GET STORYBOARDS DONE OVERNIGHT, OVERSEAS
Creative Mike Lind has formed a new venture, Draw As You Snore (DAYS), a revolutionary way to produce storyboard illustrations.
Says Lind: "Agencies recommend clients shoot commercials overseas to save money, so why not save money themselves using the same principle? At DAYS, we have sourced the best Eastern European storyboard illustrators, highly experienced and reliable. Using Draw As You Snore, an agency could save about $600 to $800 on a single storyboard (that’s probably more than they pay their Art Director for the day) as well as getting their storyboards done overnight. If the illustrations are able to be done over two nights (first night - pencils, second night - colours) they can save even more."
RUSH overnight service is $100 per frame (plus gst) and REGULAR service is just $90.
In this globalised electronic age, Draw As You Snore is an idea whose time has come, says Lind: "Consider internet companies who habitually outsource programming to India or Thailand. The quality is the same, so why pay as much? And when you think about it, we already brief storyboard artists by email here in Australia. With widespread broadband connections it has become increasingly feasible to work remotely. Like, when’s the last time you actually saw an illustrator come into an agency to take a storyboard brief?"
So what’s so good about Eastern Europe? Beside the cost efficiencies, the most important factor is the difference in time from the East Coast of Australia, says Lind: "5 p.m. here is 9 a.m. there (this changes slightly during daylight saving but it doesn’t disrupt the service). Once the illustrator in Europe has received the brief they are fresh and not reaching for 29 gallons of coffee as an illustrator providing an overnight service locally would.
"Within a couple of hours, pencils are emailed to an address of the clients choosing. Perhaps at home or to a Blackberry so there is no need to stick around the office. Changes can be swiftly made and re-sent. Once the pencils are approved, the client can place their head on their pillow and peacefully snore while DAYS draw, confident that the finished colour illustrations will be waiting when they wake in the morning."
Contact Mike Lind on the following:
Tel: (02) 9699 6621
Mobile: 0414 338 407
E-mail: mike@drawasyousnore.com
posted by CB @ 2:35 PM
21 Comments:
What a great idea. It's one that seems so logical you wonder why someone hasn't thought of it early. Makes great use of a growing global creative resource and lets tight deadlines seem manageable again. Great stuff.
And once you've used the artist, you can cut Mt Lind out of the equation and save even more money!
Brilliant!
Nice one.
Now clients can send their accounts to San Francisco, and creatives can send their storyboards to Eastern Europe. Who needs Australia?
Great way to kill off local artists.
Mind you, some of those 3rd world country kids can really draw.
If the Simpsons can do it, why not our stuff.
Genius Mike!
Thats great !
I can now see how in a few years
we could achieve the goal of no local talent.
Yahoo !!!!
They will have all decided to become builders, posties etc and we can all rejoice.
Better still, we could just have one great big global company with no room for creativity, just a nice easy set of tasks to perform each day.
Well... each day until you are replaced with outsourcing.
It works for everyone on computer support doesn`t it ?
Sorry... Do you think I`m unhappy about this profiteering at the hands of local creative artists ?
Thanks to Lynchy for making my soapbox possible.
it's a pretty cool idea. could also work in reverse. So local talent can pick up work from Europe and the USA.
maybe they can also be sent the creative brief so they can be thinking about ideas at night while we sleep.
we could call it 'Loose as you Snooze'
It's interesting reading these comments, seems this business has touched a nerve!
I am simply providing an alternative service which fills a need I identified while working as a creative. I hardly think this is going to drive the local guys out of business in the same way our tv production industry has not gone out of business with the advent of foreign productions.
Draw As You Snore hopes to carve out a niche in the industry, not necessarily blow everyone out of the water. I'm sure that as the dust settles, the illustrations from Eastern Europe and those produced locally will sit nicely beside each other. There is a personal attention to the service which a local guy can provide which my guys in Europe can't. And there is an overnight emergency service my guys are able to provide which local guys can't.
Draw As You Snore is a new concept, which can be a little confronting I guess.
But having been in the situation where a storyboard had to be done overnight with no local artist able to be convinced to work, I'm sure once a few people have trialled the system they'll discover it's a valuable addition to the choices available to them.
Hooray for not supporting local talent you bastards.
If the new crop of art directors could actually draw instead of relying on borrowed photolibrary images for their visual thoughts, there would be less need to send story boards OS to be done.
Mike, I think it's more the idea of using 'Eastern European' talent for the specific purpose of saving money.
The comment made "that’s probably more than they pay their Art Director for the day" is shameful. I'm surprised it even made it to print.
Australia is a rich and resourceful country. Surely we can keep these skills at home. We already have loads of creative people leaving the country each year because of a lack of creative outlets.
11:55 said:
"it's more the idea of using 'Eastern European' talent for the specific purpose of saving money."
Saving money is something we've gone to Eastern Europe for a long time in TV Production. Why is this so different?
11:55 said:
"The comment made "that’s probably more than they pay their Art Director for the day" is shameful"
Well, this statement merely illustrates the benefit by comparing the saving to a standard commonly understood in the industry. This at no time states that Art Directors aren't worth the money they earn, it just re-inforces the difference this can make to an agencies balance sheet.
11:55 said:
"Australia is a rich and resourceful country. Surely we can keep these skills at home. We already have loads of creative people leaving the country each year because of a lack of creative outlets."
I guess my response to this is that the more profitable agencies are, the more likely it is that they will foster young talent. Making savings on storyboards (particularly when you think of the sometimes huge costs associated with pitching) isn't the magic bullet, but surely it helps.
What happens when you get drawings urgently done overnight and the next day it's all wrong? Wouldn't the Kazakhstani's have clocked off and be down the pub by then?
Borat
1:16pm said:
"What happens when you get drawings urgently done overnight and the next day it's all wrong? Wouldn't the Kazakhstani's have clocked off and be down the pub by then?"
Good question.
About two-three hours after we receive the brief you will receive pencils. This can be to your home or to Blackberry. Corrections can be made and re-sent quickly until you are satisfied with them.
In the morning, you have the illustrations in your inbox according to the pencils you approved. And yes, Borat, the Kazakistanis would definitely be in the pub by then.
Fact is, if you had a local guy doing them overnight he'd be pretty hard to stir as well if something desperately needed to be done!
However, if changes must be done... they can be done superfast at 5pm our time that day. You should be able to simply update the images in your file and you'll be away.
"Like, when’s the last time you actually saw an illustrator come into an agency to take a storyboard brief?"
They may not come into the agency, but the local artists do speak very good English over the phone. Which is kind of crucial when you're trying to explain subtle nuances.
I work in the netherlands and this happens a bit over here. briefing designers in NZ in the evening so the work is finished by the next morning.
Or working with sound people in LA. you brief them in the evening and the stuff is on an FTP waiting for you in the morning.
It just makes sense to not limit yourself to one set of creative resource
People shouldn't complain about this service.
If you like protectionist economies, then piss off to South Korea.
With the web, this sort of thing is inevitable.
Stop whining and realise that it can work both ways i.e local artists here can service Europe and the UK etc in the same manner.
Might be a bit late to comment on this, but when we had a relatively protected industry before 1992, albeit because of regulated TVCs, Oz rated No.3 consistently at Cannes et al. In 1993 we dropped to No 15! We're There's a lot to be said for supporting local work, not just because it could be your job that goes next. It builds the breed. Today we marvel at the few who succeed o/s. In the 80's they did it here and great talent from o/s came here. A sad reflection on an open market.
Whenever I've needed storyboards done quickly, I've ben able to get them done overnight using australian illustrators.
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