#effective team collaboration

[productiveandfree]

5 Tools to Boost Productivity and Profitability in Your Landscaping Business

The landscaping industry is huge, maintaining productivity and profitability are thus key elements to ensure business longevity and success. Thankfully technology has provided entrepreneurs with various tools to leverage to ensure success, productivity, and profitability.

Let’s delve into the 5 tools you need to ensure your business stays profitable and productive, setting you apart from the competition.

5 Tools for Productivity and Profitability

Having first-class landscaping tools enhances a business's ability to ensure top-notch project management, improves design accuracy, streamlines communication, and boosts productivity and revenue. Companies can deliver high-quality products increasing client satisfaction and client retention.

1.  Time-Tracking Tools

●     TimeCamp: This is a time-tracking software that helps companies monitor productivity. It also offers features such as timesheet generation, billing, and automated attendance tracking to name a few. It is a tool that can help improve productivity and profitability for your business immensely. TimeCamp can track hours worked accurately, and this tool also allows managers or business owners to allocate company resources effectively and optimize labor and day-to-day costs.  Another beneficial feature of this tool is that it can integrate with project management tools ensuring efficient task delegation.

The great thing about this tool is that it offers an easy-to-navigate interface. Offering powerful reporting features and easy integration with various other software and tools, it is also mobile-friendly.  However, the bad thing about this tool is that it offers little room for customization. So you are unable to set it up in a manner that will meet your business's specific needs.

●     Worksana: An excellent tool for your landscaping business. It offers streamlined and efficient tracking of your employees and ensures effective communication. It accurately monitors employee hours and the time it takes to complete a project. Allowing for improved resource allocation and utilization, as well as enhanced project productivity monitoring.

The pros of this tool are that it boasts accurate time tracking, offers easy reporting, ensures improved project visibility, and is also mobile-friendly. The cons are that its subscription fees are a bit steep, there is a long initial set-up time, there are limited opportunities for customization and it is not easy to integrate with other software.

It is vitally important for entrepreneurs to master time management. This enables them to nurture a working environment where employees understand that time is money and place great value on using their time productively. Moreover, being able to effectively track how employees make use of their time is essential for the success of your business. For the landscaping industry, time tracking is vital for managing multiple projects, and staff, and monitoring job sites with little to no hassle.

2.  Project Management Tools

●     Asana: Maintaining efficient and organized project management is vital for your business's success. At times, you may be busy with multiple projects and you need to ensure that nothing falls through the cracks. Asana presents a myriad of benefits for your business in that regard. It enables you to track the progress of a project ensuring regular and accurate updates. Asana also boasts a bunch of automated features that make it very user-friendly, saving you time.

It is about ensuring accurate recording of worked hours, any overtime. Furthermore, it also helps business owners avoid falling into the trap of overpaying or underpaying employees. Time tracking tools are beneficial for enhancing productivity, monitoring the progress of a project, managing project costs, and providing business owners with the ability to ensure enhanced project management and better allocation of resources. It is ideal for your landscaping business ensuring effective task and project organization, effective team collaboration, and project tracking. Asana assists in improving productivity and profitability by ensuring enhanced resource management and allocation and ensuring your company projects have clear timelines.

Among its features, it boasts customizable project templates and offers teams the opportunity for real-time collaboration and accurate progress tracking.  However, it can become less user-friendly the bigger the projects are. To fully access Asana you would need to buy the pro version and there are limited integration options with other tools.

●     Jobber: This is a great tool that helps your business seamlessly schedule new jobs, and ensure employees have accurate project details, minimizing costly mistakes and also facilitating online payments. Jobber is a nifty tool that enables a company to monitor a crew's location for easy project or task assignments. It eliminates the need for tedious paperwork, as it is a great all-rounder tool. In addition, it also enables businesses to monitor productivity no matter where crew members are based. This is a vital tool for increasing revenue, and maintaining and boosting productivity, as it streamlines project management so you do not have to work long hours.

Finally, for your landscaping business, Jobber is an excellent project management tool that improves productivity through efficient scheduling, client management, and invoicing to mention some of its features. It comes with a user-friendly interface that assists companies to work more efficiently contributing to increased profits and that projects are completed on time. 

Project Management tools are great because they improve productivity by providing mechanisms for efficient scheduling. Ensuring that a business can meet project targets, and is great for maintaining organization and efficiency. It allows business owners to properly plan for a project and to allocate the necessary resources. Saving time and money. Having such a tool allows you as the business owner to plan for a project in advance and thus you are able for instance to order the needed supplies in advance without making costly blunders or having to pay more than you should.

1.  Financial Management Tools

●     Quickbooks; This is a robust financial management software that simplifies bookkeeping, invoicing, and expense tracking for your business. It boasts efficient reporting features to ease your decision-making process. A great tool for boosting productivity and profitability by ensuring accurate cash flow management.

The great thing about this tool is that it offers a user-friendly interface, and ensures comprehensive reporting and invoicing automation.  Some of the cons include its subscription costs, it can be rather complicated to navigate for new users and has a limited customer support community.

●     Freshbooks;  For your landscaping business, Freshbooks is the ideal solution. It is a great financial management tool that offers easy invoicing and expense tracking for efficient financial management. It is designed to help streamline financial management tasks. Ensuring better cash flow and client management to help boost profitability.

It is an ideal tool that offers simple invoicing options, effective expense tracking, and client collaboration elements. However, it offers limited reporting capabilities, and it can become costly due to its monthly subscription fees and required tech-savvy individuals because it may take a while to get the hang of the tool.

These tools help manage a business's finances effectively. Ensuring improved decision-making, and increasing profitability for your business. It is important to have financial tools in place that help to accurately estimate costs and to develop well-thought-out budgets to maintain profitability and ensure steady business growth. Financial tools are key for accurately monitoring your company’s financial performance and standing. As a business owner, it is important to be able to predict future costs and spending, to be able to identify areas where your business can reduce costs to maximize profits. Incorporating financial management tools allows you to be able to achieve all of this with ease.

2.  CRM Tools

●     Aspire; This is a tool designed with landscaping businesses in mind. It offers a robust set of tools to streamline, optimize, and automate business processes to ensure efficiency and productivity. It is a good tool for enhancing client management and for tracking ongoing projects. It enables the creation of a centralized client database offering automated client communication, so you do not miss a beat. It boosts productivity by ensuring client satisfaction by improving the rate of service delivery. It also guarantees a boost in profitability by helping your business maintain high client retention rates.

The pros of this tool include the fact that it is specifically tailored for the landscaping industry, it is a great tool for centralizing client data, and it offers automation, boosting efficiency. Unfortunately, the cons include expensive subscription costs, having a rather complex initial set-up, and it may prove costly and time-consuming because staff may need to be trained on how to use this tool.

 ●     Single-Ops; This is another tool that is great for streamlining a company's daily operations. It has a set of comprehensive features that enhance scheduling, invoicing, and the level of customer service and communication. A great tool for improving productivity, enhancing organizational efficiency, and ensuring highly effective client relationships. Leading to improved profitability.

Single-Ops is an all-in-one tool that offers enhanced flexibility to access the platform no matter where you are, whether using a phone or laptop. It also offers enhanced productivity tools to ensure that crew members have the right resources to improve productivity, and it offers different subscription plans to match the size of an   organization. However, it has extensive features that can make it difficult for some users to navigate, the more users that are added to the platform the more costly it becomes and it offers limited customization options.  

Having the right Customer Relationship Management tools for your landscaping business ensures that you have a knowledge base where employees can have immediate access to customer information. This helps to ensure that productivity is not hampered by employees struggling to find client information or even worse, accessing the wrong client information and costing your business. CRM tools improve collaboration and teamwork, they help build and maintain customer relationships. This tool improves productivity, ensuring that your business is uniquely positioned to attract and retain clients, guaranteeing profit.

Share in the comments below: Questions go here

[techdriveplay]

Beyond the Boardroom: Mixing Business with Pleasure

Mixing business and pleasure is not a fleeting trend but a comprehensive strategy that can lead to productivity and improved well-being.

In the modern business landscape, the age-old adage of “never mix business with pleasure” seems to be undergoing a significant transformation. As the lines between professional and personal lives increasingly blur, a new paradigm emerges, advocating for a harmonious blend of business activities with leisure pursuits. This approach, often encapsulated in the phrase “mixing business and pleasure,”…

[withuitservice]

Why Dubai Businesses Need To Partner With a Professional Website Development Company

In the digitally-first world of today, a good website is something that a business can't afford not to have any more. The city of Dubai is known as one of the global innovation hubs and is the home of thousands of businesses competing to receive attention in such a busy market. So, to stand out from the crowd and maintain an effective online presence, there is a need to collaborate with a professional Website Development Company in Dubai. Here are several reasons why the businesses of Dubai should do this.

1. Expertise and Innovation at one's Fingertips

The skilled teams of designers, developers, and digital strategists man the professional website development companies in Dubai. Keeping themselves updated with the latest technologies and best practices prevalent within the industry are all their pursuits. The accessibility of such expertise means having a website which is visually attractive yet functionally adequate, user-friendly as well as technologically state-of-the-art. While digitalizing your presence, one would find all that brought into play by deploying AI-driven chatbots and responsive designs.

2. Custom Websites for Local and International Readers

Dubai companies service diverse audiences, both locally and in other parts of the globe. A professional website development service will therefore understand the characteristics of the Dubai market-place, including cultural sensitiveness, consumer preferences, among others. They can always come up with customized websites responding to your target audience effectively, ensuring a seamless flow of user experience that causes engagement and conversion.

3. UX or better User Experience

User experience determines the success of a website. A website which is not designed well will lead to frustration from visitors, who then leave, causing a higher bounce rate and missed opportunities for sales. Professional developers emphasize intuitive navigation, fast loading pages, and mobile-friendliness of the designs. These together make for a great user journey which keeps visitors engaging and likely to take the desired action such as purchasing or contacting your business.

4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

However beautiful your website might look, it is worthless if nobody can find it. Web Development Company in Dubai  always factor in SEO best practice when developing, such as optimization of page speeds and meta tags, ensuring that your website is mobile-friendly and also clean coding. They are constantly improving your search engine ranking. More visibility brings more organic traffic or leads and sales.

5. Cost-Effective in the Long Run

A well-developed website minimizes the risk of technical issues, reduces maintenance costs, and ensures scalability as your business grows. Additionally, a professional website helps generate higher returns by attracting and retaining customers more effectively.

6. Focus on Core Business Activities

When outsourcing Web Development Company in UAE needs, you have more time to focus on core business activities. Professional companies handle everything from the initial design and development stages of a website through maintenance and updates, thus providing one with more time and resources to devote to important matters like customer service, marketing, and business expansion.

7. Support and Maintenance

Websites need to update and maintain themselves regularly. Otherwise, they get outdated and insecure. A professional website development company keeps providing support to solve problems, implement updates, and keep your website running perfectly. This proactive approach may avoid downtime and keep running your website smoothly, with a seamless experience for the users.

8. Competitive Advantage

Competition in the market is at its peak here in Dubai, and therefore, designing a professional website for yourself will keep you miles ahead of the competition. Well-performance of the website lends an impression of your business and brand with respectability and professionalism to your customer who tends to associate them. With this, your position further gets stabilized by strengthening their trust on your self.

Conclusion

In terms of succeeding in the currently trending digital world, a company of Dubai would need to enter partnership with a professional website development agency. Starting from providing solutions tailor-suited according to the client's business needs to improving the customer's experience and providing post-launch support so that you lead the market, these professional website development agencies are quite the backbone of your thriving business. This investment in professional website development will help you have a good standing online but also in generating long-term growth and profits.

[saipushpalearner]

Business Strategy Importance

In the dynamic realm of business, a robust strategy acts not just as a roadmap, but as the lifeblood that sustains and propels an organization forward. A well-defined business strategy importance harmonizes the collective effort of team members, guiding them towards a shared vision and distinct objectives. This strategic blueprint not only streamlines decision-making but also enhances resource allocation, ensuring that every step taken is a stride towards success.

Teamwork: The Heartbeat of Effective Strategy

Why Teamwork is Indispensable in Business Strategy

The magic of teamwork transforms individual capabilities into a powerful collective force. By aligning personal ambitions with organizational goals, teamwork becomes the crucible where innovative ideas and strategies are forged. According to a McKinsey & Company report, teams that embrace diversity are up to 35% more likely to outperform their homogeneous counterparts. This diversity fuels creativity, offering a kaleidoscope of perspectives that enrich the strategic process.

Harnessing Diverse Perspectives

Leveraging Diversity for Strategic Excellence

Embracing a variety of viewpoints not only broadens the scope of creativity but also enhances problem-solving capabilities. A team diverse in thought and background challenges the status quo and introduces a wealth of ideas, making the strategy more adaptable and robust.

The Power of Increased Innovation

Cultivating an Environment for Creative Growth

Innovation is the cornerstone of any leading business strategy. Teams that collaborate effectively foster an environment ripe for innovation. This collaborative spirit encourages members to think outside the box and propose unique solutions that keep the organization ahead of the curve.

Strengthening Communication

Enhancing Decision-Making through Effective Dialogue

Improved communication is a natural outcome of effective teamwork. It establishes a platform for open, transparent discussions that enhance decision-making processes. Such an environment not only boosts productivity but also ensures that all team members are on the same page, working cohesively towards common goals.

Sharing Responsibility

Distributing Tasks for Greater Empowerment

In a well-structured team, responsibilities are distributed evenly, alleviating the burden on individual members and fostering a sense of shared ownership. This shared responsibility is crucial for internalizing the objectives of the business strategy importance and enhances the collective commitment to achieving these goals.

Conclusion

A solid business strategy  supported by effective teamwork is more than just a path to organizational success—it is a comprehensive approach that promotes sustainable growth, innovation, and a competitive edge in the market. With a clear strategic vision and a committed team, businesses can face challenges confidently and seize opportunities more adeptly.

[protocolbangalore]

Business Communication: Importance for Professional Growth

In the ever-evolving professional landscape, communication is more than just exchanging information—it’s about creating understanding, fostering collaboration, and driving results. Whether it’s giving feedback, managing emails, or engaging in meetings, business communication is at the heart of professional success.

This blog explores the critical role of business communication, highlights practical applications like feedback and email etiquette, and offers actionable strategies for improvement.

The Importance of Business Communication

1. Facilitating Collaboration and Teamwork

communication ensures that team members understand goals, roles, and expectations. This alignment not only fosters teamwork but also minimizes misunderstandings that can slow progress.

2. Building Trust and Relationships

Effective communication helps professionals establish credibility and trust. Whether you’re working with colleagues or clients, clear and respectful communication strengthens relationships and promotes long-term success.

3. Enhancing Productivity

Strong communication ensures that instructions and expectations are understood, reducing errors and wasted time. From meetings to project updates, well-structured communication keeps teams on track.

Key Areas of Business Communication

1. Giving and Reviewing Feedback

Feedback is a critical part of professional growth. However, the way feedback is delivered and received can significantly impact its effectiveness.

Giving Feedback:

When offering feedback, focus on being constructive, specific, and actionable. Avoid vague criticism and instead highlight clear examples of what can be improved. Framing feedback positively, even when addressing challenges, helps maintain morale and motivation.

Reviewing Feedback:

Receiving feedback is equally important. Practice active listening and keep an open mind to understand the perspectives shared. Reflect on the feedback and use it as an opportunity to grow, even if it feels challenging at first.

2. Email Etiquette

In today’s digital age, email is one of the most common forms of business communication. Mastering email etiquette can significantly improve how your messages are perceived.

Keep it Clear and Concise: Write emails that are to the point while maintaining professionalism. Ensure the subject line is relevant and captures the purpose of the email. Use Proper Structure: Start with a courteous greeting, provide context, and close with a clear call to action or next steps. Be Mindful of Tone: Without non-verbal cues, emails can sometimes come across as harsher than intended. Use polite language and avoid overuse of uppercase letters or exclamation marks. Proofread Before Sending: Typos or unclear language can affect your credibility. Always double-check your email for clarity and errors before hitting send.

How to Improve Business Communication Skills

Improving communication is a journey that requires consistent effort and practice. Here are a few ways to get started:

1. Practice Giving Feedback

Whether in a formal setting or during everyday interactions, take opportunities to give constructive feedback. Practice using clear, positive language and focus on solutions.

2. Seek Feedback on Your Communication

Ask colleagues or mentors for feedback on how you communicate. This can include how well you articulate ideas, your email tone, or even how you conduct meetings.

3. Develop Your Email Skills

Experiment with drafting concise yet comprehensive emails. Use tools like grammar checkers to refine your writing and learn from sample templates available online.

4. Participate in Training Programs

Workshops or training sessions on communication, email etiquette, or feedback can provide valuable insights and practical techniques. These sessions often include real-life scenarios to help you apply what you learn effectively.

5. Engage in Self-Reflection

Regularly reflect on your interactions. Consider what went well and where there’s room for improvement. This habit helps you stay aware of your communication style and adapt as needed.

Conclusion

Business communication is an indispensable skill that influences every aspect of professional life—from giving and receiving feedback to managing written correspondence like emails. Mastering these elements not only enhances relationships and productivity but also positions you for long-term career growth.

With deliberate practice and a commitment to improvement, you can refine your communication skills and make a lasting impact in your professional journey. Whether you focus on better feedback techniques or email etiquette, every small step brings you closer to becoming a more effective communicator.

To know more about business communication. https://protocol.org.in/business-communication-importance-for-professional-growth/

[projectchampionz]

STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE PHYSICIAN ENGAGEMENT AND COLLABORATION IN HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS

STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE PHYSICIAN ENGAGEMENT AND COLLABORATION IN HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS 1.1 Introduction Physician engagement and collaboration are critical to the success of healthcare organizations, as they are directly linked to improved patient outcomes, organizational efficiency, and overall healthcare quality. In a rapidly evolving healthcare environment, effective physician engagement…

[kreativantechnologies]

[cyber-soul-smartz]

21st-century Project Management: The Power of Communication Skills

Unlock the secrets to successful project management with Hafsa Reasoner's latest guide on mastering communication skills. Elevate your leadership and team collaboration. Don't miss out—subscribe now for more insights and updates!

[techtoio]

The Future of Work: Technology and Remote Collaboration

Introduction

The future of work is rapidly evolving, driven by technological advancements and the increasing popularity of remote collaboration. At TechtoIO, we delve into how these changes are shaping the workplace, impacting productivity, and altering traditional work paradigms. This blog post explores the key technologies enabling remote work and the benefits and challenges associated with this new way of working. Read to continue link

[pebblegalaxy]

Mastering the Art of Listening: Transforming Personal and Professional Relationships

What’s one small improvement you can make in your life? Reflecting on the myriad facets of daily life, those incremental adjustments that might ripple out to effect profound change, I find myself contemplating the nuanced art of listening—truly listening—not just the passive receipt of words, but the active, engaged, and empathetic absorption of the thoughts, feelings, and intentions of others.…

[productiveandfree]

Mindful Team Building Events: Professional Facilitation for Enhanced Awareness and Collaboration

Fostering strong connections and effective collaboration among team members is crucial for the success of any business or organization. Traditional team building activities often involve trust falls and rope courses, but there’s a growing trend towards a more mindful approach. Enter mindful team building events, where professional facilitation helps teams cultivate awareness and collaboration in unique and impactful ways. Let’s delve into what these events entail and why they’re gaining popularity.

Understanding Mindful Team Building

So, what exactly does it mean to have a mindful approach to team building? Well, it’s all about being present in the moment and fostering a deeper understanding of oneself and others. Mindfulness practices, such as meditation and deep breathing exercises, are incorporated into team-building activities to encourage participants to slow down, tune into their thoughts and feelings, and develop empathy and understanding.

 The Importance of Professional Facilitation

While anyone can lead a trust fall exercise, facilitating mindful team building events requires a certain level of expertise. Professional facilitators are trained to create a safe and supportive environment where team members feel comfortable exploring their thoughts and emotions. They guide participants through activities and discussions, ensuring everyone has a voice and that insights gained are translated into actionable strategies for collaboration.

 Enhancing Self-Awareness

One of the primary goals of mindful team building is to enhance self-awareness among team members. When individuals understand their own strengths, weaknesses, and communication styles, they can better navigate interactions with others. Through activities like mindfulness meditation and reflective journaling, participants gain insights into their thought patterns and emotional responses, helping them develop a greater sense of self-awareness.

 Cultivating Empathy and Understanding

In addition to self-awareness, mindful team building events also focus on cultivating empathy and understanding among team members. Through exercises like perspective-taking and active listening, participants learn to see situations from different viewpoints and appreciate the experiences and feelings of others. This fosters a sense of connection and mutual respect within the team, laying the foundation for effective collaboration.

 Improving Communication

Effective communication is essential for any successful team, and mindful team building events can help improve communication skills in a meaningful way. By practicing mindful communication techniques, such as speaking with intention and active listening, team members learn to communicate more clearly and authentically. This reduces misunderstandings and conflict, leading to smoother collaboration and better outcomes.

 Building Trust and Psychological Safety

Trust is the bedrock of any healthy team dynamic, and mindful team building events are designed to strengthen trust among team members. Through vulnerability exercises and team bonding activities, participants learn to open up and support one another in a non-judgmental environment. This creates a sense of psychological safety where team members feel comfortable taking risks, sharing ideas, and expressing their true selves without fear of criticism or rejection.

Fostering Creativity and Innovation

Mindful team building events can also spark creativity and innovation within teams. By breaking free from traditional constraints and exploring new ways of thinking and problem-solving, participants are encouraged to think outside the box and generate fresh ideas. Creative activities like improvisation and brainstorming exercises challenge team members to tap into their creativity and collaborate in innovative ways, leading to breakthroughs and new opportunities.

 Strengthening Team Cohesion

Ultimately, the goal of mindful team building is to strengthen team cohesion and camaraderie. By fostering a sense of connection and belonging, teams can overcome challenges together and achieve greater success. Mindful team building events create lasting bonds among team members, laying the groundwork for a supportive and collaborative work environment where everyone feels valued and appreciated.

 Nurturing Resilience and Adaptability

In today’s ever-changing business landscape, resilience and adaptability are essential traits for success. Mindful team building events help teams develop these skills by encouraging them to embrace uncertainty and navigate challenges with grace. Through resilience-building exercises and mindfulness practices, teams learn to bounce back from setbacks and adapt to change more effectively, ensuring they can thrive in any environment.

 Enhancing Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is a key predictor of professional success, and mindful team building events provide an opportunity for teams to enhance this critical skill. By engaging in activities that promote self-awareness, self-regulation, and empathy, team members develop a deeper understanding of their own emotions and the emotions of others. This enables them to navigate interpersonal dynamics more effectively, build stronger relationships, and make more informed decisions.

 Promoting Work-Life Balance

Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is essential for employee well-being and productivity. Mindful team building events emphasize the importance of self-care and stress management, encouraging team members to prioritize their physical and mental health. By incorporating activities like guided relaxation and mindfulness walks, teams learn practical strategies for reducing stress and finding balance in their lives, ultimately leading to greater job satisfaction and performance.

 Encouraging Continuous Growth and Development

Professional growth and development are ongoing processes, and mindful team building events provide a platform for teams to continue learning and evolving together. By fostering a growth mindset and a culture of feedback and reflection, teams are encouraged to embrace new challenges and opportunities for learning. This continuous growth mindset not only benefits individual team members but also strengthens the team as a whole, ensuring they remain adaptable and resilient in the face of change.

 Sustaining Long-Term Results

The impact of mindful team building events extends far beyond the initial experience, leading to sustained improvements in team dynamics and performance over time. By integrating mindfulness practices into their daily routines and communication strategies, teams are better equipped to handle challenges and collaborate effectively on an ongoing basis. This sustainable approach to team building ensures that the benefits of mindfulness endure long after the event has ended, creating lasting positive change within the organization.

 Conclusion

In today’s fast-paced and competitive business world, the importance of strong team dynamics cannot be overstated. Mindful team building events offer a refreshing alternative to traditional activities, providing teams with the tools and techniques they need to cultivate awareness, collaboration, and connection. By investing in professional facilitation and embracing mindfulness practices, organizations can foster a culture of empathy, communication, and creativity that drives innovation and success. So why not take a mindful approach to team building and see the transformative impact it can have on your team?

Pin or save this post for later!

Share in the comments below: Questions go here

[jamaicahomescom]

The Rise of Remote Work: Unveiling the Vital Role of Communication Skills for Project Practitioners

As the project management landscape continues to evolve, so do the essential skills required for success. At Jamaica Homes, we recently conducted a comprehensive salary survey that brought to light the significance of communication skills in the world of project management. With the global pandemic driving remote work into the mainstream, effective communication has emerged as a critical factor…

[swampjawn]

Time to talk an unnecessary amount about floors!

Episode 6 of Dungeon Meshi was produced in collaboration with a smaller studio, Enishiya - and it went way harder than I expected, for being made up of two relatively simple and self contained stories focusing on one character each.

And you can really see how those extra resources meant the animators could give full focus to both halves of the episode. Let's take a look at one piece that stole the show.

The first half was handled primarily by episode director/storyboard artist Keita Nagahara and co-animation director Hirotoshi (or Hiroaki? [1]) Arai. It's actually kinda insane how much of this section can be attributed to these two.

But the real star of the show is the second half, Chilchuck vs the mimic, led by co-animation director Toya Ooshima in his first animation director role for TV anime!

And the biggest aspect that knocked my dang boots off was something that's very consistent with Ooshima's style: background animation!

By animating the backgrounds rather than using painted still images, Ooshima and the team of other similarly skilled animators are able to create these beautiful dynamic camera movements that wouldn't be possible otherwise. Like these cuts by Takeshi Maenami where the camera becomes an expressive part of the scene, zipping forward and backward, and tilting to emphasize the speed of this murderous hermit crab. (Maenami's style is also very recognizable here - snappy timing and quick camera movements)

Or this cut by the incredible Kaito Tomioka which cleverly combines a traditional background for the walls with a fully animated floor. The level of detail in these tiles is just completely insane, and used to great effect with this wide, diagonal angle, and the way the camera tentatively drifts forward before reversing direction, and the tiles blur out as it speeds up.

I don't think I'm the only one caught off guard by how much they full-assed this little side story, but it was a pleasant surprise!

I broke down the entire episode in this video here. A lot of research went into this one, and I think it's the best one of these videos I've made so far, so if you're at all interested in more of this type of analysis in video form, I would really appreciate it if you checked it out, or re-blogged this post! Thanks

[1] It's listed as Hirotoshi on Anime News Network, but Hiroaki on a key frame that Studio Trigger shared on Twitter, so I'm not sure which one is wrong.

[true-firms]

Debunking 5 Myths of Staff Augmentation Services

Explore the truth behind common misconceptions about staff augmentation services in our latest blog.

From debunking cost concerns to addressing communication challenges, learn how staff augmentation can be a cost-effective and efficient solution for your business.

Discover the benefits, dispel the myths, and gain insights into optimizing project management with augmented teams. Read more now!

[felassan]

SAG AFTRA news update:

"SAG-AFTRA Members Who Work on Video Games Go on Strike July 25th A.I. Protections Remain the Sticking Point SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, acting under the authority delegated by the SAG-AFTRA National Board, and with the unanimous advice and counsel of the Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee, called a strike of the Interactive Media Agreement, effective July 26 at 12:01 a.m. Today’s vote to strike comes after more than a year and a half of negotiations without a deal. The convenience bargaining group with whom SAG-AFTRA is negotiating includes Activision Productions Inc., Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Llama Productions LLC, Take 2 Productions Inc., VoiceWorks Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc. Any game looking to employ SAG-AFTRA talent to perform covered work must sign on to the new Tiered-Budget Independent Interactive Media Agreement, the Interim Interactive Media Agreement or the Interim Interactive Localization Agreement. These agreements offer critical A.I. protections for members. Negotiations began in October 2022 and on Sept. 24, 2023, SAG-AFTRA members approved a video game strike authorization with a 98.32% yes vote. Although agreements have been reached on many issues important to SAG-AFTRA members, the employers refuse to plainly affirm, in clear and enforceable language, that they will protect all performers covered by this contract in their A.I. language. “We’re not going to consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse A.I. to the detriment of our members. Enough is enough. When these companies get serious about offering an agreement our members can live — and work — with, we will be here, ready to negotiate,” stated SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher.   “The video game industry generates billions of dollars in profit annually. The driving force behind that success is the creative people who design and create those games. That includes the SAG-AFTRA members who bring memorable and beloved game characters to life, and they deserve and demand the same fundamental protections as performers in film, television, streaming, and music: fair compensation and the right of informed consent for the A.I. use of their faces, voices, and bodies. Frankly, it’s stunning that these video game studios haven’t learned anything from the lessons of last year - that our members can and will stand up and demand fair and equitable treatment with respect to A.I., and the public supports us in that,” said Crabtree-Ireland. “Eighteen months of negotiations have shown us that our employers are not interested in fair, reasonable A.I. protections, but rather flagrant exploitation. We refuse this paradigm – we will not leave any of our members behind, nor will we wait for sufficient protection any longer. We look forward to collaborating with teams on our Interim and Independent contracts, which provide A.I. transparency, consent and compensation to all performers, and to continuing to negotiate in good faith with this bargaining group when they are ready to join us in the world we all deserve." said Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee Chair Sarah Elmaleh.  For more information and to search whether a video game is struck, please visit sagaftra.org/videogamestrike."

[source]