Position Statement

I am a passionate 2D animator with a love for exploring narrative and character driven stories that indulge a viewer in a world of imagination and wonder. I take my inspiration from the world around me and attempt to incorporate the natural beauty of nature into my own work. My passion lies behind creating work both traditionally and digitally, and with an eye for detail, I like to pay attention to the subtle movements of my characters. As an animator and an artist, I appreciate the value and importance of drawing and I’m constantly practicing to build upon my skills and learn new techniques. Although I predominantly work in 2D media forms, I also possess skills within 3D as well. My ambition is to become the best animator that I can potentially be, whilst striving to always learn some new, as I feel that it is important for an artist of any kind to continue to grow and develop. Passion, enthusiasm, determination and patience are some of the key factors that I value the most and keep at the forefront of my mind when I am working on any project. However, I always believe that something could be improved and I will always strive to make something better. With a friendly disposition and a kind natured personality, I have the ability to work both individually and collaboratively with ease and in a professional manner.

I have a strong love for creating animation that transports a viewer to another world using a variety of techniques and programmes to do so. Not only do I possess skills with traditional media, but I can also use a range of software such as, Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Maya and TVPaint. Not only this, but I am flexible with my drawing aesthetic, which allows for me to be extremely flexible and adapt well. My experience over the last three years has shaped into a versatile practitioner that is capable of working in a range of different ways to produce a final piece that is unique, creative and captivating.

End of Year Presentation

Presentation Boards

2016 - 2017 Showreel

Portfolio

CV

During Easter, we were set the task of completing a standard CV. I hadn't actually created a professional CV before, nor had I updated the last attempt I had made last year, so for me, this task was a little daunting to begin with. However, I soon found that I was breezing through it and actually had no issues at all filling it out. The only concern I had was that my personal statement was a little too short, but Mike was there to give us feedback and make suggestions for alterations on our first day back.



Despite being slightly worried about my statement, Mike said that it was fine and I didn't receive any feedback on that element. In fact, for the most part, the only suggestions I got really were to alter the formatting and add little bits of information here and there.

The only major suggestion I got was to look at adding more experience. I wasn't aware that I could use previous films I had created for uni as experience or my final grad film, so it was nice to be able add more to that list. I was also able to add exhibitions I had helped to curate.
Since then I have updated my CV and had it checked by Mike.

Stationary Pack

As I have designed my logo and my business cards, I decided to put together an example of a stationary pack to give you an idea of what my stationary would like if I created any. Although it is very basic and simple, I feel that it gives a good idea of how I would use my logo and branding across different assets to show a level of consistency that I believe is consistent and professional.

Mock Stationary Pack

Business Cards

Now that I have my logo sorted it made sense to revamp my business cards to match my new brand. I also wanted to update some of the visual on my cards to my most recent work, even though it is all line work. I don't think that this would be an issue, as I am wanting to showcase that I am an animator who works with traditional or more accurately 'tradigital' methods and I feel that card with just line work on would demonstrate this. So here is what I have designed and ordered.

Back of my Business Cards

I kept the back plain and simple yet with all of the vital information needed for someone who took one. I then used the front to place on a number of different designs to give me a small variety to choose from and to showcase a little of what I do. 

I kept the design simple and clear and chose the work that I felt best demonstrated my abilities as an animator. Overall, I am really pleased with my overall revamp of my visual identity, as I feel that it reflects me a lot better than my old designs. 

Revamping!

After reviewing my social media I started to think about what I could in order to freshen it up and create something I was happy with. I began to think about what it was I wanted my visual identity to portray and I immediately decided that I wanted to strip it back to black and white, as I felt that this would help with the colour issue and help to make it less gross looking. Not only this, but it reflects my practice more, as my work focuses on line and drawing. I knew that I wanted to keep the ELM, as these are my initials and I thought that it was pretty cool that my initials spelled out a word. I also considered adding a line drawn elm tree at one stage, as this would have related to my logo, however, I felt that this would have made things too much, so I decided against it.

I spent a long time writing out my name in a multitude of different fonts to choose one that I was happy with, however, I was struggling to come up with anything I liked. In the end I drew out my initials in frustration and ended up with a serendipity, which I decided was what I was aiming to achieve.

Final Logo

I am really pleased with my new logo, as I feel that it looks and feels a lot more professional and its a lot cleaner and clearer. I also feel that it can be transferred from platform to platform with ease and the overall style will be easy to translate into other words. Having said this, I did create a few other tags and logos with the intention of possibly creating a website. However, at this moment I have decided against it, as I feel that if i connect all of my social medias correctly and keep them neat and presented professionally, that will be enough for now to showcase and demonstrate who I am and what my aims are. 

Example of other text

From here, I began to update the relevant sites I mentioned in the post before and added my logo to each one. I also decided to update the cover images where possible to my most recent work. Even though it is just line for now, it demonstrates that I am working on something new and that I am engaging in animation on a regular basis. 

Twitter

Facebook

Vimeo

Instagram

Overall, I am really pleased with how my visual identity looks and I feel that it appears a lot more professional. I also feel that it reflects me and my work better and that it is a lot easier to remember than my last logo. Another benefit I feel that a more basic logo will allow for is easier branding across business cards and stationary when I come to design my press pack, and I also think that it will make it all look a lot more professional. 

Online Presence Review

Now that university is coming close to end, I thought it would be a good idea to review my online presence before I began to put my name out there and establish a strong consistent visual identity for myself.

Last year, I attempted to do this, however, reflecting upon my initial branding, I wasn't happy with the overall look of my logo, as I felt that it didn't reflect me or my work and that it was a bit blocky and bulky and it looked old. So I decided that I wanted to re-design my logo to refresh my social media and spruce up my self branding.



As you can see, my last logo was quite dark and bulky and it didn't necessarily work with my work when looking at it side by side. The only thing I can say about it is that it was consistent across all platforms. However, this wasn't good enough and I wasn't happy with my visual identity.

I've also been thinking about the platforms that I use to get my work out there. At the moment I am currently using Instagram and Twitter effectively, simply because I post regularly to Instagram and it automatically links with Twitter. I am also on Tumblr, which I never use, YouTube, which I use primarily for blogger and LinkedIn, which I use for professional purposes. Reflecting upon these social media platforms, it has come to me attention that I only use the one constantly and the others I tend to neglect. I feel that it may be beneficial to select the ones that will be most beneficial to me as a professional and focus on these whilst choosing to get rid of the others.

With this in mind, I intend to eliminate my Tumblr account and replace my YouTube account with a Vimeo account, as I feel that this is more professional than YouTube and allows for a certain level of privacy that YouTube doesn't offer. I will continue to use Instagram and Twitter and I may also attempt to re-boot my Facebook page, as I can also link my Instagram with this too.

Showreel: What I intend to Achieve

After researching different showreels, I thought it would be a good idea to get it down what I wanted my showreel to achieve before making it, as I feel that this will help me to create a showreel that shows off my strongest skills.

When I think about who I am as a practitioner, I think about 2D animation, animation that focuses on characters and animation that is created for entertainment. With this in mind, I feel that it would be wise to choose a range of completed work, as well as line work that demonstrates that I can animate a character, I can animate action and that I can portray emotion through my characters. I also want to demonstrate that I can animate other elements just as well, such as water and demonstrate that I have a good knowledge of the 12 principles of animation.

I want to remove the 3D work from my showreel, as it is some of my weaker work and isn't relevant to me anymore, as I don't want to pursue a career in 3D animation. I also want to include my most recent work and re-evaluate the work that I have in my showreel.

Showreel Research

As with every year, we are required to produce a showreel of our latest work to showcase at the end of the year, plus this is standard practice.

However, with so much riding on my showreel this year, I decided to look at a few professional showreels from the studios I've been researching and other practitioners to give me an idea of what it is I should be including within my own showreel and what to avoid. Although I had a good idea of what industry was looking for from the presentation Annabeth gave a few months ago, I wanted a base of examples to work from. Here's what I found: 

1). Boulder Media TV.


2). Karrot Animation.


3). Reg Isaac.


4). Arcus Animation Studios. 

5). The Brothers McLeod.

Throughout all 5 of these showreels, it is obvious that all companies and practitioners have taken the time to select their best work and made sure to put them together in a way that keeps an audience entertained throughout the entire duration. I've also found, with the exception of the last reel, that all of the reels are under 2 minutes long, which coincides with what I've been told about keeping showreels short and snappy.

Another thing I have noticed is that there is a difference between the studio showreels and the individual showreel. In the studio showreels, it is all completed work, whereas in the individual there is also work in progress stuff in there alongside completed stuff. I feel that this is because of the difference in nature of the showreels. Whereas the studio showreels are attempting to showcase what they can achieve for a client, the individual showreel is attempting to showcase abilities and skills to a potential employer, who will want to see work ranging from in progress to complete to see that you are capable of working on something from start to finish. I also noticed that the individual showreel very clearly labelled elements of the animation that were there if they had only completed a certain element of a scene, which is missing from the studio showreels.

Whilst the studio showreels are good, I feel that I will be aiming more to achieve the same as the individual showreel, as I am using this as a way to demonstrate my animation skills in the hopes of acquiring a job, so I will need to carefully consider what I show within my showreel and make sure that it contains a wide variety of animation.

Figuring out what I want to do...

After doing all of this research into studios and what it is that they create work wise, I began to realise what I don't necessarily want to work on as a practitioner. Even though I am aware that commercial work 'pays the bills', it isn't something that I can see myself enjoying or working in happily. However, I am not naive and I'm aware that I may have to create a significant amount of commercial work when I first start out.

The second thing I noticed was that I wasn't interested in creating educational animation of any kind. Nor am I interested in creating animation specifically targeted at young children, the kind you'd usually find on channels such as CBeebies. It is not that I don't think that these shows shouldn't be made, or that they aren't worth creating, but it is merely the fact that I want to create work for an entertainment purpose rather than an educational one.
This is the same when it comes to infomercials and motion graphics, as I am merely uninterested in creating anything like this for a non-commercial purpose.

Reflecting upon what I do want to do rather than focusing on what I don't, I have come to the realisation that I want to focus on work that is created with a strong narrative base and driven by character and story and that is created in 2D animation closer to traditional than anything, however I would also like to create work in the style of Gumball, which I know is created using Toon Boom and 2D rigs.

Overall, researching studios and reflecting upon myself as a practitioner has really helped me to pin down who I am as an animator and what I want to do. From this module I've found that I want to be an animator and I feel that I am prepared to begin my journey to begin looking for work in the relevant areas within the industry.

Keeping In the Loop

Now that I have done some research into studios I'd like to possibly work for, I though it would be a good idea to get a plan down of how I will keep up with the industry and keep my eye on any job openings that appeal to me in any way.

Whilst I regularly check on the websites of the studios I like for nay job opportunities, I also joined the mailing list for animation jobs back at the start of second year o suggestion from Mike. This has proved to be extremely useful in keeping on top of the most recent job openings and will keep being so now that I am going to be applying for jobs and internships.

Not only this, but I have also been making use of LinkedIn and their job listing tab. This has been pretty basic in terms of suggesting animation jobs, as I haven't updated my profile since I made it. Once I update it, which I will do in the next few days, I feel that it will begin to start providing me with more accurate job listings that I can then begin to start cataloging and applying for. 

I will also get in touch with studios and practitioners to start conversations. Rather than asking for a job straight away, I will be sure to try strike up a friendly professional relationship first and possibly inquire about work experience, shadowing or day visits later down the line. I will also keep up to date with what local studios are up to and attend any festivals that I am able to. 

Studio Research: Boulder Media

Reflecting upon the work that I would like to do and where I'd like to see myself in the next 5-10 years from, I decided to expand my research to studios outside of the UK to Ireland, as this is somewhere I've considered working for the last 2 years because the animation industry over there is flourishing. So I began with Cartoon Saloon, but since I have done research on this studio before, it was just to check up on on their latest news and see what it was they were currently working on.

The other company that stood out to me whilst I was searching was Boulder Media. This is a Dublin based studio that works on variety of 2D and 3D projects for bing name companies such as the BBC, Cartoon Network and so on, as well having produced a number of shows including The Amazing World of Gumball, Wander Over Yonder and Danger Mouse.



Even though this studio is based in Ireland, it is definitely somewhere that I would consider applying to in the future, as I feel that it would be a great opportunity and provide me with a breadth of experience. Looking on the website, the studio appears to have a number of various job opportunities that are updated regularly, so it is something that I will keep my eye on. I will also get in touch with the studio, and ask them for advice on my showreel and just start a conversation.

Studio Research: Brownbag Films

Brownbag films is a studio that was originally posted in Dublin that appealed to me but was out of my reach fro the near future, as it would require me to travel to Ireland if I couldn't work remotely. However, they have recently branched out to Manchester, which a huge opportunity for me, as this is where I will largely be situated in the near future.

After looking into the studio, they appear to work on a lot of 3D animation, however, I know that they also work on 2D productions for other clients and it is this element of the studio that appealed to me, especially because they are right on my doorstep.



Also, their work appears to be aimed mostly at children, however, this doesn't bother me as much as I though it would, as the prospect of having a studio working on so many things so close to me is a lot more appealing. After doing some more research into the studio, I know that they are hiring 2D animators at the moment to work on a production for a "big client". However, the job does require you to have previous experience and knowledge of Toon Boom. Although I don't have the experience I need it would definitely be worth my time to get in touch with the studio and start a dialogue with them.

Studio Research: Karrot Animation

Karrot Animation is another studio based in London that really appeals to me in a long term future thing. The work they create is something that I would very much like to create throughout my career and as I was looking through my work, I found that there wasn't anything in particular that I didn't enjoy. Karrot focus on create character led animations and are best known for their series Sarah and Duck, which is an animation I personally enjoy.



The studio works on a variety of projects that include work with big name companies such as Turner, Nickledeon, Disney, CBeebies and Amazon, which is what I believe makes the company so successful. Not only this, but their eye for good character design and immersive environments also makes them successful, as they know their strengths and work with them to create work that is strong and entertaining.



Karrot have also worked on idents for Cartoon Network and other Channels, which again is something that I'd like to work on myself and could possibly do, especially for E4 as they provide a competition for their idents every year, which is something I will definitely look into this year or next.

Overall, despite this studio being in London, I could definitely see myself working for a company that produces work like this and using my skills to create work that is creative, entertaining and aesthetically interesting.

Studio Research: Cartoon Network

Cartoon Network is another one of those studios which I would ultimately love to work for one day, whether that is on a number of projects, or as a more permanent staff member, as I really enjoy their content and feel that their aesthetic, ideas and TV shows are straight down my alley. The only downside to this is that their main studio is in America, which is an option that isn't available to me right now, as I am rooted in the UK until I gain experience and money. However, that doesn't mean that I shouldn't research the studio or keep on top of the work they are doing, as there are many studios out there that work on the programmes they produce. 

Whilst researching the studio, I found that they have a studio down in London, which could be an option for me in the future. I also found that they offer internships in America, which again I won't rule off my list of possibilities in the future. 

I feel that this studio is so successful due to the wise variety of content it is associated with and audiences it reaches out to, from young children to adults with shows such as the Amazing World of Gumball and Adventure Time. 

Conducting further research, I found that Cartoon Network is a part of Turner Studios, which hosts a wide range of brands such as Cartoon Network and Boomerang, with them having a range of brands within the UK. 

Studio Research: Aardman and Nathan Love

We all know Aardman for it stop motion masterpieces like Wallace and Gromit, Morph and Shaun the Sheep, however, the studio also creates a range of 2D animations, mostly for commercial purposes, but it is 2D nonetheless. This actually came as quite a shock to me, as I wasn't actually aware that Aardman did any 2D work at all.



However, they do, and having a look through it I feel that even though it's commercial work, it actually appears to be quite narrative based or character driven, which is something I am definitely interested in. Although, I must admit, the thought of working commercially does put me off slightly, as I really dislike the idea of commercial work despite knowing that it pays the bills. Having said this however, it would be great experience and would definitely boost my portfolio.

This studio is very clearly extremely successful, and I feel that may be down to the studio specialising in an area of animation that isn't as popular as it used to be, which is stop motion. Within the UK there aren't that many studios which focus on stop-motion, preferring 3D over other formats. I also feel that they've done so well because they create such a large range of work and a variety of different work on commercials to feature lengths.
Their success is evident in the fact that they have currently branched out to New York with their studio Nathan Love, which focuses more on commercial work and creates more 3D work than stop-motion.



Seeing commercial work being done in this way has made me think about what work I would be willing to do and whether or not I could potentially find work within the commercial realm that I would be happy doing. Nonetheless, if push came to shove I wouldn't turn down work regardless, however, I'd be happier working in the entertainment industry rather than the commercial one.

Studio Research: Arcus Animation

Arcus Studios is a 2D animation studio based in Newcastle that creates broadcast animation, promotional videos, video installations, in-house original content and develops new IP. After scouring their site and watching their showreel, I found that although some of the content isn't what I'm looking to do, such as their motion graphics stuff and informative animations, there is also a lot of work that they create that also appealed to me. Although they work to create a lot explainer videos and commercial work, they also create a range of in-house productions that look just plain fun and creative, which is definitely more up my street.



Although the studio appears to be doing well, it is one I've never heard of before, so I was actually really excited when I found a studio that was primarily 2D based and it was in the UK! With me wanting to specialise and focus on producing 2D animation and narrative driven concepts, Arcus is definitely a studio I will keep my eye on. I will also attempt to get in contact with them to ask their opinion on my showreel and see what advice they can offer me about starting out in the industry.

Studio Research: Sun and Moon

Sun and moon is an animation studio based in Bristol that focuses on character driven animation that is done in both 2D and 3D. I came across this studio when I was researching studios in the UK and whilst it is in the south, I still found myself drawn to it, however, it may be a place I look further into when I have gained some experience and have the finance to move around freely.



Sun and Moon create work that focuses around inventing magical worlds for characters to live in and explore. They create work for both commercial and creative uses and have worked for a number of big name clients including Aardman, the BBC and E4. What drew me to Sun and Moon the most was their range of 2D work and seeing that their 2D work is extremely varied and consists of a number of different aesthetics and drawing techniques, which is something I haven't been seeing all that often in my other research. This gives me confidence that there are studios out there that work on narrative driven work, that isn't just for children or adverts, but for creative purposes too.



I feel that the variety of work they display across their website demonstrates why this studio is so successful. Whilst they will do commercial work and team up with advertising companies, the studio also engages in other work such as short form animation. They've built up a strong networking base to work from and have built a trustworthy reputation as a company, which will also provide them with many job opportunities.

Overall, I feel that Sun and Moon would be a place that I will definitely consider in my future and will put in my list of places to contact, as I feel that they are currently creating work I could see myself also creating.

CV and Cover Letter Workshop

In order to get us prepared for entering the industry, we had a workshop on how to write a standard CV and covering letter, as although these may seem simple, they are easy to get wrong and because they are the first impression, it is important to get these as right as possible.

We started with covering letters and covered the layout and correct etiquette to use when addressing professionals for a job. Although there wasn't much to cover we were given some useful tips:

- Always start with Dear...
- Never use I want or need
- Be grateful and appreciative and considerate.

- DO research before you email the company or person
- keep it short - 3 paragraphs (4 if you know them)
- Explain what you like about their work - butter them up, show interest in their work or company
- Be enthusiastic but not patronizing.

After applying we were told that it is okay to follow up your emails/ letters and that we shouldn't leave it any longer than 2 weeks. It is also important to thank those that respond, even if it's a no, as this will help to build a database of connections. Also, apply as many times as you can to as many places (even if it means for more than one position at the same place). It could be helpful to create a spreadsheet of the places you have applied to, or want to apply to, as this will keep you motivated and help you apply to as many places as possible.

Finally, end an email with "looking forward to hearing from you" as this prompts a response as no one wants to be rude.

The workshop then moved on to inform us what to do if we get a call back for an interview or a chat. Even though it may be a job interview, you needn't dress too smartly, smart casual will be fine so long as you are comfortable and well presented. You should also go in with a positive attitude and one that demonstrates that you are passionate about working for the company and animation in general. And it goes without saying, but you should always do your research and show enthusiasm over your own work and where you intend to be in the future.

With the first part of the workshop over, we moved onto writing a CV. This is something I've never really written before, so I found the workshop to be extremely useful and I feel that it will aid in me writing a strong CV in the future to send out with job applications. Again, the workshop was a series of tips and tricks like the others have been that were all extremely useful. In order to create a strong CV you must:

- Sell yourself, it is a first impression and will give an employer a good sense of who you are as a person.
- Be succinct and precise, your CV should be no longer than 2 pages.
- Keep your address broad and your name and contact details clear.
- use dashes or spaces between your mobile number as it makes it easier to remember.
- Use your personal email address, not your student one.
- Your personal statement should be lively and succinct. You should avoid cliches such as hard working and works well in a team, as these should be obvious.
- Make sure to include any achievements you have made outside of university, it shows interest outside of uni and gives an insight into your personality and personal life.
- List relevant skills, experience and ambitions that are appropriate for the job.
- DO NOT LIE
- If it's working knowledge of a programme, don't put expert.
- Make use of placements, commissions and internships.
- List education with the most recent first, but don't list all A-Levels and GCSEs, simply mention how many you have and at what grade.
- Be specific about your hobbies and interests, it'll be a talking point.
- Always ask if it's okay to put someone down as a reference and state that you ca provide references on request.

Overall, I'm really pleased that we got the chance to attend these workshops, as I feel that I have gained a lot of useful knowledge that will help me to build a professional portfolio that I can begin to use as a gateway into the industry.

Showreel Advice

Showreels are something that we all have to create being creative professionals, yet they are often one of the hardest things to get right, as so much is relying on you getting your showreel right in order to land that dream job. Which is why I found this workshop to be incredibly beneficial as it demonstrated the best ways in which to make a showreel and offered us advice from creative professionals, which I felt has given us a good shot at creating the best showreel we can for industry. 

First off, we were reminded to keep it plain and simple, not to spend lots of time making a fancy name and intro, but to rather get into the action straight away only holding your information for around 3-5 seconds. We were also reminded to keep this information clear and understandable. 

The next few tips revolved around the content of our showreel. It is important to think about your work and what works best to your strengths and showcases what you are capable of. Put your best shot first and refrain from padding, as this can cause a viewer to become disengaged and bored with your showreel, which should be no longer than 60-90 seconds. Similarly you should only include what you are good at rather than things you are merely okay at. You should also try to demonstrate that you are flexible and adaptable throughout your work. Showcasing only one type of animating limits your abilities and may cost you the job so think about how to showcase animated performance which can be done through concept art, story-boarding, model making, etc. 

 Following on from this, you should clearly explain your role through your work. For instance, if you merely did the backgrounds within a short then you should articulate that this was your role and that the animation within that clip isn't yours. Explaining or showcasing the roles you played may differ depending on which studio you are applying to, as different studios will be looking for different things, so it may be worth creating a general showreel for social media and then creating specific ones for applying for jobs. 

It is also important to carefully consider audio for your showreel, as the right music will effect how your showreel is seen. It is actually surprising to hear that many studios listen to your showreel with the music turned off, so be sure to select something neutral, as this will be more pleasant to listen to if they do have the sound on. 

Finally, it is important to ensure that all links work to your work and that you keep updating your showreel regularly. A good rule of thumb is to have at least a bi-annual update of your showreel, as this shows that you are engaging within the practice and keeping up to date with animation and learning new skills. 

How to Get Paid! Invoicing Workshop

During this workshop we were given an insight into invoices and how to set one up for when working with a client. There isn't much to an invoice, but it was nice to have the workshop regardless, as sometimes it is easy to forget how to do the essential things, such as setting up a correct invoice.

When creating an invoice, it's important to remember that they don't need to be all flashy and fancy, but it is in fact better to keep them simple and clear.
To start with you should have a clear heading stating INVOICE, which should be followed by your name, the name of your company, branding and trading name (which can be anything) and the date. Finally, the top of the page should contain the invoice number, which you should start at 00000001 and work your way up. This way it is easy to keep track of all of your work for future reference.

You should then move on to state the payment terms which is typically 14-30 days from the date of issue, but either way, you should be clear of when you want the payment, followed by your name and address.
The remainder of the workshop followed suit, reminding us to include the clients name and address, the amount owed, VAT if you needed it, although this only applies if your turnover is £830000, and most importantly your bank details.

Again, I feel that this workshop was aimed mostly at freelancing, however that isn't to say it hasn't helped me in any way. Even though I am not looking at being a freelancer at this stage, it is still useful to know and I am confident that I will be able to use this knowledge later in life.

Contracts Workshop

In this workshop we went over the importance of contracts and why it is essential to have one set up whether you're going to work for a company or whether you're working for a client. Although it is important to have a contract with a company, I believe this workshop was aimed more at freelancing and how to protect ourselves when working with our own clients. 

The tips we received revolved around:

- making sure that the contract is clear and coherent.

- clearly explaining any upfront costs and the terms of your invoicing.

- identifying what you will be providing and what your needs from the client will be.

- Articulating any additional fees.

- Explaining how long your quotation lasts for. 

Not only is it important to make sure that you explain these things to your client clearly, but it is also important to inform your client of how long the job will take and where milestones and feedback will be given throughout the project. This will help to manage your clients expectations and control turnaround times feedback for changes. 

We were also given advice on what to do if we needed to make changes and who to contact for such circumstances. We were also told that it is important to gain permission from the client if the job goes over budget, as they may not be able to afford it and may ask to terminate the contract. Not only this, but it is important to sign off with the client for each stage of the project, to ensure that you are covered and aren't breaking any agreements you made. 

However, sometimes things don't follow through as they should and the end of the workshop went through how to cover ourselves if things don't go as planned.

It is important to keep these things in mind:

- Clearly articulate what you are getting paid for. You don't want to lose out on payment for work you have already completed. 

- make it clear from the beginning who owns the rights to the work completed. 

- Seek legal advice if you are unsure, but you should consider legal costs if you wish to do so. 

Finally, it is also important that you make it clear between you and your client that it is okay for you to use the work you created for your own promotional benefit, and if so if there is a best to use from date. You should also make sure that your client agrees to keep aspects of your work under wraps before, during and after the job, in order to protect you financially and professionally. Finally, you should consider if you would charge your client in the future if they wish to re-purpose your work or notice any mistakes after completion. 

Overall, I found this talk really helpful despite the fact that I don't intend to work as a freelancer at the moment. Having said this however, it was really good to have this information given to us, as I feel a lot more confident that I know where to start should I ever need to create a contract for a client. It has also given me an insight into how companies would work with clients and I feel as though I am a lot more understanding of the procedure and how work is undertaken for outside clients.

Studio Research: Kilogramme

Kilogramme is an animation studio based in Manchester, that produces a wide variety of both 2D and 3D animations for shorts, interstitials and adverts for both broadcasting and online.

There are a number of reasons I wanted to look into Kilogramme as a possible studio to work for, but I feel the biggest is that the studio appears to work on a wide range of projects that are all different and unique that explore a different technique or aesthetic every time. Even though the studio practices in both 2D and 3D animation, I feel that they do so equally and that their showreel is very diverse. 

They also work on a range of projects from shorts to adverts. Although I don't necessarily want to work on commercial work, I feel that this studio has a good balance between commercial and non-commercial, and I understand that working on commercial briefs also helps to 'pay the bills'.

The fact that this studio engages in such a variety of techniques, aesthetics and projects could play a huge role in why this animation studio is so successful. Due to them being able to create work of such a variety demonstrates that they are extremely flexible and are capable of curating a unique response to a brief. This has led to the company working with an extensive number of clients including Ben and Jerry's and CITV.
Personally, I believe that this studio is as successful as it is because it isn't afraid to explore a wide variety of techniques to create a response that is unique every single time. I also feel that they are achieving so much because they are capable of creating work for both commercial use and for non-commercial use, which I feel is important, as it demonstrates flexibility and adaptability.

After doing a little more research, I have come to understand that Kilogramme don't hire anyone in-house, as they are such a small studio, but rather collaborate with freelance artists for their projects. They also don't offer any internships, again because they are simply too small. However, although I won't be apply for a job or internship here, I do feel that it would be extremely beneficial for me to try and get a studio visit and build up a professional relationship with them.

Viewing Kilogramme's work has encouraged me to begin to think about experimenting in my own work and trying to learn new techniques and explore new aesthetics. Even if it doesn't work out, it may lead to me discovering something that does and all in all will boost my portfolio and showreel.

MAF 2016: The Red Turtle Preview

Whilst at MAF I was lucky enough to attend the preview for The Red Turtle (La Tortue Rouge) directed by Mihael Dudok De Wit. The story follows a man who is shipwrecked on this island and encounters a red turtle that is an inhabitant of the island. The beautiful tale tells of the milestones that humans experience throughout life, whilst raising questions of the mans sanity.



I found this film simply beautiful from the visuals down to the sound design and story. Although the film takes place in the same three areas of the environment, I found that I was experiencing something new every time we returned to the place we had left the scene before. I found the story to be extremely captivating and haunting by the end, as I found myself questioning the character's sanity and asking myself whether he'd imagined it all due to be lonely or whether it was real or not.

Overall I think that this film is one of the best animated feature lengths I've seen in a while and I feel fortunate to have seen it. Not only has it demonstrated what a good film looks like, but it has also opened my eyes to the fact that simplistic and minimalist animation can work just as well and tell a story just as compelling and captivating as other films. I will definitely consider what elements of my story for Extended Practice are essential and which bits may work better stripped down.

MAF 2016: The Making on Ethel and Ernest

The last masterclass that I attended at MAF this year was the making of Ethel and Ernest. Although all of the other masterclasses were interesting and I learnt a lot from them, this was the one I was looking forward to the most, as it is a film made in the programme I am currently learning and will be using for my Extended Practice. It is also a 2D film, so it held a soft spot for me from the start as 2D animation is my jam.

The talk was conducted by Roger Mainwood, Peter Dodd and Camilla Deakin from Lupus Films and they each spoke about different elements of the film, though there was a huge emphasis on the production of it, which I didn't mind as it was really interesting to see how they used the software and created the aesthetic that they did.



The film itself took 9 months to make and was aided by 309 character model sheets and 600 backgrounds, which were created by using CG elements to get the perspective right. This was actually quite interesting to learn, and is something I will consider for my own film. They also used TV Paint because they felt that it wasn't feasible to create the film on paper and believed it to be the best alternative.
In order to make the most of the software they created their own textures and brushes  and used alternating colour swatches to create colour that moved and boiled, as this created movement and texture. Overall I feel that they have create an aesthetic that works incredibly well with the theme of the film and portrays the mood, tone and atmosphere perfectly.

Not only this, but the attention to detail, particularly in movement also works incredibly well in making the characters feel real. Movement is something that the team focused on closely during the making of the film. One of the ways they made sure that the movements weren't cliched or cartoony was to study mannerisms of people in real life, as they believed this made them more natural, which in turn would keep an audiences attention and ensure that they stayed engaged.

Overall, I found the talk to be an eyeopener to the process that goes behind making a film and it has made me consider all of the elements I will need to explore when creating my own film for Extended Practice. Reflecting upon this, it may be wise to attempt to collaborate with more people, as there is a lot that goes into the making of a film other than animating and it may be worth my time investing in the help of others.
Not only this, but this talk has made me want to explore all of the possibilities I can gain from using TVPaint and to learn everything that I can achieve with the programme that will aid me and allow me to work to my full potential.

MAF 2016: Masterclass - Blue Zoo Hoodoo

During my second day at MAF I attended a masterclass by Blue Zoo, an animation company based in London that specialises in 3D animation but also dabbles in 2D as well, their most recent 2D animation on their website being their short for Dynamo's "Seeing is Believing" tour in August 2016.

Dynamo's Seeing is Believing Tour 2016

However, the talk I attended was all about their new VR game, Hoodoo. The talk focused on the concept behind the animation and how they went about designing the characters and the environment for the virtual world they intended it for. I was particularly interested in hearing about how they kept the story simple in order to allow a viewer to explore the world without missing vital parts of the story and how they ensured the viewer obtained the relevant information they needed to understand the story. As my Extended Practice will be focused on creating an engaging narrative, I wanted to use this talk as an opportunity to gain some inspiration before I started to lock in my narrative.

https://www.blue-zoo.co.uk/animation/hoodoo-vr-short/

They kept the story quite simple, having a few key elements that happened in order to make the story progress that they encouraged a viewer to focus on by leading the story that way whilst giving the viewer the freedom to look around and explore the environment. However, in order to stop the viewer from branching off down numerous different story lines, the developers kept the world relatively small with only a few areas to explore. Considering this is only a 15 minute game so far, I felt that there was so much to see and experience in such a small space. Unfortunately I couldn't have a go on the headset before the talk, as it would have made me feel really sick. Nonetheless, I found this to be extremely interesting and it is something I think I will keep my eye on, as although I am not a 3D animator, I find the idea of Virtual Reality to be quite interesting and I believe it is becoming more popular within the world of animation. 

They then went on to talk about how they made the short and how it took them quite a few years to get to this point, which isn't surprising. It was however interesting to hear how everything started from 2D concepts. Although I am not a designer of any sort, it's nice to know that 2D elements are still needed to make a 3D animation. 

MAF 2016: Films in Competition: Shorts 2

To end my first day at MAF I went to watch the second selection of short films in competition. I must admit, I didn't enjoy this selection as much as I did the first. Whilst there was a range of media used, as there was before, I found the majority of these films to be quite depressing or of a serious nature. Although I am not against animation being used for serious issues, in fact I feel that animation can be a very strong tool in depicting serious issues, as it can portray things that may be difficult to face otherwise, I just felt that the selection was quite saddening compared to the rest of the day, Perhaps if I had attended the screening on another day, I might not have felt that way.

Nevertheless, I did feel that there were a couple of animations that stood out to me and have stayed with me the last couple of months for entirely different reasons. The first animation that grabbed my attention was the Fox and the Whale.

 
1) Fox and the Whale by Robin Joseph

Although I found the story to be quite basic in the sense that it was a character searching for something, I enjoyed this film regardless. I thought that it was visually beautiful, which I felt was down to the amount of detail in the backgrounds within the film. In particular, I really enjoyed the scenes that took place within the forest, as I found the level of detail and use of colour within these shots to be absolutely amazing. However, this isn't what I have taken away from this film s inspiration for my own, it is the lighting use and the cross over between 2D and CGI. Firstly, I feel that the lighting within this film has been done really well, which is something that I need to seriously consider for my Extended Practice, as I want the environments to reflect the mood and tone of the story I am telling. Secondly, the merging of CGI and drawn animation appeals to me, as I am also looking to do this for my Extended Practice, so it is nice to see it done well as an example of how it can work.

 
2)Under The Apple Tree by Erik van Schaaik

The second film that stood out to me was Under The Apple Tree. However, I'm not sure that this film has stayed with me for all of the right reasons. Whilst I found the animation to be quite smooth and very well done, the story itself was extremely bizarre and over the top. Not to mention the characters spoke half in rhyme and half not, which only made me feel uncomfortable, however, in retrospect I feel that this may have been intentional, as the film itself has a very dark nature. Although I didn't personally enjoy this film, I found myself laughing and engage regardless, which demonstrates that you don't always have to enjoy something to be invested. By making me feel uncomfortable and making the story outrageous, this film has managed to stay in my mind.

MAF 2016: Masterclass - Phantom Boy

The next event I attended was the first Masterclass of the visit and it focused on the sound design of Phantom Boy. The film isn't one that I had heard of before, nor was the studio Folimage, so it was a good opportunity to peg another studio in my collection. Whilst it would have been really nice to hear more about the aesthetic choices of the film and how it was made and such, the talk was actually really interesting and extremely informative about the importance of sound design. I had attended a sound design talk before in the previous year with Jan Meinema, which I found to be of a huge help to future projects, however Loic Burkhardt went into much more detail about how sound can be used and I found the talk quite intriguing.

Burkhardt started his career with an assistant job, which he stayed in for the first 5-6 years before he moved up into industry. Whilst this sounded like a long time to be an assistant, he explained that this was his form of education, as he had zero experience when he started and that it was his drive to succeed and motivation to progress within industry. With this in mind it was actually quite comforting to hear, as it reminded me that it will take time to get to where I want, but with perseverance and a little patience I will make it.

From here Burkhardt moved on to talk about the sound design within the film. Loic believes that there is a huge difference between hearing and listening and it is up to the sound designer to make an audience listen rather than just hear. He illustrated how sound works and how different sounds have different uses by showing us clips from the film, first without sound and then with, so we would see a clear difference. The effectiveness of adding sounds and music was quite significant and very clear to see because of the stark contrast between no sound and sound, but it was the subtle differences in the rain sounds that made it really work for the scene, as they drew you in and made you feel as though you were really there. Within the scene shown to us, there were a number of different perspectives that the rain was heard from. Loic explained to us that when the perspective was from the characters point of view, the rain needed to sound harder to make it sound as though you are running through it yourself. However, when the camera is looking in on the character and the shot is wide, the rain should sound lighter, as you are higher up from the ground. It is different again when the character gets into the car, the rain changes to sound as though is it hitting a tin roof to simulate the effect of rain hitting a car. Although these are very subtle differences in sound, when listened to it is very clear how much they effect the overall viewing.

Loic also spoke about how effects of ambient and foley sounds. Unlike live action film, when you create an animation it is utterly silent, meaning that you have to create the sounds you want yourself which can often lead to the sounds sounding inauthentic and simulated. This however leaves sounds for animation open to the opportunity to be extremely adventurous and creative. Burkhardt explained that he has had to create a number of different sounds with objects that you wouldn't necessarily consider, but to no be afraid to experiment, as sounds are extremely important to telling a story, as they tell aspects of the story that are unseen.

Overall, I feel that I have taken a significant lesson away from this talk and I feel as though I understand the importance of sound on a level that will aid me in my future projects, especially Extended Practice, as I will be able to consider the sounds I use in my film and how they will tell my story.

MAF 2016: Films in Competition: Student 1

The next event I went to was Films in Competition: Student 1. I was really looking forward to this screening, as it would give me an idea of what other students, both from the UK and other countries, were creating and what the festival was expecting in terms of submissions.

Although I found this screening to be interesting, I must admit that it wasn't as good as the first screening I went to and there weren't as many animation that stuck with me this time around. Having said this however, there were a few that made me pay more attention than others.


1) The Wrong End of The Stick by Terri Matthews

The Wrong End of The Stick was by far the most interesting, bizarre and funny animation out of the collection in this screening. The story follows a man who has a secret that may not be so conventional, one that his wife finds out about and is distraught by. However, although the story was incredibly funny, for me it was the use of mixed media and animation that pulled me in.

The environments and objects are a mixture of live action and rotoscoped elements with the animation being rotoscoped, yet caricatured. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of rotoscoping, but this animation is a good example of how the technique can be used to aid in animation and help to make the movements realistic.
I really enjoyed this animation and I found the overall film to be very funny and nicely animated.


2) Wildfire by Hugues Opter & Co.

The reason I enjoyed wildfire wasn't necessarily for the story but more for the visuals, particularly the textures in the backgrounds and sometimes the characters. Working with textures is something that I have always wanted to incorporate into my own work but sometimes struggle with ideas of how to do so and which materials to use. However, watching Wildfire has demonstrated to me that the use of mixed media can be to my advantage when it comes to creating texture within my own work, as when it is done right, it can help to create wonderful backgrounds that portray strong atmospheres.


3) Once Upon a Line by Alicja Jasina

The final animation of the screening, Once Upon a Line, was another animation that stood out to me because of the simplistic aesthetic of the piece and the way that the story was shown. Usually I struggle with repetitive animation, as I struggle to stay interested and feel as though I am watching the same thing over and over again. However, although this story was repetitive, it was done in a way that demonstrated the chaos and frustration felt by the character at having his life turned upside down. Overall, I found the animation to be quite funny and simple yet effective.

I have enjoyed watching these shorts and it has definitely given me an idea of what I should be aiming for when I think about my extended practice. It has also given me a few animations that will give me inspiration at a later date for future projects.

MAF 2016: Films in Competition: Shorts 1

To kick start MAF this year, I started the morning off with watching the first set of shorts under the category 'Films in Competition'. I thought that it would be a nice way to start the day off and give me an idea of what to expect for the next three days. I really enjoyed this years screening of shorts, as I felt that there was a wider range of animation techniques to be seen, including more 2D/traditional animation. Not only this, but this year I felt that there were a lot less animations based on morbid or serious topics and there were a lot more animations that just seemed silly and done for the fun of it, which was really encouraging to see.

1) Birdz by Emilien Davaud

Birdz is a short CGI film that depicts the struggle of surviving nature in a rather peculiar way. Like the title suggests the focus is on a birds but with a twist. Instead of the characters being birds, they are in fact humans that look and act like birds in all senses. However, other than the fact that this animation was a little bit silly, it doesn't actually appeal to me all that much. Being interested n 2D animation, it hasn't given me any inspiration for my own work and on the whole I found it quite disturbing to watch, but I feel that the uncomfortable feeling of it worked in its favour.

2) Of Shadows and Wings... by Elice Meng & Eleonora Marinoni

Of Shadows and Wings was the animation of the day for me. I absolutely adored this animation not only for its wonderful aesthetic but also because of its brilliant story. This animation is an excellent example of how emotion and story can be told with little use of speech, yet still be as effective, if not more than animations that focus on the delivery of speech rather than body language. Not only this, but the animation demonstrates how effective music and sound are when put together to create a strong sense of emotion and understanding for an audience.

Also, the film was also extremely beautiful to look at aesthetically and very well animated, which made it even more entertaining to watch. In particular I really liked the way that the environments depicted the mood and tone of the main character. The way that the animation starts off with very deep blues and greens to reveal a bright colourful ending to portray the characters sense of freedom and relief. Not only does this animation demonstrate effective storytelling through character body language and sound, but it also reminds me that colours are just as important and can tell huge parts of a story to an audience before a character has even been introduced.

This beautiful piece has definitely made me think about my extended practice and how I will approach colour and sound within my final film, as they will be important in helping me tell my story.

3) The Inverted Peak by The Brothers McLeod

As I had been to see The Brothers McLeod at the start of the month, it was nice to see The Inverted Peak, as they weren't allowed to show it to us at the talk because it had been submitted to festivals. The animation itself is amazing to watch and to listen to, as it bombards you with strange visuals and even stranger sounds, that make the whole experience quite bizarre but at the same time somewhat hypnotic and mesmerizing. The use of colour and mixed media demonstrate how animation can also take you into a world of abstract wonders to explore unusual or difficult themes, such as the quest for enlightenment and desire.

Not only this, but the animation demonstrates how sound can be used to make someone feel uncomfortable and create a particular mood or atmosphere, as I was definitely on edge throughout the whole film. I'm still 100% certain what exactly happens within the animation, but it definitely made me question things and think about what animation is a medium and how it can be used for more than storytelling and entertainment.

Overall, I have really enjoyed the opening films I saw whilst at MAF because they have given me the opportunity to see animations from places such the Netherlands and Mexico, which I wouldn't necessarily come across on my own. They have also provided me with a lot of insight for my extended practice and have given me the chance to think about and consider certain elements of my project that I may have otherwise neglected, such as colour use and the importance of sound and music.

ASFF: The Brothers McLeod - The Aesthetics of Animation: Combining Technology and Storytelling

At the start of November I decided to attend The Brothers McLeod talk at ASFF in York, as I felt that it would be beneficial to me as an animator and possibly my CoP work. The talk overall was very interesting and it was really nice to meet both Myles and Greg in person and listen to them talk about their process and their upcoming new short MARFA: An Animated Travelogue. However, I don't much feel that the talk was on 'Combining Technology and Storytelling' but more on storytelling and showcasing what they had done, why they had done and their new project. Despite this however, I still massively enjoyed the talk and I was really interested in hearing what they had to say about their work.

MARFA is an animated film about memory, more specifically about Greg's memory of visiting Marfa, Texas to see their film 365. In the beginning, Greg was going to animate the short in the style of 365, but felt that as the tests progressed, the lighting was off and he wasn't 'feeling it', so moved on to using traditional media such as watercolours and pencils, which he will be using for the final film. The drawing style itself will be in the style associated with The Brothers McLeod, a really quick, loose line that contains lots of energy and movement. When asked why Greg chooses to draw this way he simply answered that "when working on our own projects we like them to be natural and to 'find themselves'", which is something that can't be achieved when working for clients, as you need to be able to produce work quickly and to a standard that your client is happy with. This is something that has always played at the back of my mind when I've considered what it would be like to conduct freelance work, so it was nice to hear that even as professionals, The Brothers McLeod still enjoy creating their own work for fun and use commercial work as a way to fund their own personal projects. (The Brothers even have their own term for it; the Creative Feedback Loop).

They then went on to talk about how important it is to get a gag right in a story (if your story contains gags). When animating a gag, it is important to set the gag up correctly in order for it to be understood and funny. Greg suggests that having lots of white space around your character helps the gag to stand out and prevents the audience from getting distracted. He also pointed out that there has to be a point to a camera change, otherwise it is just pointless. Although he was focusing on gags at the time, I feel that the camera point is a very valid one and one that I will definitely take into consideration when I come to develop my extended practice piece.

In terms of animation aesthetics, the brothers spoke about how they believe that aesthetics are chosen based on personal preference and appeal, rather than a choice based on what is popular at the time or what an audience wants. Particularly for them, they choose to draw because that is where they started and they felt that they should stick to be good at one thing rather than trying to be good at everything, as it is important to enjoy what you are making. Greg personally chooses 2D simply because he likes to draw and he enjoys the energy of the line and the 'crapness' of the paper, the way it wrinkles and creases when you add water to it and the way the pencil smudges.

Overall, I had a really good afternoon and I enjoyed the talk. Although I feel that the talk was mostly about what they had done more than anything, I still feel that I have come away having gained knowledge as an animator. It was also really  nice to hear about their work and what they do and what they are working on in the future. I feel that the main thing I have taken away from this talk is that animation is not about technique, but about story and motivation, which are things I will thoroughly consider for my final film.

The Lifting Tower: Overall Experience

December the 1st marked the opening night for our projections as a part of Christmas in Leeds. The projection itself was wonderful to see and it was great to see our work up on the big building with the public attending.

Overall, I feel that I didn't enjoy this project as much as I thought I would, as I felt that I was doing it more because I felt I had to rather than because I wanted to. This definitely effected how I approached this project and it made me struggle to stay interested and motivated despite the fact that I was actually interested in the ideas and I liked the people I was working with.
This is something I feel that I need to work on, as I am aware that I won't always be working on a project that I necessarily want to. In order to do this, I feel that I need to find ways to stay motivated by giving myself attainable goals to work towards, such as completing 2 seconds of animating a day. This way I can focus on achieving that target rather than dwelling on the fact that I am doing something I don't really want to. It will also help me to not feel as overwhelmed by the workload I have. Time management also comes into it. If I had managed my time better and dedicated a certain amount of time to this project as well as CoP, I may have felt less overwhelmed.

For future projects I will definitely pay closer attention to my time organisation and I will work towards creating achievable goals for myself in order to reduce stress and keep me on track.

The Lifting Tower: Last Minute Changes...

During our showcase of our work to peers, we were asked to create a series of small, fun, snappy animations rather than focus on narrative based shorts. Whilst I was fine with the idea, it was incredibly frustrating, as we had already spent so much time working on our ideas. Not only this, but we were told to do this with only a few days left.

At this point in the project I was losing a lot of motivation to work on it, as I wanted to focus on CoP and I was becoming a little overwhelmed with the workload. I had also only managed to produce one animation for the group, as I was struggling to keep up with Lauren and Greta, and because they were working so quickly, I was struggling to come up with ideas before they had made them.
This didn't bother me, as I was happy that our group had so much content to give for submission, but I did feel that I was letting my group down, despite the fact that I was keeping everyone organised and maintaining communication across the group.

I will attempt to create a few short animated clips to go with the groups other ones in the hopes that I can contribute more than I have done.

The Lifting Tower: Starting to Animate...

Once Jim had agreed with our ideas, we decided to split the animating between the three of us in order to manage workload. The first one I had been given was the Yeti hiding idea. I was happy to do this, as I thought that it would be quite simple to start animating with. However, we had decided to use After Effects, as this would allow for quick turnarounds, but the character animation would be done using the puppet pin tool within the program. This is a tool I have never used before, so I found it quite challenging at first and had to watch Lauren use it beforehand. She also set up a base Yeti to work with that had all of the pins in place already, so all that we needed to do was reset the character and begin animating something new with it once we were done.

Just before I began to animate, Jim had mentioned that he wanted to see an animatic to showcase what our ideas would look like, as he was worried that weren't going to be using the space effectively. So before I began, I created a quick animatic of the Yeti Hiding to send to him to give him an idea of what to expect.

Everyone seemed pleased with this, so I swiftly moved on to getting started with the animation. 

I found animating the yeti a lot more difficult than I anticipated and I couldn't figure out if this was because I was a little rusty, or because I wasn't as invested as I had been at the start. At this point in the project I was working quite slowly and I was struggling to keep up with the pace of both Lauren and Greta, which left me feeling as though I wasn't contributing enough to the workflow. 

However, having said this, I did manage to get my animation finished quite quickly despite feeling as though I was working too slow and I am happy with my outcome. The rest of the group also seem pleased with it, so I am happy to leave it an move on. 

The Lifting Tower: Moving Forward

During the last briefing, we were told that we would be getting split into new groups to include the illustrators within the project due to numbers and the fact that we weren't mingling with the illustrators enough. This is a decision that was fine by me, as it meant that I would be given an opportunity to work on my collaboration skills.
With this in mind, Lauren and I split from Katy and James and paired up with Tom Dogett from illustration, with Greta joining the group a little later on. James and Katy wanted to keep the ideas we had from our group, so we agreed that we would use Tom's ideas and simply animate them, partly because we were fine with just animating and partly because it meant that we wouldn't have to generate new ideas. Overall, I found Tom's ideas really interesting and I am looking forward to working with the characters he has given us.

Tom's Yeti Design

As a group we went through Tom's ideas and what he would like to achieve for this project. Tom wanted his characters to be part of a narrative, that could work well together or split up, so we discussed what these narratives would involve and worked from there. Lauren and I put together some quick storyboards of what we found interesting and what we thought would be achievable to showcase them to Jim later on.

Storyboards

In our next briefing we got the chance to meet up with Jim to show him our ideas and discuss any changes that needed to be made or any issues that would arise from our ideas. However, Jim seemed really happy with our ideas and the only criticism he had wasn't really a criticism, but more a friendly reminder to use up all of the space that we were provided with. 

With that decided, we gave the project the official go ahead and distributed roles accordingly. Tom was the designer and asset maker, with Lauren, Greta and I being the animators.