August 30th, 2010
The Art Institute of Vancouver
2665 Renfrew Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
V5M 0A7
Attn:
Shannon Svingen-Jones – Dean of Student Affairs
Lisa Elliott – Student Development Coordinator
Kevan O’Brien – Alumni Coordinator
Sarah Hill – Career Services Advisor
Hi Sarah, Kevan, Lisa and Shannon;
As per our meeting Sarah, I have documented my proposal for relocating the Summer 2010 GPW presentation to the Round House Community Centre below, highlighting the pros and the cons, focusing on expanding the production from simply a show to a full production, incorporating our presentation with an evening of social and industry networking.
For those who are unfamiliar with our project and/or myself: My name is Jeffrey Howard, and I am the producer/creative director for the Summer 2010 GPW - LARPegaverse. We are creating a tactical role playing game that focuses on the humorous (mis)adventures of Larpers.
Our primary goal for this project was to incorporate all of the schools of study (or at least as many as we could) from the Art Institute - as the vast majority of productions simply focus on GAD and MAG... sometimes venturing into animation. But why stop there - we have put together a group of 65+ students and volunteers (6 Game Design, 4 Programmers, 10 artists, 3 Film, 4 Audio, 1 Fashion, 2 Graphic Design, 1 VFX, 14 Actors, and ~20 supplementary volunteers) from all walks of scholastic endeavors here at the Art Institute. Now with our work coming to completion, we would like to present it in the best light possible.
That being said, we would like to propose our GPW Presentation be held at the Round House Community Centre, located at 181 Roundhouse Mews, downtown Vancouver (YaleTown - ) on Thursday, September 16th, from 6-9pm (Doors at 6, show at 7).
Furthermore, we would like to escalate our GPW presentation from simply a show of our work, to a full feature social networking event - An evening that starts with networking prior to the show - with current students, alumni, faculty and industry professionals, followed by a sit down presentation of our Game Production Workshop (Path to excellence, Game-play, Q&A session), and finishing with more networking while guests test our game, meet the team, as well as meet fellow industry professionals, Alumni, Faculty, etc. I believe we have an excellent opportunity to combine all of these aspects into one multi-purpose experience.
As mentioned - there are definite pros and cons to this proposal:
Pros:
Escalating GPW presentation to industry standard game release production:
-- by having the GPW presentation set in a more formal setting, we add a certain air of refinement and professionalism. While at the Burnaby soundstage, we could section of the area, close the door and have an intimate gathering, by utilizing the Renfrew reception area students will be milling around, reception will be busy, as will security -- it does not provide a professional atmosphere- furthermore, the sound stage simply is not large enough to facilitate the production we have in mind, nor is herding an audience between 'class room venues' an ideal way to present our finest work.
Heart of the City:
-- Yaletown is widely known as a hub for Vancouver game developers, as well as graphic designers, fashion Designers and publishing houses. Having a location that is a known setting for game development and social settings will heighten the GPW experience as well as the interest more industry professionals to join us for the evening. Easily accessible from any mode of transport, the Round House will give us the best of both worlds, professionalism and ease of execution - for an off site venue.
Past, Present, and Future:
-- By upping the ante of the GPW experience to the status of a social/business networking event, we highlight the best of all worlds - Alumni will have a new and exciting event to meet and discuss current industry happenings, Current industry professionals can meet recent graduates as well as up-and-coming grads in an environment outside of portfolio shows, Faculty can come and see what their students have produced while meeting up with acquaintances from their current/previous work places. By combining the 'powers' of career services, alumni services, student services, we can really make this an event for past, present and potentially future students
Omni-scholastic venture:
-- When was the last time we can say there was an event that involved every department? Should we move forward, I plan to speak with Mike Granek, AD for Event Management to see if he has student who would like to work in conjunction with us. I am of the understanding that, for Event Management Students, their final project is to host an Event - and I cannot think of a better team of individuals helping us then our own EM students. Furthermore - as the Round House has a fully operational industrial kitchen, should the Culinary arts students be inclined to showcase their skills to the guests and industry professionals, they be a welcomed addition.
If they want to, it will show:
-- While we always hear of the GPW presentation every quarter my team and I find that we don't hear about the film and animation projects. Should they have projects to present, the film and animation departments would be more than welcome to share the limelight, as it were - and should that move forward, we could really call this a collection of the best production works from all genres within the Art Institute of Vancouver.
Now, much to my chagrin, the cons:
Cost:
-- I assume the first question on everyone's mind... cost. True, an off-site venue does incur additional costs. I have spoken with the director of rentals, and he is willing to give us the Non-profit rate (as it is a student production). The cost for the day is $550 - which includes two technicians and staff, and, should we wish to use the kitchen, an additional $270, as well as standard liability insurance. Furthermore, the liquor license for a one day private event is $25. Our GPW team is in the process of proactively fund-raising as much as we can, but will likely need the support from one or more of the above mentioned groups (student services, career services, alumni services, etc.)
Location:
-- While having a production off grounds certainly has its advantages, there is also the disadvantages. The tech requirements are of the greatest concern - while we will not need a network or LAN configuration, we will need hardware on site. From my understanding, there is usually between 10-25 computers set up for game testing purposed. We would need to relocate this hardware (equipped with unity) to and from the location. The resources of our amazing tech department for the day and into the evening.
Attendance:
-- While this is a pro and a con, attendance definitely needs to be addressed. Not having the show on site has the potential, if the show is not advertised and hyped effectively, to have less students and/or faculty participate then having it on site. While this does have its merit, I have to believe that both students, faculty and industry professionals alike would appreciate the opportunity to get out of their 'box' and explore. Having the show at a new and fresh location may spark the faculty who have 'been to enough GPWs' and students to get out there, meet and greet and get the face time they crave. In my opinion, if we had a show after work on a Thursday that promised old friends and a glass of free wine - I would certainly bi in attendance.
I truly believe that if we work together on a project like this, we can set a precedent for future productions to go above and beyond. We can show that by working together we can hold a truly encompassing performance highlighting the best the Art Institute has to offer, reacquainting alumni with current staff and students, and most importantly, showcasing all of the above to industry professionals - in the hopes of finding resonance - and getting our students (past, present and future) into the minds of said professionals to aid us in finding the jobs we are training for.
I would love to set up a meeting with everyone in the near future should you find my proposal to be worthwhile. I will hold off speaking with the Event management and culinary departments as well as film and animation until we have had a chance to further discuss this matter. I truly hope this proposal gets you just as excited as the entire GPW team is - We are truly invested in this idea and are prepared to help out in whatever way we can to make this proposal a reality.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read my proposal. Should you have any questions, comments or concerns, please let me know, either by return email, or at 604.862.3376.
I look forward to speaking with you soon.
Warm Regards,
Jeffrey Howard
Producer/Creative Director
Summer 2010 GPW - LARPegaverse
604.862.3376
Encl.