'What Is Bobo' Placement.

Well I finished my 2 week placement at 'What Is Bobo' (website being re-done at the mo) last Thursday and I got to say I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

This opportunity originally came about when Robyn Larkin, the Creative Director of Bobo contacted my course director at Camberwell asking if any students would be interested in Design for Film. My course director forwarded my name with a handful of others, and after a meeting and a few phone calls, I have my placement, running for 2 weeks, 4 days a week.

In case you weren't aware before, I'm a West-Landahn-Ealing-born-and-raised-chap, so it was great to discover that the Bobo studios were actually located in Ealing Film Studios. You know what that means? A fat lie in. Yeaaaah. Nah seriously though, it couldn't be a better location, I loved walking past the big sets (they're currently setting up for Johnny English 2 - I know right? I can't wait either) and the studios, it really was very cool, darling. We were located towards the back of the site, up some exterior rusty metallic stairs. It was a nice small studio, enough room for 4 designers, but there was another room currently used as an impromptu storage room as they've just moved into this studio a couple of weeks ago.

Most of the time it was just myself and Robyn in the studio, I liked this. I like to think I can get along with nearly anyone and be quite personable with them,  but I do find this so much easier with one person at a time. I excel at this. I am the social king of this (Quite ironic, the social king of one on ones? Oxymoron maybe?). But even when one or two more people are added to this intimate equation, then I become a bit more reserved (only if I don't know them) and I tend to hold back a bit, which I find very annoying. But from prior experience, people tend to like this as I don't say anything annoying or stick my foot in it, so it's a win - win really. Anyway, I think I got along really well with Robyn for the 2 weeks, he was a funny chap, REALLY reminded me of someone I knew or seen before. He was very sarcy which was great because I do love a bit of sarcasm.
He had another freelance Designer whom was a regular for Bobo, called Jim, he was really cool and laid back, and whenever he was in the office those two would be ripping into each other - jokingly - and have a lot of 'bants'. Yes I am hip and cool.

The type of work I did was very different to what I've been doing the past year or so. For me, the past 2 years has been the breakthrough for the 'Jamie Kyle Moving Image Show' Chapter of my life, so I haven't dibble dabbled in any 2D design work beside a few poster designs for my Film Noir.
I was coming up with concepts for Film posters and DVD sleeves, I can't go into too much detail because I did sign a little contract saying that I shouldn't mention TOO much, especially as designs haven't been finalized. But Robyn did say that any work I worked on from these 2 weeks I could include in my portfolio, so keep posted and I might have something up soon.

It was good to get back into 2D design though, I learnt a few more tricks on Photoshop which is always great and I feel like I've gone up a Level with the exp. points I accumulated (Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerdddddddd, I can't help it sometimes, I just had to say it because how I do think sometimes).

For all my hard work and effort I was awarded £100 for the 2 weeks, which I wasn't expecting so that was a nice surprise and a step closer to get out of my blasted overdraft.

One really good thing about this placement was that I was one of 4 or 5 other placements, all of us having 2 weeks each, and after that if Robyn really liked the look of one or two of us he would take us on a paid internship ranging from 3 - 6 months, maybe longer. So at the moment I'm looking at this as a great opportunity to get started in the creative industry and brancing out to make some more contacts.

I have another freelance opportunity coming up, going in for a meeting on the 1st September, will get my animation side on the go! Will tell you more this time next week.

TTFN

Jamie

Final Throws Photos.

Final Throws @ Finnegans Wake, Ealing 06/08/2010

Here are some selected snaps I took of a couple of really good friends' band.This sounds a bit fruity/pretentious but I intentionally went for some abstract shots. I wanted to capture the energy and feel of the band that you could only really get from a live performance. I find quite a lot of gig photography is very samey and there's plenty of room for experimental and artistic photography within, rather than a documentation of the event. I didn't use a flash at all and used slow shutter speeds, night time settings, and portrait settings to get some softer tones.

Jamie

Duckeye ad.

Assistant animator on this! 




Jamie

Duckeye.

So for the past week I've been at a placement with a moving image company called Duckeye who I've liked the look of ever since I saw this video for Magic and Fur mentioned in Creative Review.

I went down to their studio in Shoreditch, it's situtated in a basement and it's a fairly big layout altogether - it's shared with Jey's (the main man) girlfriend and a few others who I saw a couple of times. Jey is one part of the duo of Duckeye, with his business associate away on maternity leave at the moment, so I didn't get to meet her but instead I got to meet Belinda and Amy who were working on the project with me, both were very nice and easy going.

I was only down for this week as Jey needed a couple of extra hands to help out with a stop frame animation involving jigsaws on planes of glass. This stop frame animation was for Peugeut, a fairly big client so we needed to get everything right. I was Assistant Animator/Runner to the project, which was great as I got some good hands on experience.

I regret not taking any photos in hindsight as it would be easier to explain, but it was quite a tricky process - setting up the shots in particular, who knew glass could be such a pain!

I worked on it Monday - Wednesday (Deadline for Thursday/Friday morn) starting 9.30am finishing around 8pm, long hours but it wasn't a drag, I found it okay, I was just shattered each time I got up in the morning, ironically.

It's a good little ad, with the jigsaws (of the car interior, exterior etc) each creating a frame for the next shot and then the next shot and intertwining quite nicely - concept being you put the pieces together to make up a full package for the car, and YOU (the target audience) just have to put the last piece in to make it complete, which is the fuel. Again, it may be easier to understand through visuals.

Like I said I was more of an assistant animator/runner position, so I took the photos when we did the animation and ran out to get materials etc, which was great because it was more responsibility than I was expecting.

The ad should be on telly in the next few weeks, I'll post it up here when it airs. But in the mean time, I have another placement to look forward to this Monday with 'What is Bobo?'who do film posters for Ealing Film Studios.

TTFN

Jamie