Showreel, Business research & time management
Important buisness talk only sir
So along with all the practical work we also had to do alot of more theoretical research based work. That's what you can find here from time to buisness. Then agian time is my business and business is booming. I don't even now ok? This wasnt easy for me especially all the math.
So first things first then shall we? Show reel. As you can probably see, or rather hear, or rather lack of hearing. I haven't got any sound going along with my show reel besides the one clip with audio. I didn't find any music I liked, any that where free to use anyway. I can't afford to pay for any music either. So for now it's without sound. Besdies the sound though, what I believe to be the more pressing question is what do I plan to now do with my show reel? Where will it go from here? Well to put it quite simply nothing will happen. I don't plan to do anything with this show reel. I don't actually like the show reel. As I want to have better examples of my work. Which I don't have yet. So I guess what I really plan to do. Is not use this one, and over the course of the coming year or two build up my own stuff I like much better to show on a eventual show reel I'll make when I'm feeling like its time? More my point is, I'm not were I wanna be yet. This as it stands isn't representative of me. However as of yet I don't really have much to show that I would confidently say represents me. So for now atleast. This is just a place holder you could say?
5 freelance charcter animators
Jarrad Wright is a Freelance Animator From Australia and is currently still living and working from down under. He got his start in the business on Youtube with a homemade series called The Big Lez Show whilst the show is now over, airing for 2012 to 2019, with a total of 4 seasons and arguably two movies. Jarrad has really set himself apart from the rest, as a freelance artsit, which is one of the hardest things to do now a days may I add. The reason for this is very simple and cheap to boot. Paint, just goes to show you really don't need anything fancy all it takes is your drive and will. Everything he has animated was made in MS Paint. The free Microsoft program on all Windows devices. He used this in conjunction with editing software from Adobe I belive. He has worked mainly with his friends to build up his show and fanbase. Which is as of me writing this sitting at 833 thousand and rising. Through his internet show he also ended up working in collaboration with Comedy Central Australia to make a mini series for them going under the title The Mike Nolan Show. Jarrad to me is the ideal freelance artist. Does what he wants, his way and he just so happens to get paid for it. He seemingly has made a living off of his show for the past 2-3 years. Seemingly only working on the show and not taking any commissions or projects on from external clients. As far as I'm aware anyway. So a truly unique freelance animator that built everything he has now out of nothing with the mininal tools around him, and has flourished and can now focus on his own creative vision. Mans living my dream. That's why he is one of my biggest inpspirations and a freelancer I will learn from and hopefully and take after.
Next on the list, which has no particular order, just so you know. Is Irish Animator, Musician and editor Chris O'Neill otherwise known online as OneyNG. Chris got his start in the animation world on the famous site Newgrounds. Were many animators and content creators such as himself got their start. Infact the majority of this list got their start on Newgrounds. From Newgrounds he then went to make the jump to also beign on Youtube. Chris has been animating for nearly 15 years starting in 2006. From Negrounds he gained a following of avid fans that also spread on to Youtube. As of now he is sitting at a fanbase of 2.3 million. Like Jarrad this was all of his own back. As far as I'm aware he didn't attend higher education and just got his start from simply practicing and animating. Just goes to show you really don't need any formal training to achieve your dreams, be you dedicated and willing. Besides animation Chris is also a musician and since 2015/2016 has been learning Blender and has now become proficient enough in both coding and Blender that he can make his own games from scratch. We are currently waiting for his first game to be realised. So from 2D to broadening his horizons in the game market to. As also stated he is a independant musician and makes the majority of his own music for his work. Likewise the same goes for editing. has also started his own production company, Sleepycabin, in conjuction with William Stamper or StamerTV in 2014. Were he and a bunch of other animators made there own content and podcast. The studio closed its doors in 2016 and now Chris is still in production of his own game.He has had a pilot made that never got realised with animator Zach hadel. He has collaborated with many other famous internet animators. From Chris I hope to learn from his ability to use his many talents to form something new entirely. As well as learn from how he started on his own with no real help. Besides friends online.
Another member of the Sleepycabin and Newgrounds alumni. American Animator Zach Hadel otherwise knwon as Psychicpebbles. Got near enough the same start as Chris. Through the content sharing site Newgrounds. Infact it is beacuse of this similarity and them starting to make animations at the same time and share it on the same place that they met and became close friends and colleagues. Agian like Chris he moved onto Youtube where he amassed a veiwership 1.2 million large as of me writing this. He has laxed up on his youtube channel as of now it seems. Instead focusing on more projects closer to industry rather then making his own projects online. Zach worked with chris together to make a full pilot for their own show, Hellbenders, that was greenlight and funded by some network, I don't think they have expressed which one due to legal reasons. It got made but never got realised as once the pilot was done the netowrk decided to cut the show all together before it even aired. But that fact is that they had , even if breif, their own show which they made themsleves with help from other sleepycabin artists. Zach and Chris wrote and animated the pilot and to this day still have the complete episode but haven't realised it and as of now don't plan to. What I look up to Zach for and what I hope to learn from his is his clear sense of buisness smarts. While both Chris and Zach had a huge role in the Hellbenders property. Zach however has expressly talked about the buisness side of things more and talked about the connections he made and how that played a part in them getting a pilot, and the whole process of going from sutdio to studio to pitch the series until it got taken up by one. So Zachs ability to connect and pitch ideas professionally is something I admire and want to work towrds. Especially since I would say that is one of my weaknesses.
Chris Voight otherwise known online as Sexulobster later adopting the name Greasy Tales is another Australian Animator. Whom like the previous two examples got his start with animation on the internet on Newgrounds. You may be noticing a pattern emerging? He would eventually go on to youtube to, just like the others. Arguably Chris's claim to fame came in the form of his animated series Pleasure Island. He would also go onto to later make a follow up series to that under the title of Manwhore Industries. The majority of his work online is within the same canonical world which ends up building it into a vast universe with its own lore and history. Chris started his animation journey in 2005 and has continued it to this day. He has also gone on to do independent commissions work as well as work with studios. Additionally on the side Chris has been making comics on and of since he was a young boy. What started as him and his friends just fucking about for fun would later turn into a rather interesting way to create content. He would do a improvised comic with the help of his fans. Were they would each come up with a line following on from the previous to create something with the loosest sense of plot and continuity. But as weird as it sounds it has taken of with his fans. His fanbase as of writing sits at 379 thousand and is growing. From Chris the main thing I would like to learn would definitely be his hands on approach with his audiance and fans. Not that I think I will get fans but rather the rapport Chris has with his audiance is at a level I haven't seen in most Animators.
Last but by no means least on this list we arrive at Isreali Animator, Musician, Illustrator and writer Yotam Perel. Internet alias being Lazypillow. For the last time I will mention this Yotam to got his start on the Newgrounds site. Then over time made the switch onto Youtube. Yotam has the honour of the list, that being he started animating the earliest of the group. Starting his career as an Animator in 2003 now culminating in over 15 years experiance animating. Additionally like Chris O'Neill, Jarrad, and even Chris Voight they make theyre own music for there own animations. So looking at these animators you can really see how they try to bring their other talents into theyre art. Often mixing mediums in the process. Yotam has done commission work as well as work along side studios as a freelancer. He on the side workd as an illustrator making many pyschical art pieces which he sells to make that little bit of extra cash. Likewise with his music career. He has made his own albums and done many covers of famous songs and he sells his music also. So he really has many diffrent outlets other then being just an Animator that he uses to make money. But animation is the artform he is most known for. He has also done voice acting work here an there. Similar to many of the other animators on this list. One of the notable companys he has worked with is Comedy Central. The american TV network. That partnership resulted in him writing and animating shorts for a show that was airning in 2014, Triptank. From Yotam I hope to learn how to utilise my talents other then animation and find a way to profit from them as well as animation and hopefully be able to integrate them together.
Sectors outside of entertainment
So I feel this one is probably the most basic in the list and it's also one that isn't that hard to imagine why animation would be useful in a product design environment and business. it is quite self explanatory to be honest. so allow me to explain it then? How is animation actually used in product design? when a designer or group of designers are going about making a product after the conceptualization stage they may draw it and what not but after that before they actually go into making it for real testing they probably will want to see some sort of 3D rendering. That is where an animators skill set can come in handy, provided that animator knows 3D. Anywhore they would contact and animator and maybe get them to model the product in 3D and maybe even animate it. They may want something like a lazy susan turn? so they can see it fully rendered in 3D from all angles to see if it looks right in 3D before manufacturing. They may also want you to rig the product and animate it depending on the product. and example I could give being they were making a toy. A doll/action figure that needs to be able to move its limbs and joints. The animator may model and then rig and animate the joints and limbs of the toy being maneuverable and opposable.
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On an even more extreme end of the scale depending on the programs the animator will be using or whatever, and depending on what that have been asked to animate or model or whatever. There is a chance that they may be asked to apply psychics with an engine to the modeled product to test its integrity. say if they wanted to make a chair, for example, they would model it, assign it properties like weight, density, material all that jazz. Then they would also assign the environment properties like gravity, wind or whatever they may need. Since it’s a chair they would need to test strength since people are gonna be sitting on it. so they would simulate a weight being placed on the chair as if someone was sitting on it. They would test the chair to see if it remains stable, etc. And you can apply this kind of logic to nearly any product one might be testing or in the process of making. having spoken to a couple of product design students at times, I discovered a software they use called 3D Rhino. so this is similar to maya in the it's a 3D modeling application. But rhino is more catered to design rather than animation. So you can make and break models but you can't animate them in Rhino. This being an industry used program in the field of product design I’d imagine that it if you know one program you can get a pretty solid grasp of the other with ease. So that's how animation can be and is used in the product design world.
So similar to Product design, architecture is also quite easy to understand the application and transition from animation over to architecture. I mean you don't even need to do it for yourself, you'll most likely see it daily on the street but dont even take it in. Let's say you are walking past a building site. what will that site have? A board dedicated to show a visualization of what the building or buildings will look like when they are complete. Sometimes on a very fancy building site or in places like estate agents or other type places, they may even have a animated mock up/ simulation of the building. It would show different rooms, doors opening and closing along with the windows. obviously you're seeing what it would be like to live in that house and how they are planning for it to function and look. So from private mockups/simulations/visualisations for the architectes to all the way to the advertisement of properties themselves for the perspective buyers, it will still be the same. An animator essentially has become an indispensable part of the architecture industry.
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A yet additional part of the process I have not yet mentioned. Is that similar to the last job role. Architects, more than product designers, I'd say will need to know if their building will be structurally sound, and what's the best and cheapest way to test that without actually building it and seeing if it crumbles? A computer run simulation. A fraction of the time and a hell of a lot cheaper if you ask me. So you would get the specifics of the building such as materials, measurements, dimension. Set it up via modeling those as assets, structure them as the building and then applying some psychics to it and seeing if it will fail to be structurally sound? the computer would run the numbers and have multiple calculations going on to see if the building really would hold up against wind, rain, gravity, etc. so there again is another use of an animators skill set, if be it a much more niche and a specific use. but it completely makes sense once you start to think about it. personally I see architecture and animation merging even more as time goes on. All the way along the process it can and has been used. from design, to advertising, to testing. Animation or an animators skill set comes in handy.
So lets say a crime has been committed? Or some serious roadside accident has happened? How, besides talking to those involved, does one find out the truth behind the events? Well that is where forensic animation comes in. So as the name implies the animator would be working with forensic in order to get details about the events in question. This is already being used in courtrooms and legal cases. The application of animation in the judicial system has already been recognized and applied. Say for example there is a car crash and they are trying to figure out who owes who money? get some stated info about both cars, model ‘em, give ‘em properties of weight and mass and the like, have ‘em crash in a physics engine test and BAM. You have your answer as to who really sustained the damage and then you can ascertain the has to settle.
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Or alternitavly it can be used for crime invetegations such as murder. One can simulate and animate the murderer in the process of the killing and find out more information that wasn’t available at the crime scene. This has already been used on such a case in america for a woman who shot her husband. They used a forensic animator to defend her claim that it was self defense rather then just regular o’l murder. So while this one may not be as obvious as the first two it is still definitely a sector outside of entertainment where animation is being used, has been used and will continue to be used. I estimate it will start to be used more as animation gets a lot more detailed, since that is what they are looking for by making these test/animations. detail to find evidence and such.
My sector/target audience
Well that questions is a tricky one see. From what I have gathered from freelance anythings you need to not define yourself so much that you can't get work. So while having something you can do well is a must, presenting yourself as just that is probably gonna box you in further down the line. As a freelance artist you need to be able to change and adapt with the market more then anything else cause you have no say, nor any idea, where ther market will go towards. So being able to adapt is arguably the most crucial skill. Making a peice of art for a target audiance isn't very helpfull in that regard.
Additionally the notion of defining my work is quiteforeign to me. I have never really wanted, nor needed to. Furthermore I also think it a bit odd to try to pin my art down with labels. Cuase I never have made anything for anyone specific group, or even had a specific group in mind. My goal is to make something that in theory any could enjoy. Not to tailer it to the fashion trend of the time that a mindless societal audience demand, which will change within a year at least, probably even quicker? Stylistically I have been told that what I draw is for children, or are best suited to entertain a child? With all due respect, no. Fuck that I'm the only one who gets to decide what and who my art is for is me. I choose to abscond from the notion of defining art all together. But I say what the fuck does that mean. If that's the case how do you explain South Park. Rick and Morty. Despite looks they don't fit into the mold at all. Likewise for any property that is intergenerational, Hayao Miyazaki? Who are his films for? Can you give a wholehearted answer? Anything that is a cartoon would often just get lumped as either childish. Or as of more recent an adult cartoon. Think Family Guy, South Park and Venture Bros.
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That being said. Not that I will actually believe it or even try to act upon this. But to act as Devils advocate against myself. In terms of if I where to give my work a aesthetic, visually and even thematically a label. Then I guess it would have to be young adult just simply beacuse that is what I am, and most of the stuff I say and make is based around my life. So chances are someone my age, while not necessarily liking my work more then any other age, race, or gender, can at most realate or understand to what I may be saying. So no I'm not gonna give a target audience or any of the bollocks but I can give an answer to those that I believe statistically will be more likely like find my work relatable. Which may give them more of a chance to enjoy and view my art. Long story short just by probability the likeliest audiance I will have is young adults between the age ranges of 15 to 30. Even that is a generalisation though.
Time management
Time managment is a skill I'm sure anyone would agree is critical no matter what line of work you are in. Just being able to handle day to day activities in a efficient manner is a must. I'm gonna show you now my calender I made on google, I'll go over a quick explanation of why I have set it up as such and talk about key dates. To start with we have the month of october when the term began. Starting october first. I was in on the Tuesdays and the Thursdays of the weeks. Not that I needed to attend every lesson but those were my scheduled dates. Dan did say that we can book one on one sessions with him to talk with him about whatever we may need help on. I had one on the 10th and one on the 24th. I also set the first week to do the presentation we had to give at the beginning of the term. I was also finishing some work I started over the summer. Which was linked to this unit. Then on the day of the class presentation I also started my speed and power test animation. lastly I wanna mention the dissertation unit and that on the 24th I had to submit my first draft of my dissertation so I set up a full five days before then to bang that out to submit on the 24th. It all went accordingly. On the whole the first month was the easiest to plan for since it was still the beginning of the term and I haden't really gotten to many things going then.
We now arrive at the month of November. This is when the intensity of the work really started. At the end of october I started my third animation test of the term, a creature test. I chose a snake, and since I hadn't done creature animation at all before I decided to give myself at least and extra two days to get it done. I then went on to finish that test during the first half of the month. At the same time during that I occosianlly set up some days where I would also work on my dissertation. Those were more relaxed though and didn't have a rigid time. I then went onto to start the last animation test I did of the term. Which I'll admit took longer then I expected it to. Makes sense though due to the fact that, that last test was by far the most challenging for me to make, so much so that I needed to take some extra time to complete it. You will also see on the Tuesdays and some Thursdays that I put down when we had guest lectures come in. We ended up having alot of guest lectures come in. No one to ones with dan this month I was to focused on completing my animations.
The month of December now, don't worry this is the last one. The main thing I wanna point out is the final submission date which I had in place since term began so I new exactly when was the cut of point. To add on to this I also had the dates when the class would be presenting thier pitch to the rest of the class. Going over the two days of the 10th and the 11th. So while not needing to submit everything then, that is still when we where expected to present what we made in the term and our FMP ideas. Also of note is that the dissertation unit goes on until the 7th of january so that's is why you see the dissertation work days still continue into January. From December first till december 5th I had the website to complete. Starting on the 4th and ending on the 9th is the time I set up for getting my presentation done. Since the presentations only gonna be 10 mins max, it wont take that long to make since most of the stuff said here also was on my presentation. One last thing I want to mention is that my sense of time is quite good but when it comes to planning I don't really do much. I realise that if you make ridgid plans you're only gonna fuck yourself down the line. So all of my plans are rather loose. I just set a given amount of time I would like to complete something. I don't give specific days and it will change often, even the actual dates in this calendar didn't happen exactlly as I planned it here.
my goals this term
I'm now gonna go over the goals that Dan asked us to set at the begining of the term see how many I completed, see how many changed and stuff like that. I broke my goals down into three sections. Industry, education and personal. For now industry. My first was reaserch freelancing and some freelance artists, you will have seen that above. I did research both ones who have worked within industry and out of it in their freelance career. I did complete that in the time given. Next is contacting them. I did end up getting in contact with Chris voight. but that was only for my dissertation. The logo I was told to not focus on by Dan so I scrapped that. Ihe webstie I decided to stick with my already existing moodle one. And the social media thing I kinda forgot about to be honest.
Next we arrive at education. I did complete the first one and even went over three to complete a total of five animations which I experimented on throughout. I also completed the five way before the date I set for it. Next is about parralax scrolling. I scrapped that one as dan advised me to pick something I'm really good at and show that . So I stuck with my classic Flash animation. I may revist it in the future though. The fourth one as you now I have done. The life drawing, I did attend one. But then the time I needed for animation took precedence so I scrapped it. The character books I also scrapped at the request of Dan. The last one was something I wanted to do and was planning on doing after the skirt animation originally. But due to it taking longer then expected I had to scrap it last minute to accommodate for time.
Lastly is personal. The time managment one I would say in the whole yes, but also no. I think that's something I will probably continue with for the rest of my life. The sleep routine. While it is getting better with my new medication I am still working towards it. The job never came to fruition. As have the quick sketches but now that christmas is coming round I will start having free time to do that. Confidence is a continual thing I'm working towards. Wendigo pyschosis is a personal peice of art which I did actually end up finishing. I will probably come back to it and try to add though. lastly I did finish the book I was reading at the beginning of term and have moved onto another one.
Finacials
Now we get onto the financials. I'll admit the financials was something that I didn't really need to pay attention to that much before. But the older I get the more familiar I am becoming with it and the more I understand of it. I realise the importance and value it has. Even though I am not great at maths I thankfully have a calculator so even my lack of knowlage of maths doesnt affect me. What you can see to the left if a excel sheet that was made for us to fill in by one of the guests that came in who talked about finance. It was valuable knowlage. Even if it didn't make much sense to me. So here is the actual form filled in, before I go any further know that at the top PCM means monthly costs and PA means yearly costs. rent, and those amenities I don't pay since I live with my dad. Insurance is for my phone and laptop and other devices combined. My contract for phone my is there to. Food, cigertees and alcohol to. Travel I pay a bit for since I go to and from uni and many other places. I don't own a car so that isn't filled in. Leisure I also spend a fair bit in. I only will go on one holiday away a year if i'm lucky. I don't have pension nor do I go to sports event or much music. I don't own a credit card and I ain't paying my student loan back yet. lastly is my one pet I own which the expenses are covered at the bottom.
Lastly we have this other financial sheet we were given and told to fill in. This one is for buisness expenses and since I don't own a business and am not empoloyed by a business most of it is blank the only two I could fill in were travel. Since while not in a business I still travel to uni which I count in a way as a buisness in that it could help me get employed so if it goes towards the goal of being employed then I filled it in as business. The only other box I filled in was kit renewal and software type stuff. Even though I get it for free from the uni I do have Adobe account of my own and U used to pay for it and will continue to pay for some of the Adobe packages after I finish uni. Additionally I have just brought Clip Studio Paint. So that to would be filled under software. I don't need to pay subscription for that either I now just own a copy forever. One last that is that for both the business chart and the regular chart at the very bottom you will find the totals for monthly and yearly.
