Zenith

What is Zenith?

The Zenith project has evolved at Freestyle from an idea, that students should be able to create whatever they want. This project is a reflection of all the things I’ve been wanting to explore deeper as an artist, and also the sort of theme I wanted to go towards. I’ve always been very interested in technology, so being able to find a way to merge that and film was very cool to me.

Zenith Reflection

Hey, it’s Alex. This is me reflecting on my Zenith project. Well, it all started with watching the mandalorian of all things. Digging deeper, I found that behind the production they were using LED panels, not shooting in exotic locations! I looked further, and it turned out they had used a 3D tool called Unreal Engine. I was hooked, it looked incredible, and I thought I could do it. This was my main artistic influence throughout the project. For those who haven’t seen it, I decided to focus on virtual graphics composited with real footage on top. 

Throughout the project, I collaborated with my partners by trying to split up the work as evenly as possible. Aiya and I ended up splitting up the work very effectively, especially given the circumstances. She worked really hard on making the scenes come to life and adding her own touches. I’d also credit her with being a sort of producer, who would keep me on task  if I ever fell behind. As a group in total, Cris, Aiya, and I also managed to make a rough outline of our story into a synopsis that we’d follow. So yeah, given the circumstances, I think we collaborated sufficiently to get the work done. There wasn’t much work to be split, but we were already aware of that going into the project, pandemic or not.

If I could do the project over, I would try and do it where I could work with my partners in person. A huge part of projects for me is the community and the team we have working together to create a finished product. I think I’d also try to be less harsh on myself. At times, I pushed myself so hard that I would get anxious to even look at the project. My work was inconsistent, and I became unhappy. 

That being said, I learned sooo much on this project. In terms of 21st century skills, the one I improved on the most was technology literacy. In normal language, that means I learned several different programs that I had never used before, and experimented with new technologies to produce a project. The one I probably improved on the least was collaboration. Especially right now, I found it much easier to do the work myself rather than harass one of my partners to do it for me instead.

In terms of accomplishing what I sent out to do, it’s a mixed bag. I had really, really high expectations for my project, and myself. Obviously, I didn’t reach that bar. I wanted this project to be the ultimate, freestyle project, but unfortunately life happens. That being said, I learned a lot about myself, and a lot in general through this project. This is not the last time I’m going to work hard on a project, it’s not the last time I’m going to artistically express myself. I could’ve ended this on a better note, and I may be giving myself excuses but I didn’t really expect myself to. I’ve come to terms with the worst, and in the future I KNOW I’m going to plan for it. Freestyle and Zenith have created a strong foundation for myself as an artist, and as an adult. In that way, this project is a complete success.