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- 2014-11-14 22:38:13
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This week The Videonauts, a startup company based in Sofia, which deals with video, animations and 3D, and provides a platform for video freelancers, gave a presentation on their work in front of AUBG-ers. They also provided information on how to successfully apply to their company for the interested video- makers . The event was part of the "Conversations in JMC" series, organized by SPJ AUBG chapter.
[caption id="attachment_23283" align="alignleft" width="285" caption="Prof. Melody Gilbert (left); Evgeni Mitov (middle); Bilyana Vacheva (right). Photo credits: Nikoleta Ilieva"]
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On Tuesday, Nov. 11 in BAC, Bilyana Vacheva, Business Manager and AUBG alumna, and Evgeni Mitov, Freelance Manager, gave a talk in front of AUBG students on what it is like to work in their startup company. Their goal is to gather young, talented freelancers and connect them with new clients who are willing to pay for the video, animation and 3D production. According to Vacheva, in a country like Bulgaria it is really hard for a company like theirs to succeed because a lot of their clients are small companies who cannot afford the cost of production houses. However, they desire a good quality video for a small amount of money. “A lot of the Bulgarian companies are more conservative than any other companies in Europe. And they don’t know what they want: they want a video, but they don’t want to pay a lot and when you give them the price they are shocked,” she said.
Vacheva also described The Videonauts as a community of video freelancers. It is particularly important because in this industry it is common for the clients to contact the freelancers directly.“Our idea is to enable the freelancers to focus on the creative part and not so much on the administrative one,” Vacheva said. They want to build security and the image of responsibility. However, there are always some difficulties because they work with people, with “human nature.”
[caption id="attachment_23284" align="alignright" width="126" caption="Photo Credits: Nikoleta Ilieva"]
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At the moment, the startup is developing their website. However, it is still accessible for presenting videos to clients. Freelancers for The Videonauts can have their own account, manage videos and clients, and apply for different kind of projects. The logo and the design of the company as a whole is revolving around space,coming from the idea that they want to lead their customers to space and show them something different, non-existent on Earth. “What we want right now is to attract more international freelancers and we have one interesting project in mind – combining freelancers from all around the world and composing a single advertisement together – it would be awesome!” Until now they have worked with people from Russia, the U.S. and the U.K.
In the end, Vacheva and Mitov gave several tips on how to be a successful freelance applicant to their platform. First and foremost, at the top of video creation is combining video and motion graphing, and implementing 3D elements. So, one needs to develop skills in all these categories or to form a team which has these skills. Second, one has to remember that the attention span of human beings is 1:40 minutes, so making the video less than three minutes, dynamic and creative, will be beneficial. Third, it is important to note that the videos can be used not only for presentation to new clients, but for internal communications, attracting investors and external big partners too.
[caption id="attachment_23285" align="alignleft" width="126" caption="Photo Credits: Nikoleta Ilieva"]
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Consequently, if one decides to apply, he should send his showreel with description. Then the whole community of freelancers should decide whether to accept the applicant or not. “We trust our freelancers to evaluate the skills of other freelancers." Vacheva said. "If they decide you are accepted, we will upload your video and when there is a brief we will contact you. The price is fixed in the beginning so you don’t have to pitch for the price. Instead, you will pitch for your personality, creativity and your reel. Everyone looks at the reel, so have a good one!” Also, they are looking for someone who is engaged in writing, who likes working in this industry and who can help them write blog posts, presenting the freelancers in front of clients.
[/caption]
On Tuesday, Nov. 11 in BAC, Bilyana Vacheva, Business Manager and AUBG alumna, and Evgeni Mitov, Freelance Manager, gave a talk in front of AUBG students on what it is like to work in their startup company. Their goal is to gather young, talented freelancers and connect them with new clients who are willing to pay for the video, animation and 3D production. According to Vacheva, in a country like Bulgaria it is really hard for a company like theirs to succeed because a lot of their clients are small companies who cannot afford the cost of production houses. However, they desire a good quality video for a small amount of money. “A lot of the Bulgarian companies are more conservative than any other companies in Europe. And they don’t know what they want: they want a video, but they don’t want to pay a lot and when you give them the price they are shocked,” she said.
Vacheva also described The Videonauts as a community of video freelancers. It is particularly important because in this industry it is common for the clients to contact the freelancers directly.“Our idea is to enable the freelancers to focus on the creative part and not so much on the administrative one,” Vacheva said. They want to build security and the image of responsibility. However, there are always some difficulties because they work with people, with “human nature.”
[caption id="attachment_23284" align="alignright" width="126" caption="Photo Credits: Nikoleta Ilieva"][/caption]
At the moment, the startup is developing their website. However, it is still accessible for presenting videos to clients. Freelancers for The Videonauts can have their own account, manage videos and clients, and apply for different kind of projects. The logo and the design of the company as a whole is revolving around space,coming from the idea that they want to lead their customers to space and show them something different, non-existent on Earth. “What we want right now is to attract more international freelancers and we have one interesting project in mind – combining freelancers from all around the world and composing a single advertisement together – it would be awesome!” Until now they have worked with people from Russia, the U.S. and the U.K.
In the end, Vacheva and Mitov gave several tips on how to be a successful freelance applicant to their platform. First and foremost, at the top of video creation is combining video and motion graphing, and implementing 3D elements. So, one needs to develop skills in all these categories or to form a team which has these skills. Second, one has to remember that the attention span of human beings is 1:40 minutes, so making the video less than three minutes, dynamic and creative, will be beneficial. Third, it is important to note that the videos can be used not only for presentation to new clients, but for internal communications, attracting investors and external big partners too.
[caption id="attachment_23285" align="alignleft" width="126" caption="Photo Credits: Nikoleta Ilieva"][/caption]
Consequently, if one decides to apply, he should send his showreel with description. Then the whole community of freelancers should decide whether to accept the applicant or not. “We trust our freelancers to evaluate the skills of other freelancers." Vacheva said. "If they decide you are accepted, we will upload your video and when there is a brief we will contact you. The price is fixed in the beginning so you don’t have to pitch for the price. Instead, you will pitch for your personality, creativity and your reel. Everyone looks at the reel, so have a good one!” Also, they are looking for someone who is engaged in writing, who likes working in this industry and who can help them write blog posts, presenting the freelancers in front of clients.