Flipbook Studio

This is another animation company based in Manchester. Primarily focusing on 3D animation and VFX, I have to say their work looks outstanding. On the opening page to their website plays a looping showreel of their best moments, and at a first glance I thought this image of a girl was a film of a real person:

Once it zooms out you can tell it's CG, but the detail on the paint and eye textures is impeccable. 

They have worked on a lot of various things, including a few advertisements that I recognise! This Resolva Commercial particularly used to be on TV a lot, and I always admired how well animated it is. Now knowing who's behind it, I'm keen to find out more about this company!

After looking further through their website at the contact details, I scrolled down to find this advertisement for a CG Generalist to join their team! It's a vague description for the moment, but it's enough to be able to consider how interested I am in this opportunity. I will consider it as an option, but for now I think I'll contact them to see if they're available for a studio visit soon, since they specifically pointed out on their site their location in an inviting manner.

If nothing else, I will use this as an opportunity to build up my network, and hopefully meet some new people that I can get advice from later.

http://flipbookstudio.co.uk/

DreamWorks Animation Studio

A few days ago I received the email address of Robert Crawford, the head of layout at DreamWorks Animations! My Aunt, who lives in the Cook Islands (on the other side of the world), owns a cafe there, and he just happened to be on holiday. After being told about me, he gave his email address and said I could email him about anything...

I wanted the first point of contact to be casual, yet sound professional at the same time. I explained how I got his email address and asked him what it's like to work at DreamWorks; a short email that shows I'm interested in the company.

My email to Robert Crawford

After knowing that I have an important contact in the company, I did some research into what type of jobs are offered at DreamWorks; there's a specific section on their website which talks about how they want to hire and train recent graduates from around the world to work for them!

The list of open positions is extensive, covering a wide range of skills and points in the process, including character animation! However if certain jobs aren't currently available there is an option to leave your details on their site, so that if any positions open up they can contact you.

As exciting as all of this is, I think the best way to at least get advice about applying for a job like this is by talking to Crawford - especially since he is British as well, so he will have experience in applying for international jobs. I expect he will be a busy man, so I will give him a while to see if he replies back to me, and chase up the email if he doesn't.

Leeds International Screendance Competition

My final piece for Extended Practice is a short film, animating a dance routine. While this process has only just started, I should already consider how to advertise my film to the animation industry, and I can't think of a better way then animation festivals.

Leeds International Film Festival is a particular one to watch out for, since it's local, and displays a variety of live action and animated films. This means a wider range audience is likely to visit the festival, as opposed to just animation fans. I'd like to enter my animation into the Screendance competition, since my film will be animated dance, and it will most likely be surrounded by live action films, which will hopefully make mine stand out more in the crowd.

As well as Leeds, I will consider other short film festivals/competitions to enter my final film into, to try and get my name out there and noticed by professionals.

Kilogramme

Kilogramme was one of the first animation studios to catch my attention during the talks from my tutors; based in Manchester, they specialise in both 2D and 3D animation, as well as combining the two to hybridize the techniques.

Based on my classmates experience with them, I know that they are willing to arrange a tour of their facilities, as well as an explanation about how their company works; I definitely want to go and visit them, to discuss what it takes to work for them as a studio, as well as within the industry generally.

Their contact details are on their website, a phone number and email address, so there are optional ways to get in touch with them, once I figure out when is the best time to fit studio visits into my schedule.

Seed Animation Studio

London is, of course, one of the best places in the country to look for a job in the animation industry - what with it being the capital.

After typing 'animation internships' to Google, Seed Animation Studios' website was displayed as an option. There isn't much detail about their internship scheme on the site, but after watching their showreel it's clear to see they've mastered multiple disciplines, which allows me to admire them as a company, and definitely explore this as an option for my future.

However I have to be careful when considering working for a studio in London, due to expenses I may not be able to live or commute to London daily... For now I'll just keep researching and maybe arrange a visit to their studio, to see what being in that environment is like.


Autumn Reel from Seed Animation Studio on Vimeo.

http://www.seedanimation.com/animation

Brown Bag Studios

Since I'll be graduating soon (so scary!) I think it's time to start considering what I want to do with myself after uni. After looking back and remembering what my tutors have been saying to me for the past 3 years, I decided to search a few studios online to see what kind of work they do.

One company that stands out to me particularly is Brown Bag Films; after seeing their showreel and how friendly they all seem to be with each other, it peaked my interest. They originate from Dublin (which mainly focuses on 3D animation), however a 2D animation studio space has recently opened up in Manchester - seeing their work online makes me at least want to visit them, if not work with them!

Their website has a specific section which lists what kind of jobs are currently available in their studio - one that's advertised right now is an animation internship...

The internship will take place in Dublin, Ireland, however it will be a 12 week programme and I fit nearly all of the qualifications required for it; I think it could potentially be a great opportunity, as an internship seems to be the next appropriate step between education and work. I will keep an eye on this company, visit their studio space in Manchester, and keep it as an option for my future.

http://www.brownbagfilms.com/ 

http://www.brownbagfilms.com/jobs