How to play your way to success: Team Cooper Interview

by Luke Smith

From a young age, Tim Cooper, Managing Director/Game Producer for Sheffield based flash developer Team Cooper Ltd, had always been interested in gaming.

Yet, he never thought it was quite what he’d end up doing.

Fast forward to the present day and Tim has become one of the UK’s leading flash developers, amassing a decade’s worth of experience in the process.

Here Tim tells us about how he started out, his background in the industry and the team he is working with today.

Tim keeping busy in the office. Courtesy of: Team Cooper

Before setting up Team Cooper in 2006, Tim came to prominence by working as a freelancer, building a wealth of experience and eventually having to turn down offers for work because of the demand.

Despite this however, Tim was unsure of which direction he would ultimately end up travelling in, taking on developmental positions for various companies over the years.

“[I] started freelancing and ended up turning down offers for work.”

The first instance he seriously got into flash development was during his time working in e-learning.

Having contended with the various demands of his work, Tim spoke fondly of his work here and how Team Cooper took on his life.

“I used to work in e-learning and got into flash back then.”

Looking to gain a foothold in the market and establish himself in flash development, Team Cooper came to light when Tim had traversed the market and got a better understanding of who and what he wanted to be.

As an individual concept, Cooper lends its success to the momentum built from taking on its first developer and thrives on the close collaboration of its crafters.

Used to enhancing the profiles of other brands and marketing agencies across the industry, the Team Cooper identity resides within itself and others, with Tim adding:

“We’re still trying to find that balance really.”

One major part of this process is the establishment of its own independent gaming website, Robot Lizard.

With its first game, Beastie Burgers, setting the stall out for this quirky spin venture, the team have gone on to have a varying degree of success separate from the main hub.

Beastie Burgers in action. Courtesy of: Luke Smith

It’s renown for this stretches beyond all expectations of what Tim viewed as a creative outlet and emphasises the skills that each of his team has to offer.

“Anyone of us could make a game on their own, and some of us do.”

On their latest game, Unclean Canteen, Tim enthused about its promise as their take on the popular Cooking Mama series for the flash gamer.

A quick snapshot of the Unclean Canteen. Courtesy of: Luke Smith

He maintains:

“In this time of austerity, it’s important to keep up the success”

However, in light of all the strides Tim and his team continue to make, he remains humble over where they have come to this day.

“[We] only recently asked to be involved as part of the games industry”

Picture of local HMV games counter. Courtesy of: Luke Smith

From programming a Sinclair Spectrum to working as a Managing Director of a notoriously established flash developer, Tim’s journey has taken him down a number of paths.

When asked what his proudest moment has been during this time, he remarked:

“Last year [when] the company had its fifth birthday.”

His journey illustrates the realisation of a dream, a stairway to success, whether childhood fantasy or not.

Tim’s story provides an inspiration for those willing to seek out their dreams of success, whatever they may be.

Feature: How do you film success?

In the build-up to one of the UK’s leading film festivals, Luke Smith looks at two of the most anticipated films of the year, their audience reactions and asks what it takes to be a success?

From the 13^th – 17^th of June, one of the UK’s leading digital experiences, Doc/Fest, is set to put Sheffield’s Showroom at the epicentre of the cine-world.

With the likes of Morgan Spurlock, Louis Theroux and Joan Rivers in previous attendance, it has been an attractive prospect for opportunists and film connoisseurs’ years gone by.

However, for all the success that can come out of an event like this, there is the question of how you build up to it?

What does it mean to be a success in the film industry?

Sheldon Hall, leading MA Film Studies lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, shares his thoughts and experience of the film industry:

Here, we look to two of the industries most respected directors, Christopher Nolan and Peter Jackson, and their claims to fame.

With their most recent footage for The Dark Knight Rises and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey each had a varying degree success with their audiences.

Courtesy of: Warner Bros. Pictures

Most noteworthy of both was The Hobbit, and in particular, Jackson’s respective use of 48fps (frames per second) footage for a 10 minute critical screening.

Set for release on December 14^th, it stands as the fourth film entry and preceding work in J.R.R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings saga.

As the whole film is set to be shot in this format, it is due to be the first of its kind to make the leap from the standard issue and herald in a new era for cinema goers, despite its concerns.

On the issue, Jackson said it wasn’t that surprising, putting the difference in a positive light by later adding:

“We are certainly going to experiment with different finishing techniques to give the 48 frames a look that is more organic.”

Held in high esteem by James Cameron, this format is Jackson’s attempt to pioneer the trend and establish the precedent by which cinema are expected to follow.

Just as Cameron’s Avatar paved the way for the 3D renaissance, it is hoped that the Hobbit is going to lead the way down an unexpected journey of its own.

However, whereby the 3D platform is still working out each kink in its armour, so too must the 48fps method face up to the scrutiny, if it is to stand a chance of becoming the standard cinema experience.

Yet, despite all the negativity surrounding the use of this format, it will be down to LOTR audiences to decide what is best.

It is very likely indeed to overcome whatever the critics say, with initial reactions to its trailer (shown at the standard 24fps) rating it the 2^nd best movie trailer in a poll as recently as last December.

The highest rated of them, The Dark Knight Rises, has not been without its own criticisms over the past 12 months.

Coming to UK theatres on the 20^th July, as the spiritual successor to the most revered comic book movie of all time, Rises is set to be this summer’s largest draw and will be Nolan’s final instalment of the Bat-Saga.

Courtesy of: Warner Bros. Pictures

In the wake of this, there are high expectations for the conclusion and what it can offer cinema goers which its predecessors didn’t.

The harrowing nature of its current trailer lends itself well to the themes and tone of each iteration so far.

In this sense it seems to be more of the same.

However, when you consider the set pieces on show, the cinematography, characterisation and integration of Gotham’s new villains, it takes the film scape to a whole new level.

“With Bane, we’re looking to give Batman a challenge he hasn’t had before.” – Nolan

It’s casting of Catwoman and Bane has been one of the main talking points, as Nolan intends to bring about the end of ‘the bat’.

Tom Hardy’s Bane in particular has been lauded for his portrayal, with screen testing’s of the powerhouse leaving much to be desired.

It is down to the frequent difficulty apparent in his speeches that present the most problems, with the character’s costume interfering with his ability to effectively communicate.

Courtesy of: Warner Bros. Pictures

While later rectified, it showed the balancing act that directors must take to appease the fans, both new and old, ahead of their blockbuster’s viewing.

In keeping with its previous publicity, TDKR pays its dues with the management of hype and anticipation ahead of its impending release.

Each new piece of information teases the audience into creating a fervour of excitement, as the lore of the DC comics fuels the clamour.

By contrast, the wealth of material available in the LOTR experience could be guilty of exuding a more restrictive presence, given the nature of the sequels production.

As splitting the source material gives Jackson more room for creative freedom, the context of the film itself, releasing nearly a decade after the last, illustrates how carefully a director must handle its publicity.

Given its performance on the international circuit, it’s time out of the limelight is bound to bring in increased scrutiny of the smallest of details.

Whereby success is most likely to be prominent is with cast, directorial and production scheduling.

In the case of Jackson, The Hobbit project had been several years down the line and under the stewardship of Guillermo Del Toro before he moved from the production into the director’s chair.

“I thought it would be interesting to have a different sensibility directing the movie so you’d have somebody else’s version of a Middle Earth story.”

With Nolan and his TDKR experience, there has been significantly less time between the production’s release (4 years), causing expectations to intensify dramatically.

Yet his commitment and eagerness for the project rests once he sees it in theatres worldwide, moving onto production of another DC property.

For both, the barometer of success sits with audience and directorial expectations.

Where a film is most likely to achieve unilateral acclaim rests with the ability to draw parallels and objectify with reasonable doubt what to expect and when.

It is judged on a symbiotic bond that each film maker and audience member alike shares with the experience, taking away what they believe to be a success or not.