My Role for Study Task 9, Studio Brief 3

My role within Studio Brief 3 was to gather information regarding computer specifications to plan a budget and create computers within said budget. Creating computers costs less than buying pre-made ones.

I looked at graphics tablets and which screen tablets would be best for us, given that we are a start-up company and that we would not necessarily have the backing that big studios have.  So I looked at Wacom alternatives and found that the XP Pen Artist 16 Pro was the best option, as it had better reviews and offered better specifications.  In addition to this, I also used my personal bias to fulfil this requirement as I have purchased one myself and found the quality of the screen to be on par with Wacom.

The studio will use these pen display tablets as the primary monitor for the computer set up. However, in addition, I have budgeted for 2 additional monitors to be used for 2 of the computer setups to give a dual screen experience.

I also budgeted for Cherry MX Keyboards and mice, as these are of a higher specification than regular keyboards. As we planned to have a stop-motion workspace, I also had to budget for this.  I budgeted for Dragon Frame Set up, which included the cost of an entry-level DSLR compatible with Dragon Frame software.

For the software, as I spent so much on the hardware, I decided to primarily look at cost-effective options.  I looked at OpenToonz and Blender   I looked at the Adobe Suite but I think we are going to need Photoshop, Aftereffects, and Premiere Pro and Dragonframe. From here I was able to produce a cost breakdown.

In addition to this, I also wanted to do something creative for the group, not just have a technical role, so I designed a website, based on Devon's logo and our aesthetic and business cards. I only did this in Photoshop, I didn't look at Web hosting websites because I thought it would be cheaper to code it myself in a programme such as Dreamweaver.