Entrepreneurial practices begins

We have started a module called Entrepreneurial practices. The main point of this module is to network and get work for ourselves. When i first heard it i was really worried, I have never been good at going out and getting work for myself and back in the film course when we addressed this subject i was just as worried.

For the module we have to bring in a work contact and while i was panicking i managed to gather my thoughts and realised i do have a contact, I have a contact in the American freelance writing world, my mum. Granted not the biggest out of the comfort zone experience but I am not suggesting getting work from her, I am thinking maybe her fellow writers would potentially pay for an animated book trailer. I remember my mum saying that lots of writers like them and them being self published authors mean it can be hard for them to find certain things such as animators who can make them book trailers.

I can also use the stock book covers i have made as a way into their circles, I could maybe even do package things where i do drawn book covers and animated trailers to go along with them.

I am also currently doing story boarding for a third year film production called Nosy Neighbors. The story boarding has taken a few days of work and i still have a few more panels left to do which i think are studio based ones, but most of the story boarding i have done.

Lightstream the Experiance

My experience in Animated Exeter was good, I did a few work shops, went to a talk and it was overall a rewarding experience. But that is not what i made this post to discuss, I am here to discuss the Lightstream.

I didn't know how our production would be received, I had no idea what any of the other uni's had done for it, and unfortunately due to the fact that i was one of the projectionists for ours, I still don't actually know what any of them did. But what I do know is that our one seemed to go very well, there was lots of people looking at our projection as far as i could tell, contorting myself around the large projector to get a peek out down to the street.

Me an Toyin (the producer for the project) were stationed in a small upstairs room across from Tuckers Hall, the building which we would be projecting on. Some of our other colleges were stationed down on the street below, walking around talking to passers by about our Lightstream projections, and Animated Exeter in general. We were also joined by, to my surprise, two students from the Plymouth Uni. We were both sharing the wall space for our projections, I was quite pleasently suprised by this I must say. I had thought we would not get a chance to see any other projections but thanks to them I would at the very least be able to see one.

We ended up waiting for quite a while simply chatting with the other students for the techs to come and set up the projector and such. It was quite interesting talking to them about their course. Unfortunately as the time of projection speeded ever and ever closer seven o clock we had not seen heads nor tails of any techs. Toyin texted one of our ground team to see if they could find out what was going on and they texted back relaying that the techs had said they were working their way through the different projections. We took this as a sign to not worry too much about it assured they would get to us before the time was up

When the time was very near we realised we had not yet had any techs visit and were a tad worried. Toyin texted Kari (the person in charge) and then she very promptly sent a tech up to help. Despite a minute or two figuring out how to switch between our and the other students projection it went very well, and as far as i could tell us and Plymouth Uni managed to pull a reasonable crowd.

Specialist reasercher, and more on Studio Practice

In looking for information about the specialist researcher role I'm thinking maybe it dosent quite apply to the studio practice module, i dont think it is quite an in house role that is a constant and specialist reaserchers are only really for big budget productions.

I'm going to be honest here I am so lost with the Studio Practice module, I mean not in every part of it. But in this looking for a role that is a spesific in house production company role that isn't a creative one and is with the manogorial side I am coming up with nothing.

I could come up with lots of stuff if i was simply to research these roles and be done with it, but then we have to act in those roles in I think a third year greenlit production, let me check that. The PCA website is not letting me in so i will just assume i am at least close in my guess but yeah, I am finding it really hard to find an in house role that is to do with the running of the studio that i feel i could then do in a production.

Lightstream Continued

The lightstream project has gone reasonably well. I have most definitely been much less involved with this than i was with the Animated Exeter Ident, though i was by no means not involved and i don't think people where quite as invested in this particular project as they where also focusing on doing stuff such as contextual and the soundscape project.

As i have said (I think) in previous posts my main job was anamatic and storyboarding. I also helped a bit with conceptual stuff as did most people. I did a spot of compositing as well to show how i thought the vines and flowers should interact, you see previously the vines grew completetly then the flowers grew and wilted and so did the leaves on the vines, then when the vines began to receed again no plants or anything of the sort where present. I over the weekedn then did a version of my own that had the plants and leaves grow in tandum to the vines and then stay until the vines began to receed, then all the plants and such wilted along with the vines. I personelly preffered that approach to the previous one. I helped with the naming of Billy's stand alone lightstream project as well, suggesting the name Realms which i believe is now the official name.

Overall it has gone well, and i will be exited to go up to Exeter this friday and help set up and get our lightstream projects up and projected.