PP3 Research: Freelancers Back Home

Be it animation, graphic design, or illustration, my personal desired practice revolves around freelancing within Skopje (generally, and a bit abroad). Considering that I have already made a few contacts and have already done some commissioned work successfully, the first step is complete. With my new business cards I am to expand even further to sustain my personal practice and try to find some artist with whom I may do an independent film for one of the festivals (note: I already know of some people that are up for it, nothing set in stone though). Thus, the best way to even more so expand this vision is by analyzing freelancers' practice and then attempt to establish a connection with them.

Mihajlo "The Micho" Danailovski
I've mentioned him so many times before due to his unique style of illustration and completely freelance-sustained career. I have already talked to him (hence he is also the art director of Lynx Animation Studio) and am planning to go into more detail with him so that I may find more connections and contacts with whom I am to collaborate or for whom I'm going to work for. Furthermore, he can teach me about self-sustaining practices since his artistry is featured on Kickstarter, which he uses to fund his work and maintain his prolific craft. The Micho's creative practice is successful because of its consistency, his prolific drawing, and his style that stands-out amongst others'. In light of the interview from last year, what I've learned from him is to keep drawing and not believe that I tools (such as the Wacom) will in any way augment my drawing skills - learning from the roots is the best.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/512772051/rise-to-nobility/description

Zoran Cardula
Cardula is a Skopje based graphic designer that uses his art not only for commercial purposes but also in events that highlight the awareness of social issues within the city. Recently, with the occasion of the 3rd of December being the International Day of People with Disabilities, he released an illustrated book with the language and writings of his autistic daughter Erato. The book contains 47 made-up words by Erato, translated in 19 languages, as well as 47 illustrations that 33 different artists annotated in accordance to the words that she had created. Cardula uses his art to not only collate artists together for a common cause, but to also highlight issues and send messages of love to the masses instead of just using it as a commercial tool. I wish to conduct an interview or a casual get-together with him so that he may give me some advice and tips on any upcoming such projects that I'd love to be a part of. My uncle, which is a project manager, has already assigned me an infographic project for kids with special needs as my first cousin (his daughter) is affected with a disability that is now, through his activity, catered to around Macedonia. With the assistance of Cardula, I believe that I can add substance to my artistic practice and assist the community as well as create my own independent practice, much like this visceral Skopje artist does.

https://www.selfdevelopshop.com/artist-father-gives-his-autistic-daughter-the-most-unique-present-imaginable

Гуш и Бац - Hug and Kiss - The illustrated book of Cardula that raises awareness for people with special needs through a visual and engaging manner

PP3: Not Twerking, But Networking

It is beneficial to visit all kinds of festivals or meetings in order to develop a better understanding of your craft and create sturdy connections that will hail you future jobs and an array of opportunities. Considering that I am to be spending a substantial amount of time in Macedonia upon graduation. I felt it necessary to identify networking opportunities there as well as on an international level.

KLIK Animation Festival
Having discussed about this festival in the college's studios with my peers as well as tutors, I believe this to be a quintessential chance to establish networks after I would have already made my graduation film, which would be the strongest stamp in my portfolio. With my business cards already prepared, I would have an effective strategy contacting all the avant-garde animators that will feature their shorts there as well as the studios that would consider offering me a job abroad while I'm back home.

Annecy Animation Festival
Following from the previous festival, Annecy had proven to be a really inclusive festival with a myriad of meetings, workshops, and even parties that loosened the tongues of and sparked conversation between professionals and students in animation that resulted in establishing networks. With a LinkedIn profile now I am able to easily keep in touch with the people I would meet and would be more inclined to talk to.

Leeds Young Film Festival
It would be interesting to establish a network with young animators as well for you never know what one can learn from any individual, no matter their age, they might have more experience than me in numerous sub-fields of animation.

Animafest Zagreb
With my COP being all about Zagreb Film's Yugoslavian animation and the consequential evolution of their technique and audience, Animafest is a wonderful opportunity to establish connections that are closer to home. The people I would meet there might have some essential information about the animation industry in the Balkan, which is where I would be working for quite a while after graduation until time hails a better opportunity.

Manaki Brothers Film Festival
Situated in Skopje, this film festival features all kinds of films from the native scene. Lacking in animation, it might be a perfect opportunity to expose myself to filmmakers that might need some aspects of animation in their films, proposing collaboration.

Skopje Film Festival
More avant-garde, this film festival features independent films as well, proposing the same aforementioned but more along my caliber of underground films, for the time being.

2017 Shorty Shorts Film Festival - The Audience Awards
I have been offered to submit my animation "Breakfast Nightmare" to the 2017 Shorty Shorts Film Festival. This gives me a platform to expose my work to different types of audiences (since this is not an animation-strictly audience award). If it is to win it will be screened with my name displayed, which might catch the eye of filmmakers and animators alike to contact me for a business opportunity or a network development.

Animation World Network
A forum where I've seen animators share tips and tricks about animation. Perhaps it is a wonderful place to enhance my software skills, especially about Illustrator for it is a program that I have actively started using and want to know more about (as I've been designing posters and logos for a plethora of reasons, both personal and commercial).

John Vardar Screening by Lynx Animation Studio
The first feature-length Macedonian animation will be screened by Lynx Animation Studio - the same studio I did a presentation on last year and have already established a small network with the manager and art director for a future possibility of working there upon my graduation. The screening would be a great opportunity to meet up with some of the animators working in the studio, as well as the manager and art director, to discuss a possible position that I might fill.

Animation InsiderAn online website where animators interview each other. Efficient since I can ask about signature techniques of fellow animators about 2D or Stop-Motion, and even a little bit of 3D as well.

Stuttgart Festival of Animated Films
A festival where I would get the same exposure and inspiration like Annecy, except I would also be able to practice speaking German as I will set upon to finish this endeavor once I graduate.

Holland Animation Film FestivalA two-birds-with-one-stone festival where I would have a place to stay, as well. My cousin Oleg Voinovski is studying college in Utrecht, where the animation festival is held. It would be a great opportunity to network and visit my brother-like cousin during his studies hence he could not visit me (due to having to issue a visa).

PP3 Position: Online Presence

In order to solidify my future freelancing career I felt it necessary to establish a professional online profile. I now have these online accounts:

Behance - Since all of the commissioned (and paid) work that I've done ever since I've gotten into college has been illustrative or graphic design, I figured it would be useful to have an online portfolio of that if someone is to desire a poster being made. Furthermore, I find it quite satisfying working making posters for events and bands that I support, for it maximizes the experience for me as well, both professional and social.

https://www.behance.net/vladimirvo079e

Vimeo - I've had Vimeo for a bit, and it is the main link that I've been posting everywhere.

https://vimeo.com/vvoinovski

LinkedIn - Although I had created a LinkedIn account before the summer, I had not developed it to be a cogent profile. I've started making connections and adding people that I know to my social circles with the hopes of opening possible future work endeavors and opportunities. The next step would be to advance into getting endorsements for my skills as well as writing down all the substantial work experiences and volunteering work I've done throughout the years.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/vladimir-voinovski-07b7a8150/

ISSUU - Created last year, here I will post all literary work I shall create if there are such opportunities in the future considering I adore writing and have gotten several such assignments of that nature before.

https://issuu.com/vvoinovski

PP3 Position: Business Cards

3rd of November: In order to facilitate my online artistic presence I require business cards. I've been thinking about this move since last year, and had designed some already, however, upon further consideration I've found that my initial designs did not reflect my artistry nor my contacts. Furthermore, it did not have a firm, solid logo. So I started my new designs, starting with a logo that is simple yet visceral. Based of an old picture of me, I vectorized my face and added the caligraphy logo that I was going to use for my ambient album (for which I have chosen a cover with my face logo but not the lettering one). It features my recent artistic pseudonym that I plan on using for all future art endeavors: Alvaldr - an old norse name that means "king of the world", which is the initial meaning of my real name Vladimir. Following one of my peers' recent conviction of printing out their own business cards gave me an inspiration to avoid stagnation and get this taken care of for it would be imperative for contacting practitioners and establishing networks, which is what this module is about. I've sent out an order to Vistaprint and am expecting them on the 10th of November

Simple business card designs

November 10th - The business cards have arrived with a complementary metal carrier case. I will start handing them out as soon as possible.

PPP2 - Creative Presence: Answers and Translations

To my surprise, The Micho answered all of my 10 questions with grace and verbose detail based on his personal practice in relation to the industry as well as the conventions of freelancing. Situated in a really vernacular manner, The Micho gave a thorough outlook on how it is like to be a commission driven individual and the necessary connections one must have to always secure consistency in their practice. As illustrated in my report, I found his reflection to be quite personal and cordial (aside from it being extremely substantial and relevant to my desired future endeavors), which set aside the formal and focused on the individual. Upon the exchange, The Micho invited me to visit him in Bitola whenever so that we may discuss any work-related opportunities as well as establish a thorough friendship that will as a byproduct hail networking possibilities. Furthermore, I spent two days translating his answers from Macedonian to English in an all-encompassing way so that his idioms and style of verbal expression may be translated without the loss of the train of thought and its sincere meaning. Furthermore, this project gave me a feel of professionality in translating work between bi-linguality, efficaciously improving my vocabulary and writing skills. Creative Report - https://issuu.com/vvoinovski/docs/creative_report_vlad

PPP2 - Fiverr and Behance Account

In hopes of slowly but surely establishing my name and skill as a brand alongside developing a comprehensive portfolio, I've started up a Fiverr and Behance account. Considering I already have a Vimeo account where I share and post all of my animations, which has proven to be a versatile and effective tool in getting my work across through friends as well as professionals, I thought that a Fiverr might help me gain even more experience commission wise, whereas Behance might serve as my non-animation portfolio. Nonetheless, the Behance account is not as new as the Fiverr one, for I have already posted my Orchard Pig Responsive project there through Alex Zorita Santana's collaborative project invite on the website, which I found out through him to begin with. Having this in mind, as I have heard plenty of times during networking presentations, I shall next make and maintain a Linked In account in order to have a broader scope of exposure, which will in turn provide me with more opportunities through a passive manner. As I went over The Micho's (the creative practitioner I interviewed) answers to my overly zealous questions, I even more so digested the necessity of persistence as well as establishing all types of networks and contacts, providing me with even more motivation to establish such accounts. For Fiverr, I do not expect to gain something substantial during the first moments of the account's expansion developments, although I can predict a possibility of such growth in the near future once I input more "gigs" into its repertoire as I will have no college modules during this summer, giving me more time to indulge in this motive. All in due time, I shall develop my presence as a creative practitioner in a substantial format to secure a future in work through hobby as a freelancer, seeing as I cannot fully fathom working in a routine studio environment, much like The Micho.

Fiverr - https://www.fiverr.com/vvoinovski
Behance - https://www.behance.net/vladimirvo079e

PPP2 - Club Photography

During my final week before submission, I gained an opportunity of practicing a paid photography assignment of a relatively new V.I.P. Lounge in Leeds. Recommended by a Photography student in LCA through the group LCA Collaboration on Facebook, I was assigned to capture the ambient of the night life within the Kudeta Lounge Bar, effectively proving to be a thorough chance to practice environmental photography, networking, as well as post-production. The dim lighting within the premise proved to be quite a challenge for me in terms of adjusting the white balance, aperture, and shutter speed so that I could make use of the fluorescent lighting present at the scene without the use of the sterilizing effect of flash. Luckily, I was able to mend the ISO to the standard fit for grasping the atmosphere and vibe of the bar. However, I understood the necessity of a controllable light-gun upon finishing the job for the sake of the sharpness of the image without the loss of the ambient light, which is something I would require to acquire if I am to do any such future jobs. Nonetheless, once I had picked out the most plausible images, with color balance through post-production, I managed to get them to a more-than-sufficient standard. The employers were elated with the final product, having me connect with them through social media. This endeavor is where my personal practice comes to terms with the outside world - upon discussion, the employer learned of my design practice and arranged a meeting where I am to discuss the design of a cocktail menu and perhaps a promotional video for their new bar. Moreover, as I have 3 years worth of experience in mixology, the employer offered me a paid opportunity to work behind the bar and design signature cocktails for their establishment. With me having a thorough experience in this field as a personal passing, alongside design and animation, I am aware of not underselling or overselling myself. Thus, this whole endeavor proved to be a more-than-effective network-establishing opportunity that seized me future jobs through my own practice.

PPP2 - Atmospheric Sound Design and VJ Aspirations

As of recently, I have created a Soundcloud account where I will post ambient music I've created as background tracks for animations. The only song I have for the time being is "Obsidian Sea" whose soul purpose was to serve as the background song for mine and Luca's Applied Animation animated documentary. As this is escalating to be my personal pursuit seeing as I have been working with music for 6+ years now, nothing has come close to this; I've always done rock or jazz in live performances, but never have I recorded anything of that sort. Thus, I believe as I will gain more free time during this summer I will thoroughly engage in making analog ambient music through the means of instruments (as this song's raw format is that) instead of using synthetic generation. Perhaps, this would tie into my VJ potential interest that I plan on pursuing alongside this during the summer. This raises a possibility of defining my extended practice next year as I am thoroughly interested in how the synthesis of sound and visuals in a "the whole is greater than the sum of the parts" can have a sublime potential in narration. Many songs have an inherent story-like structure, with the lyrics refining this notion. In terms of performance, the amplitude-sensitive visual animations that can be manipulated through an MPC AKAI or any such simple analogous sampler triangulate between all the sensory conventions of narration in an epic-like manner. Thus, I started conducting research on how to execute this desire. Initially, knowing a peer that practices this (Oscar Barany), I talked to him so that he may give me the general details of this art form. By using Resolume (similar to After Effects in interface), one can set the thresholds of the intensity of any animation one can create so that the visuals fluctuate based on the dynamic of the sound. I did not know that it was this flexible of a practice. Moving along, I found a book that thoroughly expands upon the culture and art behind VJing (VJ: Audio-Visual Art and VJ Culture, by D-Fuse), using Kraftwerk's performances as one of the best known examples of this phantasmagoric aspect of performance. Need I say, I then proceeded onto watching recordings of Kraftwerk performances as well as dissecting the power behind their appeal through individual interpretation. I believe that I need to delve deeper into their art, which is why I have ordered the book Kraftwerk: Music Non-Stop by Sean Albiez and David Pattie with the hopes of corroborating what it means to have an omnipotent control of a performance's visual appeal that makes full use of the world of multimedia.

Obsidian Sea - https://soundcloud.com/user-930204941/obsidian-sea

PPP2 - Life's A Pitch Preparation and Presentation

We have formed our collective of 6, consisting of me, Tess, Luke, Alex, Bash, and Brenda, all wittily acronymed Blob TV. I designed the logo for the collective which would serve as the starting point upon which we are going to build up, possibly changing the logo in the future to better reflect our style once it has been properly synthesized. We gathered all the work into this presentation since we believe that the art-book idea would be our foundation for a potential commercial future. It will be structured similarly like "Animation Sketchbooks" by Laura Heit, which was our main inspiration for this collective idea. We want to take it slowly, identify the potential, and expand based on the possible gradual success we shall experience or not experience. Furthermore, in terms of pricings we are going down the path of modesty, costing us a total of 20 pounds to print off the book where our individual and collective contacts will be alongside our most plausible works. Furthermore, we will create social media in the future, perhaps a Facebook page or something similar to showcase our work and attract people who like our styles. Our multi-faceted nature would cater to all audiences whereas I believe I would be able to work for logo and album art design, atop animation which is the main point of mutual interest and fusion.

POST-PRESENTATION:
Based on the feedback we received, we are to consider having both a digital and traditional platform, where our name Blob TV needs to live up to the expectation it is construing. Suggested by our tutors, we are going to make a collective Vimeo page with a conjoined showreel that should be another point of establishing networks and recognition by other artists in hopes of doing interdisciplinary work with other creatives as well as getting commissioned. After this presentation I feel we need to more coherently articulate our set goals - are we keen on solely enthusiastic work for recognition or commissioning? For the time being we will focus on expanding our point of content and contact such as the social media and the art book for the exhibition, from where we expect to begin our expansion.

PPP2 - Poster Designs

Inspirational poster from Faith No More gig

Lucky enough, I got contacted by a friend and event organizer alike for the recurring underground Macedonian band concert that occurs annually for the third year in a row. I had been commissioned to design the poster as well as some of the band logos last year and due to the satisfaction of my client I was spontaneously called for the same job yet again several days ago. Anything music or performance related instantly catches my eye since it is a broader collaborative aspect that always hails quality. With the only mandatory prerequisite being using the preexisting signature logo in the poster, I wanted this year's poster to reflect the event's whimsical and multifaceted nature. The concert promotes different types of bands that have not yet quite seen the light of the stage properly, and because of this I wanted the poster to give off that free-spirited rock and roll vibe. Initially, I had a design on the top of my head inspired by a myriad of festival posters I've seen throughout the years along with the DIY minimalist punk-rock posters of the 70s and 80s. This design was something I did as an intended suggestion since the client asked for an engaging poster with no concrete preferences and it hinged on the duo-chromatic style of thresholds in images being drawn over to adapt a cartoon style. Instantly, right after I sent him the style suggestion he IMMEDIATELY liked it and told me to go that direction and provide him with a draft of what I think might be a good final version of the poster. Honestly, I was amazed at this level of candor and trust he had with my artistic style, something which I found flattering. Nevertheless, I kept working on it and have constructed several designs for it after he told me that I am to use an actual picture of the venue for this year in order to shift the style. I don't know why but the aesthetic of posters always grabbed my eye along since it gave me a general feel of how the atmosphere at the event is going to be. Based on this most recent draft of the design, I believe that every color duo-chromatic has a different effect and it either repels the eye or captures it.

Initial template design whose style the client liked

Second design, needs a bit of polishing up

PPP2: Reg Isaac's Insight into the Industry

Although I don't much envision myself to be a fully-functioning part of the industry, the future foretells no definite destiny so one is to learn about every aspects regarding their practice from different perspectives, just in case. Reg Isaac solidified this claim with his story as to how he became an animator as well as how he tackled the parameters of the animation industry. I was flabbergasted to find out that he initially wanted to do photography but because of a small quirkish problem (there not being any more space in the photography department where he studied) he became an animator. It just goes to show that life is as flexible and unexpected as is the nature of the nomad. What I found personally applicable was Reg Issac's life drawing holiday on which he managed to improve his drawing skills - which is what his first goal since becoming an animator was. Furthermore, I empathized with his necessity to improve his drawing and gain confidence in his lines, which is why I found his tactic of using only pen without an opportunity to undo any movement very invigorating. I believe that I am to use the same tactic for drastically improving my line seeing as I am interested solely in 2D animation and the flow and form of character designs. Alongside this, the insight into how the roles in the animation industry are split really belabored the importance of details as he had been hired as an inbetweener several times where he only worked on completing the movement of the characters. Another one of his jobs consisted of him fixing the line details of every character's frame to perfection, which informed me of the specialization that is instilled in the workflow of the studio. I believe that understanding how the synchronized workflow of a studio work will both destroy any expectations I have as well as giving me experience for a future such endeavor.

PPP2: Animation Studio Research - Post-Presentation

Finishing up with the ordeal of analyzing a studio and delivering the presentation to my peers and tutors, the main thing I realized was the omission of several points one can make under pressure and a thorough time limit. In particular, I believe that I delivered the presentation in a manner that met all requirements, however, managed to miss several points out due to a bit of stage fright (generated by the significance and importance placed on the task itself) and a not-so-coherent line of notes which were hard to follow during presentations. Moreover, I mentioned the key people within the studio however I did not mention the contacts I acquired of Lynx's peripheral team of animators and creative practitioners from an international scope. Furhtermore, I could have aligned them with the notable works they participated in such as Daniele Rudoni being the creative art director of Nincow. Nevertheless, I managed to successfully outline and divide the presentation in coherent points which I then went into detail consecutively. I am satisfied overall although I believe I need to reevaluate my presentation skills if I am to assert myself as a professional speaker, which will go hand in hand with the future possibility of delivering pitches to studios.

PPP2: Fraser Maclean: Insight Into the World of Animation

I firmly believe that this talk was the most invigorating one so far hence Fraser Maclean turned out to be quite a facetiously witty animator that not only knew his practice but the parameters that orbit around it from a commercial point of view. I was flabbergasted at the rhetorical analysis he gave of the art of painting and how it synthesizes with the storytelling aspect of animation. Furthermore, he uncovered the commercial reality behind animation by giving examples of practitioners that survive off doing advertisements and such, not necessarily sustaining themselves through the whole-hearted preference of work. Nonetheless, the main points he drew were three such points revolving around animation - what we shall be working between: art and creativity, technology, and money, with the latter being divided into "dirty and clean money". I perceived this as the broken model of the visual industry where the actual practitioners work solely according to a temporary contract. Fraser Maclean belabored the point of openness to collaboration since the whole industry is such a practice no matter how much one tries to avoid this. With examples of the processes of how traditional animation was made where people were divided into very specific departments (with Maclean doing just the cartoon character shadows of Space Jam, for example) he was able to portray the intricate, well-oiled machine that is the animation industry. Furthermore, character animators are only a small puzzle piece in the assemblage as the same importance lies behind concept artists, background artists, layouters, although the mass perception places emphasis on only character animators. With a bit of personal insight, Maclean showed us how animation and the demand for different media of animation has evolved throughout the years. Finally, out of the plentiful points of advice he brought up, I reveled at the notion of "what does not benefit the flow of the story is redundant" no matter how much it makes the scene look better - unnecessary bits need not be considered. Through his life story and progression of profession the concept that Responsive brought upon us - an animator does not have to do just animation - was fortified. For example, Fraser Maclean worked for Sands Films as a sound organizer through the initial wish of being a filmmaker, whereas he then spread to animation for Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Space Jam. I found his entire life endeavor very exuberant as it showed the flexible path of not an animator, but a creative practitioner that is amenable to work with a team and cooperate fully to make a vision a reality all through the concluding piece of wisdom he shared - be nice!

Book Maclean suggested for young aspiring animators

PPP2: Animation Studio Research - Methods of Research

Contacting the studio formally through The Micho (the practitioner I contacted for A Creative Presence), I was able to get an exclusive tour around the studio to quickly report on their workflow, methods, infrastructure, along with seeing pre-production assets from several of their projects. Thus, my presentation is based on both primary and secondary research. Firstly I sat down with the general creative director of the studio and had a chat with him about how the departments are divided along with the multitude of projects they have had or have underway. What I was mostly interested in was their peripheral team which consists of a myriad of international animators from all over the globe. The Italian illustrator Danielle Rudoni was the art director for Nincow - one of the studio's first ever projects along with a range of other practitioners. Writing down all the information I was given during the tour, I then went on to do secondary research through their highly immersive Facebook page where I looked at picture-framed time stamps of when and how their projects were conducted. I'm quite happy that I managed to make connections with the studio as well as some of the practitioners personally as it establishes a small network that I will utilize once I'm done with college to excel in animation and establish a possible opportunity for work.

PPP2: Creative Presence Interaction

Like stated, for the Creative Presence brief I contacted the versatile Macedonian illustrator The Micho (Тхе Мичо) in hopes of interviewing him. I did so through Facebook since I have been told by several of my friends that he is very responsive to any queries. To my surprise, he was extremely colloquial and cordial in conversation, and the moment I informed him of my college background he immediately gave me a personal contact number of the main creative director of Lynx Animation Studio. With his help I contacted Lynx Animation Studio and got an exclusive inter tour of their studio and all the specialized departments. Nevertheless, The Micho candidly told me to expose myself as an artist in the UK in order to form networks and connections, and even so gladly accepted to do an interview. I was first planning on having it in person, however, given the multitude of unexpected family and social problems I have been experiencing, I wasn't able to get to Bitola (his home city). Thus, he gladly accepted the interview through Skype or Email, which is how I plan on conducting it. As of this stage, I feel that he has already been of a colossal assistance for the contact he gave me with the studio I plan on working in after graduation for a bit. I've already started compiling the questions I plan on asking him, picking out which ones are necessary and which ones are redundant with a little help of internet sources.

The Micho (Тхе Мичо) - https://www.facebook.com/%D0%A2%D1%85%D0%B5-%D0%9C%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%BE-198918470118215/?fref=ts