In this simulated work experience, I was assigned to a group consisting of Saba from Year 2 and Flo, Zhenhong, and Begüm from Year 1. At first, I was worried about communication issues, as communication is essential to any collaborative project. However, I was fortunate that everyone was very friendly and patient, which gave me confidence.

First, I contacted Flo, who in turn contacted Saba. We created a WhatsApp group, where we briefly introduced our interests, strengths, and the software we were familiar with. Afterward, we arranged to meet at the university. Saba presented her work and elaborated on her ideas. Her concept was great because she planned to combine 3D, 2D, and live-action to create an animation. This approach is more challenging than just animating using a single technical path.

During the collaboration, Saba assigned tasks based on our discussions. Since I come from a 2D pathway and am better at character design, I was responsible for assisting Saba with designing the facial expressions and poses of the character. Although I was in charge of character poses, I am not particularly good at drawing human characters and hands. However, this experience pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me grow. I searched for various references on poses and hand gestures, which furthered my drawing skills.

I realized that group collaboration is very different from individual projects. It involves more than just imitating someone else’s drawing style. I also had to spend more time communicating and understanding the ideas of the animation director, especially during the design stage.

I needed to understand the characters they created, the story background they were in, and the expressions and actions they would exhibit. These tasks were more challenging than designing characters and stories on my own, as individual projects allow for more flexibility in shaping a character and story background. In contrast, this simulated work experience required me to follow the ideas of others closely.

Fortunately, Saba, the animation director, was very responsible and provided a lot of support. She created a Google Drive folder to share her completed designs and developed a detailed chart of facial expressions and poses, which made it easier for me to do what she wanted.

Usually, after I finished a part of the design, I would post the image to the group to make sure I had understood correctly and to see if any improvements were needed. In this regard, Saba would promptly reply to our questions and provide positive feedback, which gave me more confidence and motivation to continue pushing the work forward.

Moreover, the workload assigned to me was very moderate, and I felt very comfortable throughout the collaboration. Saba is an excellent animation director, and I am more than willing to assist her with future work.