Last week, Flashpoint students participated in FPA’s second ever FlashPitch pitching event.

During FlashPitch, students pitch ideas for digital media projects to a panel of faculty, alumni, and industry professionals. Each presenter was scored on a number of different criteria, including execution and delivery, voice, non-verbal communication and content.

FlashPitch is an excellent way for students to learn how to communicate their ideas in a professional environment, allowing them to share their ideas in an exciting, succinct fashion and gain confidence in their voice and message.

Second-year Recording Arts student Pete Landsman wrote the following reflection on Flashpitch, sharing his emotions, his strengths developed, and his lessons learned.

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At the conclusion of my roughly five-minute FlashPitch experience, I felt elated. I had performed fairly well, I had improved my pitch from the point at which I gave it in class, and I could feel the nervous energy that I had built up in anticipation of my pitch turning into endorphins and relief. My heart rate, which had been skyrocketing, was returning to its regular pace and a sense of normalcy was beginning to be restored.

When I tried to think back on the specifics of what had occurred during my FlashPitch, I found focusing on the individual details of the performance almost impossible for a while. All I could focus on—for a brief while at least—was the sensation of relief that came with the task being completed. The hurdle had been cleared, and my life could resume as normal.

However, once I had a bit longer to think, and once some of the adrenaline I had built up had time to clear, I was able to reconstruct my performance in my mind fairly accurately. There were many successes; I felt as though the panelists were very receptive to my idea and I also felt that I had improved my performance over the course of a week. There were also a few areas in which I felt I could have done a bit better. Perhaps the most important thing is that I also realized that there were several lessons that I was able to take away from having completed a task I found to be both terrifying and rewarding.

The subject of my pitch was a screenplay that I am in the process of writing. I knew from almost the beginning of the pitch that the audience was receptive to the premise of my screenplay. When I first described the main plot point, I heard all three panelists laugh. As I was describing the plot and mechanics of the story and outlining my business plan regarding the screenplay, I saw a lot of nodding, and I felt that I had both content and a tone that kept the panelists engaged.

According to the advice of Perry [Harovas, Flashpoint's Animation & Visual Effects Chair] and my classmates during classes leading up to FlashPitch, I revised my pitch so that it was focused slightly less on the plot of the movie and slightly more on its business potential. I think this change kept the panelists intrigued. I was also able to follow the advice I received in class and I made eye contact with each of the panelists extensively. My tone was always enthusiastic, and I believe that I displayed a strong understanding of the material I was selling. I also think that the panelists were quite engrossed in my presentation because after I finished, they used almost the entire allotted two-minute question and answer period asking content-related follow-up questions. I had one job: to get the panelists interested in the product I was selling. And I was successfully able to do so.

However, not everything went perfectly. While there were no major errors in my delivery, there were a few sticking points.

Firstly, I felt that I was talking a bit more quickly than I should have at some points and I also stuttered a few times and reviewed material a few times. This was not a particularly huge hindrance in terms of the panelists’ connection to the pitch I was giving, but it was also something that might have made me look less professional in their eyes. I think that just getting experienced with pitching ideas and products to people will help me to avoid making those kinds of errors again. It seemed to me that those were errors born from nerves.

Secondly, I was forced to stop my pitch a few seconds before I was finished. This was also not a really big deal as I had essentially presented the content I wanted and I was wrapping up, but it did look a bit bad to be stopped by the clock instead of on my own volition. I think that next time I am facing a pitch with a hard cutoff in how long it can go, I will budget time more carefully. In rehearsal, my pitch was consistently lasting around 2:55, but in the FlashPitch it probably would have gone for about 3:05 if I had finished naturally. If I were to do it again, I’d probably aim for a cap of 2:40 in rehearsal to give myself a buffer in case my pitch hit a snag for any reason.

During FlashPitch, I was able to learn some specific lessons from the mistakes that I made in my pitch. However, I feel that I was also able to learn a few general lessons about pitching, both from going through a pitch of my own and watching some of the other students make their pitches.

One of those lessons was that it almost did not matter what the students were pitching. Obviously a good, useful idea is always going to improve a pitch, but the real quality of each pitch was determined by the investment of the student pitching the idea. All the slick description in the world is no match for earnestness, eye contact, and a genuine connection to the material.

I also learned that sometimes less is more. Some of the shortest pitches were also some of the most effective. As Betsy Steinberg [of the Illinois Film Office] — one of the panelists — commented, there is no reason to be ashamed if your idea was simple. In fact, simplicity is an advantage. If there is a simple, easy to understand idea at the heart of your pitch, it is easy for the panelists to see how useful it could be and, therefore, more easily support it.

Finally, it seemed that one of the most important lessons was that each person should be him or herself. The best pitches were the ones that were not gimmicky or pretentious. The best pitches were the ones from the heart that took on the personality of the students doing the pitching.

First year Game & Interactive Media student Emily Greenquist wowed the folks at Game Career Guide this week with her first-place entry into the GCG Game Design Challenge, I <3 Mullido.  This round’s topic: Romance.

From Game Career Guide: I <3 Mullido abstracts the concept of love, and tackles complex themes with cute characters. The result is an appealing experience for a carefully chosen target audience.

Congratulations to Emily on a job well done!

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Read Emily’s winning entry, I <3 Mullido:

The most viable western demographic for dating games is female preteens. I <3 Mullido is (at its core) an educational social simulation; although to entice this target group, it is marketed as a seemingly taboo dating game. Marketing to this younger audience may appear risky, but there is a precedence (ex: “Mystery Date,” 1965 and “Girl Talk,” 1980’s). The intent of this 2-D Nintendo DS game is to subtly develop social skills and empathy in players at a critical, typically awkward, age.

As stylish, fuzzy creatures called mullidos (French for fluffy), characters are highly stylized in the graffiti design movement (saturated colors / thick outlines / urban influences). This art choice is twofold:

1) attracts the pre-teen audience who still gravitate towards cute (fuzzy) things, but are beginning to rebel against childhood games like “Littlest Pet Shop”

2) creates a risk free / otherworldly environment to subversively tackle complex topics

The game begins with the player (a modish mullido, gender unspecified) leaving its small town to explore and live in the big city, where other fashionable mullidos meet and mingle. This mirrors the real-world transition from middle school to high school, which currently holds the demographic’s curiosity.

Before attempting to date a mullido of their choosing, the player must first develop a reputation through mini-games. In one instance, the player gains access to a dance club that houses mullidos clumped together in groups of like colors (green mullidos with green mullidos, pink with pink, etc.). To gain reputation points, the player must flirt with a member from each group, forming a multi-colored entourage. The underlying educational message is to promote racial integration and eliminate cliques, through social interaction.

Friendships are more quickly developed with a higher reputation level, and close friendships lead to relationships. Each character has a “friendship level,” signified by the color of their outline. All begin with black and change as the relationship with the player changes:

Green – enemies
Blue – dislike
Purple – uninterested
Black – strangers (start)
Yellow – friends
Orange – close friends
Red – dating

Unsuccessful interactions (like choosing to flirt with someone else’s mate), will ultimately create enemies, who spread rumors and further decrease the player’s reputation.

Before choosing to reach the dating stage of a friendship, the player must research the character’s reputation, by asking other mullidos their opinion. Each will generate a different answer, and it is up to the player to filter those responses. For example, through conversations, the player may learn that the mullido of interest is already dating someone or that it only likes short mullios.

Unlike other dating games, dating in I <3 Mullido is not ultimately guaranteed (as is true in life). Once in the Orange friendship range, the player can attempt a relationship, with at 25% success rate. It is the challenge and thrill of the conquest that captivates an audience and an even more realistic simulation is to experience unrequited love. This game is designed to prepare preteens for such complex forthcoming situations.

As a part of Flashpoint’s Jumpstart Speaker Series, Pixar animator Warren Trezevant visited Flashpoint to share his personal journey from his youth as a “Star Wars kid” in Oak Park, IL to one of the most renowned animation studios in the world.

Last week, guest speaker Chris Conley of Gravity Tank visited Flashpoint as a part of the Jumpstart speaker series. First year Recording Arts student Rob Levere offers his reflections in this guest blog.

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In today’s Jumpstart, we got to hear from an awe-inspiring entrepreneur, Chris Conley. He told us about his creation called “Gravity Tank.” What I took out of his presentation was his definition and the way he presented the concept of innovation.

Not only did I find what he said to be true to my beliefs, but I found it inspirational. He was talking about innovation in business and how to open up product marketing and things like that but the way I interpreted it for some reason was from a musician’s point of view, regarding musical style.

It has been a dream of mine since I was young to be a pioneer of a certain genre of music that I had a hand in designing myself, and if that’s not innovation then I don’t know what is. Chris opened up my mind and gave my thought process a field to run in, metaphorically speaking. This could apply to anyone trying to create their own business, but in the way Chris explained I was easily able to match it up with my own life.

It was really cool to hear from someone with his background and knowledge, but it was even cooler to have a presentation on originality and innovation and how to give people what they want and, in the end, get what you want. I took some really key things out of this presentation and am grateful for the knowledge bestowed upon me.

This week, Flashpoint’s Women in Media joined Broadcast Meteorologist Mary Kay Kleist for a behind the scenes look at CBS studios in Chicago. After their visit, second year Recording Arts student Elena Rubin shared her reactions.

Our tour of CBS studios with Mary Kay Kleist was an absolute blast!

Mary Kay was gracious enough to give us a comprehensive tour of the CBS floors where we had the chance to meet with anchors, producers, directors, editors and many more. Everyone was so warm and inviting and seemed genuinely interested in our career prospects and offered up meaningful words of wisdom that they have gained throughout the years in the industry.

Mary Kay finished up our tour by bringing us down to the main studio where we had the opportunity to see her and the rest of the anchor crew in action. We were all taken aback at how everyone handled their jobs with such ease .

This tour was incredibly inspiring and educational. Students from all media background (broadcast, film, recording arts, visual FX) will learn a ton from this terrific touring opportunity!

As a part of Flashpoint’s Jumpstart speaker series,  CEO Howard Tullman took time to talk with students about his history, his experience, and the things he’s learned along the way.

Dylan Morris, a first year student at Flashpoint, shares the following reactions.

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Howard’s speech for me summed up what Flashpoint is about: perseverance, dedication, work ethic, and excellence.  He began by discussing his personal history and some of the businesses he started like the Cobalt Croup, Jam TV, and tunes.com. Howard’s speech was about what one needs to be successful here at Flashpoint and in any industry one wants to make a career in,  in my case the film industry.

What Howard said one needs is a good work ethic, perseverance, and the dedication to whatever one does, whether it be a film project, video game, or writing a paper. “Be focused,” he advised; If you make a pitch and say “I have this idea, but I also have this other one,” no one will think you believe in what you’re pitching.  In a pitch, you need to believe in your project and yourself because you’re also selling yourself and your abilities.

Howard also said that you can’t let a crisis stop you; you’ve got to keep fighting!  There will always be crises, especially in the film industry. If you let the crises stop you then you will never finish the project. Never settle or, in other words, if you think you can cheat a shoot instead of doing it right, then you might as well not do it. But what Howard said that got my attention the most is you can’t control success. No one never knows if a movie will be successful (except James Cameron). What you can control is excellence. That’s what this school is about, and that’s what I am about.  If that’s what you’re about, then this is the place you can achieve excellence.