As much as I tried to make time to write my blog each week, I found it incredibly difficult to do so. The good news is that I haven’t had time to write the blog because I’ve been busy with new projects I’ve been bidding on. While I can’t talk about many of them in detail, I wanted to give you a quick update on what I’ve been working on.
Bink:
Yes, although progress has been slow due to the limited amount of time we have had to spend working on Bink, we are still making progress. As much as I would love to spend all my time working on my own projects, the truth is that the company needs to make money in order to do so. This means that my clients’ projects take priority.
We are working on improving the fur so that it works better for lighting both technically and visually. We are also working on the story for the next episode. I really want it to be a much bigger story with a lot of comedy, surprises and heart.
MagicMeeMees:
We have finished episode 3 and are now working on the fourth and final episode. We had a lot of fun creating this webisode and hope our client requests more episodes. I’ll share the third episode in early October, but for now here’s a still image.
Still from episode 3: Mittens lights up Holidayland
Solidarity project:
Well, this will be the first vague project I’ll talk about in this post due to the non-disclosure agreements I signed (NDA). I was contacting different charities to get the company to donate money. I wanted to find some great charities that specifically help children. One of these organizations asked if we would be willing to donate VFX/animation work on a PSA they are working on instead of donating money. I agreed to help in any way I could.
I was able to assemble an incredible team of charitable people who will also give some of their time and talent to help with the project. I am very excited and eager to start production.
Car Company Video:
This is a smaller project we will do to create a video for a large car company (I know, lazy). It will be a combination of 3D modeling, animation work and motion graphics. It started as a small smaller project, but today I heard from the client that he wants to talk about adding something to what we will do. I’m still not sure what the changes are, but I’m excited that this little project is bigger than I expected. Especially since this is a great car company that I would love to add to my customer list.
Automotive Feature Videos:
While we’re talking about cars, this project will consist of 2 videos that will break down the features of a new car. I submitted my offer for this project and now I’m waiting to see if we get it or not. Cross your fingers for us.
Healthcare Commercials:
They will be two 2D animated commercials for a healthcare company. We don’t do a lot of 2D work, but I know a lot of really talented 2D animators. I was asked to help create these commercials, so I’ve been working to build the right team. It’s a combination of finding the right talent and who has the timeline aligned with the rapid change needed. I think I found the perfect team for this project and I’ll find out more today.
California Government Project:
This is by far the largest project I am currently bidding on and includes both 3D animation and a live action production. Yesterday I heard from the client that we are among the top 3 companies they are considering for these commercials. I’m excited about this project for a few reasons, but the main reason is that it’s for a great cause. I love working on projects that have a positive impact on the community.
Other:
The last two weeks I have received a lot of projects, so it seems that my marketing efforts are working. Some of them are great projects and others are just not the best fit for one reason or another. Sometimes I turn down projects and other times I just don’t win them. So even though I have less time to write my blog, I’m still excited to be able to grow my business.
If you haven’t already, join me on my journey by subscribing to my blog. Also, if you have any ideas or tips, I’d love to hear what you have to say, so feel free to leave me any comments below. Otherwise, be sure to stay connected with me on Twitter (@MillerAnimation). Only time will tell.