Critical Studies: Essay Blog: My understanding of the Industry

As part of our critical studies in animation we went to the Flip Festival 2010. The day consisted of animation shorts and show reels, as well as a look at some earlier animation and viewing methods. We also had a board of industry professionals offer advice and criticism on the work we had seen.

We started the day by watching the short films young animators, mainly graduates, had created. This displayed a wide range of techniques used and purpose of the animation. Some animations were used for advertising, others as experimentation, and others that had strong messages.

A particular favourite of mine on that day was the animation “Bottom of the river” by
What interested me most about the day though was what the board members had to say. In an x factor style set up, with the panel of judges, they offered advice on the young animators show reels. In particular, I was interested in what media molecule’s Michelle Ducker had to say. As a gaming company, she could offered animators advice on what to work toward to be successful in this industry. Of course, the advice all the board members gave was valuable to developing and shaping my skills as an animator.
That day I discovered that commissions and the BBC were making a loss. Independent film, such as virals and in universities are much more free to move with this change. This also means that the industry will be far more competitive. Studios are using motion capture much more, especially in the case of gaming, to develop realistic movements. In particular the ability to capture and animate facial expressions is an important factor for these studios. Studios are looking to contract artists so it is important to always be networking. Put yourself and as much of your work as you can out there and you will get noticed.
Also, the outlets for animation is growing, so simply explore these opportunities. E.g. Internet, mobile phones, advertising etc.
One of the animators of the day, Chris , works freelance, working for companies to fnd his own independent animations. He believes there is a lot of future in mobile technology and the uses of animation for this. His showreel, ‘Harmony’, uses origami as it medium. This he claims was because it was cheap. But it is still effective and his skills as an animator show as he is able to create to use a range of techniques and styles.
When starting to work freelance under your own name, he advises it is very important to invest in a website to display your work. This should show:
What you are doing
How you did it
And remain clear and professionalAlthough this is true, the board members advise still that details of how you work should be kept private, to protect any innovative ideas you have that would attract an employer.
The board members offered a lot of advice on how to present a showreel and what particular industries like to see. I have made a list of what I found most helpful:
A good mix of styles is interesting in a showreel and can show some diversity in your work.
In the case of gaming, they like to see facial expressions and the use of 3d animation.
Acting. Can your characters act? Is it believable.
Adding titles to clips you include can help to give your showreel some context.
Its good to have a fun compilation. However it depends on what you want to demonstrate with your showreel. Keep any information like your name, website and contact clear. Preferably at the beginning and the end of the reel.
Your showreel is your visual CV. Tailor your showreel to be specific to what you are applying for. It helps if you know what the employer is looking for and aim to show this.When it comes to putting videos up on you tube, it is advised that, though it is important that your work is accessible, having whole works posted for free will make your work unattractive to employers. In particular, any work that has a release date, e.g. a show or festival screening, it is important not to display this before then. Work out a balance so that you get noticed but remain exclusively on the market.
More advise on that day is to keep your showreel personal. Using personal experiences and relationships can help to portray some of this. As always quality presides over quantity, especially where the gaming industry is involved. Above all, employers like to see creativity, innovation and individuality.
Getting feedback is an excellent way to get your name out there. It can also help you to develop your animation skills. It is important to keep up to date with trends in styles and outlets for animation. Also, documenting everything, including the production process is an interesting insight for employers. So any work with rigging for sets or the like could be included if this is a role you are aiming for.
So final points of the day to some up:
　
Keep work proffesional, including the DVDs you use. Use labels and covers etc.
Put your best work at the beginning of the showreel. First impressions are important.
Get feedback
Develop a strong identity through your work
Including a shot list and software is useful, especially for the gaming industryAnd finally NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK. Perhaps the most important message for success in this industry. As with everything, its not always what you know but who you know.
A quick note. As it is gaming I am particularly interested in I attended a digital gaming and technology conference that took place in Aston science park. This focused more on the gaming industry itself. All are agreed networking is your most valuable tool. However some more advise was offered which I quickly list here:
Presentation is important. Show that you have confidence in what you do. People buy into people
It good to take risks and experiment
know your strengths and your weaknesses.
Work with clients. Not for them. And ask them to recommend you
Feedback is important. It helps you to push forward with ideas and keep yourself in the loopOn the talk about Xbox’s new control system ‘kinnect’ we were shown how this could be used to break down previous barriers that limited the market. They explained how this opened the market to people that never thought they could grasp the controls before. So it is important when trying to expand your market to look at why people would not choose to watch or play your product. Problem solving plays a large part to animation, gaming, business etc. so this is an good skill to possess to achieve success! Work for hire can lead to exciting opportunities, however having your own projects is good for creative freedom. So a balance between the two is also important!Alisdair Brotherston and Jock Mooney. They used silhouettes to create an environmental film, where bags of rubbish sing about being thrown into the bottom of the river.