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About Our Business
i.Collect Call
Capstone one of two at AFTRS as part of my Master of Screen Arts in Production Design. A sci-fi dark comedy where I applied agile innovation and worldbuilding throughout the entire production design process, from pre-development to post-production, in collaboration with key team members. Extensive A/B testing was implemented to ensure the best possible edit, especially regarding the development of CGI VFX during postproduction.
Figure 18: Click the image above to zoom in
I focused on creating a world building mandala for the development of the opening sequence using CGI and VFX. In this process, I collaborated with both the producer and the cinematographer while applying agile principles to accelerate world building. I drew on insights from my practitioner interview with Alex McDowell and the NIKE case study he disseminated for me.
Zooming down on the scale, the Collect Call (2024) team explored the context of a fictional space control campus proposed to be set in the world/city of Switzerland potentially, the zone/district being a secret mountain facility in the Swiss Alps. The street corner application was determined to be the helipad of a skyscraper, and the ensuing narratives developed focused on the journey to this, showing the time taken travelling from a nearby city at a high-altitude during winter weather.
To do this, I responded to a brief from the producer with open questions specially devised to prompt questions about the world and how we intended to create it shown in the following screen grab in Figure 36.
Figure 19
Like ACAMP (Lee & Seymour, n.d.) agile reinterpreted by the VFX industry, we, too, tailored the agile process to fit our needs for world building, incorporating feedback and adjusting prototypes whilst honouring the agile manifesto and the learnings “Now Agile is being used everywhere, and for very good reasons” in the seminal text “Agile Innovation: The Revolutionary Approach to Accelerate Success, Inspire Engagement, and Ignite Creativity.” (Morris et al., 2014) developing our own customised process diagram.
Figure 20
Figure 21: Click on the above to view the individual pages
We worked on changes to the opening sequence by analysing keyframes and comparing VFX and stock footage options. We identified defective elements and provided solutions for issues. Multiple iterations of the CGI VFX sequence were created and combined with new stock footage, as shown in the storyboard for the final iteration; click to see the video of the outcome.
Figure 22: Click the image above through to see the video
The opening sequence was the catalyst for examining the entirety of the project within the parameters of no changes that adversely affected the existing dialogue combined with the music composition already written to match the last edit, as well as the sound design, which was in progress at the time. Figure 53 below visually exemplifies the plethora of additions overlaid on top of the most recent edit from post-production, which is the colour-grade original.
Figure 23
Extensive A/B testing was conducted to determine if the proposed edit additions would enhance the project’s outcome. This included end-credit newspaper animations created in Adobe After Effects, synchronised with the music and bloopers video dialogue from the closing credits. While testing results were positive, only the animated newspaper end credits were approved by the AFTRS CEC, limiting the agile approach “When you know how to leverage bad times and use the right amount of stress to enhance your creativity and to exploit the complacency and fears of your competitors, then you can indeed surge ahead”. (Morris et al., 2014)
Figure 24: Click the image above to see the A/B testing videos for Collect Call (2024)
To leverage agile innovation effectively for the world-building process of Collect Call (2024) and increase its chances of winning a film festival, several strategies can be implemented:
Continue applying A/B testing to different visual effects, sound designs, and narrative options during key moments. This method helps ensure that the final edit resonates emotionally and thematically with audiences, increasing its impact at film festivals.
Highlight unique elements of the world within the festival submissions, such as innovative CGI and VFX techniques or unconventional narrative structures. Festivals often look for originality, so showcasing what sets Collect Call (2024) apart can draw attention.
Use agile methodologies in marketing the film as well. Develop adaptable marketing strategies that can change based on audience reactions, such as teasers, social media engagement, and festival previews. An engaging marketing campaign can pique interest and generate buzz before the film's release.
Connect with other filmmakers and industry professionals who also focus on innovative storytelling. Building relationships within the film community can lead to collaborative opportunities and insights that can enhance the film's development.
By applying these agile practices to both the world building and overall project execution, Collect Call (2024) cannot only create a resonant and compelling narrative but also position itself effectively for success at film festivals.
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Capstone one of two at AFTRS as part of my Master of Screen Arts in Production Design. A sci-fi dark comedy where I applied agile innovation and worldbuilding throughout the entire production design process from pre-development to post-production, in collaboration with key members of the team. Extensive A/B testing was implemented to ensure the best possible edit especially regarding the development of CGI VFX during post production.
Collect Call
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An SFX based software project leveraging both digital and physical worldbuilding culminating in a JTA: Joint Teaching Activity in collaboration with another production designer, a composer and two cinematography students leveraging the technology of the Volume as a virtual set in combination with physical set elements and set decoration, informed my music composition as world building inspiration.
Chaharshanbeh Suri
i.Chaharshanbeh Suri
An SFX-based software project leveraging both digital and physical worldbuilding culminating in a JTA: Joint Teaching Activity in collaboration with another production designer, a composer and two cinematography students leveraging the technology of the Volume as a virtual set in combination with physical set elements and set decoration, informed my music composition as world building inspiration.
Figure 25: Click the image above to zoom in
Figure 26
Inspired by Alex McDowell's case study on NIKE, the two diagrams shown above, I focused on the interconnectedness of character, location, and event in my Mandala creation for Chaharshanbeh Suri (2024), as shown above. This approach drew from the Persian Fire Ceremony's layers of scale, encompassing world/city = Iran, zone/district = Persian village and street corner = a Persian bazaar, drilling down to narratives musically inspired by an original pre-recorded composition. No script was ever developed. There was no dialogue.
As seen in the diagram below Agile Innovation in World Building for Film Production Design I mapped out the process of applying agile principles in tandem with the world building process four items connect one to the other being applying an iterative approach, collaborating on designs, adapting the final design and using.
Figure 27
We collaborated on world building development using Canva as our key visual communications tool, incorporating thorough and culturally specific research. This collaboration allowed us to document our virtual production, utilising Unreal Engine's gaming application alongside physical production to design and create set elements in the AFTRS workshop. Our one-day shoot produced an artefact that we are considering collectively for submission to VIVID 2025.
Figure 28: Click through to the Canva presentation
As a smaller, more contained project in comparison to Collect Call (2024) and Seven Valleys (2024), it was a lot easier to master and expedite world building whilst leveraging agile innovation theory and practice. This project exemplified many of the combined and separate principles of the aligned practices working cohesively to explore iteration and ensure continual improvement for an outstanding final result that had the team core team comprising production designers, cinematographers and a composer working together.
Figure 29: Click the image above to view the finished film
ii.Seven Valleys
“Steeped in history, a thriving community was pivotal in Australia’s Industrial Revolution. Unfolding over a century, the compelling drama contrasts the coexistent lives of the wealthy and working class as they navigate joy, tragedy, and love.” Logline (Evans, N 2024)
Figure 30: Click on the image above to zoom in on the mandala
Seven Valleys (2024) is a concept for a historical drama TV series initially ideated and planned using Trello a fortnight before I started at AFTRS. Through both core curricula of my Master of Arts Screen in Production Design, particularly the unit in Research & Development, I have had the opportunity to develop it further. Conceived initially as nine seasons spanning 1813 – 2020, the task at hand was enormous to complete within the time available for practised-based research as part of my exegesis, so instead, I condensed my focus to the first 100 years of history, then tightening this down to 4/7 seasons, and for the mandala examined season 1.
Once again using Alex McDowell’s NIKE case study precedent I developed the above world building mandala examining the ecosystem of season 1 spanning 54 years. The scale breaking down holistically the context being 1813 – 1867, the world/city being the Seven Valleys (2024) of the Lithgow LGA (Local Government Area), the zones/districts including: Lithgow, Wallerwang and Little Hartley, the street corner focusing primarily on specific architecture of Wallerowang homestead, Flour Mill at Cooerwull, Rosedale House and Eskbank House with the exception of an unknown location in the Blue Mountains near Mount Victoria pertaining to the crossing of it. This macro view of the world then allowed the narratives of multiple characters to be told: William Cox, Thomas Archer, Andrew Brown, Charles Darwin, Thomas Brown, Mary Brown, Caroline Collit, and Henry Lawson.
To facilitate all of this, I applied agile innovation to world building as diagrammatically shown below:
Figure 31
Seven Valleys
A concept I have been developing for a historical drama TV series before and during my time at AFTRS, where I have had the opportunity to apply world building and agile innovation theory and practise in the process creating a proof of concept for one episode leveraging A/B testing, and also an overarching teaser video for four of seven seasons, initially planned as nine.
i.Seven Valleys
“Steeped in history, a thriving community was pivotal in Australia’s Industrial Revolution. Unfolding over a century, the compelling drama contrasts the coexistent lives of the wealthy and working class as they navigate joy, tragedy, and love.” Logline (Evans, N 2024)
Figure 30: Click on the image above to zoom in on the mandala
Seven Valleys (2024) is a concept for a historical drama TV series initially ideated and planned using Trello a fortnight before I started at AFTRS. Through both core curricula of my Master of Arts Screen in Production Design, particularly the unit in Research & Development, I have had the opportunity to develop it further. Conceived initially as nine seasons spanning 1813 – 2020, the task at hand was enormous to complete within the time available for practised-based research as part of my exegesis, so instead, I condensed my focus to the first 100 years of history, then tightening this down to 4/7 seasons, and for the mandala examined season 1.
Once again using Alex McDowell’s NIKE case study precedent I developed the above world building mandala examining the ecosystem of season 1 spanning 54 years. The scale breaking down holistically the context being 1813 – 1867, the world/city being the Seven Valleys (2024) of the Lithgow LGA (Local Government Area), the zones/districts including: Lithgow, Wallerwang and Little Hartley, the street corner focusing primarily on specific architecture of Wallerowang homestead, Flour Mill at Cooerwull, Rosedale House and Eskbank House with the exception of an unknown location in the Blue Mountains near Mount Victoria pertaining to the crossing of it. This macro view of the world then allowed the narratives of multiple characters to be told: William Cox, Thomas Archer, Andrew Brown, Charles Darwin, Thomas Brown, Mary Brown, Caroline Collit, and Henry Lawson.
To facilitate all of this, I applied agile innovation to world building as diagrammatically shown below:
Figure 31
Figure 32
The above screen grab of my Trello board for Seven Valleys (2024) shows the original 9 seasons proposed. Each card has a plethora of chronologically organised information, including hyperlinks to historical websites and images captured from these that were then used to develop the colour-coded 4/7 story bible overview below; click through to view the individual pages:
Figure 33: Click through to view the individual pages
Inspired by Alex McDowell’s USC WbML syllabus for JUNK, I created a short film for Seven Valleys (2024) as a series teaser for seasons 1-4, featuring an original soundtrack by AFTRS music student Robert Hislop. The film combines animated historical photos and AI-generated video segments built in the Canva app, chronologically bringing the narratives to life.
Figure 34: Click on the image above to view the video
One video segment was a proof of concept developed during year one, semester one of my degree, where I collaborated with other students as part of an exercise for an R&D task where we selected a scene from series one, episode two pertaining (see Figure 59) to the backstory of how important Seven Valleys (2024) is historically suggested that Charles Darwin theory of evolution was greatly influenced by his visit to the Wallerowang homestead on the outskirts of Lithgow when he saw a platypus for the first time—using A/B testing in the spirit of agile iteration to explore storytelling through production design and world building two versions that are historically accurate and contemporary. The soundtrack composed by Robert Hislop and the AI-generated narration remained the same in both versions. The script was an abridged version of an article sourced from a history website of the area established by Lithgow council: website: 1836 - Charles Darwin
Figure 35: Click through to view A/B testing videos for Darwin (2023)
A result of the A/B testing was that the EDIT B, a contemporary take using a mobile phone as a prop, potentially required motion graphics overlays to be created in Adobe After Effects to communicate the texting conversations in progress and posting to social media as a modern form of diary writing. Due to time constraints, this hasn’t been developed yet; however, initial work on a plan has been shown below.
Figure 36: Click the image above to zoom in
Figure 37: Click the image above to zoom in
Applying agile methodologies would be pivotal in the continuing development of the series. The creative team can continuously refine story arcs and character development by embracing iterative processes based on audience feedback and emerging historical research. This flexibility allows for incorporating new ideas and perspectives that can enhance the authenticity and richness of the narrative. The ability to pivot in response to both creative inspiration and audience engagement will ensure that "Seven Valleys (2024)" remains dynamic and relevant throughout its production.
World building efforts must also evolve to deepen the audience's immersion in the historical context of the Seven Valleys (2024). Expanding the digital ecosystem surrounding the series—through interactive platforms, augmented reality experiences, and educational outreach—will invite audiences to engage more profoundly with the history depicted and the character-driven stories. Such initiatives can transform passive viewers into active participants, fostering a community around the series that appreciates the complexities of the historical setting.
Additionally, continued collaboration with historians, cultural advisors, and creatives will be essential to maintain historical accuracy while exploring the multifaceted human experiences within the narrative. This collaborative approach aligns with the principles of agile innovation by incorporating diverse viewpoints and expertise, ultimately enriching the storytelling.
Finally, the concept’s future can harness technological advancements, such as AI-generated content and digital storytelling tools, to enhance the visual and narrative elements of Seven Valleys (2024). These innovations offer creative avenues for expressing the series’ themes, refining visual aesthetics, and further engaging the audience.
In conclusion, the future directions for Seven Valleys (2024) hinge on a commitment to agile innovation and an expansive approach to world-building. By remaining adaptive in the creative process, fostering community engagement, and embracing technological advancements, the series can evolve into a groundbreaking historical drama that captivates viewers and honours the rich tapestry of Australian history. Through these efforts, Seven Valleys (2024) has the potential to carve out a lasting legacy within both the television landscape and cultural discourse.
RESEARCH FINDINGS
How can Production Designers use Agile Innovation Theory and Practice to Expedite World Building?