I have begun this project by first looking at the various companies I would consider working for. I have done my best to ignore the bigger companies as due to the recent economic crisis and recession, it will be difficult to obtain a job with a large company as jobs will be scarce and hard to come by. Therefore I have looked at new and upcoming companies that I could and may in the future work for.
The first company I researched was the animation company Aardman Animations. This is a big company, I know but It is one I would certainly consider working for. The current economic crisis however, means I would need to look at other smaller companies such as Bright White which I will mention later. This, company is known around the world and recognised for their popular and unique stop motion animation work. Their major success came from their characters Wallace and Gromit who revolutionised the way we look at stop motion animation, and have won numerous awards for their unique humour, style and character not seen in any other animation before.
They were created by Nick Park and have since been in three animated movies (A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave) and one box-office movie (Wallace and Gromit The Curse of the Were-rabbit). They are also responsible for the Oscar winning Creature Comforts series, following conversations with animals on various life experiences.
They have a marketing and licensing department which covers all forms of advertising from the Rice Crispies cereal boxes and designs to merchandise ( bags, toys etc.). They have also produced advertisements for Hubba Bubba bubblegum, the Rice Crispies adverts and Coca Cola. Their department also oversees and produces marketing for their major projects and characters, like Wallace and Gromit bags, posters and television spots. They also cover commercials, broadcasting and licensing which allows them more freedom to go in their own direction and not be following joint company rules and plans. they can do it in their own style and not be ordered to do something that is not in the company’s best interest and nature.
What can I learn from this company? If you plan and fund your own advertising, broadcasting and marketing instead of going through another company to produce and manage all the advertising, you can not only save money, but you can also gain experience from it and develop skills in that area which you can also use as another company skill. The disadvantage to this is that you would have more work to accomplish. This however can be countered if you have reliable, hard working staff available. Aardman are lucky, they have their own department for it due to them being a world renowned company. For a new and up coming, this could prove to be very difficult.
Looking at the company Bright White which is in my opinion a big but not a well known company, they have, like Aardman Animations produced some new, interesting and top of the line quality products this time in the form of 3D design environments for companies. They take a design layout for a room or building and re-design it in 3D. They have realised designs for Lofoten Aquarium in the Arctic Circle, designing the interior of the building and proving it with new technology to get a younger audience to enjoy it.
They have also worked with York Museum to design and build an interactive section entitled ‘how old is it?’.
They are currently working with York City Council, creating a new technology which shows the city centre of York in full 3D. I was privileged to go and see some of their designs myself. They are developing it so you can see what the city of York was like in the past as well as the present.
I asked their managing director Chris Walker how they managed to keep to deadlines when they only had 3 members. It turns out they hire freelancers to provide them with some help and take some of the weight of their shoulders. Their website however does not have information on how they market and advertise their company as well as how they deal with organising such a company so I contacted Chris via email to find out more about the company.
MAINLY WORD-OF-MOUTH BUT WE EXHIBIT AT TRADESHOWS. COST APPROX £5,000 PA.
DON’T TAKE EVERYTHING EVERYONE TELLS YOU AS GOSPEL – LISTEN TO YOUR OWN FEELINGS.
BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS.
HAPPENS ALMOST EVERY PROJECT. WE ENCOURAGE CLIENTS TO COME UP WITH IDEAS, THEN STRENGTHEN / ADD NEW IDEAS WHERE NECESSARY.
ANYWHERE BETWEEN 0 AND 30%
Looking at this company I have found out that it is sometimes necessary to hire freelance workers to assist and help with various jobs during a project. It also takes a moderate amount of the overall cost to do so, so in order to receive a reasonable amount of profit I would need to think about how much I would earn overall and how much it would set me back if I hired freelancers to help lighten the load. It takes a lot of confidence and determination to start a company as most of the time you need to rely on your own judgement or those of your partners. You have to come up with ideas to suit your clients needs, or provide them with guide lines for them to come up with their own ideas. You would then follow these ideas, that way everyone is happy. It is a very profitable and unique path to take. But one that has many responsible and challenging aspects as well. You need to be prepared!
Comparing the two companies, Aardman being a large well-known animation company and Bright White, a fairly small successful growing company who sometimes rely on freelance help with projects. Both have their ups and downs, their good points and their bad points. If you work for a company, you have the safety of receiving regular tasks and projects to keep you busy. As a freelancer you need to be constantly searching for clients and jobs making staying in that profession all the more difficult. But being a freelancer means you don’t have to worry about constantly working. You can take your time with it if you wish, provided you stick to a pre-prepared schedule so as not to lose precious time. With a company you have to stick to a solid business plan and strict time constraints, you’re not your own boss. Both in a way are equally balanced, It is really down to your own personal preference and choice. Like all jobs you are bound to get a few hiccups.
One form of business that I would like to take part in the future and one that could become a big success in the future is comic book iPhone applications. I am a big fan of comic books and graphic novels so this would be a perfect for me. Turning comics interactive and presenting them in not only in new format,but also to a new audience and modern market. One company that I found who has accomplished this is the company Infurious Comics. They have produced various comics using their unique style and promote and present them in the iPhone format. One comic called Murderdrome, which they had produced was banned originally due to its comic violence.
This was corrected however due to the recent age rating option that Apple added so this problem is never encountered again. Still, there is plenty of space for this market to flourish and develop and I would be privileged to be a part of it.
After researching and looking at these three fantastic company’s, I am clear with what kind of business I would possibly or eventually create and run. It is a stressful and difficult road to take, but one that would pay off in the long run. Not only with money but also new ideas and experiences. Companies look for expressive, enthusiastic people and ones that can lighten the mood, produce new ideas and be great fun to work with. This is what I should look for if ever searching for new employees or freelancers. I have learnt a lot from this experience and plenty of stuff to think about when producing my business plan.
