Goldenwolf Studios Presentation

Today I was in a lecture hosted by two of the leaders of GoldenWolf Studios. They're an small animation studio based in London, England. They started getting work straight out of university almost, and they've gotten relatively larger since then. They mostly do Contract work and Commercial Work as a source of income. Their studio is relatively relaxed, as one of the aims for the studio is that its workers don't have an ego, and that a team mentality prevails. They strive for the best quality animation they can, not leaving any room for "just adequate" work. They regularly take group trips in order for their animators to have a healthy relationship with each other. They want their employees to be in the mindset that work is play, and play is work, because if you don't love what you're doing as an animator, you probably shouldn't be in the business. A few years ago, Disney XD hired them out to create some idents for their bumpers. They created 20 different show themed idents, all using similar colour schemes and palettes. A method they regularly employ is using 3D as a base for 2D animation. They explained to us that sometimes you will be given very strange briefs as an artist, and that you should roll with the punches and try to make the most out of what they're giving you. Most of their clientele are American, so they got the chance to work with WaWa, an east coast sub restaurant. They made an advertisement for them in the style of Heinz Edelmann, who then proceeded to sue WaWa on copyright infringement grounds.

After they explained the history of their company and clients, they gave us some advice for the application process, as well as how we should conduct ourselves when in the interview process. They told us to apply for everything, dont undersell yourself, but don't oversell yourself either. They told us that we need to help each other out when starting out, and not to burn bridges, as its not a smart thing to do in the long run. They said we need to network as much as possible.

For our show reel, they gave us a list of tips to adhere to regarding the quality of it. "does it look pretty? Is there competence in what youre showing? Can your employer use it with what they want to do?"

They recommended we get an online portfolio, and to e-mail prospective employers and make sure to follow up with them. They said not to turn up to a studio interview without e-mailing first. They said to ask for advice in regards to what you need, and that we are our own brand, and we need to own that.