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Glass Cannon

Lisa Power, Richard Jacobs, Anna Bennett Squire and Stewart Sparke    Proof of concept trailer Frostbite 

Richard Jacobs

Richard Jacobs took part in the Create Innovate Achieve course through Creative Business at York St John University and CidaCo, finding it extremely useful in helping to focus their business plan and in discovering what they could plausibly achieve in the next number of months.

We learned some of the legalities and practicalities in forming a business before we drew up our partnership agreement. We gained some good pointers in the realities of forming a company of this nature, to canvas for funding for independent film and how to gain commissioned work.  I believe the main message we received from the CIDAco mentor was to continue making film regardless, in order to build up enough of a portfolio for commissions and also to increase our presence on the film making scene.

We have produced a business plan with achievable goals for next five years. We have drawn up and signed our partnership agreement. We have looked into funding bodies and how to raise our profile both locally and nationally.

The animation wing got its first paid commission from York Archaeological Trust for the launch of the Jorvik Viking Festival. The two minute animation was projected onto Clifford's Tower for the press call. They are so pleased with the finished piece, it will be prominently featured at Jorvik's summer exhibition Valhalla. We will be conducting workshops at Reel Cinema in July as part of the North Yorkshire Media Training Partnership in association with York College. We are also negotiating with York City Council to do an event for Illuminate York and the Big Draw 2012, that will use live animation projected indoors in which the general public will be able to have a go. The animation wing has entered its short film The White Bear in a number of festivals. We are waiting on the outcome of its selection. We are in production for a new animated short called Three Living Three Dead.   Based on a medieval legend we have been lucky enough to have an early music specialist compose and perform the score. We are scheduled to finish the animation in late Autumn.

The live action wing has also been extremely busy. A number of non-paid commissions were completed which we believe will enhance the company's commercial portfolio. These include high quality wedding videos and event coverage. We completed the Si-Fi 48 hour film challenge in April 2012. The short film The Storm which was shot in 2011 at Yorkshire Air Museum has also been entered into festivals- we await results on whether we were successful in selection. We have been filming a trailer called Frostbite on the Arctic Corsair, Hull and at Eden Camp. Its a very ambitious project and we hope to use the trailer as a tool to pitch to grant aiding bodies. The full trailer is scheduled for completion in late July. Filming for Frostbite will begin Summer 2013.

We are also working on a complete overhaul of the website in order to make it more aesthetically pleasing, streamlined and user friendly. We have also been nominated for a York Press Business Award (start-up category).

“Glass Cannon was commissioned to produce a site-specific animation for the press launch of the 2012 JORVIK Viking Festival. Richard's understanding and interpretation of the brief was exactly what we were looking for and the finished article looked fantastic. I would have no hesitation in recommending Glass Cannon to others; they are an approachable, creative &professional organisation who deliver the goods on time, on budget and on brief.” - Danielle Daglan, Jorvik Viking Festival

Visit Glass Cannon's website.