Setting a meeting for recording the audio..

In response to Des' previous email saying he had limited spare time and after speaking with my group, realising that neither of the other group members would be available, I sent him this response;

Dear Des

I understand you must be very busy at this time. I would be able to meet with you this afternoon if you are free, around 3 o clock? If this is an option please call or text me on (phone no. removed). We could meet at the University or in Finchingfield like I say, this would be a tremendous help to us. We are at a stage where we are unsure what extra information we do require but I'll talk to the rest of my group this morning and hopefully will decide on what we intend to do with respect to the rest of the project to let you know when we meet. That is right, we did want to record some sort of guided commentary, which we would be able to borrow a recorder for if available although you probably know a lot more about this due to your broadcasting background!

Thank you ever so much for your time

Kind regards

Polly

Des did call me back after receiving this email and we spoke about how we were to record the audio and I suggested that I borrow the equipment from the University and meet him either at the uni or in Finchingfield and record about 20-30seconds of 'tour' in each room. Des suggested that due to his background in audio that it would be more feasable if he recorded the audio on his own equipment and sent it to me via CD. I did ask whether he was sure of this and I could meet wherever he required to assist but he said he was happy to do so and would send the finished audio file to my address. I obviously thanked him very much and he asked me to send my address via email which I did. 



Des responded the next day with;

Hello Polly

I've sent you a cd with a Voice Over for possible inclusion in your project.   It's in an MP3 format.  

Hope all is well with you

Des

Minutes for Group Meeting

Minutes for Group Meeting 
24/11/11

Attending: Alex, Polly, Kat

This was quite a brief group meeting, we all showed the assets we had been modeling and spoke about now finishing up any loose ends, trying to think of anything left to model before we start animating.

Work to continue;
All to continue modeling to finish up ready for animating. Polly to model a basic village of Finchingfield, Kat to model shop items and Alex to model extra bits and pieces e.g. flag for church and gravestones.

Emails

Dear Des

That would be absolutely wonderful to meet with you and also Jackie. Would you possibly be able to pass on her email address to us incase we have any questions and make contact with her. With regard to meeting up, we are available to either come to you or to meet at Anglia Ruskin, whichever is best for you really. If at all possible it would be highly beneficial for us if we could meet early next week, if this is not convenient for you then we would be able to meet later in the week or weekend. Again thank you for your time and interest in our project.

This is the link to our group project (it is currently a working progress and does not show everything we are currently working on, but will give you an idea of our progress); virtualfinchingfield.blogspot.com

Kind regards

Polly

And the response; 

Dear Polly

Next week is rather full at the moment.   The only time I have free is Monday.  It would probably be best if I came to you unless there was something you wanted to see in the Guildhall. If you could give me an indication of the information you are looking for I might be able to come armed with it on a usb key.  If what you wanted was to record a commentary from inside the rooms as they are then I have a minidisc recorder and a good microphone and could do that for you and burn it onto a cd and post it to you or send you the minidisc.  I'd be quite happy to do this as I used to do it for a living; I was a broadcaster. 

The Finchingfield Guildhall Trust has appointed a contractor to do the restoration and they will be taking over the site in the next few days and after that there will be only very limited opportunities to see it.  Jackie Bargman and I are coming to Anglia Ruskin on Friday 9th to see the projects you are working on. 

Thank you for the link. Very interesting.  

Jackie's email should you need it is:  (email removed for privacy)

Hope this is helpful.

Many thanks

Des

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Minutes for Group Meeting

Minutes for Group Meeting 

18/11/11

Attending: Polly, Alex, Kat

Brought forward to meeting;

Alex told us how he was getting along with modeling the ‘tour guide’ character, he says he has completed this and intends to model the objects required in the bathroom and kitchen.

Kat has continued to model the hand that will be used for transitions between scenes (through doors etc) and has been starting to model other attributes such as a fireplace.

Polly has modeled the windows and doors, adding and positioning them to the guildhall model, she also has modeled some objects including picture frames, and tables. Polly also talked about her contact with Des via email.

Items Discussed;

We discussed Des’ email and tried to arrange a date when we would all be free to meet, due to employment this was quite problematic to find a day that we could all be there but we agreed that we would work around Des and see when was best for him since he was doing us a favor and if some of us couldn’t be there then so be it.

We also discussed the animation portion of the module, suggesting when we would like to start the animating and post production work, agreeing it would be best to spend another week modeling to make sure we have enough objects for the interior and also that would give us time to source the accompanying audio.

The group also discussed the further assets that would were required and needed to be modeled that hadn’t yet.

Work to Continue;

Alex to model the assets required for the kitchen and bathroom areas

Kat and Polly to continue with modeling other objects required and Polly to continue contact with Des regarding recording the audio.

Email Response from Des

Dear Polly

I am delighted to help in what ever way I can.  Might I suggest that you also involve the Clerk to the Finchingfield Guildhall Trustees, Jackie Bargman.   Her knowledge of the Guildhall, its past and future use is much more comprehensive than mine.  She had hoped to join us when you came to visit but was caught up in another appointment.  I know she would want to help now and has already responded to two requests from other students in the class.  To this end we could meet in Finchingfield or at Anglia Ruskin whichever suits everyone best. 

I would be happy to provide a voice over for your project if that helps.

I am attaching an historical recording of the Guildhall conducted by Brenda and Elphin Watkin.  It will probably be much more information than you need but along with drawings and other technicalities it also describes the past uses of the Guildhall and how they come to the conclusions they make.   

Please send me the link to the blog. I will be fascinated to see how the process works

Many thanks for your work on this

Des

Group Meeting Minutes

Minutes for Group Meeting 

11/11/11

Attending: Polly, Alex, Kat

Brought forward to meeting;

Alex showed his further progress in the modeling of the guildhall building, which was discussed and it was agreed that the group as a whole was happy with the progress being made.

Polly brought the two initial storyboards to show the rest of the group, and again the group was happy with the outcome. Polly also brought the email sent to Des regarding asking about recording an audio tour to accompany the animation and a couple of models of assets for the inside of the guildhall such as the table and picture frame.

Kat brought the finalized Gantt chart to the meeting that we all discussed and agreed upon certain tasks being completed by the deadlines dictated on the chart. Kat had also been working on modeling some of the assets for the interior of the guildhall and walkthrough such as the hand that would be seen to open doors etc in the animation.

Items Discussed;

Items that were discussed were again the audio, discussing how and when we would meet with Des to record the tour if he was agreeable to our plan.

We also discussed the animation and use of the tour guide. We suggested using a model of one of our heads created as our individual assignment and extend on it to create the whole body and we agreed that we would use Alex’s head due to the male tour guide voice and also the quality of the model.

The group also discussed the assets that would were required and needed to be modeled so that the group could split the list and avoid duplicate modeling, to ensure all the objects were covered.

Work to Continue;

Alex to model the tour guide’s body, extending from his existing head model.

Kat to continue modeling the hand and also other assets that would be required in the guildhall.

Polly to continue modeling assets for the interior of the guildhall, including windows and doors for the exterior of the guildhall model.

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Email sent to Des Fahy

Below is a reply sent to Des Fahy in response to his email;

Dear Des,

Thank you very much for getting back to us so quickly. I have spoken to the rest of my group and discussed what kind of information we were hoping you could maybe help us with. We received the detailed architect plans from Richard, thank you, and we would be very interested in the papers you spoke of concerning the history of the Guildhall and how it was used. 

Currently my group and I have been working on creating a 3D model of how the Guildhall will look after renovation (using the detailed architect's plans), and also creating a storyboard to depict how the animation will look as a whole piece. It is our plan to model the Guildhall before and after renovations, complete with furniture etc and to use characters to aid in a 'walk-through' style tour, complete with tour guide. We do have some specific questions we hope you can help us with and also we were wondering whether you would be so kind as to spare an hour or so of your time in the next couple of weeks where we might meet and go over the tour you gave us, and to perhaps record your voice to use for our tour guide? We of course understand if you would rather not be recorded, we feel your knowledge in this field is invaluable to the success of our project and would bring a personal touch from Finchingfield into the piece. As part of the module we will be keeping a record of our work via a group blog that I'd be happy to send you a link to, and we would also bring a rough portfolio of the work for you to see if we were to set up a meeting.

Again thank you so much for your time, we are very grateful!

Kind Regards

Polly

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Rough Storyboard

Below is images of the rough storyboard for our project;

Guildhall Model Progress

For now, I am continuing with the building of the renovated version of the Guildhall model. The main structure has been built, and a few materials have been mapped.

The ground was made using a plane and matching the vertices to the base of the building.

Similarly to the ground, the ceiling for the ground floor and flooring for the first floor were made using planes and adjusting the vertices.

With a few extra details like guttering etc, this is the point I am at now.

Looking at the blueprints, I also noticed that the Guildhall is intended to have a Ubbink Ltd 'Tutor Tile-vent' fitted. For the sake of making the model as accurate as possible, I researched what this would look like and found the following link;
http://www.tudorrooftiles.co.uk/?content=intilevent
It appears to be a very small opening built through the tiles, so it probably isn't worth including this on the model as it would be barely visible.

A more in depth look at the construction of the building can be found at http://alexchapman-ve.blogspot.com/

Gantt Chart (to be reviewed in a few weeks)

Email Received

Below is a copy of the email received in response to previous contact with Des Fahy;

Dear Polly

You may indeed have more information on the Guildhall and the village.  The architects sent the detailed plans to Richard Barnes a few days ago when they were completed.  If there is any other information that would be of benefit to you I would be delighted to get it.   There are papers on the history of the Guildhall and an assessment of how it was used.  Good luck with your project and I am indeed interested in how you are progressing

Best wishes

Des

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Group Meeting - 03/11/2011

Minutes for Group Meeting 


Attending: Polly, Alex, Kat

Brought forward to meeting;
Alex showed his progress in the modeling of the guildhall building, which was discussed and it was agreed that the group as a whole was happy with the way it looked and the process and techniques used so far.

Polly brought the initial storyboard to show the rest of the group, which was discussed and again the group decided that the ideas displayed in the storyboard were how we wished to proceed with the project. Polly also brought the response from Des to the initial group email.

Kat had begun to work on the Gantt chart, although due to illness was unable to finish this task.


Items Discussed;
Items that were discussed were the audio, what would be used for the soundtrack of the piece. It was decided that we would contact Des and request a short tour of the guildhall that we could record for the voice of the tour guide, and search for some ambient sounds/music to use in the background.

We also discussed the animation, using the storyboard and how we would use animation for the figures in the piece as well as the building, so that we all have a rough idea of where the animation will be and what will need to be animated.

A SWOT analysis was drawn up by the group to ascertain Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats that may affect the assignment completion. This was useful to be clear about what we need to keep an eye on (time management for example).


Strengths - 
Group relationship is strong, with great communication between all group members.
Each member has a different skill set to bring to the group that compliment one another, e.g. one individual may be more skilled in modeling, another in animating and another in the idea development.

Weaknesses - 
Individual weaknesses in certain areas may affect the group as a whole if the wrong person is allocated the wrong tasks.
Time is short and it may run out if we are not strict and stick to the gantt chart displaying proposed work timescales.

Opportunities - 
Developing further skills through process
Using video for future purposes (e.g. promotion for Finchingfield advertising renovation, use in personal portfolios)

Threats - 
Running out of time, not meeting set deadlines
Not receiving information/help required from outside sources (e.g. Des)
Skill set not developed enough to complete proposed ideas



Work to continue;
Alex - Continue modeling the guildhall

Polly - Finalise the storyboard (neaten), continue to model assets, including hand to be animated. Email Des to request further information/assistance regarding the tour guide aspect of the animation

Kat - Finish the Gantt chart for deadlines and timescale for project, create assets and model hand


Time and date of next meeting: Friday 11th November 2011

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Email

Below is a copy of the email sent to Des Fahy regarding the group assignment.

Dear Des,

My name is Polly Brand and I came to visit Finchingfield with my classmates for your tour of Finchingfield and the guildhall. I firstly wanted to thank you for your time and genuinely wonderful tour of the guildhall. I really appreciated the little glimpse into the history of both the village and how the guildhall has been used over the generations. I am working as part of a group, as I am sure sure may be aware, to model and animate a 3D representation of the guildhall how it stands now and what it will look like after renovation. As I'm sure you can imagine, this requires rather a lot of information and research about the guildhall to make the final piece as accurate as possible. I just wanted to contact you to ask if my group and I could request information on the guildhall, village and proposed renovations if we need to in the near future. We obviously would be willing to let you know how our project progresses if it is of interest to you.

Thank you once again for you time,

Kind regards,

Polly 

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