complexity of the story you're depicting, a typical milestone might involve one of the following:
10 color keys (sample)
5 props (sample)
2 vehicles (samples)
3 characters (samples)
4 costumes
2-3 creatures
2-3 locations (samples)
2-3 buildings
2 interiors
1 story moment (samples)

4. Bring a hard copy of your work-in-progress Project Plan (draft copy) to class with you on Monday, January 14th to review with a partner. I will email you a blank Project Plan form you can use as a template.

5. Turn in a revised copy of your Project Plan by Wednesday, January 16th.