To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org>
Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2008 16:45:56 -0400
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Losing a BIG contract


Thanks a lot Fred T and Ed for the encouragements and advice.

I decided to try to get "something" for all the hours I accumulated.
There was nothing signed for this supposedly preliminary step, so I'll call 
upon common sense and decency.
Since the project seems to be over, I'd better try to save as much as I can, 
before it becomes officially cancelled, and the hours get cancelled too.

As for protecting my work, there's not much else I could do. We communicated 
by email, so they have copies of everything, half-screen-sized, while I kept 
the original picture sizes. This means I have the proof of the date and the 
actual pictures, but if they wanted to copy my designs by hiring a 
technician to evolve from them, nothing could technically stop them, my pics 
are clear and often in multi angles.

I won't stop working because of the fear of being plagieurised.
If indeed anyone ever does that to me, I'll make sure they'll regret it. 
This obsessive creative mode in me can be applied just as well to spread the 
truth to the media and the milieu. No one would ever want to work for them 
anymore. Not exactly revenge, more like preventive measures to stop them 
from doing it ever again.

I met one collegue who had that happen to her. A puppet company hired her as 
a designer and a builder.
Her name never appeared anywhere as the designer. Instead, they put the 
company's Director as the creator, while he had done none of the work. I saw 
the original sketches, the picture of the final puppet with her working on 
it.
I'm told that company does that a lot. I call it stealing. She was new in 
the biz, and didn't know what to do. All she felt she could do was to let it 
go, and move on. I don't think she still works in Puppetry, I haven't heard 
from her in years. We may have lost a great talent if it is the case. At 
least she has other great gifts: she's an amazing illustrator.

Years after I was told that story, I had a private visit of that puppet 
company's headquarter after a show, guided by their puppet mechanic I had 
been introduced to by a mutual friend.  While their technical stuff is 
amazing and their visuals are often stunning, the end result lacks in true 
emotion. No wonder, if they take stealing ideas and inspirations lightly, 
they must also have no quarrel about cutting the story so thin it becomes a 
shadow of its original (they also hire writers). They are all about big bold 
visuals to impress, and would rather cut the content than tone down the 
visuals. One leaves their theatre unfulfilled.

So in the end, idea thieves produce inferior crap. After all, how could they 
bring it to full potential, it's not their "baby"!

I'll stop this ranting and start a new puppet.
That will bring *me* back.














----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ed Atkeson" <edatkeson-AT-earthlink.net>
To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2008 4:18 PM
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Losing a BIG contract


> >>> Have you ever lost a BIG contract?
> What was your reaction?
> What was your salvation? Another project?
> -------------------------
> Mathieu,
>
> Don't get discouraged. Keep doing the work. You have a duty to your
> calling. :)  Keep taking it further.
>
> In time your work will be so good and you'll have so many contacts
> that you'll be the go-to guy for cool creatures.
>
> I heard an interview where Steve Martin was asked about his success,
> and he said (something like), "My strategy was to be so good they
> couldn't ignore me."
>
> best,
> Ed
> _______________________________________________
> List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
> Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit
> Archives: http://www.driftline.org
> 

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