Creating a Website

After I came back from Fete de l'anim I was really inspired and I got some drive to finally start applying for internships and job. Basically over the Easter holiday I have dedicated at least one full day for job applications. I applied for 2d Flash In-betweener with Amazing World of Gumball. Obviously its a long shot but I decided its better to apply than not. I went through animation jobs, jobs rapido, linked in and applied anywhere I could find. This gave me the motivation to create a website to showcase my work in a professional way. I created my website on wix and it was fairly easy, I used my sketches as background and made it very simple. Picking out what to put in the Gallery was really tricky, the work that I liked wasn't necessarily my best work. I kept asking friend and family what they think so I changed it according to the feedback.

So here is my website:

https://gretanarbutaityte.wixsite.com/gnanimation

Studio Soi

I came across this job of 2d key animator on the amazing world of gumball and it was at studio soi which is in Germany. So I figured I could research it a bit before I applied.

Studio Soi is an independent animation studio based in Germany. It was founded in 2002 by seven animation directors with the aim of developing a longstanding collaboration. During the last 10 years we have been able to build up our ideal working environment in Ludwigsburg, next to the famed Institute of Animation, drawing on a combination of new talents and many years of experience.
Their productions have won worldwide acclaim and numerous international awards and have been watched by millions. Studio Soi have been given the opportunity to work and consult on some of the most exciting projects out there. With a roster of outstanding directing talent working across a wide array of media; including CG, drawn animation, stop frame, mixed media and live-action, Studio Soi has earned itself a reputation for highly creative storytelling, for visual innovation, and for quality in the field of animation.
Studio Soi attract clients who value taking part in the creative process, and we seek to be both a haven and a collaborator for artists and clients who also aim to push their work forward, to explore and create something new.

So I applied for the job because why not? I got a reply pretty quick but I am still waiting for a final verdict, probably since I haven't heard of it since, I didn't go past the first round but worth the try.

Animation Studios: Arcus

Following my job hunt research I decided it would be great to look into studios that I would ideally like to work for and have them on my radar incase any vacancies opened up. This required me to reflect onto my swot analysis. Considering my strengths are within 2d animation and Adobe Animate and one of my weaknesses is that I am easily throw off by challenges I would stay with what I know. This means I would look for studios that specialise within those fields. Fist studio that caught my eye would be Arcus.
"We are a 2D animation studio that creates broadcast animation, promotional videos, video installations, inhouse original content and develops new IP.

We’ve enjoyed producing work for the likes of CBBC and E4, partnered with local and national agencies and brought outdoor events to life with spectacular animation based art installations.

So if you’re after any sort of animated content, be it for Tv, the internet, music videos, games, apps or projections on the moon, or if you’d just like to learn more about us and what we do, then please get in touch."
Their showreel seemed very light, dynamic and playful. This is exactly the kind of work I would like to be doing.

Specialties
Animation, Script writing, Illustration, Animation workshops, Art installations, Story Boarding, Motion Graphics, Character Design, Stop Motion Animation, and 2D Animation

Guillaume Renard masterclass (notes)

Focus Visual Design notes: Outro studio

Outro studio- studio from Barcelona. "we do everything and nothing at the same time" this studio was started two years ago.i really loved their intro because it is very outside of the box, contemporary, and with a cool sense of humor. Their studio is designed to feel like you're at home while you're at work.
The first project was fiubcn.com the theme was revolving around launching a rocket like launching studios and careers. It was sort of a networking event helping last year student be discovered and showing their final year projects and portfolios.
The commercial for Etnia Barcelona  brand. They're approach usually is to find a best solution for the brand. They were asked to create an info graphic but after some testing they realized was not working. Instead they proposed to create a story. They used 2d and a little bit of 3d just to create some more depth to the imagery. During this project they learned how to collaborate with different photographers along the way.
During Outro studio presentation i got this impression that they are a very fresh and youthful bunch. They seemed to have a cool take on their briefs however it seemed a bit bizarre that they could not figure out how to render out 3d stuff with a 2d effect.
Overall a very contemporary studio, and it seemed that the staff really vibe with each other and it would be amazing to work in such a positive environment. The guys talked about inviting other animation studios over to play Foosball and since they're so thoughtful of people having a good time as well getting along with other animation studios it definitely seemed like the kind of people I'd love to work for.

http://www.outrostudio.com/?lang=en

Focus Visual Design notes: Nexus

After the networking event we had an opportunity to see some of the top studios from around Europe talk about what they do. It was very interesting to see these presentations about studios and some of them really stood out out to me as contemporary and very cool. One of them was Nexus studios.
Nexus- is a creative studio based in London and Academy nominated.Nexus does not only do animation but also live action, interactive art so it's a very versatile studio. It's 180 seat studio, it's one of the few studios that the directors work next to and along side everyone else.
The augmented reality project they worked on seemed really impressive given that they worked on it before pokemon go.
The work they showed us was cool but the presentation itself was really funny because something kept going wrong, either the videos wouldn't buffer, which made me think how important it its to get ready for a presentation otherwise it can become awkward really quick and the audience is less engaged
The 1600 project was a huge hit in american news it was an app that you would point your phone in a dollar bill and an augmented reality animation would take you through four Seasons of the white house which was a stellar educational/interactive idea.
All in all Nexus seemed very cool and innovative, it is definitely a studio I'd love to work at.

The Final Projection on the Opera House

Due to me blogging on my phone the whole event and some of the blog posts got stuck in draft mode on my phone I had to screenshot some of it. So here are my notes from the final mapping-

Also somebody filmed the whole event so here it is-

Fete de L'anim: Testing projections on the Opera House

Thursday night we finally had a test screening of our projections. Finishing off the animation was satisfying enough but actually seeing it being projected on a gorgeous opera house was an exhilarating experience. My group was happy with the projection so we decided not to change anything for the opening. It was really interesting to see other groups work as well, some of them were unfinished or needed some tweaking but overall it looked like this will be a great show!

Cocktail Networking Event

Following the final the video mapping workshop we were brought all the way to Valenciennes for a networking event
Unfortunately the career speed dating that took place earlier was not pn our program but we still had a chance to mingle with all of the participants in the aftetparty. During my workshops I made friends with one of my group mates, she was kind enough to introduce me to her boss Fabienne Giezrendanner at Zero de Condute productions. She was a very delightful lady, she works without digital 2d animation as well as me so it was right up my alley! She said unfortunately their not looking for any interns however she would like to see what I'm working on for my final year project. We exchanged business cards and I intend on following up and emailing her to ask her opinion on my extended practice project. Who knows she might pass it on to someone!
It was really amazing to have an opportunity to mingle with other students and practitioners and made me realize how much of a long way these things can take you in terms of job hunting.

Michael Dudok and The Red Turtle (notes)

The writer Michael Dudok from Red Turtle talked about making the movie and he said it was a lot of pressure to not disappoint studio ghibli as well as himself.
He talked about how he wanted the island to reflect how dangerous nature can be. Something that is not very populated, an untouched beauty. As a writer he thinks not in a verbal way but visually, he thinks about the shapes that he wants so hed draw them down, he wanted to explore the beauty of lighting. He wanted to create the attraction of the beauty but at the same danger. He wanted to exploit mud because he thinks it's beautiful, whereas others idea of beauty might be flowers.
The writer explored a new direction, where everything is realistic. But it is very appearant that the imagery is by him so it stayed within his style, because he has a taste for simplicity. The core team of the movie were french, situated in Angouleme, however they recruited people from other countries. When recruiting people they didn't check cvs but instead they tested them on their drawing skills. Other people that were recruited did not feel like they needed to adapt to the style of the movie because it was so natural.
Dudok also talked about how important it is to have chemistry between his crew and that everyone would have the same vision for the project. Appearantly Miazaki was not part of this movie, and Dudok did not hear a lot of reception from Miazaki, only some nice feedback of the integrity. This movie was a major factor of Miazaki coming back from retirement.
The landscape and music translated the characters emotions so there was no need for a dialogue. Dudok emphased how useful it is to use the Internet for imegary research because it can be a great creative stimulus.
In the preparation for the movie, they had to create the whole island just for themselves, helping situate the character. He liked doing research, because it should be a topic of fascination, and therefore it wa not a job but a hobby. Also it is interesting to research something that has not been established yet.