Feedback and Next Steps

Feedback from Semester 1:

  • Detailed thematic direction for the project and strong visual imagination with engaging sketches. Clearer articulation of design choices would strengthen the conceptual foundation
  • Deeper research of AI and clearer integration into the narrative world. Exploring strengths and limitations of current AI systems could offer meaningful narrative opportunities
  • The final designs do not fully reflect the concepts you described (btw the designs are not finished or final). Reducing human likeness and instead emphasising unnerving, function driven or uncanny qualities may create a stronger contrast between the two robots and better support the narrative
  • Further investigation of industry standard production pipelines would be beneficial. Understand what is technically feasible to help refine workflow and strengthen the practical realisation 

Potential narrative elements to explore:
  • Strengths and limitations of current and older AI systems - outputs that initially appear promising but lack finer control, designs that deviate unexpectedly, randomness, misinterpretation, unintended generation. Phenomena could add depth and tension to the story, perhaps even creating conflict through unwanted or excessive results. These ideas could support worldbuilding themes relating to labour, resource costs, or creative sacrifice
  • Exploring the idea of having H3LPR and the machine be the same character. H3LPR is the earlier version of AI, friendly but frequently gets tasks wrong, or is only really built for simpler task management roles. And it gets upgraded to be H3LPR.2.0, capable of a lot more
  • Sean raised an interesting point about maybe some of the other architects ask H3LPR to make stuff for them too. One or two people asking it for things too, like other artists jumping the bandwagon. Could this create conflict? Could this sudden increase in task demand facilitate the need for H3LPR.2.0 to keep evolving to keep up? Narratively makes sense but means I'd have to animate more background characters
  • I think the Inventor needs to be successful first. He gets his house, and his fame, and everyone is interested in his automaton and what it is capable of creating (crowds gathering on his hill to see the house, while the town is destroyed in the background. Maybe people slowly start to notice pieces going missing and are puzzled until they see them on The House and realise it has been taken from theirs, causing an outcry). He gets what he wants, but he has to have a major downfall in the third act. The House is continuing to grow, and destroying the place around it. He needs to have a downfall, but what?
  • How does the Inventor rediscover creativity? The moral/ending is supposed to be that he rediscovers the joy of creating for himself. Maybe every time he sits at his desk now, instead of H3LPR assisting, the 2.0. immediately takes everything he picks up and transforms it before he gets the chance. A smaller inciting incident, this isn't big enough to be the downfall 
  • I want to lean more into the steampunk aesthetic. My trip to House of Automata has inspired me, and I can make these characters automata instead of robots

To Do (I have all of Monday in studio):
  • Automata studies from references I took
  • Environment concepts; I'm settled on the locations I want, I can work on these while I fix the characters and plot 
  • Continue researching AI and exploring the above narrative ideas
  • Continue researching stop motion production
  • Continue working on character designs, they are still very much a work in progress (and try to clean designs up enough to go in my portfolio)


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