Project collaboration - how do i survive it?

[whisperwing]

I'm a junior at an art college collaborating with two friends and classmates on our thesis project. This is my first time working on a small, but very important project with two other creative people. So far, we've only been talking about subject matter and style and have not gotten to the production phase, but already, we've been having creative conflicts, due largely to the absence of a director. The problem is that each member wants to have some degree of control over the project and although we do compromise on some topics, what often happens is that one guy pitches an idea and another is not for it and it'll turn into a battle of convincing the other that their idea works better and there's no one to make a final decision. I totally respect my partners and i would like to produce some good work with them, but it's gonna be a year long project and the argueing is not getting us anywhere.

Can anyone tell me about their collaborative experiences and how your group settled creative conflicts?

[ryan3d]

i did the same thing...and the way we got through it was two of us decided to "give in" and just do the third guys idea...takes sum balls.....but we just started workin on it and slowly the peices came together, and over time the third realized that the some of his ideas were inpractical through showing them how it looked, or through showing them why the other idea was better...sometimes you just gotta prove your point...

[fredc]

I think the last post from SpecialK sums it up pretty well.

One thing to consider that might help...
Don't worry about whose idea gets used. Look at the long term issue. You need a good demo reel. Can your group agree on something that will fulfill this need? Remember you can always re-use a character or skill to do your own individual work for your own reel.

Don't feel like the group project is everything to your future. No matter how good it is, you will have two other people with the same thing on their demo tape too.

Something I highly recommend to remember: When you estimate time schedules for each task, always multiply by 3. If you think it will take a day, it will take 3. If you estimate a week it will take 3 weeks. This is a good rule even later when you are more efficient with time, because you may actually want a life, and need "buffers" to work in things you didn't account for in your schedule.

You can fight this issue all you want, but the wisest approach is to chose projects that you think you can do easily, but are still effective in showing your skills. If you get done early you have time to work on your own stuff or keep refining your project. If you barely finish, imagine how screwed the other groups are.

What ever you do, sit back relax and calmly figure out a solution. The whole point to working with other people is to be able to get things done when you disagree. If everyone always agreed, employers wouldn't look for this skill. There is also no point in beating your self up for things you can't control. You have to do a group project, so make the best of it.

Talk to your instructor if you can't work it out. They might be able to point out what isn't practical, or perhaps make a command decision and choose something for you.

Hope this helps,
Urp

P.S. Storyboard everything. This is not for the instructor- this is for your own sanity. If you don't account for every element and shot, you will die a slow death.