Our Latest Animation Work: Energy Efficiency in Tasmania

Client: Launceston City Council and Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Inveresk (Tasmania)
Illustrator & Animator: James Brown for Brownbread & Butter Studio
Writer & Producer: Daniela Miotto for Brownbread & Butter Studio
Project: 8 minute 2D animation

Articulated and Animated

Alice Topps' SCOPE: body in motion super slow mo. Click link to view this beautiful short dance video by the Apiary.

When I was at university I studied dance video, with a passion. I still feel passionately about it because it moves me ... if it's good. When I use the term dance video I'm not referring to dance-video; eye candy and/or entertainment (though I dooo love that stuff too). 'Dance on Screen' might be a better way to talk about it. The body in motion needs no introductions, explanations, bells or whistles.

My favourite elements of this video are the saturated hues of colour, the still frame and how the mover enters and exits almost accidentally and the delicate exposition of the dancers brilliance through the extreme slow motion; only the movement trained have this skill ( I include sportspeople in this esteemed group) : the capacity to suspend one small part of the body, hold it momentarily with intent,  so that it frames an articulated gesture, movement, action, feeling. Usually our eyes see this on the live dancer's form, but we don't see it's logic as we do i super slow mo.

When I watch this it reminds me of what it was like to dance; suspend ... and then tell the story, no questions asked. The body doesn't lie.

Reeldance is a great Australian organisation dedicated to dance on screen.

Click here to watch another great dance on screen thingami-jig. They used stills cameras to capture the  movement frame by frame and then after adjusting the photographs then they took the stills into post production software to 're-animate' the motion.

I love these two videos for the same reasons, even though time has effected them is nearly opposite ways; one frame by deathly slow frame; all showing all telling. And the other stilted, sharp with many frames missing making us think about what is missing as much about what we see. Both are bodies snapped in distorted time.

D

Archive: Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery Collaboration

Last year we made this short animation that was installed in the Tasmanian Connections exhibition at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery Inveresk.

We learned about how the ships came to Tasmania from India and in particular the Sydney Cove. It ran aground just of the southern tip of Flinders Island. Working with the national trust and museum staff was an honour. AND it's a beautiful exhibition. You should go!

Current Projects: WP Holman Clinic, 25 mins HD

The cancer treatment clinic (WP Holman Clinic) at the Launceston General Hospital commissioned Brownbread & Butter Studio to write and produce a video 25 minute video for new patients and their families. 

Currently we're in post-production and the first draft edit is looking so close to perfect that I have to squint and slap myself to believe it. It's been a very long and challenging project. 

My father died of cancer a long time ago and while we were writing the script and pre-producing the video one of my very-loved friends was being treated at the clinic. She passed away the week before we went into the clinic to shoot. Like with all life-death matters, this process was bitter sweet. Personally, focusing on my client's professional objectives and huge-hearted yet appropriately distanced positions kept me on the game. 
Bitter. Sweet. Sad but inspiring. 


On any project big, small or otherwise, when the people and process are humming together smoothly, the outcome is so rarely ever a disappointment. This project has been no exception to this rule. I've loved this job on account of my client's heart-felt motivations for initiating the project and their willingness to let me and my team lead the production's way.

Brad

The WP Holman Clinic; introduction to treatment and support dvd had a very clear brief motivated by this; "... we want our patients and their families to have some knowledge of the physical space, a general and mild acquaintance with the people who will be treating them. We'd like the video to offer them a confident foot in the door towards learning how to best use all the support services that we offer without bombarding them with more drama to aid their concerns (because the come to us weakened and worried). We want to dispel fear and share knowledge because this, in our experience, is vital to heightening the odds of the best possible treatment outcome. This video can't be clinical and cold."

The clinical trials co-ordinator, a Radiation Therapist named Angela, felt very strongly that if new patients were offered an introductory treatment video - to be sent to them right after diagnosis and before the commencement of treatment - that their trepidation leading up to this exceptionally difficult time may be fractionally averted. She did her research, like the good scientist she is, found a study 'proving' that digital screen based media is a successful form of bolstering patient and family support, made application for the funds, and BINGO! Her vision found it's potential pathway to fruition. She is a very clear person and excellent to work with.

Angela enlisted a chemotherapy nurse called Tracie to become part of the team and the three of us formed the core research and group. 

Tracie

After a few meetings, I realised that, as a credible story so often is, the finding of the pot of gold in this project was going to be attributable to the people who work in the clinic. 

With the client's brief and my faith in the client's sincerity and professionalisms we agreed to use a documentary style rather than instructional/educational style. 

Dr Gauden

We had access to willing, credible individuals. So the crux and motive of the story became the patient's early treatment needs as supported by told by those who will treat them. Tracie, our chemo nurse, walks the viewer through the clinic meeting staff (Radiation Therapists, Clinic Director, Palliative Care Physition etc) and paroozing some of the treatment areas. She is genuine and beautiful.

This 25 minute vid is up-close and comfortable. The DVD will be launched and enter circulation in Jan 2012. I hope you have no reason to watch it.


Three cheers to you and your lovely life, Lonnie!

Special thanks to our exceptional production team; researchers, writers, editors (who will be cursing me for posting images that have not been colour graded yet), camera-ace, soundie, intern, director and my life-line line-producer; and as always, my family. The friends and families of the patients, well ... my hat is off to you.

Daniela

Director / Producer

How To: window shop for a new website tip # 1

Hello. 
This post will help you slice and dice your needs in preparation for a clear and confident website quoting process, with or without a designer, big website or small.

So you need a web presence? You have no idea where to begin? You're worried about the cost, but understand that in in order for your business or interest or big message to find it's feet to the next stage of growth that you've got to get this internet show on the road, right? 


Daunted? Understandably so!


The costs of a new website can vary considerably from designer to designer. A one page starts from $500 - $1000. Domains are cheap and easy to buy and hosting costs around $75 p/year. The more pages you need, the more expensive it can become. The more integrated you want to be in the design process by choosing many or an open number of proofing rounds, the more expensive it becomes. Extra costs are copy writing, photographs, SEO strategies, fancy navigation, animated banners, shops and the list goes on. For those of you who are starting out, there are also great free web presence options. I tend to think that gone are the days of a 5k website for a startup business ... 

... here is a great article from Design Sponge, one of my favourite blogs, about weather on not employing a web designer is really necessary ... or not. Worth a read if you're at that early junction!


It would be extremely beneficial to you and your quoting design team(s) if you had some of basic decisions pre-made well before you meet, even if only vaguely decided upon. 


Like buying anything, you need to feel secure about your final decision. Naturally, it’s a good idea to shop around. Three quotes are all you need and that process in itself will be really interesting and may arm you with useful knowledge for your future growth plans. Think of your website as an evolutionary thing. Let it change with you. Web development is a process as much as it is a product. It can be long and expensive but it doesn’t have to be.

We often meet people wanting a site but they don’t know how to shop for a good, appropriate, well-priced product. There are also those website shoppers who, know their budget, can spot a good designer and good deal when they see one but they don’t know how to get the ball rolling on the construction or how to be involved in quality control (really important!). Also there are those who just need a blog, but this can also be mildly confusing for starters.


Are you one or a combination of any of  these website window shoppers? All are legitimate and ripe for the net. Time to get quote hunting!

Below are some tips to help ready you for website quote hunting. If you like, open a new file on your computer then copy and paste the contents of this post into and empty Word (processing) document. Whittle away at the content until you feel that you have something significant to take with you for first quote meeting. Hope you pick a winner!

Know Your Message

If you’re ready for a web presence and you know your product or message really well, then you are starting from a solid place. If you are not super sure of what your product or message is, get this sorted out before you look for quotes.

What, exactly, you want to communicate over the net is your job. How, exactly, this is communicated is your designer/developer’s task to consult on. It’s their job to interpret you, not vice versa. If you’ve ever met a designer-type of human you may be forgiven for feeling that you were looking at someone who might not be very interested in your interests, at all; it can be part of the culture. If this happens, walk out and grab a hand full of Minties off the receptionist’s desk on your way out.

Know Your Competition and/or Allies

If your product or future online identity is somewhat semi-formed it would be a good time to hold back for a while and do some competitor/allied industry research. How your competitors or allies function in the market place or in the live community is one thing. Knowing how they represent themselves on the internet is often something quite different. Knowing how they are represented as an online culture will help you to know how to make decisions about innovative design and content development and management. Your designer should research your particular area of work or interest. Doing it in advance and providing for the designer is extremely advantageous to you.

Learn Some Basic Web Definitions

Your web developer/designer is likely to spring some lingo on you that means very little to anyone who hasn’t ever had a drink at the Star Wars bar, if you know what I mean - tech talk is both boring and arrogant, yet forgivable somehow because most computer people are somewhat 'interstellar', shall we say! Before you meet, arm yourself with some trendy web-lingo and the confidence to stop the well meaning techno-nerd in his/her tracks when you cease to understand what in the stinking pits of hell they’re on about. Truly, tradies are much easier to talk to.

Here are some terms and questions for answering to pop into your new web-lingo glossary:

What is a ‘server’?

What is a ‘host’ (and do I have to pay for it)?

What is a ‘domain’ (and do I have to pay for it)?

Is Facebook a form of social networking (and do I really need it)?

Is a ‘smart phone’ actually smart and does it matter to my new website?

Are Bloggers animal, vegetable or mineral (and do I need one)?

What is ‘website coding’?

What is a ‘browser’ something rude?

What is a ‘Google ranking’ and do I need to care?

What is ‘social media’ and how does it work?

What is ‘paypal’?

What is the difference between a website designer and a website developer?

Is ‘Search Engine Optomisation’ (SEO) of any matter to me and my shining new website?

Are ‘Content Managed Systems’ more or less expensive than ‘static sites’?

What is ‘HTML’?

Can I eat and ‘app’?
What is a holding page?

Prepare Data on a Jump Drive, Disk or in Hard Copy to Take to the Meeting

A written breakdown of your services/business/organisation and anything that your developer/designer should know about your Brilliant Thang or better still, a strong verbal mode of speaking about your Brilliant Thang is crucial to take with you on your first meeting.


Take:

Website text, if you have it.

If you don’t have it, perhaps budget for it to be written for you or at the very least edited for you.

Website photos or a budget for new photos.

A product list if you are looking to have a shop.

A list of competitor or allied services websites with brief notes about your likes and dislikes. 

Any old or new company branding in electronic format.

Your contact details.

A rough (secret) budget.

A list of websites that you’ve seen that you love and some brief notes on why.

Copies of any present or past marketing literature: brochures etc.

A turn around time, a time line a deadline that you are working towards.


Remember: less is more when considering website volume.

Once you have this folder or disk of goodies ready, you’re right to roll and this will give your would-be design and development team some inspiration. 


Take the same list of needs and questions to your chosen 3 studios for quoting so that you can compare quotes that have been drawn from the same base brief. This is really important. Don’t forget to tell all 3 that you're shopping around for the best deal to find  the most innovative designer; it's a competitive market at the moment. Bag yourself a quality bargain!

I recommend and use Mashable as an excellent online resource for learning about internet basics and up to date trends. Try Wordpress free and cheap themes as a good place to start if you’d like to crack into your own website building adventure by bypassing a designer all together. 

Happy hunting!

Daniela

Brownbread & Butter Studios 

Director | Producer