I’m currently sitting at my desk, staring at a blinking cursor on a
blank document, which currently represents the state of progress of my
preparation of a project brief document for my Third Year Project, the
year-long piece of work that I know will pose many conundrums to come.
Talk about standing at the foot of a mountain!
I’ve done something fairly similar before, for my A Level Computing
coursework, where we had a nine-month stretch of time to develop a piece of
software for a real-world application. Somehow, I managed to convince both my
teachers and the exam board that programming a KenKen solving game (a kind of
mathematical Sudoku) would be a good example of an educational utility (for
improving arithmetic), and I was away staring at number grids for hours on end,
but back then I had the firm guidance of a classroom teacher behind me on a
daily basis, helping me overcome all the little errors and difficulties that
such a large-scale project can throw up and forcing me to get down to the grit
of what was a relatively simple task, at least technically, but was certainly
tough at the time! And I ended up typing over 200 pages’ worth of report, which
required a Herculean effort to print off and bind on submission day!
But the Third Year Project is a whole other kettle of fish, because
although I have the firm support and help of weekly meetings with my personal
supervisor, whose experience in and knowledge of the field I’ve already found
invaluable in helping me to find areas in which to kick-start my project, the
onus is very much on me to have the drive to drag myself out of bed (however
comfortable it seems at the time – especially if it’s 8am!), get to the library
to check out journals or labs to investigate topics, and stand on the shoulders
of giants in applying my findings to the construction of an artefact, which I
have to present for scrutiny at the end of the year in my project viva. And
that’s while simultaneously writing 10,000 words on the experience!
So writing this blog at the very beginning of what seems like an
ever-stretching path before me, having just been given a lecture on solid
techniques for mapping out the time available in the months to follow, the prospect
of taking on a Third Year Project is more than a little intimidating!
But already I’m finding that my previous experiences at the University of Southampton may well help me in tackling just that, both in terms of those
gained from course modules (for example, over my first two years we’ve been
introduced to a broad range of project management and design methodologies) and
also those through my extra-curricular activities.
Because although it’s an activity which I participate in mostly because
I enjoy it rather than because of any great benefit to my CV, learning how to
direct a theatrical production through putting on my latest project with
Theatre Group, Equus, has already
seen us, as a production team, put a lot of management theory into action. For
example, before the concept of the show was even formed, we established a core
team for putting it on, who then branched outwards and delegated the
responsibilities needed for building up a society show from scratch – and
there’s a surprising number, as I’m finding out now while we all race around
gathering props and costumes and sponsorship and such!
I’ve also had to learn how to schedule, particularly in piecing
together a rehearsal schedule which defines the whole process of learning the
play – although on one particular day I did cheekily take the liberty of making
the rehearsal start and finish early enough for me to watch a Manchester United
match! We’re now halfway through it, and things seem to be going very well
indeed thanks to the commitment and talent of all involved (as well as their
ability to make the whole thing a lot of fun!), although being on a short
timescale it’s not always straightforward to tell; there may be some last
minute line-learning or changing of scenes, as with any production, but fingers
crossed we’ll avoid that scenario!
On top of that, we’ve been working closely as a production team to try
and co-ordinate all of our activities to make sure everything comes together on
time (helped again by everybody’s sheer enthusiasm and commitment to putting on
a great show!), to market the show (you may see our poster on screens in and
around the Students’ Union!) and to try and remain relatively within the budget
we set out at the beginning – basically, many of the skills applied in a
long-term project!
It sounds like a lot of work, and it’s not always easy as such, but
it’s made all the better by being around such driven, personable and canny
individuals as those which comprise Theatre Group.
In addition, taking on projects can give you great excuses to take
much-needed breaks every now and then, which can be all the more satisfying for
their timing! This previous weekend the cast and crew of Equus attended a riding school in Buckinghamshire, where we were
given the opportunity to learn from, groom and ride horses, an awesome
experience which made for a fun day out as a team. We’d like to thank Mrs Hart
massively for making it all possible and lending us her time, knowledge and
horses on the day!
(Credit: Leo Darlington)
(Credit: Leo Darlington)
So it is with great optimism that I go into the new academic year, armed
with an as-of-yet-unwritten proposition to take on the challenge of building an
autonomous agent capable of live performance capture and editing, despite the
numerous difficulties that are almost guaranteed to crop up because of it – and
this time, I’m not sure turning it off and on again will solve very much!
Although it might mean fewer hours in bed (and those of you who know me
well will know how much that promises to hurt!), this year I’ll be in it for
the long haul, although given how I’ll be researching an area I’m interested in
through a project I selected, I’m sure that this will just give me all the more
time to relish my course during my penultimate year here.
And at the end of Equus, the
Third Year Project and the rest of my degree, I’m sure I’ll have a complete
product to look back on, to be proud of, and to savour.
Robin
No comments:
Post a Comment