Author: Sharon Efomi

Bfi Fund

Arts council fund

Application process

https://animatedjobs.com/

Website

PORTFOLIO RESEARCH

I plan on using this as a guide after the course to help me build a hirable portfolio. I have a basic understanding of human body mechanics but I still require time to understand the graph editor also I’ve never worked with a premade rig which is something i’ll have to experience later on. Apart from these points I know that studios preferably want

I have to consider if I want to work in animation for animation studios, game companies or spend around 3 months exploring and experimenting to develop my skills further this is important each needs it’s own specialized portfolio, in terms of animation as I know my current skills are not enough to get hired. Aside from animation I consider my other skill sets in modelling and character designs and whether their up to pare with the industry requirements.

WHAT MAKES MY WORK UNIQUE?

In order to measure my standing as a graduate I had to ask myself what makes me different and what I can offer to the market this was to help me make a decision on whether freelance work is the way to go so I can build my portfolio for the future in case I decide to work for a studio.

LISTING MY INETERETS

I’m interested in niche topics and as a hobby regularly research conspiracies in relation to politics as well as well as history i’m fascinated by how animation can be used as a tool to teach. I noticed that there’s a niche in this subject matter and if I develop this further it could potentially help me survive in the freelance world. One of the problems with working for myself is funding and marketing myself for the future so I have to research into the process of how to obtain funding and creating an online presence that reflects my ideals.

Current website link

I have a website which i’ll continue to update it includes work from my prior projects

https://efomisharon.wixsite.com/portfolio/illustrations

Arts council fund

MEETING YANIV GARBER

During the project I chose to make a film however, I came to learn what was required to get hired in the 3d industry. We had a meeting with Yaniv Garber and were given the opportunity to speak with him and learn from his experiences as a graduate to a professional, he discussed the difficulties he faced when applying for jobs and stressed the importance of a portfolio.

What is a portfolio/showreel?

Contrary to my previous understanding mostly from 2D animation I learned that studios when hiring for 3D roles look for a specialized portfolio that showcases one specific skill [although being a generalist can be considered] Yaniv expanded that he chose to make a film which didn’t contribute to him getting hired and had to create a specialized showreel. For animation specific jobs body mechanics is a requirement particularly animal mechanics, so for our first lesson with Yaniv we made an animal walk cycle. During this session I learned just how little I knew about 3D animation, we were taught the significance of using the graph editor and scripts such as studio Library which significantly reduces the time it takes to animate mirrored motions such as walk cycles.

After this session I was quite panicked I contemplated switching from making a film to creating a showreel but I wanted to use my time in the course to experiment and learn everything so I could figure out my niche and have something on my portfolio that showcased my individuality rather than only showing the mechanical side, also my project was already progressing so I made a plan to ensure I can get a job after the course.

LINKDIN ACCOUNT

I set up a Linkdin account so i could receive 3D related jobs such as, Internships and other announcements. Upon researching I noticed that the majority of the studios were located outside of Birmingham with the majority being in London or else where I had to consider my finances in relations to moving or setting up travel arrangements. Commuting to London is something I’m familiar with however, I have discounts as a student. knowing the prices of trains as a citizen as well as their unreliability in terms of punctuation, I knew this could cause me problems and the likeness of having my CV chosen based on location alone is a disadvantage. Despite this I continued to research into the studio’s who offer entry level jobs.

3D GAME STUDIOS

After extensive research I found that there was a huge market in the game industry so I began narrowing down my searches into these companies.

I found this entry level job located in Leamington Spa I have a few of these skills but I realized that most game studios have a preference for those who can use unreal engine and a passion for gaming I’m not sure to which extent but this had me concerned as I have little to no interest in gaming apart from their visual language.

BRANDED (2012)

FILM SUMMARY

After a record decline in fast-food profits the antagonist branded the guru of marketing, Joseph Pascal asks a board of elite representatives how far they are willing to go for profit and with their Ernest consent beginning with 3rd world nations, they proceed with a plan for world domination.

Branded is a semi comedic thought provoking film Directed by Jamie Bradshaw and Alexander Dulerayn, it explores ideas around politics, control, power and the occult through the lens of marketing. The story follows a man by the name of Mikhail Galkin (Misha for short) born in post-communist Mockba Russia, as a young boy he received a prophetic symbol in the sky and was struck by lightning, fast forward to the future he gets a regular job at a convenience store where he discovers his talent for marketing this skill later proves to be his downfall. He reclines to the countryside working as a Shepard vowing to never involve himself with marketing again, there he has a dream within a dream directing him to carry out a death sin cleansing ritual which reawakens his passion to work. After returning to the city advertisement has reached new records and non other than Misha can see the devastating effects it has had on humans, the brands are alive like monsters festering on the needs and wants of the consumer Misha concludes, that his path is to eradicate the system has turned the Russian population into mindless drones.

MY ANALYSIS

The premise of the story is designed to highlight the influence brands and marketing can have on the consumer, this is explored through the subject of fast-food if you can make obesity the beauty standard then people would not have to worry about how much fast-food they consume, although this is an extreme idea, it’s not far fetched when observing our current society.

The trailer of ‘Branded’ it’s self doesn’t 100% correlate with the film but I do like how it functions as its own separate entity that has the audience piecing together ideas attempting to crack the conspiracy. Its quite innovative how the film is about advertisement and the trailer begins like an ad. There’s also the question of these CGI brand monsters which only Misha can see, they attach themselves to humans feeding of their desires we’re not clued into what these beings are however, its interesting how they grow when an individual gives into that desire.

Potential subject matters from the film I would like to base my project on includes issues around autonomy. I observed how the people in ‘Branded’ had almost no input on what was being promoted and if they did the media would swoop in and manipulate how an event was perceived and how long it remained in the collective memory, essentially bending to the will of the brands this leads us to conclude that companies can control the media through wealth.