Internship Arrangement Email Update (Contact Reports)

(READ FROM THE BOTTOM UP!)

The problem with agents is that they take a commission...I never used one. Only been here for about 3 or 4 years and always found places through web research. There is a website called Westsiderentals.com
You have to pay something like 60 dollars but you have access to a lot of ads and they are usually more reliable than craigslist....I'll also keep an ear out for anything. What would your price range be?


On Apr 19, 2010, at 3:58 PM, Michael Williams wrote:
Hi Alex,

Thanks so much for the sound advice! I bet it's great living near the beach!

I was looking at craigslist the other day in fact, but I will try your link, it maybe different than my search! Can you recommend any decent property agents or companies I can look at on the web?

Many thanks

Mike

Sent from my iPhone

On 19 Apr 2010, at 21:27, Alex Czetwertynski wrote:


Ok, let me know once you have gotten through the Lynda and 3d fluff tutes. I will send you some more advanced ones at that point.

Yes, send me stuff whenever you have it.

In terms of accommodation...I live in Venice beach. I am about 45 min away from work so it is a long drive every day. But I feel that if I'm to live in LA, I might as well live by the beach... I also surf and have a young daugther, that makes sense for us.
If you were to get a car (which you kind of need in this town) you might want to think about where you want to live. The hollywood hills can be very nice, Los Feliz, Silverlake. Downtown has an interesting vibe.
The cheaper areas would be Mar Vista (still close to the beach) and Culver City (a lot of film studios and artists).
Let me know if I can help. Have you tried losangeles.craigslist.com?

Best
Alex

On Apr 19, 2010, at 1:24 PM, Michael Williams wrote:
Hi Alex,

Thanks very much for the advice as I have been researching already for accommodation. I am considering driving but I need to think it through some more.

The C4D tutorials I have at the moment are the lynda.com Cinema 4D R10 Essential Training and 3D Fluff Training For Cinema 4D. I am currently trying to get a hold of the lynda.com Cinema 4D R11.5 Essential Training cd rom, as I have the 11.5 version of Cinema 4D. I will look into Mograph and definitely learn it. I use AE frequently and I'm looking to improve my skills on that too. AI & PS I have been using for a few years and have knowledge of both. I would be willing to look at anything you decided to share with me because it can only help even more!

I am 20 years old at the moment and will be 21 in May. I do have other samples of work that are being updated within the next month for the end of year show and my portfolio. Is it ok if I share these pieces with you then?

Many Thanks,


Mike


On 19 Apr 2010, at 20:10, Alex Czetwertynski wrote:
Hey Michael

In terms of apartments, you should probably look around Hollywood. Our office is located at 627 Sunset Blvd. 90028 LA CA. We are at the corner of Sunset blvd. and Cahuenga av.
If you don't want to drive, find a place that is close and get a bike or walk.

Which tutorials did you get for C4d? I definitely feel you need to learn Mograph as much as you can. Also develop your modeling skills as much as possible. If you are interested, I have a lot of tutorials I can share with you.

You definitely need to get comfortable with After Effects, as the combo of Cinema4d and After Effects is what we use all the time. Try to look into all the ways to connect music with graphics in both those applications (sound effector in C4d and the "convert audio to keyframes'/Soundkeys options in AE). I would also get comfy with Illustrator and photoshop. That will get you in a good place.

How old are you? Do you have any samples of work you have done other than the one you sent me in that first email?

Best
Alex


On Apr 18, 2010, at 11:07 AM, Michael Williams wrote:
Hi Alex,

I have already looking at apartments etc, any tips or advice on where I should looking? I'm trying to find somewhere cheap! Is the public transport in LA not very good or something? I can drive anyways so getting a car is an option I can ponder over further. I have recently acquired some C4D tutorials 6 dvd's worth and will be looking to get some more! I would say I have a decent knowledge of 3D software after working with it for over two years using Maya. I finish university in early May and will dedicate my time then to preparing for this internship. What other software packages would you recommend I focus on? I am Adobe CS friendly too! I would really appreciate it and be really grateful if you would share with me whatever you can as i believe every little helps!

From this internship I expect to gain experience and knowledge of the creative industry. Also, the chance to be in a working environment and working with others on projects making some beautiful pieces of work! I do think also that this experience in the end will greatly enhance my own personal skills on many levels including technical, design and people skills. I hope that I can bring something to your team that would be good for all! I am extremely passionate and have continuos interest in this area of moving image design.

I'm very grateful for such an opportunity

Many thanks

Mike


On 18 Apr 2010, at 01:42, Alex Czetwertynski wrote:
Yes that sounds good.

A couple of questions
-Are you going to be ok looking for lodging and transport etc...? LA is a city where it is pretty hard to get around without a car
-What will you be learning between now and september? How much prep work are you willing to do in learning specific things about C4d and other software so I can make sure we optimize your time here? I could point you to certain tutorials and send you some things I feel would be good for you to watch/read which would give you quite a good edge on things.

Also please let me know more about what you would expect from an internship such as this

Thanks
Alex

On Apr 17, 2010, at 5:33 PM, Michael Williams wrote:
Hi Alex,

That sounds great. Would six months starting in September be ok?

Many thanks!

Kind regards,

Mike

Sent from my iPhone

On 17 Apr 2010, at 00:55, Alex Czetwertynski wrote:


Hey Michael

So I finally was able to discuss this with my boss.
What he suggests is that we pay you when we are in production on a job (we factor you into our budget) and when we are not in production you do not get a salary.
Would this work for you? The base salary we would pay an intern is 15 dollars an hour.
Keep this between us, but I think that if you can prove you are capable of more than an intern normally would, your rate could easily be renegotiated.

Let me know

Best
Alex

On Apr 13, 2010, at 1:56 PM, Michael Williams wrote:
Hi Alex,

What do you normally do? I don't really understand.

sorry for any inconvenience!

Thanks

Mike



On 13 Apr 2010, at 20:33, Alex Czetwertynski wrote:
Hey man
I did. My boss is in Australia, he should be back in a few days. It should be fine.
Can you let me know if you need compensation? Would you be ok with getting compensation only when you work on a given project?

Thanks
Alex

On Apr 13, 2010, at 12:18 PM, Michael Williams wrote:
Hi Alex,

How's it going? I was just wondering if you received the email I sent the other day?

Kind regards,

Mike

Mathematics Contact

I contacted Mathematics (Mentioned in an earlier post > http://mikewilliams11.blogspot.com/2010/02/empire-of-sun-visuals-mathematics.html)in Australia to ask them some questions about some concert visuals they have produced for band Empire Of The Sun for a festival which I really liked because I think the visuals work well with the band's psychedelic style and I also liked the abstract style used.

e-mail conversation:

"Dear Sir/Madam

My name is Michael Williams and I am currently studying on the BA(Hons) Design & Visual Arts - Moving Image course at Stockport College in the United Kingdom. I am very much interested in the work this company produces especially the work on live concert tour visuals and hope to get into this industry myself one day. I was looking at the work that you have done for Empire Of The Sun and was wondering if I could ask someone a few questions about the work to assist me in my studies?

Many thanks for your time,
Kind regards,

Michael Williams
3rd Year Student
Stockport College
United Kingdom"

Reply:

"sure

fire away..."

To which I replied:

"Hello Josh,

1)Firstly, I have watched some of the individual number from the set on youtube and i was wondering what were the concepts for the majority of the visuals because they are very abstract?

2) How did you work with the screen because it was layered in a way in which it was many screens in the form of arches but from front view it looks similar to a single screen? Was there a template to work to? Was there a specific reason why the screen was built this way?

3) What software packages do you use, because a lot of it looks like it was maybe done in 3D software but i know you can achieve 3D effects in non 3D packages like after effects?

4) Do you have any tips or advice for me on how to visualise music successfully and how to get into the business ?

I am very grateful for your time and I would like to comment on how rich the content was for Empire's performance in terms of colour movement and composition.

Many thanks,

Kind regards,

Michael Williams
3rd Year Student
Stockport College
United Kingdom"

Waiting on reply to questions, the answers will help me understand the design process for this work hopefully and I may gain some vital tips to take to my major project!

I Think 6 months

I have expressed to Frank The Plumber and asked them what they thought about me interning with them for 6 months commencing in September. I am now waiting for a reply and hopefully begin the planning! I think that if I did 6 months I would have the chance to settle in, work on a few projects and walk away with a fantastic experience under my belt that could perhaps make me more desirable to potential employers and give me new industry knowledge and design skills.

Ian Macklin Reply

I was really glad that Ian Macklin got back to me and told me of when he would be giving me some feedback which I am looking forward to as I discussed the project with him during the production of the piece.

Macklin's reply:

"Hi Michael,

I do indeed remember you.

Sorry for not getting back sooner, i've been away from my computer for a few days.

We will indeed take a look at your work. I'll grab my wife this week and we'll pass you some comments over.

yeah, shame we didn't see you when you were down, were you with the group that went to weare17's studio?

hope you're well,

cheers,

ian"

Getting The Ball Rolling!

I am keeping up with the negotiations about my internship in LA with Frank The Plumber and the creative director has expressed a few things in his emails for me:

"I will find out what kind of rate we can pay you, but it will probably be quite low...."

I have heard from past graduates that have gone onto to do internships and placements the sometimes you don't get paid for what you do, but from what I have made out I may not be just there to run around and making coffee and that I will be involved properly on their projects as they were interested to know what software I use and that they are willing to pay me!

&

"Can you tell me what you would be expecting to get out of this experience so I can make sure it is all worthwhile for you?"

To which I replied:

"I hope to gain more knowledge and experience of the industry and have the experience of working in this area. I am really interested about the type of work you guys do and have been greatly interested in audio visual and concert visuals for years."

They replied with:

"Ok, my main concern is that during the time that you are here we are not in production on a given show, but that is rarely the case.

Even so, we will find things to work on.

Keep me posted on when you would want to come and for how long and I will inquire more on my end"

I Have Committed

With further conversations continuing with Frank The Plumber I have decided to commit and go out to Los Angles either in August or September 2010 and intern with Frank The Plumber. I asked how long the internship would be and Alex Czetwertynski (in house creative director) said that they have people from 1-6 months! Careful consideration will need to be taken as this is a major move in my life potentially.

I was asked what software I knew and I said in an e-mail: "The software I use and know is autodesk maya, after effects, premier pro, Photoshop, illustrator. I know some flash and starting to learn cinema4D."

To his reply he said: "Glad you are c4d friendly!"

This shocked me in a way because ever since from going to London and meeting with designers and group visits to agencies, I have learnt that Cinema4D is more and more widely used in the industry yet on my degree course in moving image we use maya. I can see why on my course we use maya and that is because it covers all grounds and is feature rich also there is a difference in price of the software, Cinema4D is cheaper making it more appealing to companies.

Further Conversations

Upon showing and getting feedback from Frank The Plumber's in house creative director Alex Czetwertynski, I have kept in contact with him and through further conversation he Alex has offered me an internship with the company in Los Angeles.

"I'm not 100% sure how we can work together yet, but if we have anything that requires a UK based person I will let you know. If you are interested in interning with us in LA, please let me know"

I was thrilled to receive this email and I am seriously considering the offer.

Frank The Plumber – We're Gonna Clean Those Pipes Right Out

John Narun Feedback

I contacted John Narun (http://www.johnnarun.com/)a moving image designer in the US to see if he could give me some feedback on my work. I decided to show him my self directed project was a concert visual piece for the Reverend & The Makers song ‘Bandits’ (Reverend & The Makers - Bandits (Visuals) on Vimeo). Narun has worked for companies such as Veneno to produce concert visuals for some major worldwide stage tours. He has produced visuals for the likes of Christina Aguilera and Madonna. I thought that for these reasons Narun's feedback and thoughts would be priceless and enable me to improve my work and it would give me some tools and tips that I could take to my major project which is on going and I am creating concert visuals that are going to be shown at a live event!

Narun's comments:

"michael,

thanks so much for your email. i watched your piece and i think its amazing fun! here are my thoughts for what its worth...

you have a great sense of rhythm. both the animation and the edit work perfectly with the song - even your use of blur in the slower part shows that you are very in touch with the musicality. nice work. i love the illustration as well. its colorful and fun. the icons that work with the lyrics are just right.

if you were to continue to evolve it i would focus on the following things:

1. find ways to make it more of a story. it should change from the beginning of the song to the end in some sort of arc. that keeps it more interesting for the viewer. perhaps its a simple machine at first and throughout the song it gets more and more complex until it breaks under the strain of its own complexity. something like that to keep it changing.

2. the reflections are gorgeous and make me wish there was even more structure. even some simple 3d structure would give it much more depth.

3. Look for moments to insert fun and unexpected nuances. The way the wheels turn and lock into place maybe. Variations in the way the lights blink. Things like that.

Overall, great work! Let me know how it's received.

J "

Feedback Frank The Plumber

I contacted US production company Frank The Plumber (Frank The Plumber – We're Gonna Clean Those Pipes Right Out) who I found whilst researching for my major project, who specialise in music videos and concert visuals to see if I could get some feedback on my work, as I am interested in the area of concert visuals and that I had created a concert visual piece for my self directed project. I was hoping that the feedback would enable me to perhaps improve my portfolio and give me some tips that I could implement into my major project, which is creating music visuals for a live event.

My self directed project was a concert visual piece for the Reverend & the Makers song ‘Bandits’. Reverend & The Makers - Bandits (Visuals) on VimeoThe feedback I got from Frank The Plumber was from the in house creative director Alex Czetwertynski and his comments regarding the work are as follows “My feedback would be that depending on the band you do this for it could be conceived of as great or terrible. It is very well executed and you can see the work that went into it, but the style is very cartoony. If you were to work for a band that liked that, great. But not all would. I would be curious to see more samples of your work with a maybe slicker approach, stuff that shows more a different style.”

This feedback tells me that the piece is 50/50 successful. Perhaps the “cartoony” aspect would be misrepresenting the band? A way in which I would improve the work is to give the 3D model a more professional and realistic look so it looks like a more serious piece of design rather than being too playful.

Ian Macklin Contact

I contacted Ian Macklin of what was know as Goodies Corp now Me&You Studio for feedback on my concert visuals piece as he said that he would like to see it when it was finished back in October when I interviewed him to gain more information on him and his work with concert visuals.

My email to him below:

"Dear Ian,

You may remember me from a few months ago when you came into Stockport College, I was the third year that interviewed you about your work! You may remember me telling you about a project I was doing making some concert visuals? I was wondering if you could have a quick look at it if at all possible and maybe give me some feedback? I would really appreciate your thoughts as you work in this area and the feedback would be really valuable! The link is below

Reverend & The Makers - Bandits (Visuals) on Vimeo

( http://vimeo.com/10631486 )

How are you anyways? I was hoping to meet up with you when you met with Rick Clapham in London a few weeks ago as we were all down there on a trip! Unfortunately I never properly arranged it with him which is a shame!

Many thanks for your time,

Kind regards,

Michael Williams
3rd Year Student
Stockport College
United Kingdom"

SAINT - Portfolio Visit - London

On Wednesday 3^rd March 2010 fellow student Sophie Harrison and I visited the London based motion design company Saint. Saint create motion graphics for a variety of areas in the industry including; advertising, broadcast and live music visual performance which was the main aim for visiting them as I extremely interested in music visuals. Clients for music visuals include Rod Stewart and Muse.

As this company was relevant to the work that I am doing in my major project and what I would like to do in the future, we decided to show them our own work and get some feedback from them on what was good about the work and what needed improving etc. This was also ideal for Sophie as she has done broadcast work in the past and is working on a music video for her major project.

Upon arrival we were welcomed into their studio buy the Creative Directors Nicky and Matt. The studio was quite small consisting of 5 or 6 people across two rooms including designers and a secretary. Firstly we had a chat with them about themselves, about their company and what they do etc. to break the ice. I decided to show them the work that I did for my self-directed project, which was some music visuals. They seemed impressed with my work and managed to give me some constructive criticism and helpful advice on how I could improve it and what parts were effective etc. Specifically they told me that because for parts of the work I was very literal in what I was visualizing that to make it better I should make the work more literal as the work was fun and had a strong narrative. After we both showed our work and got feedback we continued to talk to them about many issues in design including techniques and software etc.

I found the visit to be very helpful to me, as I know what I need to improve on in my work. Also I left the visit brimming with confidence that I could perhaps be able to handle working in the industry as a result of their feedback. When leaving the visit we discussed the possibility of sending them samples of our work in the future, which they were happy to go ahead with.

http://www.creativesaints.co.uk/index.php

Max Hattler Portfolio Session Review

On March 2nd Myself and fellow student Jen met with Max Hattler to show and discuss our work. It was a very strange experience as it was the first time we did this. We met him on the corner of a street outside a cafe which he had planned we have the portfolio session in, unfortunately it was closed for refurbishment so we went and found another cafe instead.

I decided to show Hattler two pieces of my work which were my concert visual piece for Reverend & The Makers song 'Bandits' Reverend & The Makers - Bandits (Visuals) on Vimeo and my co-produced competition piece 'Harmony Of Chaos'.

On the 'Bandits' piece Hattler said that he liked the finish the piece had to it and that it looked very professional. He asked me if it too a long time to do it as he imagined it would of so I described to him the time in which it took to render a single frame which was about 3-4 mins and there was 2,500 frames I think. He also said that he would like to see more literal imagery in the piece as there is some already, I guess he was saying that because there is some already it is almost teasing the viewer to expect more. Hattler also said that the piece got a bit predictable over time and would of liked to see something that would break it up a bit in the second half of piece. I thought these comments were great because I could understand where he was coming from. in the future I may revisit the piece and implement this feedback and I will certainly take these tips into consideration whilst doing my major project.

On the 'Harmony Of Chaos' piece Hattler again appreciated and liked the 3D and effort that went into the piece but struggled to make sense of the story behind the piece as it was meant to reflect a quote we had found and had worked to which was "Music is harmony, harmony is perfection, perfection is our dream, and our dream is heaven" by Henri Frederic Amiel. We told of a story of a little character breaking free from the chaos and moving with its peers in an harmonious way using the music symbolically as the thing that set the character free. In theory it works but unfortunately the execution didn't. Hattler saw that piece as two halves that was missing the joining point in the middle which was the most vital part. The feedback was excellent as I really needed an outsider especially one that knew experimental film to give me advice on how to improve the work as the piece was abstract.

Max Hattler Contact

Myself and fellow student Jenny Huddart have arranged a portfolio session with abstract film maker and VJ Max Hattler for when we go down to London on a residential trip. Max Hattler would be ideal for me to get feedback on my work because he has created concerts visuals for Basement Jaxx in the past and his opinion would perhaps help me improve my work. Below are the contact emails to make the arrangements.

"Hello Max!
I got in touch with you last year about your film 'Drift', I don't know if you remember me?!
As part of my degree course in moving image, we need to show our portfolio's to people who are in the industry that we want to go into. Throughout my degree course I have realised that experimental film, showing them in galleries and at festivals etc would be my dream area to go into!
I am visiting London between the 28th February - 3rd March this year, to familiarise myself with galleries down there, and show my work to get as much advice as I can. I thought I would ask if it would be ok if I met up with you to show you some of my work, and recieve advice and information about how you got your foot in the door and the processes you went through to get your name out there?
I realise you are a very busy guy, but if you are in London between those dates, and you have a bit of free time you could spare me, I would be SO grateful! :o)
Please let me know if you would be willing to view my work.
Thank you for your time Max!

Jenny

Jenny Huddart Stockport college BA HONS Moving Image. 3rd Year. Manchester."

"hi jenny,

I might be able to meet on 28feb, 1 or 2 march. can you email me nearer the time? then I can tell you for sure.

cheers,
max"

"Hello Max,
I was just wondering if it would still be ok with you to meet up at the beginning of March? I have realised now that the best day for me would be the 2nd on Tuesday.

Also, my classmate Mike Williams has asked me to see whether he could come with me if we met up? He is interested in VJing and Concert Visuals, he has looked at your webpage and thinks it would be a good opportunity for him to get advise on his own visuals from someone who is already in the industry.

Would this be okay, For both me and Mike to meet up with you on the 2nd March?

Thank you again for this opportunity Max,

Jenny

Jenny Huddart Stockport College BA HONS Moving Image. 3rd Year. Manchester."

"hi jenny,

yes 2 march should be fine to meet you and mike. I don’t have a studio at the moment so I’m trying to think where would be best. I live near old street tube so somewhere in that area is probably good, maybe 1pm?

cheers,
max"

"That is absolutely fantastic, thank you so much for doing this for us!

We don't really know London that well, but with the tube etc Mike and I would be fine in getting to that area. We have no idea what's around there though! So if you could just let me know where you would like to meet, I'm sure we could figure out how to get there!

Thank you again, you've made my day!

Jenny

Jenny Huddart Stockport College BA HONS Moving Image. 3rd Year. Manchester."

Basic Monkey Contact

I recently contacted Basic Monkey who "Support trade clients with their productions, providing technical support, equipment, design and consultancy." to live events. I got in contact with this company to have a look at my work and in particular my concert visual piece for some feedback. The reason why I contacted them was although they are not a design agency they were a company that works with live shows where visuals are used and was hoping that they would be able to tell me if my work would work live and if not why. This because I have read and heard that you need to be carful what you put onto a large screen because of the effects it can have on a audience such as seizures.

Unfortunately I have heard no reply from Basic Monkey.

Ian Macklin Interview

I recently interviewed Ian Macklin of Goodies Corp when he came into Stockport College to lecture the second year students for one day and give a talk, I managed to grab half an hour with to talk about him and his work with concert visuals, as I was creating a concert visual piece for my self directed project. The Q&A is below:

Ian Macklin Interview

"Q. How did you get involved with concert visuals?

A. Free lancing, got passed on to the job by a friend from UVA.

Q. Enjoy it? If so what did you like?

A. Yeah, I love music!

Q. How do you find the rhythm and mould it visually?

A. Everyone interprets beats and rhythms differently, best advice is to lock in on a beat.

Q. What kinds of briefs are you set for a particular song?

A. With the Kylie Minogue brief it was very open and I was given references to arches, and was expected to use them.

Q. How do you approach or handle the design process?

A. Experiments to see what works. (An example was triangles with edges or triangles without edges)

Q. What sizes do you have to work at to get the visuals on these massive screens? What’s the process?

A. Clients will specify and provide templates to be used in after effects and other software. Tech guys sort out how the images get on the screen.

The Kylie project was HD 1080

Q. Rendering out final comps, anything to be done special in the term of settings?

A. Animation codec full resolution. Then export in QuickTime for a smaller file size.

Q. Any addition advice you could give to me?

A. Try own experiments keep experimenting and try different mediums."