Cover Letter

Cover Letter

Dice productions have put up a "post" on their website explaining ways to approach employers for work via email.

They include a guide of how they would like to be approached and I will use this as a starting point for my cover letter.

CV Design

CV Design

This is the first draft of my CV, after looking at other CV's I think I should add more ways to contact me rather than just my website, I need a more direct way of contacting me.

Second draft of my CV with extra contacts added.

New CV with skills and software added. 

Taking the information from the draft CV I added the armature 

image from my business card and website.

Re-worded my about me section and changed the font.

Weekly Schedule

Weekly Schedule

--- = Completed

Week 1 - 1st February

- Start writing proposal form.

- Prepare presentation.

- Finish making website, branding and updating social media to look uniform.

- Finish birds nest.

- Paint birds nest.

- Finish palm trees.

- Make other replacement heads.

- Research creating mist in pre or post production.

Week 2 - 8th February

- Paint island.

- Paint replacement heads.

- Cast hands and boots.

- Research lip syncing.

- Work out the positions of the characters mouths for lip syncing using the script and narration.

- Create up to date CV.

- Add images of scenes to presentation.

- Presentation - Friday 12th February.

- Make make replacement mouths for characters.

- Present my branding and website.

- Record narration.

- Start to edit narration.

- Finish my proposal form.

- Edit website.

- Start my cover letter.

- Put white box behind text on website, make card into correct size, go to moo cards.

Week 3 - 15th February

- Submit proposal form - Friday 19th February.

- Demonstration on Dragonframe - Tuesday 18th February.

- Finish Captain's costume.
- Finish Findus costume.
- Finish Quilly costume.
- Finish McSqueaky costume.

- Continue to edit narration / Extra recording.

- Research sound effects and foley.

- Create basic title and credit scenes.

- Finish cover letter.
- Add software and skills list to CV.

Week 4 - 22nd February

- Attach palm trees to island.
- Build wooden block for steering wheel.
- Connect ship set together.

- Test animation and character movement.

- Finish CV

- Finish editing narration.

Week 5 - 29th February

- Blocking camera movement.
- Making set / Character adjustments.

- Edit website.
- Research Rumpus Animation.
- Work on opening and closing scenes.

Week 6 - 7th March

- Rumpus Animation Wednesday 9th March.

- Starting filming with the camera rig Friday 11th March.
- Making set / Character adjustments.

- Make sure website, CV, cover letter and business card is up to date.
- Finish opening and closing 2D scenes.

Week 7 - 14th March

- Stop motion room booked 15th and 18th March.
- Making set / Character adjustments.

- Temp hand in for CV, cover letter, website and business card.

Easter Break (21st - 1st)

- Stop motion room booked:

•  Tuesday 22nd.

- Sound editing / Film editing.

Week 8 - 4th April

- Stop motion room booked:

• Tuesday 5th.
• Friday 8th.

- Editing.

- Make edits to CV, website, cover letter and business card.

Week 9 - 11th April

- Stop motion room booked:

• Tuesday 12th.
• Friday 15th - Telescope and island scenes.

- Ian House visit - 13/03/16

- Editing - The mist scene.
- Show reel animations.

Week 10 - 18th April

- Have everyone's degree show work put together and sent to Sam - Wed 20th
- Stop motion room booked:

• Tuesday 19th - Skipping, cracking sound and giant eggs scenes.

- Sara Barbas talk Wednesday 20th.
- Screening Friday 22nd.
- Editing - Rotoscoping the eyes.

- Editing - The mist scene.

Week 11 - 25th April

- Stop motion room booked:

• Tuesday 26th - Reshooting the wheel scenes and filming Chef scene.
• Friday 29th - Drinking scene.

- Editing - Music and eyes.

Week 12 - 2nd May

Stop motion room being used.
- Tone meeting me Wednesday 4th 11am to help edit my sound.

- Editing - Eye movements.

- Submission for professional practice 4th.

Week 13 - 9th May

- Stop motion room booked:

• Tuesday 10th - Cabin scene.

- Re-recording narration 9:15 Wednesday 11th May.
- Editing.

Week 14 - 16th May

- Add jewels to island scenes.

- Add mist to dog scene.

- Add bird flight to dream island scene.

- Add transition of eggs breaking.

Submission - Friday 20th May

Personal Branding/Business Card Design

Personal Branding Research

Personal branding is a way of advertising yourself in a way that reach the target audience and will be memorable and eye catching.

Some examples of personal branding:

Being different with the use of the business card will make the brand memorable but I think that keeping it simple when being different is better so not to deter the eye aware from the name and contact details. This card does this by making the animation draw the eye to the name of the company. I think in the print out of this card the circle should be placed under the name of the company.

I like this idea of having the armature in a pose, making it look like it's moving, which is perfect for an animator with a static card. I may do something similar with my card.

I like this idea of having a caricature of myself so that when the person takes away the card they will remember who I am by the picture.

This could be a problem if your hair style changes, especially if this is a coloured business card.

This sort of style of card is good if you are using a character this already established or recognisable from other projects that you've made or are advertising that particular character for a new project but I think as a long term business card could become dated if the character isn't featured in newer projects.

I like this card as it is definitely memorable and could possibly give you free publicity as the person might show other people the funny card. But this could also make you look unprofessional to some people.

Helpful sites:

https://www.quicksprout.com/the-complete-guide-to-building-your-personal-brand/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/shamahyder/2014/08/18/7-things-you-can-do-to-build-an-awesome-personal-brand/#3216cd021274

My Branding

I didn't want to create a brand name that wasn't my own name because I didn't want employers thinking that I was a company or already established when I'm not. I can create a brand name once I have got myself out into the industry.

My Website Link

http://bayliel89.wix.com/baylieanimation

Business Card

I want my business card to be simple and clean with a single image on it. I took the photo myself so that I'm not using a stock photo.
This image is used as a background on my website and a cover photo on my social profiles.

Using the template from moo.com/uk I have built my image and text to fit within the template.

To find complimentary fonts I looked at this website.
http://www.creativebloq.com/typography/20-perfect-type-pairings-3132120

Card Ideas

Front

As I have decided to have all the text on the back so that I can have different images on the front once I have made more stop motion characters.

I think that this image is quite strong on its own.

Back

I decided to have all of the text on the back of the card. This meant that I had to remove the social links from the card because it was too over crowded.
I also changed the font to Blanch because I thought this filled the white space better than the previous font.

Changing the font again because the email and web addresses look better in lower case. Also adding in the new email address and web site link.

My 5 Year Plan

My 5 Year Plan

What is a five year plan?

A five year plan is looking ahead to see where I'd like to be and how I can get there and achieve it.

• Current situation.
• Ideal situation.
• Steps to success.
• Skills - beginner, intermediate, advanced.
• SWOT - Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

Current situation - Student/graduate looking for work experience or a trainee position in the stop motion industry to further my skills in animation, model and set building.

Ideal situation - In five years to be working within the animation industry as a junior animator. To be submitting my personal stop motion film into animation festivals.

Steps to success - Applying for jobs that are advertised, emailing animation companies, using social networks like Facebook and Twitter to message other animators to see if I can shadow them on a project.

Skills -
Character animation - Intermediate.
Replacement head building - Intermediate.
Model making - Beginner.
Silicone mould making - Beginner.
Set and prop building - Intermediate.
Dragonframe - Beginner.
After Effects - Intermediate.
Photoshop - Intermediate.

SWOT -
Strengths - Stop motion animation, set and prop making, replacement head making.
Weaknesses - Silicone mould making, armature building, use of dragonframe.
Opportunities - Runner, work experience, junior animator.
Threats - Competing against other graduates, experience using dragonframe.


Year One

When finishing university I will be looking into getting an intern job or work experience as a runner in a stop motion studio.

During this time I will also be working on finishing my third film at home as I could only make the trailer during my final year.

Year Two

To continue with work experience jobs or intern work, learning by watching the animators around me and hopefully gaining contacts to call upon for more intern work after the project I'm working on finishes.

To be hopefully be showing my own film on my show reel (copyright permitting).

Year Three

To possibly be working as a junior animator and to be working under the lead animator.

To look for other personal projects to work on, by contacting authors like I did with the project I'm currently working on.
To pitch this project to other animators and model makers I have made connections with.

Year Four

To continue working as a junior animator under the instruction of the lead animator.

Building up relationships with other animators to possibly have contacts to bring on to my next personal projects one day.

Year Five

To continue as a junior animator.

To be entering competitions such as the CITV Share A Story and E4's advert E-Stings.

Stop Motion Industry Presentation

From my own research and the from the responses to my questionnaire, 

I have made a presentation of my findings.

Responses To My Questionnaire