Our creator of the month is an animator from the emerald of the equator. Yes, Indonesia, it is! You may have recognized him by his winning works for SMU, Pond’s Institute, and Air Asia.

His animation works are always colourful (at least those that we’ve seen on eYeka ) Let us get to know him more.

Hello! Would you like to tell us more about yourself?
Hmm…My father is an Internist and my older brother studied Visual Communication Design when he was 18, and when I saw that it’s kind of an “easy going” major, I said “why not? It looks interesting, plus he could teach me if I need any help”. So no one inherited the medical legacy, but my father is okay and I’m grateful for it.

So how did you get started in animation?

When I graduated, I didn’t know about Motion Graphics. I knew there was this kind of job but I didn’t know the name. So I initially applied for a job as a Video Editor to find out more about the industry. From there, I learned about Motion Graphics from a friend and finally switched job, but still in the same company . And from then on, I have been working as a Motion Graphic Designer for almost…4 years now (I think) in several different companies with lots of great people in it.

Your animation works are always distinctive and colourful. How do you define your animation style and where did those great ideas come from?

I don’t have a specific style, actually J. Every year I tried different style and method in doing a project. It doesn’t have to be in 2D nor 3D. That’s what is great about this job. You have a lot to learn and you have a lot of things you can do in just one project. As for ideas, hmm… I wonder where are they from as well I can’t say it because sometimes it’s just there.

How did you get to know eYeka? What are the things you like about eYeka, and what are the things that you think could be improved on or added in the future?

A friend introduced me actually. He said to just try it out and compete with other creatives in other parts of the world. I like the opportunity to work with several big clients without doing any pitching, that’s number one .

To improve, well, some of the guys in the chat box have already said it, and I actually agree with them. If it is possible to make the announcement to be in time, then it will be fantastic.

Would you like to share a word or two to your fellow creators?

If you have spare time, then just enter the contests. You don’t have to pay to participate, you will work with big clients, and you may win yourself a good prize. Even if you don’t win, you will still manage to exercise your skill to be even better. I don’t see any loss in that.

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Thank you for sharing, Armand! We wish you all the best for your career endeavour and we are always happy to see your creations here on eYeka.

If you’d like to see more of his creations, check out his profile page here.

And so… who’s gonna be our next Creator of the Month?

Our creator of October 2011 is the talented filmmaker John Waters or widely known as skhuters in the eYeka community. Hailed from the UK, he always has interesting ideas for his videos (at least those that he submitted to eYeka. We believe there are many more of them!), and with his ‘never give up’ attitude,

He has grabbed 10 awards on eYeka so far! Let us know more about him!

Hello! Would you like to tell us more about yourself?

No.

Only joking, I love talking about myself! My name is John Waters and I live in Reading, UK. (It’s near London, for those who don’t know England). I work full time as an Audiologist (or pre-registration Audiological Scientist if you’re being fancy).

At the moment my long term collaborator and girlfriend is Rachel Middle who you have probably seen in quite a number of our entries. She is quite splendid!

Anyway, I think I’m going to set up a new account under the name John Waters / Buoyant Films soon as skhuters was a result of combining mine and my ex girlfriend’s name, haha.

So how did you get start in filmmaking?

My mum sent me a link for a crowd sourcing competition to make an ad for a well-known social lending company. I got out my £10 webcam and went from there, each time I won a prize I upgraded my equipment and learnt as I went.

You have won quite a number of awards in eYeka to date, and your ideas are always very interesting. Where do you usually get your inspiration from?

My own head unfortunately, there’s an awful lot of background noise and free associations going on up there. Also it’s important to look at brand identities, previous ads and get a feel for the brand’s personality so far.

How did you get to know eYeka? What are the things you like about eYeka, and what are the things that you think could be improved on or added in the future?

I got to know about eYeka by googling for video competitions. I like that you can see other creators creations on eYeka, there’s a slightly more British / European feel to things and the guys that run it are always happy to answer questions. eYeka definitely need to work on meeting deadlines and just moving forward with payments and announcing results. I know this is mostly on brands but maybe you guys could introduce some sort of fine if they don’t get there on time! Also increasing participants, getting wider coverage and building on the existing community and hosting at least a couple of events to meet other film makers at.

Any advise to your fellow aspiring creators?

Keep trying, keep watching films, don’t be afraid to rethink things if they aren’t working, give yourself time to edit things, and most importantly have fun

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Thanks for sharing your interesting stories and ideas with us, John! Thanks for your suggestions as well. We definitely always try to find new ways to make our creators’ experiences in eYeka even better.

Anyway, check out his awesome creations here!

Jury’s Prize (customised iPod Nano & USB key) – “Presenting luiscardoso9″ by luiscardoso9
Definitely the best video of all! Not only do you speak about eYeka and the different contests you participated in, but you also show that everyone can win on eYeka and learn to do great creations.

Favourite #1 (customised USB key) – “Kryspin on eyeka” by Kryspin
THE MOST AUTHENTIC ONE: You were one of the first creators to upload your video. Your authenticity moved us and the community also liked it (including the winner), so keep on participating and your efforts will be rewarded!

Favourite #2 (customised USB key) – “NOUS_FINAL” by yesyesprod
THE FUNNIEST ONE: Both of you were hilarious, you seem to be a good team and have lots of fun creating on eYeka.

Favourite #3 (customised USB key) – “moi, jason gallego, en large et en travers …” by Jasongallego
THE MOST PROMISING ONE: You sent us your video 24h after registering on eYeka and comments show how warm the community welcomes you. Your video is a little bit long, but it’s a delight to watch… keep it up !

Favourite #4 (customised USB key) – “kangfu8″ by kangfu8
THE MOST POETIC: Your video is positive and authentic, and you’re even playing with eYeka’s logo… but what’s even nicer is the way you make the weather go crazy in the classroom. Have fun on eYeka, and bring your friends !

Hello everyone, today we would like to share with you guys a lovely letter from Inés Van Gucht (Belgium), the first prize winner of Happy Coffin design contest

She got a lot exposure after we announced the winners, as she said, “the 28th I returned from work and suddenly people started calling me”. Also, Belgium media picked it up so fast and she got quite lot of attention from local TV station, radio station and newspaper. Here’s her letter:

Hi,
I’d like to express my gratitude to eYeka and Lien Foundation regarding my winning in Happy Coffin Contest recently ☺

I live in Belgium, and when I won this competition, the national media picked it up very quick. You have to know that Belgium is a small country and when a Belgian does something, they blow it up to something gigantic. Of course I am proud, but it was a bit awkward too. When I returned from work on 28th September, suddenly people started calling me. I’ve never expected this kind of attention! ☺

I have to admit that I don’t like to be on TV or radio at all.  I’m way too nervous, way too chaotic, but I took every chance and in a way it gave me confidence. It showed me there is nothing to be nervous about!

The articles published online (in Belgium) are the same as the ones in English, but those published on papers were more personal with pictures. I had radio and TV interview too. They asked me about the concept and my plan as a designer. It was a great publicity!

But the most important thing for me is that I got out of this:
A few months ago I didn’t know what to do.  I knew I still wanted to keep creating, but I had the feeling I missed the boat. I decided to become next to my part-time job a professional designer, I put all my savings in it, that way I gave myself a platform as a designer. It would be more than a hobby; it gives me a lot of confidence.

I didn’t know exactly why they choose my design, but I guess in a way my concept must have been spoken to them.  Since I use my work to express myself, in a way I am already succeed.

I got a lot of nice reactions, someone found it ‘inspiring’ and that’s exactly my goal in life. The funny thing is what the whole concept is about: Thinking of your own death raises questions. It scares me. But it is not death that I fear. I fear life and the possibility of wasting it.

Looks like I found a way to get there! The future looks bright, and that’s because of Eyeka and Lien Foundation. I’m very grateful about that.  So thanks to you guys, and Lien Foundation.

Greetings,
Inés Van Gucht

Thanks Inés for such a lovely letter!

Also, here’s what Inés wants to share with all the eYeka creators:

Don’t haste. Be open to other media and art.
Never try to make your work cool, or funny, or smart just to be good.
If you design from yourself, to express … it could be all those things, plus: it would be true.
Make it personal, but don’t take it personal when someone hates it.
Respect your own work! … your own style.
Be patient , keep on designing … and you will get there for sure.

Here’s a lovely letter from Kenneth, an eYeka community member from the Philippines. This totally made our day. It’s nice to know that our efforts are appreciated and that we inspire you to follow your passion.

I’m so ecstatic I have discovered eYeka, it brings back my glory days when I used to design a plethora when I was still in school. I think I’m going back to my roots..design! I actually love English as well. I have been loving and living the language since I was a child! I have been learning English since childhood and teaching English for over 7 years now. Then came eYeka, I think i’m goin back to school, only this time, I’m thinking of taking a design course! Thanks to you and to everyone that is a part of eYeka. It really unleashes all forms of creativity within us!

…I’m actually here in Vietnam right now teaching English but I’m going home soon. I feel like being grounded and alone here sometimes because my closest friends and family are back home. That is why I always try my best to express myself in anyway like the Arts. Eyeka has been a tremendous help. My situation truly echoes one of Gossip Girl’s line from the show: “Being grounded can lead to something groundbreaking!” Thanks to eYeka.

With much gratitude,
Kenneth

Recently, Sony launched a contest on eYeka inviting the public to share their “My Dot Moment” through video or animation. 5 winners were selected to win USD1,000 each and one of them is KresnArtistry, from Indonesia who wowed the judges with his Sci-Fi work, “Phastamagoria”.

Below, he shares us his experience.

Tell us about yourself:
I’m a dreamer who struggles to make my dreams come true. My team are consist of very passionate and generous friends who put their magic on our work.

What made you want to participate in Sony’s My Dot Moment Contest?
I wanted to participate because it was an opportunity to share my dreams which came true. It really motivated us, we really did it!

What’s the inspiration behind your entry?
I really dreamed about the story. As soon as I woke up, I tried to remember my dream, wrote it down, and visualized it.

What things do you enjoy about eYeka and what are some things which you hope could be improved on/added in the future?
I really enjoyed the opportunity to express yourself and share whatever you made. I hope someday we can have a workshop program or course for the winners. So we can always develop and share our knowledge.

Any advice to your fellow aspiring filmmakers/animators?
I’m not smart enough to give any advice. But what can I share from my thought is.. Keep dreaming, Keep inspired, and always do something, No matter what.

This all-girl trio were among the victors to walk away with a USD 1,000 prize in the recent Die-logs video/animation competition launched by the Lien Foundation.

Tell us about your team
Well, we’re 3 animation students currently pursuing our diploma. We’re 3 odd balls who like to experiment with different mediums and different style of animation.

What made you want to participate ‘Dielogs’?
It was a good opportunity to challenge ourselves and our creativity. And such opportunity isn’t easy to come by. We were also interested in sharing our thoughts and opinion about the topic ‘Death’ and also how others perceive death.

What’s the inspiration behind your entry?
Our inspiration all came from our own personal experience and our perception of death. The final animation was the combination of all our experience and perception of death thru our relatives and family members.

What things do you enjoy about eYeka and what are some things which you hope could be improved on/added in the future?
The people there are really friendly! They are very approachable and they consistently urge us to go on and encourage us. And they have a really nice workplace! Everything seems really good really (:

Any advice to your fellow aspiring animators?
Practice and practice and more practice. IDEAS ARE EVERYWHERE! After all it’s bringing your ideas to life! Lastly, don’t be afraid to express yourself thru animation!

On the Photo Side

Nicolas Mithois is 28.

He starts photography by chance ( thanks Nat), using the streets of Paris as a playground.

Observation, a neverending game.

He likes the « Decisive Moment », urban landscapes, randomness…
-Exhibition on the topic of Reflection in Paris, La Fabrique, 2004.
-Pro/Amateur Exhibition at « l’Espace Beaurepaire », Paris, June 2005
http://www.parisphotographique.org/06-2005/espace-photos06-2005.html
- Exhibition at l’Espace Beaurepaire, Paris, November 2005 http://www.parisphotographique.org/s-election/s-election.html
- Prize winner of the SFR Young talents contest and exhibition at the Transphotographiques of Lille, May 2007.
- Finalist for the SFR Young talents/Photo Response contest on urbanity and exposure to the European House of Photography,
Paris, September 2007 http://photo.sfrjeunestalents.fr//reponse-photo/

More photographs: http://www.nicolasmithois.book.fr

On the Video Side

3Lézards is 3 associates and friends (and vice versa) from the South of France who film together.

Shorts, theatre, TV Shows… Altogether we have had our hands in everywhere, except for the Loto of course! Ben, Fred, and Alain are delighted to present to you their different and diverse works for your personal pleasure. If it doesn’t make you happy, we’ll do better next time!

http://www.3lezards.com

We have launched a new player and i hope you’ll like it. It’s beautiful. The command and info bar under the image appears and fades when you drag on it. So you have more space for your images. Try it, play the video, wait a few seconds until the menu disappears, then move your mouse on the lower part of the player hereunder. Moreover, you can click on the page icon to access your Lightbox’s playlist and select more easily the video you want to watch.

In last weeks’s publication, we have also made a number of significant improvements on the UI : Eyeka’s blog is – as you can see ! – integrated in the web site to support our authors and interact with you, the TV channels have changed, and we corrected some bugs in the “album” function. More info in French here. As before, you can pull together several images, photos and videos, in one single lightbox and export it to your blog as i just did it hereunder.

On a former post on Franck Perrier’s blog, , Gregory commented on downloading a video on Eyeka to share it elsewhere. We have not adressed this because it does not match the vision we have for our business. Eyeka is not about taking videos from authors to allow anyone to distribute it on sharing sites. Our authors can do that themselves. Eyeka is about showcasing these videos in a like environment, building programs from them so that we can eventually create revenu for our authors when we distribute some of these programs on other media. We hope that you’ll visit our website to enjoy what the folks are uploading.

Check the new videos on Eyeka Tv.