Final Reflections

As the deadline for this project comes to a close it is a great time to take stock, evaluate where I have got to and plan how to continue with my professional development. What follows is a bit of stock taking and summation of all of the different strands large and small that I have been pursuing for this unit and where I will be taking these next.

Create corporate video content to initiate and promote my video production company.
This has been the trickiest element especially with the client I chose as they were not the most co-operative and pretty flakey in times of getting together and fully instigating the project. I am still aiming to create some work from them but with any more lack of pro-activity their end I will look elsewhere which I am avidly doing at the moment and chasing up some potentials currently. I still need some content and I have outlined the sort of work need on my website and to promote myself from the research and this will be my "to-do" list and I am aiming to have 4-5 pieces of good video content by Christmas. Currently I am chasing the Greenpeace work as well as some other companies and also bands with a look to working for them to create video content some of it paid. All of the research, planning and development I have carried out here has really informed me though as to what exactly the content is that I need to create moving forward and has been a real positive. It has stretched me to consider budgets, planning and greatly improved me professionally and where I can generate income from in the future.

Develop my own video production company branding/marketing. Web, online etc.
Good in-roads here and my understanding of all of these areas which was always a weakness is now progressing really well. I have spent a lot of time researching online promotion, social marketing, website design and other promotional and marketing areas. From this I now have a strong idea of my company ethos, place in the market and am also developing a website, SMM ideas and also marketing and promotional ideas. I need to complete the website and get the aforementioned video content onto it but huge in-roads have been made. I have set myself a deadline of the end of September for the website and as mentioned above Christmas to populate the site with video content. The branding, marketing and website design have also been something I have enjoyed and may be able to market to potential clients as a one stop shop for these as well as video content.

Develop installations, promos or direct action video work for Greenpeace.

Finally I instigated initial enquiries into working with Greenpeace and using connections within them. This highlighted that collaborating with them is going to be a long drawn out process, which I guess is the same with many large organisations and my naivety is possibly the best lesson learnt here. However I am on their radar and am familiarising myself with their processes and procedures. I am developing ideas for the next module of my course working within their campaigns and ethos and aim to work with them very soon.

Teaching on UCS BA (Hons) Digital Film Production, Film Studies & Screenwriting courses. 

I contacted Alexandra Leaney who runs the BA (Hons) Film and Screenwriting courses at UCS and have negotiated some guest lecturing. This will be great for my C.V. and add to my experience of teaching within H.E. as well as establishing my skillset for any openings that may arise at UCS. These sessions need arranging and dates firmed up but hopefully by Christmas I will have at least one session under my belt.

Investigate opportunities within arts funding and residency opportunities. 

I have also researched arts funding and residencies and how and where these are advertised and operate. This area needs a lot more hard work and targeting of opportunities available and right for me and my practice. The next step is to once i have considered these factors to actually start applying. 

Curate and organise events within existing film festivals or create own mini film festival.
I have also rekindled contact with the Aldeburgh Documentary Film Festival and have spoken to them about working with them about curating a day for schools and education within the festival. This will incorporate video production workshops and education events to be integrated into this. I will stay in communication with Aldeburgh cinema and continue to work in partnership with this through to the festival in early November.

Devise, find funding for and create & run educational video production workshops.
This has been covered somewhat through the work with Aldeburgh above and the workshop sessions being planned for this. However I am also working on workshops that I could run for schools, youth groups and organisations. I have a huge amount of resources that I have developed for my teaching work that I am looking at repurposing for these. I will need to speak to my college about using some of their resources and ideally students for their work experience then start to look into marketing these.

All of the above are great opportunities I will continue to pursue into the future and all have helped me grow in an all round sense to develop me as a practitioner. They have also made me much more aware and savvy of the commercial sense of my practice as well as funding opportunities to enable me to make an income from my creativity, skillset and knowledge.

Brain Tree Films: Logo Designs 3

After some great feedback from my presentation and my own minor tinkering with the logos I was developing I decided to have a go at developing my logo once more. The design below was the one I most favoured but during my presentation I presented all of my completed logo designs and asked my peers for their opinions. As there were two graphic designers in the audience I really wanted to press them for their take and opinions.

Feedback from peers on logo designs overall.

• They loved the company name Brain Tree Films.
• An uncomplicated is best possibly using the company name or one simple logo. Many of mine were too complicated, were confusing over "film" too old fashioned, or confusing.
• The name was the strength and do I really need to show a brain, tree and film icon? 
• Possibly something but simpler with the braintree logo with the brain as the foliage would be best they liked this version.

Taking all of these comments on board I decided to try and strip the logo back to absolute basics and go for a simpler design.

This is indeed a much simpler and cleaner design. The green and all the connotations it brings is still present and the logo is much tighter and the font has stayed the same but the green rectangle and white tree text highlights this and creates a nice composition. I do have concerns over it looking a bit colloquial and perhaps not as professional as the logo at the top of this post but it is definitely simpler and still quite memorable. I need to get a few more opinions to see if I go with it as I am undecided but feel the final logo will come from this post, or a variation on these designs.

Reflections: Presentation, Peer Feedback and 1-1 Tutorial

The deadline for this unit is on the 11th August when unfortunately I am away on holiday. Due to this I have had to give the presentation of my Professional development this week rather than on the 11th. A link to the presentation is below.

http://www.slideshare.net/jsaward/ma-professional-development-final-presentation

The plus side to having to give my presentation early is that is that I have had to leave the project a little open ended as I still have a week to get the projects strands tidied up and submitted. So I can use my peers on the course and my tutor to get a few pointers as I head into the final straight. Below are the ideas, thoughts and opinions of my peers which were all very helpful.

Logo feedback
Some great feedback on the logo design especially the two graphic designers in the room. They loved the company name Brain Tree Films and said that an uncomplicated is best possibly using the company name or one simple logo. many of mine were too complicated, were confusing over "film" too old fashioned, or confusing. they said the name was the strength and do I really need to show a brain, tree and film icon? Possibly something but simpler with the braintree logo and the brain as the foliage would be best.

Dealing with evasive clients
No easy answer but it was suggested that trying to get a face to face as soon as possible is best so you then have a face and a personal relationship between you and them. They did all find it hard to believe that Bishop Nick did not rip my arm off to get free video content and that they were daft for not grasping the opportunity. they did suggest possibly cutting my losses with clients in the future if communication is too much of a struggle especially when working for free.

Money, money, money
Some great advice here and a fellow student (Sara) suggested looking for any funding and available to me and start-up companies which is something I have not really considered. Another excellent point was to look for funding that small companies can get for the type of work that I can offer and then to make them aware and to help them apply if they work with me. Their costs are greatly reduced and I get the money to carry out the work!

All of these areas are great to help me to continue to move forward!

As an aside to the presentation I bumped into Alex Leaney who runs the BA Film production, Film and Screenwriting courses at UCS and really firmed up doing some classes for them next year. I just need to get her the dates and to remind her of what I could deliver sessions in.

Reflections: Rejuvenation of Bishop Nick Project?

I finally got word back from Libby at Bishop Nick about creating some video work for them following my visiting the brewery and leaving a message. She apologised for a lack of communication and stated how busy they were. They are still interested about some video work and were keen to try and establish times for possible shoots. Whilst it would be nice to tell them the ship had sailed on the work I do still need some interesting client based video to promote myself and to use as content on my website.

I responded saying that I am still interested but stating that we really do need to get together to work out exactly what they want. I mentioned my list of questions to get a better feel for the brand and the need to meet up ASAP. I also said that developing the idea for now and one piece would be the way to go and that I may be able to work on an animation with their blessing and happiness with the idea. I am looking to move forward albeit tentatively after the last few weeks lack of communication and to still keep developing the marketing and promotion elements of my project still and see where the video work with Bishop Nick goes.

Reflection: End of Bishop Nick Project

Still no correspondence from Bishop Nick so yesterday I went to their brewery to try and meet up with them and find out once and for all if they were still interested in working with me or if the project was never going to get off the ground. Neither Nelion or Libby (Owner and wife) were around so I left a message and phone number to call me on. I have had no response and am more than a little annoyed as I was offering them work for free and feel that the relationship could have been really positive for us both!

So have decided to bite the bullet and divert all of my attentions to the branding and promotion of myself and my company as well as look for other potential work ventures to kick-start the company and to use as content in my marketing.

Lessons that have been learnt from the whole Bishop Nick relationship and will be able to take forward into new client dealings. These will also prove useful as I move on with the marketing, branding and creation of my company.

• Money is always a tricky topic. they were after something for free and even mention of a little money to cover any small expenses may have put them off.
• Greater efforts at communication and much more regular communication. It was sometimes a few too many weeks between correspondence. Work and family commitments contributed to this but also my time management should have been stronger.
• Following on from the above I need to work on stronger project management skills. A planned timescale and diary of calls and communications in a planner would have helped.
• Sell myself more! This is to show them more of my work to get them to realise the excellent offer that was on the table. this is a little chicken and the egg as the whole purpose was to create some corporate work to use for promotions. However I should have also trumpeted former glories in similar areas so they would take more of an interest.
• Sell my prices more in this case gratis! Did they realise they were getting something for nothing and potentially £3000-£4000 worth of work for a tiny bit money (£100) for expenses only.
• Try to meet the client face to face as soon as possible. I did have a couple of phone conversations and some email correspondence but from experience once you have met face to face you are then dealing with a real person.

Reflection: Seminar with fellow students

Some interesting things came out of this and all had sympathies about the lack of client engagement. Another student is doing a website to promote his work and some interesting ideas were kicked about here concerning, reinvention, use of copy, images and text as well as promoting oneself.

Reflection: Last Attempt at Contact with Bishop Nick.

Today I sent an email and what I see as being my last attempt to contact Bishop Nick to request a meet up to discuss how we could work together and firm up some plans and dates. I have still not heard from them for the last two months! They did state that they were busy so I have tried hard not to pressurise them too much or be too forceful BUT it is now eight weeks and it looks like it is unlikely to happen.


I am still ploughing on with the branding and marketing though and this is starting to really take shape and move forward.