Rocketseed - our latest commercial project

Recently we have been tackling short commercial projects, working with some of the recent Bucks graduates, such as Monika Dzikowicz, Lydon Fleisig, Dave Berry, Paula Gillin and Allan De Leal.

Our latest film follows from our most recent project: "What is Wrong with the Global Development Oragnisation?", which is now competing for prizes in festivals around the world.  This short film - about the problems faced by all organisations trying to help out in faraway places - has now got an IMDB entry, so our students can now link to their own IMDB profiles.



What's the point of an IMDB profile?  - only that the IMDB is the first place that people look to find out what other film-makers have done. If you're serious about working in film, video or digital media - you want to be listed on the IMDB.

Our IMDB entry

At the top of this post is our latest completed film, Rocketseed Email Solutions.  Rocketseed is a tech company that offers clickable email banners, with built-in analytics so that a company's email can become an important marketing tool. The purpose of the film was to help their prospective customers understand exactly what it is that Rocketseed do, so that they can get their message across more quickly and effectively. Animation is a wonderful tool for taking complex ideas and getting them across in a simple, clear way.

Sound design was done by Kris Allen, and the sound recording work was done by Robert Brown. For the voice, we needed an older, female, actor - per the client's request - so we went with Bucks tutor Natanya Ford, who sent us a voice sample from New York City where she was organising an international sound design Expo.

The project was designed and directed by Monika Dzikowicz, who also did the finished edit, and all the storyboards. Animation was done by Lydon Fleisig, Dave Berry, Paula Gillin and Allan De Leal, and also involved one of my students from my online school www.animationapprentie.org - Pete Nicholson.

We're delighted to be able to help our recent graduates find paid work, developing their skills and improving their demo reels. It's also great training for their future professional life, much of which will be spent on client-facing projects, where there is seldom enough time to finish the job as you would like to see it done. But, somehow or how other, you just have to do it anyway.

Here's what the client had to say this morning:
"I just wanted to send a more formal thank you for the wonderful animation you have created for us. We really are delighted with it. Thank you as well for delivering such a quality production on time."

Congratulations to everyone who worked on Rocketseed for doing such a stellar job.

---Alex

What Is Wrong With The Global Development Organisation?

Back in June we blogged about a new film project here at Bucks, a collaboration among some of our recent graduates on a short film with a worthy goal - to tell the story of how organisations that set out to do good work can lose sight of their guiding principles.

The film was directed by Monika Dzikowicz, and animated by Lydon Fleisig, Dave Berry, Peter Nicholson, Paula Gillin and Allan De Leal. Sound design was done by Kris Allen - showing how different departments at Bucks can combine forces to do great work. Everyone spent a good chunk of their summer toiling over their laptops, with the result that the film is now - at last! - finished.

Our film is a two minute micro-documentary about a fictitious aid organisation with some very big problems. Bureaucratic capture is a potential hazard of all companies, but is especially dangerous when the organisation seeks to remedy urgent social needs in the developing world. 

What would such an organisation look like if development experts and management worked together co-operatively to help make the world a better place?

Our goal is to do many more films like this, short documentaries that can be made on very small budgets, and which utilise our students' exceptional talents. We want to make Bucks a hub for talented film-makers and animators, showcasing their skills to the world.

Below is what the client had to say about the project:
"I owe you a very large thanks for the great work you and your team did on the animation.  The feedback was incredible. Our No2 summed it u well…."iconoclastic….irreverent…..hilarious……us."

---Alex

Bucks Graduate Allan De Leal reports from the Games Industry

Graduation Day at Bucks New University, 9th September 2013

Allan De Leal (pictured left) is a very talented student and a recent graduate of Bucks New University. Allan worked hard over the past year to polish his animation reel, ready to look for work in the competitive world of animation, games and visual effects. He recently found work as a games tester, and we persuaded him to tell us a little about his new job.

Bucks: First of all,  congratulations on your graduation! What advice would you give to the new students starting at Bucks this year?

Allan: Thank you! Well, I think the first thing I would tell them is to really focus hard from day one. A lot of people who come to University tend to kind of leave things to either the second or third year, and that's the wrong thing to do. Students have to remember that they are paying a lot of money for their own future, so they really have to make the most of their time at University.

Still frame from Allan's graduation film

Bucks: You have just got a job as a games tester - more congratulations! Tell us about what that involves?

Allan: Thank you again! Contrary to popular belief, is not just about playing games. My role is to make sure that a title is bug free and that it reaches both the quality and standard that will be expected of it before it is released to the market.

I work for HCL technologies; we are not exactly a games company per se, we deal more with the game testing only. However there is only so much I can say because of the nature of our projects, but I can tell you that we work for Microsoft.

I got the job online, I just kept applying for all the game testing roles I could find, even the ones where they required other languages. So, speaking Spanish finally became useful!

Bucks: What are your ambitions in the industry and how do you plan to realise them?

Allan: Whether for film, TV or games, I still want to become a professional animator. However, during the summer I've had some time to learn new skills which have made me a better 3D artist (and animator) overall. My plan is to improve what I've learnt from Bucks and to broaden my skillset. I do love the media/entertainment industry so I intend to stick to it in the future.

Bucks: What are the key skills involved in finding work in the games industry?

Allan: The obvious one is to love games. Game testing is often considered an entry level role for the game industry, so I would start from there. Experience of playing games at high levels of difficulty is also welcome.

Also, having a degree related to the industry does give you an edge over other candidates too. At the end of the day it all really depends on your own ambition. The more talented you are the better, that's why I advise all new Bucks students to start learning from day one! Don't waste any time you have, and the chances of you getting a job when you finish (or even while you are at University) will be much greater.

(Editor's note: You can see more of Allan's work at his website here, and his graduation film Choices here.)