Business Module: Business Report.

As part of my business module I was assigned to look up 5 companies that I would like to work for and write up a report. For the second part it has to be featured on my blog: 

Intro

I will be highlighting the research that I have done regarding looking for potential work positions and opportunities for my career after I graduate. The companies I will be looking are Atomhawk, Cartoon Saloon, Hands Up, Fudge and CD Projekt Red.

My Goals

My personal goal is to have a successful career in in art and the media industry. In definition, successful means I would like make enough money to live off and be content with the job that I have.

I would eventually like to run my own business that contributes to my community through art and media. I will not go into logistics, but my idea would be to run an art café with a gallery with weekly art and media based workshops to help all ages people have a good informative experience with art and media.

I believe art is culture and culture is what defines and is fundamentally what makes us human. It us something the everyone needs, wants or creates whether it be written word, music, that new designer sofa, ceramic pots, a fine painting, a comic book, an animation or a film. On this basis is the reason I would like to work in this industry; to bring art to people.

In terms of working in the art and media industry I think I would best suit a more art based rather than media heavy career, I would prefer to be looking more into illustration, concept art, storyboarding and perhaps layout artist as oppose to a full-on animation role.

It is important to me that the potential company or studio I work for upholds the similar morals and values I have, it would be a bonus for the company to participate in voluntary work that is beneficial to its community.

My Inspirations

I look up to people like Fiona Staples and Stephanie Hans who are two immensely successful illustrators in the comic book industry, and I would argue two of the more well-known female artists in that industry.

I have always been influenced by my Nan, Patricia. She invoked my personal interest of mythical and superstitious tales, particularly Celtic, through giving me books on Celtic folklore and other encyclopaedias on mythology as well as well-known fantasy series’ such as Dragonlance and Lord of the Rings. This has stuck with me through my life and most of the things I create have been influenced by mythology from around the world. My current 3 scenario film project, The Tales of Edra & Phobos, was inspired by Scottish folklore, the films lead on from my last film about a Wizard, Out of Time.   

I have also been recently influence by Imaginism Studios’, Niko and the Sword of Light. It is an interactive animated comic book about a little boy that fights monsters. The layout is that of a comic book but each panel plays through until you are prompted to watch the next panel, at the end of the page you can swipe/click & drag to turn the page. This has given me extra scope of what is possible for me to as a career in the future, I am currently making my latest project, The tales of Edra & Phobos an interactive comic/animation. A note on Imaginism Studio, they have a full team and on their site there is no option to apply for any position, however it would be prudent to contact them in the future if only to gain advice for making my own interactive animated comic.

My style and skills

I have had a keen interest in art and design for most of my life usually sticking to drawing and painting, furthermore my family taught me to sew, knit and do pyrography (art of burning images into materials such as wood) but art as a career was only really considered in my late teens where I studied fine art and art & design and honed and accumulated skills such as most of my skills; ceramics, glass work, metal work, woodwork, sculpting and making paper.

My best traditional skills would have to be, watercolour painting, acrylic painting, oil painting, graphite drawing and pyrography.

For the locations I would preferably like to remain in the UK for the next few years to build my reputation and improve my skills with smaller companies and studios before I progress to more established companies. It would be ideal if the company was based in the UK in the early years of my career as it would be closer to my family.

Cardiff for me is ideal for a good start, I would like to travel but that would be much later into my career, I would like to work in Canada for companies such as Mercury Filmworks (Ottawa) or Imaginism Studio (Toronto) if possible or perhaps somewhere in Europe closer to the UK. However I would not like to work in a very large city such as London or for a large studio such as DreamWorks or Pixar, I feel that scale would be too much for me to deal with currently, I may feel differently in ~5years.

S.W.O.T

Strengths

In terms of my soft skills I would say that, I am very driven; I know what I want and how to get it and I have gained lots of work experience in the past with various companies for example Onside Creative, a marketing and graphic design company. I have worked for a couple of theatres and done a lot of voluntary work in the art industry predominantly the Buxton Fringe festival. During this time I have acquired great experience regarding working as part of a team and thinking on my feet.

I am good at coming up with ideas and then applying those ideas to see what works. I am also focused and can full attention to the job at hand this also unfortunately means that I may neglect other things that are not project focused.  I take constructive criticism well and always listen to improvements I can make and act accordingly I would also say that I usually have good time management skill however my stress management skills need a little more work.

In terms of my learnt skills I consider myself to be “Jack of all trades, master of none” in traditional art and illustration, my strongest medium is watercolour paint and ceramic. Regarding industry I was not very apt at learning software and I only really got the chance to learn various software when I came to university, I had dabbled in using Photoshop and a free software called GIMP.2 (it is very similar to Photoshop) when I got my first graphics tablet in Sixth Form. Since my first year of university I have learnt how to use Photoshop and Premier very well and I would say these are the two software that I have become the most comfortable using however, I still feel I need to practice using Premier as there are other skills in this software that I haven’t fully utilised.

I have got a good grasp on After effects and Flash/Animate to some extent but I know that there is much more I can learn in both of these. I am currently using TVPaint and it is by far one of the hardest software I have used with the exception of CelAction  both of these need a lot more practice if am going to be proficient enough accepted into industry.

Weaknesses

Personally I feel that I don’t come across as a confident individual even though I may feel confident in myself, this issue with the communication of my body language and expression has left me hard to read and I think this has contributed to the reason I seem shy and unsociable. This will be an issue for me approaching industry or any employer and I may need some sort of coaching to appear confident and get rid of my seemingly non-gregarious nature. It is true however that I am quite reserved but this might not necessarily be a weakness or strength just a part of my personality. 

Soft skill issues I have that I need to work on are letting my time management skills slip when I am stressed, the key factor of this would be to manage my stress better in turn I would not need to worry about my time management.

I struggle with my words in reading and writing as I have not been properly diagnosed with dyslexia but it is highly likely I am. This may present an issue when applying for a job or having to pitch ideas, as I have a stutter when I am stressed, these issues can be fixed with time and practice but they are very crucial skill I would need in the media industry especially.

To develop my skill in industry I would have to work on my skills in different software, in the main body of this report some of the companies use software that I have never heard of and are crucial to obtaining a job potion at this company, I would also have to develop my current software skills to a professional level before applying to prestigious companies that will expect me to be experience and of a professional standard and would not offer any prior training.

Opportunities

A few of the companies I looked into offered internships, Cartoon saloon had a great many options to choose when applying on their site.

A lot of my research come from what I have found on Artstation where I found a lot of activity from CD Project Red and Atomhawk over the last couple of months regarding their job positions.

I have followed a lot of appropriate social media including all the social media links that my chosen companies had to offer and I have been liking and commenting on some of their work on sites like twitter and Instagram, I have made steps to create accounts that my chosen companies use and what they use most, for example; using Blogger instead of Tumblr to blog my work, this means I can follow and be followed back by these companies. These are only small steps but I think it also helps me build a good to profile the company from a far. I will contact these companies directly and use what I have research to re-build my CV and tailor my work to these companies.

I attended the London Job Fair on February 1st 2017 this was very insightful although it was mainly aimed at people going into television and production I found some useful knowledge what should be in my CV and attended the CV Clinic to make further changes. I talked to people in industry and found that there were internships, over all the experience was inspiring especially when I heard stories of how people got to where they are now one man had been a runner/gofer and got the chance to operate the camera and now that is his full time job. This opened my eyes to the opportunities available and you only really need your “foot in the door”

I have also found this site called Upwork (https://www.upwork.com/) made for freelancers, the concept is you type in your area of expertise and view posts their advertise commissions. For example, you type in “Comic book commissions” refer to figure 1 for an image of results. Then you decide, as the freelance artist, to take any of the jobs or not. You can scroll through the adverts to find what applies best to you, then approach the customer.

I feel this while it can be short lived and perhaps not a stable foundation, it will be great for building up a reputation and doing small job while looking for work, it will also give great experience regarding working with people and freelancing skills.

Threats

Personal threats to my career would be, implied in the nicest way, my family. At some point I will have to move back to my hometown and look after my parents they will be in their 70’s by the time I am 30 and I feel this will be the pinnacle of my career; I will be experienced and hopefully well known in the networking community. I would be more than happy to put my career on the line to look after them, this “issue” may seem like paranoia or an over-thought scenario however it is the most prominent thing that could “hinder” me and my career.  

The only other threat is myself, I will have to keep up my own motivation and aspirations for the years to come, this will be highly linked to my financial situation and if can improve on my software skills in my own time and keep up-to-date with the ever changing and fast paced technological advancements in the industry.

Creative Skillset

The skillset website was very insightful and I have found that there are a number of roles that I would be happy to do for a career. Although I feel I am at my best with as a purely art based profession such as illustration or concept design here are a few career paths that I would be comfortable with. But there was not much on the site regarding illustration careers. The roles that I have chosen include:

2d Drawn animator (digital and traditional)

Requirements:

·         have good drawing and animation experience

·         have a feel for movement and timing in order to produce convincing animation 

·         have creative and artistic qualities, along with plenty of patience 

·         have strong observational skills and acting talent, for character animation

·         have good communication skills

·         have good team-working skills

·         pay close attention to detail

·         be highly organised

·         be able to take direction

This seem very achievable to me and I know I am capable of all these qualities.

Inbetweener (digital and traditional)

Requirements:

·         possess excellent drawing skills, to be able to adapt to the style and technique of different productions

·         be able to take direction

·         pay close attention to detail

·         have good team-working skills

·         have good communication and presentation skills 

·         have a high degree of patience 

·         show respect for the procedures and requirements of a particular studio, production or pipeline

Again very achievable.

Storyboard artist

Requirements:

·         be able to tell a good story

·         be highly film literate, with a good understanding of layout, composition, sequential drawing and editing

·         have excellent drawing skills and the ability to adapt to a wide range of styles

·         be able to work either independently or as part of a team

·         be able to take direction, and be prepared to make changes to your work in response to constructive feedback

·         be able to follow established designs and produce consistent work, drawn on model

·         have good communication and presentation skills 

·         have good computer literacy 

·         be familiar with relevant storyboard, graphics and editing software

·         be conscious of any relevant technical or budgetary restrictions 

·         be able to work calmly and efficiently to tight deadlines

I would have to work on following established designs but everything else is achievable.

Storyboard assistant

Requirements:

·         have excellent drawing skills and the ability to adapt to a wide range of styles

·         be able to work either independently or as part of a team

·         be able to take direction, and be prepared to make changes to your work in response to constructive feedback

·         be able to respect studios' working practices and be discreet if working on a confidential project

·         understand the disciplines required to produce clear storyboards from which other people can work

·         deliver accurate work on brief and on time

·         have good communication and presentation skills 

·         have good computer literacy

·         be familiar with relevant storyboard, graphics and editing software

I have highlighted in red the areas I would have to study in order to progress and achieve my desired career.

The Companies

Atomhawk,

Newcastle England. http://atomhawk.com/

Atomhawk is a digital art and design company that have worked on many productions a few of these include; Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie, concept art), Injustice: Gods Among us (Video game, concept art) and Guardians of the Galaxy (Movie, Concept Art).

The services they provide include concept art and production, marketing art, user interface and UX design, graphic and logo design and motion graphics. 

Atomhawk works on a lot of productions for movies and video games that I am interested in, I believe that I would really enjoy the working on the preproduction process as a concept artist for these productions as much as I enjoy playing/watching the finished production. Another reason that this company appeals to me is its location, being based in Northern England this offers me a convenient start to set up as most of my family lives in north England making it much more practical as a career option.

They currently have 1 listing of a concept artist position on Artstation.com, this position is listed as permanent. To gain more knowledge of the company I have followed them there social media and on their artstation site. During this time I have noticed there have been many job positions over the past few months mainly consisting of concept artist jobs. This offers the opportunity and foresight that there will be other jobs in the future and experience with the company experience will be available regularly. The company also offer relocation assistance for a lot of their positions.

The software that is preferred is summarised on their advert; Photoshop, After Effects, SketchUP, 3ds Max, Modo. The requirements I would need for this position is stated below on the application form:

ATOMHAWK ARE LOOKING FOR A TALENTED AND EXPERIENCED CONCEPT ARTIST WITH A BROAD STYLE RANGE WHO THRIVES ON NEW CREATIVE CHALLENGES.

Skills Required

·  Fluent with Photoshop, and a high capacity to learn new tools

·  Strong art background in traditional art skills

·  Anatomical knowledge

·  Architectural knowledge

·  Mechanical design knowledge

·  Good sense of light, form, tone, palette

·  Must be able to paint/sketch at speed

Skills Considered a Bonus

·  Experience with 3-D software (Z-Brush, MODO, 3DSMax or Maya etc.) a plus

·  Good knowledge of videogames and films

·  Experience working within a videogame, agency or film-production environment

Education and Experience

·  A portfolio that demonstrates a potential to meet industry standard level of art

·  Professional art training is desirable but not essential

Personal Specification

In addition to having a good foundation of artistic ability, the role requires working as part of a team and so enthusiasm and good communication skills are needed. We are looking for a grounded and pragmatic team player. Confident without being arrogant, this person will want to play an active role in building an awesome culture within the studio.

You can apply for the positions straight from artstation where there is an application link and the above information is provided.

I believe that I meet many of the requirements as I have a lot of this knowledge; I have a keen interest in many games and a lot of the productions they have worked on include some of my favourite films and games. In terms of the skills required I think I have great skills in all of the areas especially Photoshop and having a strong art based background as I have mainly focused on studying fine art which has given me the appropriate skills for speed painting, drawing and artistic values however I must admit that my speed painting is now a little rusty as I don’t paint as much as I used to. For the past few years I have mainly focused on character/creature design that has mainly revolved around studying human and animal anatomy as well as conduction my own nature studies for backgrounds and other mise-en-scene items. The areas that I would struggle with, however, would be architecture and mechanical knowledge but I am keen and willing to learn about both of these things.

The key areas to build up on would be my portfolio (and show reel if necessary) and gaining experience in 3D and VFX software. Overall I think I have an average chance of getting this job due to my inexperience and rustiness on some of the software that is required.

Hands Up,

Work from home, preferably near London. http://handsup.co.uk/about-us/

“We make websites, animations and films for people that want to change the world”

This Company has a lot of job variation and media uses, specialising in animation, web and film. They do a lot of work for charities and corporations, producing short films or adverts on world events, causes, and current affairs.

Hands up are all about making charity money go further, being a charitable company their day rate is low and they solely work with freelancers that work remotely from their homes, they state on their website that there “are very few overheads, a cost saving that is passed on to you”. They stand for making causes well known and they are fundamentally united in making the world a better place, they state they are “future-minded” and have forward thinking business model that can tailor the best team for each project

Being as I like charity work, this company matched my values and interest for bringing awareness for good causes. Furthermore a lot of the artists that work here work from home and their meetings are usually Skype based, this is beneficial to me as the location is flexible however there would be some travel to their HQ in London from time to time, this minor inconvenience is out weight with the practicalities and diversity of how the employees are hired and work for their location receptively. 

In terms of careers, they are currently looking for more applicants especially digital project managers, there are also other jobs currently that they will take the CV and/or show reel and portfolio of applicants including web designers, web developers and animators. In terms of upcoming projects, there are none listed but there is never a shortage of causes, events or current affairs that could be brought forward.

There is not list of requirement as I would have to enquire first. Who to contact: There is an application page on their website where I can apply. You can fill out their form and inquire about jobs and give them a call on 020 8133 0191 or email hello@handsup.co.uk.

Fudge,

Sandhurst England http://www.fudgeanimation.com/about/jobs/

“We’re a full service design, animation and production studio. We work with companies big and small turning their vision into a reality in the most fun and engaging way.”

They are a design, animation and production studio that work with a variety of companies such as Dune, Virgin, Disney and Samsung. Providing the following services listed on their website:  

On this page each profession links to an overview of how they are used and what will be provided each service and what to expect as a worker in this profession. I am interested in this company because of the wide range of services it provides meaning that there are lots of opportunities that I can apply for. The positions that I would apply for on this list are as follows:

·         2D animation

·         Creature design and animation

·         Animated explainer videos

·         Animatic production

·         Animation storyboards

·         Animated idents bumpers and stings

In terms of requirements, they would like a wide range of skills, however, there none are specified but it is mentioned if your skills are in After Effects and other software or traditional animation you have a shot with the studio. From reading the rest of the information on the services they provide it is evident they have a wide range of techniques and software that they use, although unspecified this is a great opportunity as they would consider any applicant that has a high level of skill in a certain software and may even consider a person of my standard. However there is a small hitch, there is lots of mention of 3D software which is arguable becoming more popular than digital and 2d animation, I would have to take this into consideration of things I would need to work on before applying.

Upcoming projects and available positions: current placements include Business Development manager (healthcare) and assistant producer. However Fudge implore potential employees to send their CV speculatively as well as their show reel and portfolio, they do not offer internships or unpaid work experience as they are a smaller company that has a lot of enquiries about work placements.

To apply there is a link on their website and a place to upload your CV you can make an enquiry too on their “quick contact” page. Other communication methods listed are their two addresses:

Cartoon Saloon,

Kilkenny Ireland. http://www.cartoonsaloon.ie/

Cartoon Saloon is an animation studio that makes a mix of traditional and digital 2D films and shorts.

My interest in this company was sparked by films they have created such as Song of the Sea and The Secret of Kells, with their strong use of combining traditional and digital media yet managing to leave the film looking artfully organic and naturally colourful.

It has been well covered on social media that Cartoon Saloon and another 2D animation company, Mercury Filmworks (Canada) have joined to form a new studio, Lighthouse Studios based in Kilkenny. This has created 140+ jobs and the prospect of many other projects in the not too distant future. Currently Cartoon Saloon is in the process of creating another film called The Wolfwalkers, however this has been in production for at least 2 years.

Although you can apply to a wide range of jobs on their site, even speculatively they implore people not to send them content;

“We are currently developing our own slate of exciting projects here at Cartoon Saloon. Unfortunately, for legal reasons, we cannot accept any unsolicited scripts, artwork or bibles. Please don't send in your work as it will not be read or returned. We are happy to discuss projects from agents and publishers. For more information please email info@cartoonsaloon.ie”

To apply for a jobs however there us a section on their site that allows you to do so, there is also an advert for jobs that are actually available:

We are looking for an Animation Artist to join our Cartoon Saloon team in Kilkenny

Start date: April/May 2017End Date: end of 2017/beginning of 2018 with possibility of extension

Requirements below;

• Experience in a fast paced animation production
• Preferably at least 1 years’ experience on digital TV series projects
• Hardworking and enthusiastic.
• Good knowledge of Moho (previously Anime Studio Pro) software would be preferable but is not required.
• Otherwise, experience in another Digital 2D Animation Software such as CelAction or ToonBoom (bone animation) and/or CGI experience with Maya or 3D Max are required.
• Excellent people skills: good team player, communicator, able to work calmly under pressure and without constant supervision.
• Must be organized and have a good eye for continuity and detail.
• Must be able to take direction, respond well to notes and pitch creative/technical solutions to potential problems. Please note that potential candidates may need to complete a small test.

Due to employment restrictions, we will only be able to consider application from residents within the EU.

Please email your application, including samples of work/portfolio and CV, to jobs@cartoonsaloon.ie and specify 'Animation_application_your name" in the Subject.

I would apply speculatively at first and I would much prefer to build up my reputation and gain more experience and then apply for a jobs such as this. Where I may hit the mark on some of the points, points like “experience in a fast paced animation production” I could not truthfully say I have done, I would also need to work on my CelAction and try and gain access to ToonBoom to be a preferable candidate. Furthermore as mentioned I have barely any experience with 3D software and would have to look into this further.

CD Projekt Red,

Warsaw Poland. http://en.cdprojektred.com/

CD Projekt Red is a well-established and well known company mainly known for the Witcher gamer series.

I love the Witcher series and they is currently a job advertisement on Artstation for a Comic Book illustrator for their Witcher Comic book series. This is a job that I would love to do but it would require more experience on my part. There are many upcoming positions on their site too. Their current project is on a game called, Gwent which is a card game featured in their video game Witcher. There are both 2D and 3D digital animation jobs available as well as the above mentioned comic book illustrative as well as other jobs including illustration.

The most realistic job that would apply for would be the Comic book illustrator job being as it is where I think my expertise would lie:

THE VISION

CD PROJEKT RED is looking for an exceptional, talented and experienced Comic Illustrator to join our Gwent team. The perfect candidate works well in an environment of people who are passionate about creating great art, takes constructive criticism very well and can complete tasks by the assigned due dates.

DAILY RESPONSIBILITIES IN A NUTSHELL

·         Creation of high quality comic illustrations made in accordance with the current mainstream western style of comics.

·         Responsible for original ideas and composition of comic illustrations.

·         Maintaining the production pipeline and meeting deadlines.

·         Working closely with Design Teams.

·         Following the Art Director’s guidelines and maintaining a coherent style.
 

REQUIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

·         At least 2 years of professional experience in creating comics/illustrations.

·         Excellent comics and storytelling skills with an eye for perspective, colour, lighting, mood and composition.

·         Advanced knowledge of Adobe Photoshop.

·         Must be able to independently handle the full production chain – pencils, inking and colouring. Although sketches and inking can be done either traditionally or digitally, colours have to be done digitally only.

·         Experience working in a wide variety of styles but also able to work within an established genre.

·         Outstanding creativity and a very strong commitment to a project.

·         Excellent communication abilities.

·         Ability to communicate in English.
 

NICE TO HAVE

·         Degree in Art.

·         Experience in the gaming industry.

·         Avid and passionate gamer.

WE OFFER YOU

·         A modern and relaxed studio atmosphere with cutting-edge technologies.

·         A chance to work in an international environment in a booming industry.

·         A competitive salary and project based bonuses.

·         Private health care & multiSport card.

·         From 20 to 26 days of paid vacation per year.

·         An exciting chance to work on one of the most acclaimed role-playing games.

·         A step by step assistance and ‘Relocation Package’ for foreigners willing to establish in Poland.

·         Polish lessons for foreign employees.

I have highlighted the bits that I would have to work on in red as some of these are only obtainable through time, I would not be able to apply for this job seriously, but it would nice to enquire. I can apply to this job from their site or through Artstation where they will have access to my (currently none existent) portfolio.

Five years from now

Five years from now I hope to be pursuing my art/media career and building up my portfolio and perhaps show reel. I hope to have a moderate presents online and can be well known within my networking community.

 I have already started to build up my online presents through my Facebook page where I post my art and animations as well as a blog were I have sections to post my university experience and projects as well as my own projects and other miscellaneous pages like “how to” crafts and film reviews. As previously mentioned joined many social media platforms, keeping the as professional as possible. My professional social media accounts include, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

I have a small portfolio but it is quite outdated now and needs a serious revamp, so during the next year after graduation I intend to create, study and animate as much as possible to get a professional standard portfolio and show reel.