In this weeks seminar we looked at the benefit of social media and how it can be used to help get your work out there and build connections and an appropriate network for when it comes to finding a job. We also went over what's appropriate to post, when the best time to post is and the benefits of having separate personal and professional accounts.
Looking at the social media sites I already use, I chose the 5 that I use most frequently and these are:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Tumblr
Pinterest
Although I use these sites the most, I mostly only use Instagram and Twitter for work. I also don't use Facebook or Tumblr at all unless it's to post a photo through Instagram and I also only use Pinterest to create my own mood boards and collect visuals to aid my ideas. Reflecting upon how I use these sites, I could benefit from paying a little more attention to the sites I use less often such as Tumblr and Facebook, as these are well used sites and could help me to build connections quickly. I should also think about what I'm posting on which site, as it wold benefit me more to post different things on different sites, as people don't want to see the same thing on every site they go on. This will also help me to build a stronger network. For instance, I could use Instagram and Tumblr for work in progress, whereas, Facebook could be used for finished pieces and concept work.
Looking at the possibility of expanding, I feel that I have enough platforms to be working with at the moment, although it may benefit me in the future to create my own website, to display all of my finished pieces and showreels in one place.
Tuesday, 1 December 2015
Animation Studio Research: Feedback
In today's seminar I presented the research I had conducted on the animation studio Cartoon Saloon. I feel that it went well and I managed get across all of the points I wanted to make and I feel that I expressed my interest in the studio clearly.
During the presentation Martin was filling out a feedback form to let me know how well I had researched the studio and if I had made enough effort to contact the studio. Overall, he said that I had a good basic history of the studio and good work history. He also pointed out that I had a good history of the producers of the studio. Not only this, but I made good comments on appeal and I also brought up a good point regarding college contacts. He was also pleased that I have made contact with the studio and has encouraged me to maintain contact between the studio and myself.
Overall, I am pleased with the feedback I have received and I will keep working towards building a professional relationship with the studio.
During the presentation Martin was filling out a feedback form to let me know how well I had researched the studio and if I had made enough effort to contact the studio. Overall, he said that I had a good basic history of the studio and good work history. He also pointed out that I had a good history of the producers of the studio. Not only this, but I made good comments on appeal and I also brought up a good point regarding college contacts. He was also pleased that I have made contact with the studio and has encouraged me to maintain contact between the studio and myself.
Overall, I am pleased with the feedback I have received and I will keep working towards building a professional relationship with the studio.
Animation Studio Research: Cartoon Saloon
Studio History
Cartoon Saloon is a small Academy Award-nominated 2D animation studio based in Kilkenny, Ireland. Although it is a small studio they also have a studio in North Hollywood. The studio was formed in 1999 by Tomm Moore, Paul Young and Nora Twomey, who all met at Ballyfermot Senior College Dublin, and has since gone on to be nominated and win many awards.Tomm Moore is a co-founder and the creative director at Cartoon Saloon. Over the 16 years of the studio, Tomm has worked in many different roles such as, director, art director, storyboarder, animator and illustrator across a wide range of projects from TV series to feature films, commercials to service work and many short films, his most notable of works being The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea, both of which he directed.
Paul Young is the second co-founder and CEO of Cartoon Saloon. Not only is he the CEO, he is also the producer of Tomm Moore's The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea, as well the executive producer of Skunk Fu!. He is also currently producing the second series of Puffin Rock.
Nora Twomey is the last co-founder of Cartoon Saloon and she is also the CEO of the company and a creative director. She has directed many of the studio's TV commercials and was director of the the award-winning shorts From Darkness and Cúilín Dualach, as well as bing the co-director of The Secret of Kells. On top of this, Nora was also head of story on Song of the Sea. Although Nora went to Ballyfermot Senior College with Tomm and Paul, she also won an internship at Disney that took place in Paris. She is currently working on her newest development The Breadwinner.
Productions
The Secret of Kells, one of the studio's most notable works, was the first feature film that the studio produced and was one of Tomm Moore's first works. The film is created using 2D digital animation that took 10 years to complete, The film depicts very detailed, beautiful scenery to tell a story that is a mix between Irish folklore and imagination.
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| Still from The Secret of Kells |
Skunk Fu! is another notable work created by Cartoon Saloon. The children's TV series was a global success and was aired in over 120 countries and was sold to big-name companies such as the BBC and Cartoon Network.
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| Still from Skunk Fu! |
More recently, Cartoon Saloon has released its preschool TV series Puffin Rock, which has also been very successful and has been aired on Nick Jr and Netflix. The season is currently in production with Paul Young working as director.
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| Still from Puffin Rock |
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| Still from Song of the Sea |
Why I want to work for Cartoon Saloon
One of the main reasons I want to work for Cartoon Saloon is because I am interested in 2D animation and I find the artistic style of the studio incredibly appealing. Not only this, but the attention to story and linking real stories (such a Irish folklore) with imagination also appeals to me greatly, because I love telling stories through my own work and I love how you get lost in what they are telling you through their animations. Another reason this studio appeals to me is because of the software they use. After Effects and Photoshop and Flash play a huge role in the making of their films and although I'm unfamiliar with Flash, I am very comfortable using After Effects and Photoshop, having experience in the software that they use makes me feel more comfortable about wanting to be there. I also would like to work for Cartoon Saloon because the idea of working on a feature film, and working here would give me that opportunity. On top of all this, I just find their work very beautiful and I'd like to be a part of what they do.
Future Production
Currently Cartoon Saloon are working on Nora Twomey's latest production The Breadwinner, which is set to be released in 2017. They are also working on a second season of Puffin Rock. On top of this, Tomm Moore is also working on his next feature film Wolfwalkers, however, this is still in its draft script but he hopes to get the script finalised this year.
Contact
Whilst researching the co-founders of the studio I also searched them on twitter and started to follow them all, as well as the studio, and Tomm Moore started to follow me back after I tweeted about him for three days in a row (pestering is key). I also emailed the studio to inquire about internships and to ask what they look for in an animator.
(There's a link to my presentation!)
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