1) With the political landscape changing I don’t think anyone has a clear idea of what will happen in the industry. The erosion of the silo model has already started and I think it will be a feature of 2017. If the motivation for doing this is just to retain more of the production budget, then it will have limited success. If it is motivated by the desire to produce a more creative result together with a more efficient production process, then there is a greater chance of success.
Framestore made a conscious decision over five years ago to find different solutions to our client’s needs. We are now at a point where we are amongst the best in class not only in VFX for Film, TV and Commercials but also in Experiential, VR, AR and Dark Rides. 2017 will be a year for taking risk and delivering impactful projects. You can only do that if you have built the company to that end. Brands are open to different solutions; some agencies and production companies will restructure to create those solutions and others will just continue to talk a good game but hope that they can sustain a business model based on the past not the future.
2) This year—even more so than previous year’s—is going to be an important one for everyone not just in our industry. We need to focus less on what has been happening and work towards a greater understanding of people’s needs. If we can see the greater picture it will bring a better understanding of what we can offer as solutions to brands wanting to connect with their customers. Then we need to structure our companies in such a way that will not be constrained by the way we have done business for the last thirty years but rather build on the legacy that we have created in ways that are relevant to the next five years. I can’t detail the projects that we are currently working on but I can tell you that Framestore in 2017 looks very different to Framestore twelve months ago.
3) The Field Trip to Mars exemplifies the project that provided the most valuable lessons last year:
– Have the courage to take on groundbreaking projects
– Trust your team to live up to their potential
– Always keep at the forefront of your mind what you – and the client – are trying to achieve
– Find a way of working as a true collaborative partnership (and McCann NY were a great partner with us). Groundbreaking work involves taking risks and when you have partners who understand this and are supportive you can deliver a remarkable experience.
– You can’t always trust third party suppliers of brand new technology!
4) I have stopped using Facebook. There are some things that I miss but I feel liberated and not particularly less informed about the world. I’d rather spend the time that I’ve saved actually talking to people. But frankly, even watching a re-run of Seinfeld is more uplifting than the majority of time spent on Facebook.
