Comments on: The Mothership Has Landed

By: Jurriaan

Jurriaan — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 20:35:36 +0000

I kinda disagree with you. The small shops are more personal, have a tight team working on the project. They don’t get the budget of the big ones (therefor they cannot hire the good freelancers all the time). Oh and maybe they have cheaper employees but many people got to start somewhere. In my experience small shops are driven to build on the image of their shop. That can go slow with crappy job after crappy job, but once in a while they can prove theirselves. Also the community needs to have a piramide shape. A broad base so the talent can stick out.

And about the wannabe directors:
I guess I am one of them. At a small company I get the chance to work on everything, from story & concept to designing & animating to editing & compositing. Giving me loads of insights and experiences that you won’t get if you’re doing your 1 thing at a big shop. That obviously leads to lesser end results but way more personall stuff. I can say what I made and where I am on the road to becomming an actual director. Ofcourse I live in the Netherlands (no big shops at all) so I am kinda forced to be a generalist.

I say go small shops! Lets show em!

By: 666a1b2c3d4

666a1b2c3d4 — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:59:59 +0000

Very True!!! Small shops try to be the one stop shop but don’t want to pay the talent. So they hire a freelance designer to win a project or give there reel a look. Then they hire cheap labor to make it happen.

I think it is the opposite. A lot of small mograph shops are trying to do the higher end vfx work and can’t pull it off. They don;t have the pipeline or experience to handle suck projects. What is mograph and what is commercial CGI animation? Motion Graphics use to be TV promos, now you see a Psyops ad call that mograph when it is closer to a high end animated film.

I juts wonder what the hours will be like at mothership.

By: dave2

dave2 — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 03:22:39 +0000

All of DDs commercial clients either agency’s or directors/production company’s. Love the saying DON’T BITE THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU.

By: Dx

Dx — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 01:00:25 +0000

I must agree that this is not a new model… ATTIK now an ad agency, Imaginary Forces, The Ebeling Group and many others, have been doing this for over a decade. It sounds like a confusing model with lots of room for conflict of interests. So basically Mothership will be competing against ad agencies and will start going direct to clients… but they will also be producing for the same ad agencies they will be competing against… plus they will be serving Directors and Production Companies, while working on treatments for the same project in the room next door… Well I say, cheers to that, if they can actually pull it off … Is this the end of the VFX Studio or the end of the Ad Agency? Nevertheless, they have put together an impressive roster… Congrats!

By: r3awak3n

r3awak3n — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 01:00:05 +0000

i was impressed yesterday and then today we are let know that this is DD. lol… nice.

By: Matt Lambert

Matt Lambert — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:47:06 +0000

This appears to be quite different than what you’re mentioning. It’s a roster-based production/content-creation company tapping into DD’s resources — not a hybrid/collective model like the aforementioned companies and also not a motion graphics company.

By: Matt Lambert

Matt Lambert — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:40:16 +0000

Mass Market / Blacklist / Psyop
A52 / Elastic / RPS

By: jojohobo

jojohobo — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:28:06 +0000

Sorry to tell you “smaller” shops, that most have failed at this “all in one idea”. Design studios outsource or higher freelancers to do the vfx work and real comps. The idea that Mth for example is an all in one shop is an illusion sold to clients. I am glad to see DD make this move, I hope they put the kids like that little place across the street from them, out of business. All those dudes “playing” directors would be lining up for jobs at Kinkos.

By: uncledrew

uncledrew — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:10:03 +0000

I agree with the consensus that this is not a NEW model at all. It should be flattering to us smaller shops that big behemoths are taking notice to what we’ve been doing for years. Concept is king.

By: wmdicko

wmdicko — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:03:25 +0000

Instead of opening up revenue streams for DD doesn’t this slam their existing business door shut? Would a director or production company want to partner up-front with DD on a pitch knowing that DD might already have their own guy up for the job, or at bare minimum might give the lead to their own rep firm to capitalize on? Seems like it could be a case of biting the hand that feeds em’.