List of blogs

Personal SWOT Analysis

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Job roles in the Games Industry:

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Job roles in the VFX Industry:

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Contract Types:

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VFX Pipline:

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Dream Job:

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Action Plan:

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How Companies are funded:

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Transferable Skills:

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Regulatory, Ethical, and Legal Issues:

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Legal Entities:

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Legal Entities

1. Private limited company limited by shares look after everything to do with their business, its finances are separated from your personal finance. Directors often own shared but they don't have to own any at all. Shareholders cannot sell or transfer their shares without offering them first to other shareholders for purchase. Shareholders cannot offer their shares to the general public over a stock exchange.

2. Sole traders are people who are self employed. Sole traders run their businesses as an individual, this means that they keep all the businesses profits after the taxes have been paid on them. Sole traders can employ staff and don't have to work alone but the sole trader is personally responsible for any losses the business makes.

3. Public limited company is a system you can set up to run your business, it has its own responsibility and is reliable for everything it does, its finances are also separate from the owners. Any profit that the company makes it owned by the company until it pays corporation tax when it can then be owned by the owner of the company

4. A private limited company limited by guarantee, (LBG)  is an alternative type of corporation used mainly by charities and other non-profit organisations. LBGs usually don’t have a share capital, nor do they have shareholders, they instead have members that act as guarantors. It is common for companies to retain their profits within the company in order to re-invest in its operations instead of distributing the money to its members.

Other than charities, community projects, societies, clubs, often set up as a LBG, having at least one director and one member. Unlike companies limited by a share, a guarantee company can be exempt from having the word ‘limited’ or ‘ltd’ if it's set up for a certain nonprofit purpose, often charities. These companies still have to file accounts and annual return at a company house each year.

 6. In a business partnership, you and your business partner (or partners) personally share responsibility for your business.

You can share all your business’s profits between the partners. Each partner pays tax on their share of the profits.
 A partner doesn’t have to be an actual person. For example, a limited company counts as a ‘legal person’, and can also be a partner in a partnership. If the partnership has debts, the partners are jointly liable for any amounts owed and so are equally responsible for paying off the whole debt.

7. An ‘unincorporated association’ is an organisation set up through an agreement between a group of people who come together for a reason other than to make a profit.

8. A  limited liability partnership (LLP) requires at least 2 other designated members, they can either be a person or company and will be known as a corporate member.Each member pays tax on their shares of profit like an ordinary business partnership, but aren’t personally liable for any debts the business can’t pay. E.g. One partner cannot be responsible or liable for another partner's misconduct.Unlike Limited partnerships, LLP’s only pay debts by how much they invest in the company. Whereas limited partnerships split the debt equally among them.

Action Plan

I'm definitely comfortable within the games industry, I'm choosing it as my preferred industry. To further develop my skills I need to become more well-rounded, I'm great at 3d modelling and 2d art, however when it comes to texturing, programming, and my skills in most engines, it becomes clear that I'm lacking.

I can improve by simply buckling down and focusing on these topics instead of taking the easy route of doing work I'm already comfortable with. Of course it'll be a challenge but in the long run I'll improve greatly, which is what I need to do.

So my action plan is rather basic, just spend twice as much time working on unknown projects and tasks, and spend two times less on 3d modelling and 2d art. I'd set a minimum for the number of blogs required per week, which would most likely be 2.

That's the issue I've had this year, instead of fully branching out into games design I've simply learned something I enjoy and have fully devoted my time to that instead. Thankfully I can learn the other topics fairly quickly so it shouldn't be a huge problem.

Regulatory, Legal & Ethical Issues in Gaming, Animation and VFX

Regulatory, Legal & Ethical Issues in Gaming

Regulatory

Ever since the beginning of video games, there has had to be restrictions on who can play what. These are now known as age restrictions. In the majority, these are well used and fair. However, there are problems. There are different policies all around the world depending on which country you live in, and difference policies for all states in the USA (The ESA).
Legal

However in the UK, we don't have this. Our computer games are e-rated by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification).
Developers of games are definitely affected by legal issues. Lawsuits could set-back, or even bankrupt studios for as small as saying one wrong word.
Ethical

The main areas that  ethical debates revolve around are:
Violence (Graphic, physical, sexual, non-physical)
Rating (how regulation is applied?)
Education(do games educate? Should they be relied upon?)
Stereotyping(Age,race,gender,disability,class)
Addiction(how do gamers become addicted? What does the industry do to help this?)
It becomes the responsibility of both the industry and the consumer to be aware of the issues in gaming and act accordingly.
Legal & Ethical Issues in Animation

Legal

Copyright and Ownership
Globally, copyright laws deal with a very basic yet important issue – who owns the idea, characters, shapes,objects,graphics.
Trademarks and Branding
Trademarks and branding are synonymous terms, as both refer to giving your business a unique name and ethos that stands you apart from your competitors in hte industry that your business belongs to.
Defamation and Causing Disrepute
When the reputation of an individual or an organisation is damaged – so much so that livelihoods are lost – then defamation has occurred.
Ethical

Intellectual property
Nondisclosure
Image content
Business ethics
Trust
Privacy
Truth
Data Protection
Privacy is a big thing in animation. For the members of staff involved in the film, and the high ranking businesses. Somebody has the role of keeping their personal lives safe and not to broadcast any of this information.
Regulatory Issues in Visual Effects

Regulatory

Unpaid overtime
Miscalssification of employees
Illegal usage of billing purposes
Non-existent transferable healthcare benefits and savings plans

Terms of Employment

Intern-ships

Description

An internship is a temporary job position with an emphasis with on the job training rather than just employment, it can be both paid and unpaid employment. In some cases when applying for a job you may be required to take an internship before the employers deem you qualified for the job, this is more common with Publishers than Developers.

How are they paid?

Interns are paid by their employers if they’re getting paid, those who do according to NACE’s intern compensation report average wage for an intern with a masters degree is 35% more than those with a bachelors degree.

Benefits

When you have an internship you’re getting real work experience that’s invaluable when it comes to looking for a full-time job and shouldn’t be overlooked, also when you work an internship for the company they may consider taking you on for a full-time job or if and when they need a man to fill a position for a couple of months you could be on their list.

Disadvantages

Interns are usually paid little to no money which means sometimes interns cant support themselves, this is normally a job for young people, also people who are going for internships often have to relocate which makes it very stressful to support yourself.

Freelancing

Description

A freelancer is someone who isn’t attached to an employer for an extended period of time, freelancers often represented by an agency which then sells the freelancers work , however others may use their own personal websites to get their own independent recognition.

How are they paid?

Often freelancers will charge by the day, bu the hour or on a by project basis. Sometimes the freelancer will request an upfront payment which will be just a fraction of the freelancers price, for example he/she may request 15% of their total pre-negotiated payment upfront as insurance because there is no guarantee of payment after the work is done.

Benefits

The are various advantages of being a freelancer:

Ability to work from home.

No work uniform.

Ability to work alone in all aspects.

To be able to chose how many hours a day you work.

Finally you’re your own boss and you can decide what jobs you take and what jobs you don’t

Disadvantages

Though there are some great advantages there are disadvantages that could possibly outweigh the advantages:

Not a lot of contact when working alone.

Huge amounts of paperwork, contracts, voice mails and managing your own accounting.

With your own accounting you may find it hard to manage your annual salary.

Work isn’t always guaranteed and you may find yourself going for months without finding work.

Contracting

Description

A contractor is some one who works under a contract for a fixed period of time to help them meet deadlines for a project, they essentially sell their skills and time for a fee. Contractors are mainly hired near the end of a project to make sure everything is finished in time for the release of the game.

How are they paid?

Contractors are usually paid with a pre-determined sum of money based on their employer and their current skill level.

Benefits

There are a few advantages of contracting:

Contractors work in a variety of different workplaces meeting new people and making their names known across the industry.

A contractor also has great control over how much they work and when they work.

They are essentially their own boss when deciding when to work.

Disadvantages

On the other side their are a lot of disadvantages when contracting for example:

A contractor has to set up his/her portfolio and keep it maintained to look professional so that they can give it to potential employers and look professional.

A contractor also requires previous work experience, and arrive at your potential employers with the skills and knowledge to complete a project.

Also there is no guarantee of work available  as you could be competing with hundreds of other applicants.

Permanent

Description:

A permanent job will last a long time and wont have many changes to the job.

Benefits:

There are a lot of benefits to having a permanent like job security, with a permanent contract type you’re more likely to keep your job when a recession hits than a person with a part-time job. Chances of promotion are a lot greater when you have a permanent contract rather than a non-permanent. Retirement benefits are given to permanent employees when they reach the end of their career.

disadvantages:

Youre limited to that one company and you have to work for what they pay you, youre are confined to work in one area with no flexibility or variety.

Voluntary

A volunteer is someone who works for an organization and isnt paid for the work they contribute.

Advantages:

you may learn new skills whilst you’re on the job which you can then put on your CV to make you a more lucrative candidate for a paid position, you will also be have a chance to network with the people at the company which could set you up for greater business opportunities down the line.

Disadvantages:

You wont be with the company for a vast amount of time, so you will have to sit interviews a lot of the time which can be a very stressful procedure, you also dont get paid at all so you might find it difficult provide for yourself.

Part-Time

A part time employment means you’ll get fewer hours of work in the week than a full-time job, you also work in shifts but can remain on call when of duty.

Advantages:

you arent working all the time so you have more time to your self to study or hang out with friends, you also get a choice of what time of day you can work which gives you more flexibility and you can pick up more hours if you need the extra money.

disadvantages:

You dont get health insurance, they typically get laid off more than full time employees they also dont get promoted as often as full time employees.

Full-Time

A full time employee normally has to work everyday all week with fixed a  lunch break.

Advantages:

you get annual sick leave, company benefits and health insurance you also get a little more job security than that of a part-time employee.

Disadvantages:

The disadvantages of working full time is that you dont get a whole lot of free time and often find your self buried in work and dont get to spend much time with friends or family.

SWOT Analysis

SWOT, (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) can be used to identify a persons abilities in certain job roles. I'll write about my personal SWOT Analysis below to identify the things I'm good at, the things I'm not so good at, the things I can achieve, and finally the things that could threaten me in the future.

Strengths:

I work especially well as an individual, however my social skills allow me to work more than adequately in a group.

I have unique ideas and think outside the box.

Once I get into a project I spend most of my free time working on it.

I can adapt to new programs with ease and in a short amount of time.

I'm an all rounder; with knowledge in Photoshop, 3ds Max, Sony Vegas, and After Effects, as well as multiple Game Making programs.

Weaknesses:

I sometimes get new ideas mid-development and start over a lot.

I burn out quickly when it comes to larger projects, often spending a week or so non stop working then stop and struggle to stay interested.

I keep bad habits on some programs which can lead to wasting time.

I try and make everything perfect straight away, instead of getting a base project in place

Opportunities:

I'm on a next gen course and feel as though I'm progressing well.

My work can be seen by large companies such as Ubisoft and EA, which could lead to a job in the future.

We travel to different events to meet people well-known in the industry.

Threats: 

Only the best will go on to an immediate apprenticeship meaning I have to work extremely hard to get my work noticed.

There are quite a few people on the course, which increases the chance of better work beating mine.

Transferable skills in VFX, Games, and Animation

Specialist skills – be a generalist with specialist skills

Team work

Creativity and Efficiency

The ability to think about the big picture

Meeting deadlines!

Working to a brief

Respond well to criticism

Presentation skills

Knowledge of cultural references

Observation skills

Planning

Be able to draw

Be proactive and self motivated – always keep learning!

Be confident – ask questions

Know the language

Awareness of cinematography

Maths – trigonometry, matrices, vectors,applied mechanics, algebra, scripting, learning(and physics).

Computer literacy

Film theory

Knowledge of VFX history

Knowledge of Editing

Style and vision

Understand optics

Be innovated