http://www.webserieschannel.com/dragon-age-redemption/
1. Dragon Age: Redemption is probably the best webseries I have viewed this semester. Earlier I watched Spellfury, a similar webseries in style but it was a terrible webseries if not one of the worst things I have ever seen, but I think Dragon Age is a good example of a high fantasy. It reminds me of Hercules and Xena from the 90s. This webseries has Felica Day, which I think she writes some of the episodes so that's a pretty nice selling point in and of itself. The characters are pretty traditional and could use some beefing up so as to stand apart, and actually have more three dimensional qualities. I actually feel engaged into this webseries for once, and perhaps that's because there's a mystery to where it is all headed. It fits into all the tropes of a medieval fantasy so that makes it plausible. The music and sound effects are all fitting and do not overpower the rest of the artistic work. There are some nice production designs, for instance there is a nice red tent built around a castle... that may interest Kat.
My main problem is I think it could take more risks in character development. Perhaps over the course of the entire webseries this will improve, but they do feel somewhat vanilla making this seem like just another ordinary piece of material that will... not be so memorable in my mind within a few years. Without taking risks, I think the inevitable wrath is that the creative piece ends up less memorable.
2. Self assessment:
a.) How do you believe you succeeded in contributing to the collaborative process?
In being involved with the Bible, I definitely got the chance to make a mark on several of the creative choices overall. It was fascinating for me to come up with the character design of Arch and see how it transformed in the class several times. I think in many instances in looking at other groups writing I was able to see where the weak points fell and generally was able to point those out and give at least some introductory advice on where to go with those potential problem areas. In all honesty, if I wasn't in the class I think the outcome of where this webseries would have gone would be different, whether for good or bad all I know is it would definitely have different quirks to it. There were definitely many things I brought to the table throughout the semester from character designs to finding plot holes, or logic problems. I spent a pretty significant amount of time on the pilot script and rewriting it to pieces to get it to where it needs to be. I enjoyed the experience and felt that the group I was with was balanced and knew how to use our different personalities to make a strong whole.
b.) How did the collaborative process help your individual creativity? How did the collaborative process hinder your creativity?
I feel that what I've learned about creative craft I was able to implement into this project and also I developed a stronger sense of structure, which is mainly why I wanted to go to graduate school (to hone in on craft). I think I'm developing a stronger critical eye while also being sensible with creativity. I think on the whole this project helped me to think in big terms and also know when to pull back and be reasonable. In collaborating, it teaches you how to negotiate your ideas and also to continually think of what will make the piece standout among the infinite amount of creative pieces being made in the industry. I think this process helps one to wrap their mind around being audience centered.
As for how this may have hindered my creativity... I don't know if hindered is the right word, but I may be able to challenge myself more in an individual setting. There's certain wild things you can do mentally and emotionally when writing by yourself, and I think I may have been inspired to dig deeper... that's what a month long break remedies. Perhaps after spending some time digging deeper with creativity on an individual sense I can bring that to the table in the next collaborative writing experience. I think sometimes first as writer one has to experiment alone before what's being produced in the brain can be translated and shared for a group setting.
c.) What do you believe you gained in the ever-continuing educational process as a writer?
More than I could possibly know.
Writing teaches self-discipline, perspective, organization, and well developed thinking. I am well pleased with what I've learned as a writer over the past few years, and this semester has been insane from learning different writing pedagogies in composition, linguistics, and webseries writing. This has probably been one of the most difficult semesters of my life, perhaps it will be the most difficult. There was something about the concepts and the workload that was more extraneous than usual, and I am fortunate that my instructors were on my side and could tell I was juggling a lot of ideas. As for webseries writing, I needed this class so as to have something creative otherwise just studying theory wears me out, even though I enjoy theory and think that in the end it will be what sets me apart in whatever I decide to take on in academia, careers, and so forth -- creative classes always cheer me up because I actually feel like I accomplished something by the end of the semester and that the experience itself teaches me a great deal that tends to stay with me. I think with this class what I gained is confidence in my own ability to create, whether in making characters or writing the script itself. There were a few times that my ambitious side was sparked and I was actually able to have faith that even when our work wasn't at it's best, that in the end I would be able to trust that it's ready for production. This is a pretty speedy process overall that this story development has taken, and I think we as students probably forget this, but it's amazing to see how quickly a simple idea can be transformed into gold.
