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On December 13th of 2021, the animation community lost a dear friend and true champion when the well-respected Italian teacher, historian and journalist Giannalberto Bendazi passed away at the age of 75.
Bendazzi was born in Italy on July 17, 1946. He studied law at the University of Milan before moving to Genoa, Italy. At the age of 21 he became the youngest Italian daily film critic, but he soon began to write essays on animation and live-action movies. He devoted his full attention to the study of animation in the 1980s and also turned to full-time academic teaching by 2002 and lectured on several continents. In 2002 he first received the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Animation Theory from the Animafest Zagreb. In 2016, ASIFA (Association Internationale du Film d’Animation) granted him the Life Achievement Award and in 2019 he received an Honorary Doctorate from Universidade Lusófona in Portugal.
Among the over 30 books and articles Bendazzi authored were the seminal Cartoons: 100 Years of Cinema Animation, the three-tome Animation: A World History,Alexeieff: Itinerary of a Master and Twice the First: Quirino Cristiani and the Animated Feature Film. He also wrote books on live-action cinema, on auteurs such as Woody Allen and Mel Brooks. He was also a beloved fixture at animation festivals and events around the world.
In preparation for the first podcast of Cartoon Researchers and Educators, I had the opportunity of working with him where we spoke about the history of animation. He granted me his last interview, three days prior to his death. When asked about his future plans, Bendazzi said: “Before my book Cartoons, of 1988, there was no global history of animation, even though a lot was known about American animation. Cartoons was translated in many languages. The 1994 English edition was improved and published in 2015 as Animation: A World History [CRC Press, 3 vols.].”
Animation: A World History Vol. 3 (CRC Press)
He added, “For culture in general, and for journalists specialized in visual arts and film, this filled a giant gap. However, very few people were aware of this gap because they were blinded by Disney’s presence. I reached this goal through years and years of work and research.”
“The knowledge on animation is dispersed throughout several books written in different languages. The research is in full expansion. So, I thought it was right to give students, scholars and specialists a themed library which stores a wide array of books in many languages. Some of them are very rare. The collection is being archived and catalogued, at present, but I hope it will become accessible as soon as possible.”
I also asked him how he saw the future of the art of animation. He responded, “In the present day, animation is like a star which has just exploded, a supernova, which embraces communication, advertising, entertainment (including drama theatre and opera) and poetry. Animation is in every area of knowledge. Of course, as all supernovas do, this one will also collapse to a small white dwarf, of dim light, but with all the characteristics it had before. For example, Hollywood films using digital technologies are presented as live-action features, but for the most part they are animated!”
Rest in peace, Giannalberto Bendazzi (July 17, 1946 – December 13, 2021).
***This article originally appeared in the February ’22 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 317)***
A stop-motion trilogy about the surreal events in a single house over many years may seem ironically apt for this pandemic era, when people have been sequestered at home for so long. That irony isn’t lost on Charlotte Bavasso, the co-founder & CEO of Nexus Studios and producer of the eagerly anticipated Netflix anthology The House.“We’ve had many conversations about that over the months as you can imagine,” she admits.
L-R: Nexus directors Emma De Swaef, Marc James Roels, Paloma Baeza and Niki Lindroth von Bahr.
Netflix envisioned The House as a dark adult comedy, and Nexus collaborated with four stop-motion artists who regularly have earned honors on the indie animation scene. The first chapter is from Belgium’s Emma de Swaef and Marc Roels, whose signature wool-crafted puppets peopled their 2012 short Oh Willy… and 2018 Annecy-winning project This Magnificent Cake! Chapter two comes from Sweden’s Niki Lindroth von Bahr, also an Annecy winner whose animal/human characters are the enigmatic stars of her stop-motion shorts Bath House (2014), TheBurden (2017) and Something to Remember (2019). The trilogy’s closer is by London-based actress/director Paloma Baeza, whose BAFTA Award-winning short Poles Apart had previously prompted Nexus Studios to begin development of a series based on her polar bear characters.
The collaboration between Nexus and this diverse group of artists began with what Bavasso calls “a huge brainstorming session.” Fortunately, this occurred before the pandemic lockdowns began. “We invited them to London, and they came up with stories that fit in different eras of The House,” she explains. “The story by Marc and Emma takes place in the early 19th century, while Niki’s story explores what is happening now, and Paloma’s story is set in the near future. It was important that each maintained their individuality in their characters and in the look of their films. The follies unfolding in The House are fantastic.”
The House Story 1 voice stars Matthew Goode, Miranda Richardson, Claudie Blakley, Mia Goth, Mark Heap and Stephanie Cole.
Raising the Residence
The house itself, which takes shape before our eyes during the opening piece by Marc Roels and Emma de Swaef, was the handiwork of production designer Alexandra Walker, whose many credits include Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie. “Alex did an amazing job of making a general design for the three films, and then elaborating our chapter’s specific style,” says de Swaef. “Our house is a maze that expands and changes all the time.”
The pair’s eerie tale follows a poor family as it succumbs to the temptations of a mysterious benefactor, a choice that places two young children in peril. The filmmakers’ wooly characters, with their beady eyes reflecting flickering lights, makes the gothic horror of the piece especially poignant. “It’s always tricky to animate humans in stop motion,” notes de Swaef. “For us, the key to avoiding the uncanny valley is to stay very stylized and slightly naïve in the designs of the puppets. We like to focus on good posing and elaborate finger movements, and otherwise keeping the acting very pared down.”
Lighting a shot of the children for Story 1 of The House (Nexus Studios)
A prime challenge for the directing duo, known as Marc & Emma — as well as for their fellow indie animation directors — was working with the dialogue penned by Irish playwright Enda Walsh, whose accolades include a Tony Award for the Once stage musical. “Working with Enda was incredibly inspiring,” recalls Roels. “Up until this film, we’d written everything ourselves, so it was refreshing to hear how someone with no knowledge of stop-motion would approach our style. His particular sense of humor really meshed well with ours, and he wasn’t afraid to take the story to dark and interesting places.”
Bavasso explains that because the chapters in The House had no narrative connections, it was essential that Nexus find a writer to tie them together into a 96-minute experience. “The directors wrote detailed story outlines, and then Enda collaborated with each to develop their dialogue. It was definitely new for them.”
Actor-writer-composer Jarvis Cocker (Fantastic Mr. Fox, The French Dispatch) plays a developer trying to flip “The House” in Story 2.
You can really hear the wordsmith’s influence in the colloquial language of the very contemporary second chapter, directed by Niki Lindroth von Bahr. Her protagonist is a real estate developer who’s desperate to renovate and sell the now rickety house, and who becomes increasingly unnerved by an insect infestation and an oddball parade of potential home buyers. While the characters move like humans, they have the heads of mice. The director explains, “As the developer is put under more and more pressure, he’s regressing into the animal that he actually is.”Her inspirations are very telling — including David Lynch’s Lost Highway, another film in which a relaxed atmosphere devolves into a nightmare.
The central, silent character is “The House” itself — a modern mess, defying the property developer’s frantic efforts to attract upper-class buyers. “I work with quite lengthy scenes that allow you to really take in the surroundings,” von Bahr explains. “I collaborated with the art director Nicklas Nilsson, who worked with me on The Burden.” She admits they had fun creating the house’s lavish interiors, spending hours of research watching reality shows such as MTV Cribs and Keeping Up with the Kardashians!
Animating a mousey open house for Story 2 of The House (Nexus Studios)
The state of the building only gets worse in the series’ closing chapter, directed by Paloma Baeza. Set in the not-too-distant future, Baeza’s story reveals that the house is slowly drowning in rising waters wrought by climate change. Its current owner, a humanlike feline, has subdivided The House into apartments. She makes hopeless efforts to restore the structure, even as her tenants prepare to move out. Paloma Baeza says, “She has an absurd inability to see what’s right in front of her. Her blinkered obsession with restoring the house in the face of the extreme circumstances surrounding her can be seen as a metaphor for our own reluctance to face difficult changes in life.”
One of these tenants is memorably voiced by Helena Bonham Carter, who previously worked with Baeza on Poles Apart. “I was so delighted that Helena wanted to collaborate again,” says the director, who has extensive acting credits herself. They were lucky enough to schedule in-person recording sessions between COVID lockdowns instead of recording remotely, which was a relief. “I’m very hands-on when working with actors in voice sessions,” admits Baeza. “Coming from an acting background, I guess it’s my comfort zone.”
Story 3 of The House features Susan Wokoma as landlady Rosa (left), Helena Bonham Carter, Will Sharpe and Game of Thrones’ Paul Kaye.
Fortunately, the Nexus animation crews were also able to work within pandemic protocols and collaborate with the directors on set during their shoots. They were then able to return home and continue collaborating via remote sessions. Bavasso notes, “Nexus was really running three productions at the same time. We had a clever schedule in place, where we effectively had two crews moving from one film to another, while the third film was happening in parallel. We had around 300 people working over 20 weeks for each film.” Of course, it helped that line producer Angela Poschet had previously worked on Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie and Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs. “These directors were not used to working with large production crews —though I’m not sure they’ll ever go back now!” says Bavasso.
Von Bahr confesses that she initially was nervous about participating in such an ‘upscale’ production, where she couldn’t be hands-on for the fabrication of her puppets and sets. “My previous films were basically only me in a basement. The Nexus team made this project a lot easier — and much more fun — than I expected. It’s simpler to be brave creatively when you have good backup, and you don’t need to solve all the problems yourself. My story was unusual, and I’m thankful Netflix allowed me to tell it exactly the way I wanted.”
“Visitor” puppets created for Story 2 of The House (Nexus Studios)
Roels, who’s known for the expressive lighting on his films with de Swaef, recalls, “We had a bit of trepidation about working with a cinematographer for the first time. It was a huge relief that our director of photography Malcolm Hadley was such a great collaborator who immediately understood our methods and quirks, and still managed to enhance the whole thing. Our one big demand was that everything — as much as possible — be done in-camera.That usually means avoiding a lot of things that normally make life easier, like greenscreens and digital compositing.”
This requirement made it especially challenging to animate the crackling fires that were prevalent in this period piece. Hadley and animation director Tobias Fouracre developed a ‘flame look’ by combining light effects and replacement tufts of wool. As de Swaef remarks, “They became so expert that by the end we were looking forward to the fire shots.”
The House (Story 1)
Dancing Bugs and CG Mist
However, the Nexus crew did employ some significant digital effects in the second and third chapters of The House. Von Bahr had envisioned a comical way of depicting the bug infestation plaguing the house — so Nexus used digital effects to choreograph dozens of bugs dancing in Busby Berkeley style. Then, Baeza’s story required literally drowning the house, so several scenes were shot against greenscreen.
“We had the challenge of creating water, but we also had mist. Because I wanted a particular sense of ‘reality’ — despite the surreal nature of the world — we used a mixture of techniques which were seamlessly merged by our great visual effects team,” Baeza explains. “For the water, we shot some stop-motion elements in camera, using glass and hair gel, which were then manipulated, re-sized and composited with other live-action elements. The mist is a mixture of live-action elements (with altered frame rates) and our own CG-generated mist.”
The House (Story 3)
As she looks back on the experience of producing the challenging project, Bavasso thinks that the unusual format makes it stand out from other anthologies. “Adult animation seems to have been confined largely to 2D comedies. We’re proud to have given extraordinarily talented stop-motion directors a platform they’ve never had before. The incredible reach of Netflix means their work will be accessible to 220 million people.”
The directors themselves admit they don’t know what reactions to expect when The House begins streaming in JanuaryAfter years of working in stop-motion solitude in Stockholm, von Bahr says, ”It’s still a very demanding and expensive kind of animation. It’s almost impossible to make a living from it in Sweden, especially when working on the adult scene. Hopefully, The House will spark some new interest in this ancient —and pretty bonkers — art form!”
The House premieres globally on Netflix on January 14.
With only a couple of days left of 2021, we thought it was a good time to check out the numbers on the year’s theatrical box office to see which movies fared well despite the ongoing Covid pandemic and competition from streaming services. Not surprisingly, Sony’s mega blockbuster Spider-Man: No Way Home is sitting high and triumphant on top of the charts with a nice $$572,621,855 in the U.S. and a smashing worldwide take of $1,161,332,000 even though it was only released on December 17. On the animation side, Disney’s Colombian musical extravaganza Encanto danced it way into the hearts of audiences, bringing in $90,642,581 in the U.S. and a total of $194,840,032 worldwide. Universal/Illumination’s Sing 2 is also doing very well both stateside and globally, landing in the number two spot with $$74,900,785 in the U.S. and a worldwide $79,721, 124 cume, even though it only premiered stateside on Dec. 22.
Check out how your other live-action, animated and hybrid movies fared over the past year:
2021’s Top 10 at the Box Office
Spider-Man: No Way Home (Sony) $572,621,855
Shang-Chi & Legend of the Ten Rings (Disney) $224,543,292
Venom: Let There Be Carnage (Sony) $212,527,511
Black Widow (Disney) $183,651,655
F9: The First Saga (Universal) $173,202,780
Eternals (Disney) $164,509,137
No Time to Die (MGM) $160,772,007
A Quiet Place Part II (Paramount) $160,072,261
Free Guy (20th Century) $121,626,598
Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Sony) $121,188,000
Top 16 Animated & Hybrid Movies
Encanto (Disney) $90,642,581
Sing 2 (Universal) $74,900,785
Space Jam: A New Legacy (Warner Bros.) $70,528,072
Boss Baby: Family Business (Universal) $57,524,360
YouTube Originals is offering a special sneak peek of the first episode of The Guava Juice Show, the new twenty-six-episode, school-age animated comedy series from YouTube superstar and creator of the Guava Juice channel, Roi Fabito today (Dec. 30). The official series launch is slated for spring of 2022.
With 16.8 million subscribers and more than 8 billion views, Roi of Guava Juice fame is known for his infectious positivity and messages of staying humble, being true to yourself and chasing your dreams; as well as for his creativity, youthful spirit and love of all things messy.
The new animated show follows the fun adventures of 14-year old Roi (Roi Fabito) and his best friends— plucky teenager Jenny (Bethany Brown) and fretful, safety-first Guava (a walking, talking guava fruit/Adrian Petriw)— as they work at a mysterious curio shop and travel to parallel worlds and dimensions throughout the multiverse in Roi’s magical bathtub.
In the premiere episode “Spicy Challenge,”Roi, Guava and Jenny get into a hot saucechallenge that threatens to destroy the boardwalk! On a quest to find the hottest pepper in the multiverse, they unleash a literal ghost pepper who rains fireballs down on the town (and yes, there are laser snakes as well!).
Produced by Studio71 and Mainframe Studios, The Guava Juice Show was created by John Hazlett, Lienne Sawatsky and Dan Williams. Roi Fabito, Gregory R. Little and Michael Schreiber executive produce along with Michael Hefferon, Adam Boorstin and Hazlett, Sawatsky and Williams. Susanne Daniels is Global Head of Original Content for YouTube. Nadine Zylstra serves as Head of Family, Learning and Impact for YouTube Originals. Daniel Haack is the creative lead.
Online ticket sales destination Fandango recently asked 6,000 ticket-buyers to reveal their most anticipated theatrical movies of 2022. Not surprisingly, Sony’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One), Disney/Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Disney/Pixar’s Lightyear were among the most popular titles on the list.
In 2021, all survey respondents saw at least one movie in a theater.They were polled during the first three weeks of December. Here are some of the audience favorites in various categories:
2022’s Most Anticipated Blockbusters
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Nov. 11)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Oct. 7)
The Batman(March 4)
Thor: Love and Thunder (July 8)
Jurassic World: Dominion (June 10)
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May 6)
Avatar 2 (Dec. 16)
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (Dec. 16)
Top Gun: Maverick (May 27)
Mission: Impossible 7 (Sept. 30)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
2022’s Most Anticipated Action/Adventure Movies (non-superhero)
Jurassic World: Dominion
Avatar 2
Top Gun: Maverick
Mission: impossible 7
Uncharted (Feb. 18)
2022’s Most Anticipated Animated/Family Movies
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Lightyear (June 17)
Minions: The Rise of Gru (July 1)
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (April 15)
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (April 8)
Lightyear
2022’s Most Anticipated Horror Movies
Halloween Ends (Oct. 14)
Scream (Jan. 14)
Jordan Peele’s Nope (July 22)
Orphan: First Kill (TBD)
The Black Phone (June 24)
2022’s Most Anticipated Returning Performances
Chris Hemsworth (as Thor), Thor: Love and Thunder
Benedict Cumberbatch (as Dr. Stephen Strange), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse Madness
Natalie Portman (as Dr. Jane Foster), Thor: Love and Thunder
Zoe Saldana (as Neytiri), Avatar 2
Elizabeth Olsen (as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
2022’s Most Anticipated New Performances
Robert Pattinson (as Bruce Wayne/Batman), The Batman
Dwayne Johnson (as Black Adam), Black Adam
Christian Bale (as Gorr the God Butcher), Thor: Love and Thunder
Issa Rae (as Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman), Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Zoe Kravitz (as Selina Kyle/Catwoman), The Batman
Among Fandango’s other findings from the year-end poll:
94% want to go to the theater more often in 2022 than they did in 2021
89% were gratified to see new movie releases on the big screen this year.
88% are excited by the 2022 line-up of theatrical releases.
86% picked action/adventure as one of their favorite genres.
80% hope to see five or more movies on the big screen in 2022
70% plan to see movies in premium large-screen formats whenever possible.
Another bright light in the world of animation has passed away. Acclaimed character designer Derek Wyatt, who is best known for his signature design work on shows such as Transformers: Animated, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, Teen Titans and various incarnations of Ben 10 has passed away at age 49.
Derek Wyatt
Born in Traverse City, Michigan, Wyatt attended the Joe Kubert School of art in New Jersey. An internship at Spumco in California, working on the show The Ripping Friends led him to a full-time job asdesigner on Warner Bros. Animation’sMucha Lucha! series. He went on to work as character designer on shows such as Teen Titans and Legions of Super Heroes.
A lifelong Transformers fan, Wyatt went on to become the art director, lead character designer, and a color stylist on Cartoon Network’s Transformers Animated(2007-2009). He also worked as a character designer on Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated and Ben 10: Omniverse (for which he was nominated for an Annie Award in 2013). His design work was also used in Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends (2005) ,Wacky Races (2017-2018) and Fox’s Bless the Harts (2020). Wyatt was also art director on the 2015 TMNT animated film Half-Shell Heroes: Blast to the Past.
Over the past few days, many of Wyatt’s friends and colleagues in the animation world posted heartfelt tributes to the artist on Twitter:
Jorge R. Gutierrez (Maya and the Three) wrote: “Adios, Maestro Derrick Wyatt. One of the greatest animation designers our medium has been lucky to have. The ultimate fan working in a medium he truly adored. His influence will be felt forever. Adiós, amigo.”
Character designer Chris Battle(Teen Titans Go!, Middlemost Post) wrote, “Shocked and saddened to hear of @DerrickJWyaat’s passing. While we never got to work together, whenever we were both at Warner Bros, I always took time to swing by and hang so we could talk nerd shit and I could see his latest masterpieces. RIP to a talented artist and 100% good guy.”
Producer/animator Matt Danner (Muppet Babies, Casagrandes) wrote, “Words can’t describe what a wonderful, talented an hilarious person Derrick J. Wyatt was. I met him when he moved to LA to break into animation and he was an instant success! I got to work on many projects and celebrate many holidays with him. My heart is broken. RIP, buddy”
The Christmas 2021 box-office proved to be a lucrative one for Sony’s blockbuster’s hit Spider-Man: No Way Home, Universal/Illumination’s Sing 2 and Warner Bros.’ The Matrix:Resurrections as the three tentpoles took the top three spots at the box office.
Directed byJon Watts, Spider-Man: Far From Home was able to cross the billion dollar mark globally with a whopping $1.05 billion dollars, making it Sony’s No. 2 film of all time, behind the previous Spidey outing, No Way Home, which has a $1.113 billion cume). The film was also the third fastest movie ever to hit the 1 billion dollar mark, after Avengers: Infinity Wars, which accomplished it in 11 days, and Avengers: Endgame which hit the benchmark in five days. In the U.S. the movie had a three-day box office gross of $81.5 million, which is quite impressive given the rise of the Covid Omicron variant worldwide.
Universal/Illumination’s Sing 2 managed to hit a $65.8 million at the box office worldwide. The song-filled sequel, which received a 98% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes (vs. the 67% critics rating) added 22 markets worldwide and brought in an estimated 24.8 million globally. Directed by Garth Jennings, Sing 2 was the number 2 movie at the U.S. box office with a $23.8 million weekend take.
Here is the box office snapshot
1. Spider-Man: No Way Home (Sony) $81.5 million, total: $467.3 million (Week 2)
2. Sing 2 (Univ./Illumination) $23.8 million
3. The Matrix Resurrections (Warner) $12 million, total: $22.5 million
9. Encanto(Disney) $3.86 million, total $88.3 million (Week 5)
We’re sad to report that award-winning clay animator Barry Bruce died on Dec. 24from cancer at age 77. The Portland-based animation director and designer, with a background in architecture, Bruce worked on numerous animated features, shorts, TV specials and commercials, as part of Will Vinton Studios. He also supervised animation production within the studio, including both stop-motion and 3D computer animation. His background also included a stint as creative director for Flying Rhinoceros, producing animated programs for the educational market.
Barry Bruce, photo courtesy of Joan Gratz
Bruce began his career in the late 1970s, as an animator on shorts such as Martin the Cobbler, Rip Van Winkle, The Little Prince and Dinosaur. He was also an animator on the 1980 short A Christmas Gift and the Oscar-nominated 1982 short The Great Cognito and worked as character designer and lead animator on Will Vinton’s The Adventures of Mark Twain and was claymation director on the 1985 movie Return to Oz.
His other credits include Dinosaurs!, Dance! Workout with Barbie, Utopia Parkway. Bruce also worked as character designer, supervising animator director on Sesame Street through the years, and was the additional animation supervisor for the Claymated portion of the 2011 movie A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas. He won an Emmy in 1992 for his work on the TV special Claymation Easter. He was nominated for two Emmys for directing the 1988 Meet the Raisins! TV special and the 1991 Claymation Comedy of Horror Show. Bruce was also behind influential commercials such as the famous Domino’s Pizza “Noid” spots of the 1980s as well as the “Hammer Time” animated music video.
Many of his colleagues and friends expressed their sadness about his passing and admiration for his work on social media. Animation director and former Will Vinton colleague Mark Gustafson (The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Pinocchio) wrote, “Barry was a giant in my eyes. His quiet wisdom and deep appreciation for the absurdity of life had a profound influence on me. As a fresh-faced youngster new to the world of animation I was fortunate enough to sit not far from him in the basement of the old studio on NW 18th. He was very mysterious, if not a stranger. Barry was a mentor. I cherished his advice on everything from how to sculpt a hand, to politics, to the best way to rock a pair of fishnet hose. For me he will always be the seed of true talent who quietly launch the animation revolution in Portland.”
You can watch his Oscar-nominated short The Great Cognito:
Here’s a memorable Mysterious Stranger clip from The Adventures of Mark Twain:
Making a “short” (i.e., a few moments of animation as opposed to a full episode or feature length work), is often the default path animators take when they want to create their own project but lack the funds or distribution outlets to make their dream become a reality.
Feasibility Making a short has some benefits. For example, producing only a few minutes of animation is something most animators can do without securing a large budget. Moreover, many animators produce shorts without any outside capital whatsoever — funded only with their blood, sweat and tears. If they choose to bring others onboard, however, a work-for-partial-ownership-in-the-project agreement can sometimes be arranged to help keep costs at a minimum and potentially reward everyone down the line for their sweat equity.
Total Control The concept of producing a short also allows the animator to call the shots. Even without directorial experience, if you endeavor to produce a short by your own means, you will more than likely have the desire and wherewithal to control all aspects of the entire production. From creative all the way through technical, each step, each facet of the production is completely under your control. The possibility of having your personal vision realized is often more than enough motivation for many an animator to dive headfirst into the fray of doing it all yourself.
Better Quality Since the running time of your project will be a far shot from a feature-length film, you will be able to concentrate your efforts and double down on the quality. Remember, the overall scope of a project is multiplied by its running time, so take advantage of holding the reins of a shorter project where you have the opportunity to cram every ounce of quality into each and every second.
Invaluable Experience Producing a short also allows you to establish your production pipelines, which is invaluable should it lead to something grander. You’ll have first-hand knowledge of each and every step of pre-production, production and post-production needed to start and complete a high quality project. Even if your short ends up being a stand-alone property that doesn’t attract the attention of investors, you will have gained invaluable experience about the entire animation process that is literally impossible to learn any other way.
Additionally, producing a short gives you a small taste of what it might be like to produce a full-fledged production. If you’re able to make it happen guerilla style in a low budget/no budget scenario, producing top-tier animation with actual funds will seem like a snap.
VIP Pass Once you have your short in-hand, there are an untold number of film festivals around the world where you can pit your work against others. But keep in mind, unless you land in the top 10 animation film festivals in the world (for example Annecy, Ottawa, Cannes, Sundance, Stuttgart, Anima Mundi, Hiroshima, etc.), your chances of being discovered by a legitimate film studio or distributor is slim to none. However, if you enjoy the film festival culture and love rubbing elbows with your fellow animators and filmmakers, your short can serve as a key to enter the gateway of this realm.
The Fruits of Your Labor Lastly, seeing a short all the way through to completion gives you a finished product. If it’s good enough and has a large enough target audience, you may even be able to monetize it in its current form. Your finished short can also serve as a banner piece in your resume.With expectations higher than ever before, having slick, high-quality, fully-produced and completed animation under your hat can separate you from the crowd
Additionally, on occasion, shorts have successfully been used to interest investors, film studios or distributors on varying levels. This interest, if parlayed properly, can turn into a co-production agreement, a distribution deal or even funding to produce more work under your direction. And what greater reward exists than someone lauding your work and helping you financially to create more?
In summary, producing a short can be an exercise in grit and creativity where you’ll gain invaluable production experience and end up with a great portfolio piece that could be a stepping stone unto greater things.
Martin Grebing is the president of Funnybone Animation Studios. He can be reached at funnyboneanimation.com.
Amid the workflow complications of COVID-19 and the pressure of episodic deadlines, the visual effects and post artists who helped bring Vigil to the screen might have related even more strongly to the stakes of the deep-sea thriller.
Goodbye Kansas Studios delivered 180 shots for the series, which debuted on BBC in the U.K. in August 2021. An audience of 10.2 million viewers tune into the first episode in its first seven days, making it the national broadcaster’s most-watched new drama of the year so far. Now, its voyage continues in the U.S. on Peacock, debuting December 23.
Starring British TV icons Suranne Jones (Dr, Foster) and Martin Compston (Line of Duty), Vigil unravels a dark conspiracy that goes right to the heart of Britain’s national security, set against the backdrop of Scotland’s nuclear deterrent. Written by BAFTA nominee Tom Edge (Judy, The Crown), the story revolves around a suspicious death aboard the submarine HMS Vigil and the mysterious disappearance of a fishing trawler, as DCI Amy Silva (Jones) strives to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Vigil
Goodbye Kansas Studios worked on all six episodes as the primary vendor for the production. In collaboration with VFX producer Desiree Ryden, visual effects supervisor Jim Parsons played a vital part in the success of this one-of-a-kind production, being on-set during the filming of scenes and providing around the clock support to both the production and VFX teams throughout post-production.
During the VFX specification for Vigil, there was a need for a plethora of visual effects. As a large part of the action was set under water, the need for extensive and comprehensive visual effects grew beyond any normal remit. Vigil was created by World Productions, the same production company responsible for hit shows like Line of Duty and Bodyguard. After having previously worked with one of the producers of Vigil on the first season of Alex Rider, Goodbye Kansas Studios were chosen thanks to its extensive knowledge and expertise, especially in relation to complex water simulations.
Following the project’s announcement in January 2020, the pandemic delayed production substantially —as it did several shows over the past 18 months. Filming had to be temporarily halted as lockdown was enforced, and the Goodbye Kansas Studios team was forced to adjust to a completely new way of working. Managing Director James Prosser explained, “At that point in time, this was a first for everyone. Overnight we had to figure out how our teams would operate effectively from home, whilst developing plans of how to interact and collaborate with our clients, too.”
Vigil
Visual effects supervisor Jim Parsons was instrumental to the final outcome, working closely with directors James Strong and Isabelle Sieb, and Executive Producer & Head of Drama at World Productions Jake Lushington, on their vision for Vigil. “It was a really ambitious project with very demanding visual effects,” he said. “As you can imagine, the whole show involved a lot of water, and despite these kinds of effects coming on leaps and bounds in recent years, anyone will tell you that CGI water is still a difficult thing to pull off successfully.”
One of the most important assets created for Vigil was the title character itself — an incredibly detailed 150 meter model of a trident submarine, where the main action occurs throughout all six episodes. But with images, and even drawings, of real-life Naval submarines a classified secret, developing a true to life ‘replica’ was certainly a big challenge for the production team.
“We created a convincing model through extensive research, even going so far as talking to a former Navy officer… obviously without breaking any official secrets!” Parsons explained. “The next challenge was to submerge HMS Vigil into the ‘digital North Sea’, developing each shot to make the submarine look like more than a long object in a dark ocean. We created a thickness to the water that allowed pools of light through it, creating a sinister and ominous mood, with every shot of the submarine adding to the atmosphere of the show’s mystery.”
Vigil greenscreen shoot
“Without giving away too much, some important scenes feature a fishing trawler that, due to the complexity of the sequences, called for it to be shot in many different locations. To make it look as though the fishing trawler was out in the North Sea, it was filmed in various positions including in a bay and in a stationary dock. A lot of our work involved removing external scenery, creating the illusion that it was nowhere near land,” he added.
Some underwater scenes with actors were also filmed at the Pinewood Studios water tank, which involved having to remove the external scenery in the edit and create VFX surroundings of a lake in the Scottish Highlands.
Managing Director of Goodbye Kansas Studios in London, James Prosser, heralded Vigil as one of the crew’s most successful productions to date: “The entire team continues to constantly surprise me with their skills and artistic vision.”
Vigil makes its U.S. premiere on Peacock streaming on December 23.
Vigil greenscreen shoot
Goodbye Kansas Studios offers award-winning and uniquely integrated services for feature films, TV series, commercials, games and game trailers. Expertise includes VFX, FX, CG productions, 3D face & body scanning, digital humans, creature & character design, performance capture, animation and real-time expertise. The company, with a staff of 250+ is part of Goodbye Kansas Group AB (publ), listed on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market and with studios and offices in Stockholm, London, Helsinki, Vilnius, Belgrade, Beijing, Los Angeles & Manila.
Disney Legend Floyd Norman recently collaborated with basketball star Stephen Curry to create a special NFT in conjunction with the athlete’s NBA three-point record during the Golden State Warriors game against the N.Y. Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The first round of the NFT sold in under five minutes and made roughly $2.5 million for the Eat.Learn.Play. Foundation. In addition, full storyboards by Norman were also added to the auction yesterday, which will be running in the next two days. Current bids are $50,000.
All proceeds from the NFT will benefit the charity, Eat.Learn.Play. (eatlearnplay.org), founded by entrepreneur, host and two-time The New York Times best-selling author Ayesha Curry. The NFT drop can be found at www.2974SC.com.
With 100% of Curry’s profits stemming from the launch of the NFT the funds will directly impact those in the Oakland community, fighting to end childhood hunger, ensuring students have access to a quality education and providing safe places for all children to play and be active. From the collection, Curry is gifting 200 NFTs to individuals that helped shape him into who he is today, including school teachers, Golden State Warriors fans, Davidson University, previous coaches, neighborhood friends, mentors, Curry’s SC30 team, teammates, rivals and family. These assets will be pre-minted, with all others randomized at purchase.
The NFT will be released in a quantity of 2,974 in honor of the record-breaking number, and are multiple emotion-filled sketches of Curry using the ‘2974’ numbers to fill in his physical features. Each NFT will showcase which specific three-pointer he made and is being sold out of the 2,974, including the game and date in which it happened. Artwork will also include game moments, such as birthday and holiday games, triple-double nights, 9+ three-pointer games and more. Curry’s digital signature will also appear on each NFT. These drawings are created by artist Andrea McDonald, a recent Mississippi College graduate and two-sport student athlete who is currently in flight school to obtain her corporate pilot license.
For anyone who purchases a minted 2,974 NFT, a bonus NFT – designed by acclaimed animation artist Floyd Norman – will be gifted for free to the consumer once the 2,974 NFT sells out. For this, Norman created two six-frame storyboards; one that highlights the moment of Curry’s overtime, game-winning February 27, 2016 38-foot three pointer against Oklahoma City, and the moment from Curry’s shot-clock-beating three pointer against Cleveland in the 2018 NBA Finals. The gift per person will be one frame of one of the two storyboards created. The 2974/2974 record-breaking NFT will be auctioned and will end 72-hours after the collection launches.
Curry will also surprise NFT holders at later dates with gifts and experiences that may include autographed memorabilia, tickets to games, early access to Curry Brand limited-edition items and more. Future Communication about the initiative and community will live on FTX Discord channel link and at 2974SC.com.
The 86-year-old Disney Legend Floyd Norman was the first African American artist and animator at Disney, arriving in 1956, Norman’s 65-plus year career spans work on classics like Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians, Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book. He is also the subject of the award-winning documentary Floyd Norman: An Animated Life, which premiered on Netflix in 2017 and will be moving to The Criterion Channel on February 1, 2022. For more info visit FloydNormanMovie.com.
Floyd Norman (Photo credit: Floyd Norman: An Animated Life, courtesy of Fiore Media Group)
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed its shortlists for the 94th Academy Awards on December 21, expanding the lineup of Animated Short Film contenders from 10 to 15 titles. The Short Film and Feature Animation Branch selected these semifinalists from 82 qualifying films, which will now vie for five Oscar nomination slots. It’s never an easy task to keep track of all the incredible auteur toons that hit the festival circuit each year, so here is a quick guide to 2021’s fab 15 (in alphabetical order):
Affairs of the Art U.K. / Canada Directed by: Joanna Quinn Produced by: Les Mills, Michael Fukushima (Beryl Productions / NFB) Synopsis: Beryl’s back in Affairs of the Art, which showcases one family’s eccentric yet endearing obsessions with everything from drawing to screw threads and pet taxidermy. Awards: Aspen Shortsfest Best Comedy, Annecy Int’l Animated Film Festival Special Distinction for Direction, Clermont-Ferrand Best Animation, Kaboom Animation Festival Best Short Film, London Int’l Animation Festival Best British Film, Animasyros Grand Prize
Angakusajaujuq – The Shaman’s Apprentice Canada Directed by: Zacharias Kunuk Produced by: Jonathan Frantz, Neil Christopher, Nadia Mike, Zacharias Kunuk (Kingulliit Prod. / Taqqut Prod.) Synopsis: A young shaman must face her first test-a trip underground to visit Kannaaluk, The One Below, who holds the answers to why a community member has become ill. Awards: Toronto Int’l Film Festival IMDbPRO Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Film, Annecy Int’l Animated Film Festival FIPRESCI Award, Ottawa Int’l Animation Festival Best Canadian Film
Bad Seeds Canada Directed by: Clalude Cloutier Produced by: Galilé Marion-Gauvin, Julie Roy (NFB) Synopsis:Bad Seeds takes us to a bizarre world populated by carnivorous plants that can change shapes the way a chameleon changes colors. Cloutier (Carface) deftly connects growth with rivalry and evolution with competition, crafting an increasingly shocking duel that’s peppered with allusions to the western, the Cold War, board games and much more. Awards: Los Angeles Animation Festival Best of the Fest / Comedy Short Award, Calgary Int’l Film Festival Animated Short Grand Jury Prize, New York City Short Film Festival Best Animation Short Award
Bestia Chile Directed by: Hugo Covarrubias Produced by: Tevo Diaz (Trébol 3) Synopsis: Inspired by real events, Bestia enters the life of a secret police agent in the military dictatorship in Chile. The relationship with her dog, her body, her fears and frustrations, reveal a macabre fracture in her mind and a country. Awards: Chilemonos Best Latin American Short, Annecy Int’l Animated Film Festival Prix Festivals Connexion, FICG Best Animated Short Film, Anima Cordoba Grand Jury Prize / Best Latin American Animation, BIAF Grand Prize Short Film, PÖFF Shorts Best Short Film
BoxBallet Russia Directed by: Anton Dyakov Produced by: Aleksandr Boyarskiy, Sergey Selyanov (CTB / Melnitsa Animation Studio) Synopsis: A delicate ballerina named Olya meets the rough, surly boxer Evgeny. The contrast between their worlds and their philosophies is so sharp that even the possibility of these two characters crossing paths seems incredible. Can they overcome all external influences and allow their fragile, loving souls to step out into the open? Awards: In the Palace Best Animation Film, SPARK Animation Regular Shorts Award, National Russian Animation Awards for Short Film / Sound Editing / Character / Animator
Flowing Home France Directed by: Sandra Desmazières Produced by: Dora Benousilio, Julie Roy (Les Films de l’Arlequin / NFB) Synopsis: The story of two sisters separated by the Vietnam War. Thao (15) flees by boat to a refugee camp on the island of Pulau Bidong, Malaysia. Sao Maï (17) stays in Vietnam with her parents. Their separation lasts nearly 20 years, and the letters they exchange are the only way to connect— they write of their everyday lives, their memories, the war and its ghosts. Awards: LA Shorts Fest Best Animation, Newport Beach Film Festival Jury Award for Best Animated Short, New Chitose Airport Animation Festival Minister for Foreign Affairs Award
Mum Is Pouring Rain France Directed by: Hugo de Faucompret Produced by: Antoine Liétout, Emmanuèle Petry, Jean-Baptiste Wery, Ivan Zuber (Laïdak Films / Dandelooo) Synopsis: Jane is looking forward to spending Christmas with her mom, but she is sent unknowingly to her grandma’s instead. The holidays turn out to be quite an adventure as Jane meets new friends: Cloclo, the gigantic hobo who lives in the forest, and Sonia and Leon, two local kids. As she learns to open herself to others, Jane will inspire her mother the necessary strength to get back on her feet. Awards: FLICKERS Best Short Animation, Annecy Int’l Animated Film Festival Best TV Special, ANIMA Cordoba Best Commissioned Animation, Animasyros KIDS Jury Prize, Shanghai Int’l TV Festival Best Animation
The Musician France Directed by: Reza Riahi Produced by: Eleanor Coleman (Estrella Prod.) Synopsis: At the time of the attack of the Mongols, a young musician and the love of his life are separated from each other. Fifty years later, the musician is summoned to perform at the castle of the Mongols where his beloved is being held. Awards: Tribeca Film Festival Best Animated Short, Nashville Film Festival Best Animated Short, Palm Springs ShortFest Best Animated Short Special Jury Award
Namoo U.S. Directed by: Erick Oh Produced by: Larry Cutler, Eric Darnell, Maureen Fan, Kane Lee (Baobab Studios) Synopsis:Namoo (Korean for “Tree”) is a narrative poem inspired by the life of Oh’s grandfather. Following the key moments of one man’s life, the tree starts as a seed and eventually grows into a fully mature tree, collecting meaningful objects that represent positive and painful memories in its branches. Official Selection: SIGGRAPH VR Theater, SXSW Film Festival, Sundance, Tribeca Festival, HollyShorts
Only A Child Switzerland Directed by: Simone Giampaolo Produced by: Gabriella de Gara, Walter Bortolotti, Silvana Bezzola (Amka Films Prod. / Radio-Televisione Svizzera) Synopsis: This visual poem created by over 20 animation directors under the artistic supervision of Giampaolo gives shape and color to the original words spoken by Severn Suzuki at the UN Summit in Rio in 1992: a child’s desperate call to action for the future of our planet. An omnibus film celebrating the environmental youth movement 30 years in the making. Awards: SPARK Animation Best in Show, Los Angeles Animation Festival Best Mixed Media, REGARD Best Children’s Film, ITFS Stuttgart Special Mention
Robin Robin U.K. Directed by: Daniel Ojari & Mikey Please Produced by: Sarah Cox (Aardman Animations / Netflix Animation) Synopsis: When her egg fortuitously rolls into a rubbish dump, Robin is raised by a loving family of mice. As she grows up, her differences become more apparent. Robin sets off on the heist to end all heists to prove to her family that she can be a really good mouse — but ends up discovering who she really is. Awards: HCA Film Award Best Short Film nomination
Souvenir Souvenir France Directed by: Bastien Dubois Produced by: Bastien Dubois, Simon Pénochet, Amiel Tenenbaum (Blast Prod. / Pictanovo / ARTE France) Synopsis: Dubois reflects on the years he spent urging his grandfather to share his memories of Algeria’s war for independence — and the uncertainty he begins to feel about exposing the past. Jorge Gonzales designed the film, which was animated by 3.0 Studio (Angoulême) and Train Train (Lille). Awards: Annie Award for Best Short Subject, ANIMATOR Golden Pegasus, Sundance Film Festival Jury Award for Animation, Clermont-Ferrand Best Animation (National), Seattle Int’l Film Festival Documentary Short Film Award
Step into the River China / France Directed by: Weijia Ma Produced by: Damien Megherbi, Justin Pechberty (Les Valseurs / Vilarejo Filmes) Synopsis: Lu and Wei live in a village in rural China. They often go to the nearby river to play with their fathers. The river has a special meaning for them, because China’s one-child policy has led to some parents drowning their newborns there. Awards: Palm Springs ShortFest Best Animated Short, Chicago Int’l Film Festival Silver Hugo, Dreamachine Int’l Film Festival Best Animated Short
Us Again U.S. Directed by: Zach Parrish Produced by: Brad Simonsen (Walt Disney Animation Studios) Synopsis: Set in a vibrant city pulsating with rhythm and movement, an older man and his young-at-heart wife rekindle their youthful passion for life and each other on one magical night. The years fade away as the joy of dancing propels them across the exciting cityscape of their youth and revives fond memories. Awards: HCA Film Award Best Short Film nomination
The Windshield Wiper U.S. / Spain Directed by: Alberto Mielgo Produced by: Pinkman.tv / Leo Sanchez Studio Synopsis: Inside a cafe while smoking a whole pack of cigarettes, a man poses an ambitious question: “What is love?” A collection of vignettes and situations will lead the man to the desired conclusion. Official Selection: Cannes Directors Fortnight, Valladolid In’tl Film Festival
Nominations voting begins on Thursday, January 27, 2022 and concludes on Tuesday, February 1, 2022. Nominations for the 94th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, February 8, 2022.
The 94th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland in Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.
Based loosely on the largely forgotten juvenile science fiction novel The Incredible Tide by Alexander Key (best known as the author of Escape to Witch Mountain), Future Boy Conan (1978) has the distinction of being the first animated work directed by Hayao Miyazaki. In addition to serving as series director, Miyazaki storyboarded 15 of the 26 episodes; his friend and sometimes mentor Isao Takahata boarded five.
Five years later, Miyazaki said in an interview that after watching Takahata labor on previous series, “I really thought directing wasn’t for me, because a director has to assume such a heavy individual responsibility. Seeing what directing involved made me not try it up until then.”
Conan takes place in a grim, post-apocalyptic world: Most of humanity has been destroyed 20 years earlier, in a war that caused the Earth to tilt on its axis, triggering a planetary cataclysm. The remaining humans cling to shards of their lost civilizations on scattered islands. In the 1983 interview, Miyazaki said he had misgivings about basing a children’s series on Key’s book, which he felt was “too pessimistic and too tangled up with ideas about America and the Soviet Union. The author’s view of End Times or Armageddon come from his own latent insecurities and fears, so he brought an awful lot of this pessimism with him.”
Conan is a happy-go-lucky teenager, raised by his grandfather on a tiny islet. He displays the strength and agility of a young Tarzan as he hunts, fishes, swims and climbs. His isolated idyll is shattered when the outer world intrudes: Lana, a girl fleeing the agents of Industria. Lana shares a telepathic bond with her missing grandfather Dr. Lao, whose knowledge of solar power would enable the oligarchs of Industria to expand their domain.
Conan sails into unknown seas to rescue Lana. During his travels and fights, his good nature and courage turn strangers into friends, including the feral boy Jimsy and theblustering Captain Dyce, whose ship collects old plastic junk that the lords of Industria recycle into bread for their oppressed workers.
Although it was considered a rapidly paced adventure in its day, the series feels very slow by contemporary standards. However, even at the beginning of his career, Miyazaki understood how to stage a scene or an action sequence to give it maximum impact. The clarity of the images transcends the limits of the animation, and the viewer always knows exactly what’s going on.
A young Hayao Miyazaki (left) with Yasuo Otsuka, one of his and Isao Takahata’s animation mentors.
Fans will scour Future Boy Conan for elements that prefigure all of Miyazaki’s mature features, but Conan most closely foreshadows the fantasy-adventure Castle in the Sky (1986).
In both stories, the heroines (Lana and Sheeta) hold the keys to powerful and potentially dangerous technologies they really don’t understand. Both heroines command extrasensory powers. Lana communicates telepathically over great distances with her grandfather — and over shorter distances with the sea gulls who comfort her. Sheeta performs the spells she learned from her mother, and the ancient robots of Laputa obey when she speaks to them, perhaps because of her royal blood. But neither heroine fits into the magical girl subgenre of anime.
Both girls bravely refuse to help amoral villains who seek the hidden knowledge to gain power. Even at this early stage in his career, Miyazaki had no interest in simple damsel-in-distress tales, but Sheeta is a more fully-developed character and plays a bigger role in the story. The brutal Lepka in Conan anticipates the subtler but equally sinister and power-hungry Muska in Castle in the Sky.
Although they’re both orphans, Conan and Pazu lead very different lives. Conan hunts for food with his trusty spear, but most of his time is spent kicking back on his tropical island. Pazu works in the mines of a town that suggests Wales. He’s smarter and more disciplined than Conan, and the miners and their families all respect him. Both boys are ferociously devoted to their friends, and their unswerving dedication wins over the people around them, from the fulminating Captain Dyce to the outrageous pirate queen Dola and her sons.
The designs and animation in Future Boy Conan reflect an early point in modern anime: The artists were still perfecting their craft. At times, the lack of a credible sense of weight robs Conan’s actions of an appropriate sense of risk and drama.
Drawn only a few years later, Pazu is more solidly designed and much better animated. There’s a believable feeling of weight when he manipulates heavy wrenches and other tools, and if he falls, he lands hard and even painfully. When Pazu kicks off his shoes to scramble up the slick surface of one of the tunnels that honeycomb Laputa, the audience can sense the fear and uncertainty in his movements.
Significantly, Miyazaki said, “Conan is not a superman. He’s an ordinary kid who mainly thinks about having fun in his life.” He also describes Pazu and Sheeta in similar terms, noting that he prefers stories about ordinary kids who discover who they are in the course of their adventures.
He would go on to explore the journeys of other “ordinary” individuals in his later films — Ashitaka, San, Chihiro, Sophie. Many of those characters and journeys have roots in Future Boy Conan. But it turns out the young Miyazaki was wrong: Directing really was for him!
Future Boy Conan
Future Boy Conan: The Complete Series
Shout! Factory: $44.98; 4 discs, Blu-ray, plus 16-page art book. (More info)
Avatars are already a well-established feature of the current cultural landscape. Most of us are experts at crafting those little character representations of ourselves for a social media platform or game. We’re also well versed in pinging text messages back and forth to friends, using animated characters like the iPhone’s Memojies to convey how we are feeling. A cheery wink to accompany good news, or maybe a grumpy scowl on a crappy Monday morning — we are already comfortable with using digital representations to convey real human emotions.
At its core, an avatar is a CG stylized or exaggerated character — perhaps fantastical with non-human attributes or even an otherworldly creature or animal. The notion of using a character like this to represent an individual in a digital world is already embedded and familiar; maybe even run of the mill. But, as we all know, things never stand still and innovation enables change. Harness the notion of an avatar to the power of emerging creative technologies and we may be on the cusp of a transformative new era for these digital characters.
Alter Ego performer and character
Only recently on Fox, a procession of AR avatar singers debuted center stage on the prime time singing competition Alter Ego. Appearing as fully realized, detailed characters — immaculately coiffured, textured and lit — they seamlessly blended into the real world. Magically brought to life within the shiny, spectacular broadcast environment, these digital creations truly crossed-over as stars in the world of mainstream TV entertainment.
Created for the show and brought to life by the team at Silver Spoon, the avatars were seamlessly blended into the real world by Lulu AR. The real-time rendering power of Unreal Engine, combined with compositing through Pixotope and instant DMX lighting and FX controls enabled the Alter Ego avatars to truly feel as if they were there in the flesh. Driven by their real life human counterparts — moving and singing off-camera — powering their avatar via motion capture and a head-mounted camera to mirror facial expression, the seamless integration and intricately detailed visuals demonstrated just how far avatars have come. They are unrecognizable from their early days as a pixelated 8-bit image plonked in the corner of an ’80s games console screen.
Alter Ego
So what’s next for avatars in the world of broadcast? An avatar as a real-time chat show host is a viable route. We’ve already had the BBC pilot an irreverent chat show with a digital caricature of Vladimir Putin as the host — animated in real-time. Why not a character avatar in the hot seat? In an age where owning commercially viable intellectual property can be the holy grail for a production or broadcaster, creating a hit character avatar as a financial investment is understandably not an unattractive proposition. Also, needless to say, rolling out an avatar host to multiple territories, simultaneous live appearances and speaking in different languages are all a cinch as motion capture technology and AI learning make driving the on-screen talent possible in a variety of ways.
The music industry is also proving to be no slouch when it comes to the potential here. Universal Music Group recently announced a partnership with avatar specialist company Genies to develop avatars and digital wearables for their entire artist roster — including Justin Bieber and Rihanna. Locking down what UMG refer to as “official virtual identities” shows how seriously they are taking this space, no doubt driven by the massive earning potential in new and evolving virtual economies.
Alter Ego
I’ve already touched on how avatars have made their mark in social media, games, mobile phones and now broadcast. Well, that’s just the beginning. Major tech companies are also catching on to the massive potential of the avatar. Nvidia recently launched their platform Omniverse Avatarwhich connects the company’s technologies to drive ‘intelligent’ and responsive characters. Avatars created in the platform are interactive characters with ray-traced 3D graphics that can see, speak and converse on a wide range of subjects whilst also understanding naturally spoken intent.
Omniverse Avatar opens the door to the creation of AI assistants that are easily customizable for a wide range of industries. These could be plugged into customer service interactions like retail, hospitality, healthcare, banking and more. It’s only a matter before smarter and more responsive avatars start to appear across our digital platforms as technology like this becomes more widely adopted. Meanwhile in the world of work, we are already seeing the arrival of avatars on platforms like Microsoft Teams as virtual meeting spaces become the norm in a post-COVID world.
Alter Ego avatar creation
Of course, I couldn’t wrap up a piece on avatars without mentioning the ‘M’ word. After all, it was in Neal Stevenson’s sci-fi novel Snow Crash back in 1992 that the notion of a character avatar was originally popularized and the term ‘metaverse’ was first coined. Today as simmering (soon to be volcanic) excitement and anticipation of the metaverse continue, we can also be sure that an evolving wave of avatars will be very much part of how individuals in that new world are manifested.
The age of the avatar is just beginning.
Laura Herzing is Executive Producer at Silver Spoon, which creates real-time content with an end-to-end virtual production platform built on Unreal Engine and has a 12,000 sq. foot facility in Brooklyn, New York. The studio can be contacted at silverspoonanimation.com.
DreamWorks Animation has debuted new teasers for Dragons: The Nine Realms, which premieres on Hulu and Peacock streaming services Thursday, December 23. Set 1,300 years after the events of How to Train Your Dragon, dragons are now just a legend to the modern world … or so we think! The six-episode series is led by showrunner/exec producer John Tellegen and features the voices of Jeremy Shada, Ashley Liao, Marcus Scribner, Aimee Garcia, Julia Stiles, Lauren Tom, Keston John, Pavar Snipe, Justina Machado, Angelique Cabral, D’arcy Carden and Carrie Keranen.
Synopsis: When a geological anomaly opens up an immense, miles-deep fissure in the Earth’s surface, scientists from all over the world gather at a new research facility to study the mysterious phenomenon. Soon a group of misfit kids, brought to the site by their parents, uncover the truth about dragons and where they’ve been hiding — a secret they must keep to themselves to protect what they’ve discovered. Watch the other clips here and here, and read more about the show in Animation Magazine‘s feature story here.
Clockwise from top left: Bob’s Birthday, Special Delivery, Neighbors, Every Child
Documentary, art-house and global cinema SVOD service OVID.tv is adding a slate of 26 titles to its streaming slate in January, including 10 exclusive streaming premieres. Those in the mood for Oscar-winning animated shorts from the National Film Board of Canada will want to make sure they are signed up before Friday, Jan. 21, when a number of works by some of Canada’s most celebrated animation filmmakers will arrive:
Bob’s Birthday | David Fine and Alison Snowdon | 1993 | Surprise birthday parties can be risky. Especially when the guest of honour is turning 40! When Margaret plans a celebration for her husband, Bob, she underestimates the sudden impact of middle age on his mood. A witty, offbeat animated portrait of a frustrated dentist wrestling with the fundamental issues of life. Winner: Best Animated Short Film, 1994 Academy Awards.
Every Child | Eugene Fedorenko | 1979 | This animated short follows an unwanted baby who is passed from house to house until he is taken in and cared for by two homeless men. The film is the Canadian contribution to an hour-long feature film celebrating UNESCO’s Year of the Child (1979). It illustrates one of the 10 principles of the Declaration of Children’s Rights: every child is entitled to a name and a nationality. Winner: Best Animated Short Film, 1979 Academy Awards.
Neighbors | Norman McLaren | 1952 | McLaren employs the principles normally used to put drawings or puppets into motion to animate live actors. The story is a parable about two people who come to blows over the possession of a flower. Winner: Best Documentary Film, Short Subject, 1952 Academy Awards.
Special Delivery | Eunice Macauley & John Weldon | 1978 | Ralph’s day gets off to a bad start when he dismisses his wife’s orders to clear the snow from the front walk. When he comes home and finds the mailman dead on his front stairs, Ralph attempts a massive cover-up with disastrous results. One dead mailman leads to a case of mistaken identity, a runaway bride and a very confused coroner. Life starts looking up for Ralph once he decides to stop worrying about it all. Winner: Best Animated Short Film, 1978 Academy Awards.
Ryan (left), The Danish Poet (top right), The Sand Castle
Ryan | Chris Landreth | 2004 | Based on the life of Ryan Larkin, a Canadian animator who produced some of the most influential animated films of his time. Ryan is living every artist’s worst nightmare — succumbing to addiction, panhandling on the streets to make ends meet. Through computer-generated characters, Landreth interviews his friend to shed light on his downward spiral. Some strong language. Viewer discretion is advised. Winner: Best Animated Short Film, 2004 Academy Awards.
The Danish Poet | Torill Kove | 2006 | Kasper, a poet whose creative well has run dry, goes on a holiday to Norway to meet the famous writer Sigrid Undset. Kasper attempts to answer some pretty big questions: can we trace the chain of events that leads to our own birth? Is our existence just coincidence? Do little things matter? As Kasper’s quest for inspiration unfolds, it appears that a spell of bad weather, an angry dog, slippery barn planks, a careless postman, hungry goats and other seemingly unrelated factors might play important roles in the big scheme of things after all. Winner: Best Animated Short Film, 2006 Academy Awards.
The Sand Castle | Co Hoedeman | 1977 | This short animated film features the sandman and the creatures he sculpts out of sand. These lively creatures build a castle and celebrate the completion of their new home, only to be interrupted by an uninvited guest. Cleverly constructed with nuance, the film leaves interpretation open to the viewer. Winner: Best Animated Short Film, 1977 Academy Awards.
Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten
Genius Brands International, Inc. in partnership with Spafax Inflight Entertainment,announced it has been selected by JetBlue to feature Kartoon Channel! content as part of its inflight entertainment experience. The partnership is expected to launch in January 2022 and includes a sampling of Genius Brands’ hit content, including:
Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, which has over 75 million views to date in its first season alone
Rainbow Rangers, which has been broadcast in over 30 countries internationally, including Netflix, HBO MAX, Amazon, Pluto TV
KC! Pop Quiz, featuring Casey Simpson, star of the hit Nickelodeon series “Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn,” and major kid influencer across social media, with over 12 million followers
Pinocchio and Friends
Italian entertainment powerhouse Rainbow Group has inked an exclusive agreement with the U.K.’s leading free-to-air preschool channel, CBeebies, to broadcast its new CGI animated series Pinocchio and Friends from early 2022. Based on Carlo Collodi’s novel, the 26 x 12′ action-comedy series is produced by Rainbow in collaboration with Rai Ragazzi and Toonz Media Group. Ignio Straffi’s new adaptation of the classic tale ranked as the most watched and top-rated show on Italian channel Rai Yoyo, which premiered the series in November.Pinocchio also made an appearance at the 78th Venice BIennale in September and enjoyed a simultaneous premiere at Lucca (Italy) and ITTV Festival (L.A.) in October.
The story begins in Papa Geppetto’s Shop of Wonders, the home of Pinocchio’s bunch of little heroes always ready to set off and explore the great outdoors! The funny and cheeky puppet is joined on his adventures by Freeda, a pirate doll always ready to board, and grumpy Talking Cricket, appointed by the Fairy with Turquoise Hair to keep an eye on them. Among old and new encounters, modern technology, and surprising twists, Pinocchio will draw the audience on a funny journey to the discovery of everyday little wonders and universal values such as inclusion, friendship and the power of dreams.
Oddbods: The Festive Menace
Award-winning content creation, distribution and licensing studio One Animation has secured a new deal with Sky Kids (U.K.) for its hit CG-animated series Oddbods, including rights for season three of the long-form series (60 x 8’) and the seasonal special The Festive Menace (1 x 23’). The new content launched on December 17. Previous seasons of Oddbods have been licensed by Turner (now WarnerMedia) as part of an EMEA wide deal, as well as ITV.
Oddbods is a three-time Emmy Award-nominated, non-dialogue comedy featuring seven adorable, highly unique pals. Together, despite their differences, they survive the perils of everyday life, unintentionally turning ordinary situations into unexpected, extraordinary, and always humorous events. The quirky, but totally charming, Oddbods celebrate individuality in a funny, warm, and unexpected way. After all, there’s a little odd in everyone!
Kiko
MCN Animation series Kiko is taking its show on the road with an animated adventure in Japan’s cherry blossom-bedecked Tohoku Region, introducing tourism through North Japan to Indonesian audiences tuning into free-to-air station MNCTV. Combining CGI and live action, this new adventure is brought to life with the help of MNC Licensing, Creative Minds LLC, Yamagata Broadcasting and Tohoku Inbound Association, and will see Kiko and his friends visit a number of attractions, explore high-tech innovations and taste local delicacies.
Watch the heartwarming new music video for “Dream a Dream” featuring AGT’s Ndlovu Youth Choir release in support of the new YouTube Kids Original holiday specialSuper Sema “The Day of Dreams”.
Avatar: The Last Airbender additional cast announcement.
Netflix announced additional casting for its live-action epic adventure Avatar: The Last Airbender, based on the beloved animated series from Nickelodeon. The series is currently shooting in Vancouver. Details on the new cast and the characters they will play:
Elizabeth Yu (she/her; Untitled Ray Romano Film, All My Love) will play Azula,the intensely driven princess of the Fire Nation. A firebending prodigy and relentless perfectionist, she’ll stop at nothing to secure her position as the heir to the throne.
Maria Zhang (she/her) will play Suki, the intimidating leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, an elite female fighting force dedicated to protecting their community and upholding the ideals of their namesake, Avatar Kyoshi.
Tamlyn Tomita (she/her; The Good Doctor, Cobra Kai) will play Yukari, Suki’s mother and the fiercely protective mayor of her small village on Kyoshi Island.
Yvonne Chapman (she/her; Kung Fu, Family Law) will play Avatar Kyoshi, a legendary warrior revered for her bravery, fearsome fighting skills and uncompromising dedication to the cause of justice.
Casey Camp-Horinek (she/her, Barking Water, Reservation Dogs) will play Gran Gran, Katara and Sokka’s grandmother and the compassionate and wise matriarch of the Southern Water Tribe.
Free Guy
20th Century Studios’ VFX-fueled adventure-comedy Free Guy is heading to Disney+. Starring Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery, Joe Keery, Utkarsh Ambudkar and Taika Waititi, the movie will be available for all subscribers on February 23, 2022, following its August 13 theatrical release that has grossed over $330 million worldwide to date. Free Guy recently won a People’s Choice Award for The Comedy Movie of 2021 and received a Critics Choice Award nomination for Best Comedy.
In Free Guy, a bank teller who discovers he is actually a background player in an open-world video game decides to become the hero of his own story…one he rewrites himself. Now in a world where there are no limits, he is determined to be the guy who saves his world his way…before it is too late. Directed by Shawn Levy from a screenplay by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn and a story by Lieberman.
Disney+ highlights for 2022 also include The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, Eternals, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, Moon Knight and The Book of Boba Fett, continuing from its Dec. 29 premiere.
***This article was written for the February issue of Animation Magazine (No. 317)***
What better way to start a brand new year than diving into the charming world of We Baby Bears, the new Cartoon Network series which offers a deep dive into the world of junior versions of Grizz, Panda and Ice Bear? Executive produced by original We Bare Bears creator Daniel Chong and Manny Hernandez, the series is a prequel of sorts to the CN hit which ran for four seasons from July 2015 thru May 2019 and concluded with a feature-length outing in 2020. The new show’s creative director Christina Chang and writer Mikey Heller were kind enough to give us an insider view of the clever new production, which finds the mini-bears exploring new worlds with their magical box!
“I was a storyboard artist and revisionist on We Bare Bears, working with Manny as my director all the way from 2015 to the show’s movie finale,” Chang tells us. “After the show ended, Manny hit me up and asked if I wanted to take the next step and direct, and eventually be creative director.”
Heller was writing for the original show. “I’ve been writing for Bears in some form or another for over seven years!” he says. “So I was already there when we transitioned from wrapping up the We Bare Bears movie to We Baby Bears. This new show is completely different.While the characters are the same, we’re playing with a different continuity where the baby bears go on magical adventures in different fantastical worlds. It’s different tonally, too. We really pumped up the adventure, the action and the visual language of the show. It gets bananas!”
We Baby Bears
A World of Color
The visual style is also different. As Chang explains, “The style is definitely a leap towards anime! The places they visit are also certainly different from We Bare Bears, where it was mostly the cave and parts of San Francisco. Now, the entire universe is the baby bears’ oyster, as they travel around in their magical, shooting-star-powered box.”
The show’s animation is produced by Rough Draft and Saerom in Korea, who use 2D tools for the actual animation. “On our end, the storyboard artists all board digitally in Toon Boom, and designers use Photoshop,” explains Chang.
Heller says one of the reasons he loves writing for both the previous show and this new prequel is that the characters feel very real to him. “I love Grizz, Panda and Ice Bear, and I’m very lucky that thinking about three funny bears and their silly adventures is my full-time job!”
We Baby Bears follows cub versions of Panda (voiced by Amari McCoy), Grizz (Connor Andrade) and Ice Bear (Max Mitchell) and features a new theme song by K-Pop supergroup TRI.BE.
Gotta Catch ‘em All!
According to Chang, one thing the entire crew responded to was Pokémon. “We drew a lot of inspiration for character antics and expressions from Pokémon,” she recalls. “The bears go to so many fantastical and even alien worlds, but honestly our art team pulls a lot of references from life, peppering motifs throughout the episodes.”
One of the design challenges is the push for consistency. “We’re all just big fans of anime, and having been allowed to pursue it finally, it’s like suddenly having too many options for dessert,” says Chang.
For the writers, coming up with all the new settings for the protagonists was also a bit of a puzzle. “With each episode, there’s a whole new world, with its rules, its own look, its own characters,” explains Heller. “It was daunting at first but after a while we really started to find our groove.”
We Baby Bears
When asked about the secret behind the characters’ global popularity, Heller responds, “They’re so relatable! Whether you’re down to party like Grizz, an emotional time bomb like Panda or in your own world like Ice Bear, I think people really see themselves in these characters. And they are cute. I know that’s a big factor for people.”
“I think people are drawn to bears because they feel like mascots, with their distinct personalities and how they deal with relatable issues surrounding social media,” offers Chang, who mentions Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino (Avatar: The Last Airbender), Mari Okada, Mamoru Hosoda, Joaquim Dos Santos and Domee Shi as some of her favorite creators. “On top of that, they’re just cute!”
The Baby Bears enjoy their preferred literature in this adorable piece of design art for the show.
Heller, who counts Chong, Hernandez and Mike and Matt Chapman (the creators of Homestar Runner) as his animation idols, says he hopesaudiences enjoy seeing a version of the bears that get into situations they’d never get into in the old series. “It’s a new take on the show and I think that can be so much fun,” he notes. “And most of all, the designs, artwork and storyboards for this show are truly remarkable. I hope people pause and take a minute to admire the incredible work people put into these episodes.”
Chang agrees. “I hope the audience has fun!” she says. “Especially maybe spotting some hidden Easter eggs, but also resonating with some of the lessons the bears learn along the way, as they meet new friends, handle conflict and navigate different situations around the new worlds.”
We Baby Bears premieres Saturday, January 1 with a 10-episode marathon starting at 10 a.m. on Cartoon Network. Two new episodes air each Monday in January at 7 p.m.
Christina Chang | Mikey Heller
Career Advice from Christina & Mikey!
Christina: “Be humble. Embrace and be true to what you love — whether that be a certain style, or aspect of animation like designs, boarding, color, environments — and learning the foundations that go into them. I really like this one quote about luck: it’s when preparation meets opportunity. You can prepare through art school just as much as with other resources like community college, and online classes.”
Mikey: “Make stuff and share it! The more you make the better you’ll get. The more you share, the more you’ll connect with others and learn from your community.”
***This article was written for the February ’22 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 317)***
When we last saw the charming heroine of Silvergate Media and Mercury Filmworks’ popular animated series Hilda, she had turned into a troll and was stranded in their mysterious world country. We find out a lot more about what happened to her and the deepening conflicts between the trolls and the human residents of Trolberg in the new 80-minute animated special Hilda and the Mountain King,which debuts on Netflix on December 30.
Hilda and the Mountain King
According to the show’s executive producer Kurt Mueller, the original plans to make this stand-alone feature date back to Comic-Con 2008. “Our head writer and co-exec producer Stephanie Simpson was in town to promote season one and we were deep into writing the second season,” he recalls. “We knew that it was going to end with a fairly major cliff-hanger. At this time, [Hilda creator] Luke Pearson was also formulating the basic story of the Mountain King novel — a massive story that would untangle many of the show’s foundational themes and plot points.”
Mueller says he and Simpson felt that the material would be better served in one knockout punch. “It would also benefit fans in that we could deliver the movie (and resolve the cliff-hanger!) far quicker than if the story was a part of season three’s (13 x 22′) episode writing and production cycle,” he notes. “Netflix bit on the idea a few months later based on a short plot synopsis and key artwork.”
Hilda creator Luke Pearson, EP Kurt Mueller, director Andy Coyle
A Satisfying Journey
Series director Andy Coyle says he loves the longer-format for storytelling. “This kind of 2D animated fantasy-adventure movie is such a fun thing to do,” he notes. “I wish there was more stuff like it around everywhere. Luke’s script was amazing. Obviously, it also pays off and resolves everything we’ve been doing on the show since the first season, so it’s incredibly satisfying.”
The special project took about three years to complete. As Mueller explains, “That would be soup to nuts,factoring in the time Luke spent writing the book for Nobrow, which made the adaptation to script with Stephanie much faster. We were also able to tack the script onto the back of the second season production with Mercury, which saved us some more time.”
Hilda and the Mountain King
Mueller, an Emmy-winning animation veteran whose previous credits include shows such as Olivia, The Octonauts and The Mr.Men Show, says the big story is that Mercury animated the film entirely during the pandemic and somehow managed to stay on schedule. “And there were other complicating factors,” he points out. “The original pitch to Netflix was for a 70-minute movie, but by the time we had an outline (June 2019) we knew the story was going to be significantly longer than that! Not always a comfortable conversation to have with a network, but Netflix was super accommodating.”
Coyle mentions that like any animated project, there were some technical challenges along the way. “The hordes of trolls on screen at once, the delicate emotional performances, the scale and scope of the action were some of our big challenges,” he admits. “I really wanted to make sure that it didn’t feel like just a long episode of the TV show. It’s a special event, and our whole team loved tackling it in a fresh and distinct way from how we make the series while still remaining faithful to the world of Hilda.”
Hilda and the Mountain King
According to the series director, The Mountain King team had just over 100 crew members in production at any given time. “We wanted to make sure the fans of the show wouldn’t have a long wait, so it was fast and furious!” he says. “All of the movie’s animation was done at Mercury Filmworks with the exception of the opening credits sequence, on which we got to work with a company called Giant Ant to execute. They were wonderful to collaborate with and really got the spirit of Hilda completely.”
Hilda and the Mountain King
Can’t We Just Get Along?
Hilda creator and co-exec producer Luke Pearson says the movie doesn’t have one special message. “However,it has things to say about conflict, empathy, politics, family — about situations without easy solutions,” he tells us. “It touches on a lot of themes which should feel relevant and familiar right now. But the only thing I really hope audiences take away is that it’s a big, satisfying, surprising (at least if you haven’t read the graphic novel) culmination to a storyline that has been built towards since the first episode.”
When asked about the popularity of the show and the characters in Hilda’s world, Pearson says, “I don’t think it’s for me to say why they have fascinated audiences, but I’m just pleased they have! I do think a lot of the appeal is down to the world itself. Despite all the fantasy, Trolberg is close enough to the real world that you can believe in it. A lot of that is down to how the Mercury team have really made it feel like a living, breathing place. You want to explore the city and the surrounding wilderness and spend time there. And there’s a feeling of depth, that there are stories down every street and every character has a history.”
Hilda and the Mountain King
Of course, we had to ask Pearson if he could reveal any juicy details about the third season of the multi Emmy- and Annie Award-winning show. “Season three will move on from the events of the movie and venture into some new territory,” says the talented creator. “Although there will be some detours, it’s a more focused, ongoing story than we’ve told previously, which is exciting. It will sadly be the final season, but I’m excited for people to see what we’ve got in store — especially since we’re beyond the books, so it’s all a surprise. I’d say it’s less about checking in on what we’ve seen before, and more about exploring aspects of Hilda’s world that have gone unspoken until now.”
Hilda and the Mountain King premieres December 30 on Netflix, where the first two seasons of Hilda are available to stream worldwide.
Thank you very much for your postcard from the Bourgeois Pig in L.A. with the word “Help!” written in what appears to be glitter pen. I can only assume you are an animation writer.
I actually threw your card away a few times, worried that any response from me might make us something like pen pals. But I couldn’t ignore you. Your prose was too concise, your howl into the abyss too familiar. So, I fished your greeting out of the trash and, well, here we are.
Since I do not know you personally, I will try to imagine you.
When you’re not squirreled away in a coffee shop with a script giggling at your own jokes, you are trying to act normal on Zoom, in an email, on Facebook or wondering whether you should get a haircut and attend some kids’ TV market. Most likely you have one or more not-so-serious addictions. If I had to guess, I would say Hemingway Daiquiris, NyQuil and/or My Little Pony.
In other words, you are not normal, nor should you be. You are an animation writer. A normal animation writer. And the sooner you embrace this, the sooner the pain will begin to subside.
And since it’s just you and me now, I’ll attempt to help you — although I don’t presume to do so from on high. There are far better writers than me (or is it I?) everywhere you look, and even my once humble and awkward script coordinators passed me by years ago, God bless them.
But you caught me at a good time. For reasons that are unclear to me, I find it oddly pleasing these days to write down the few things I understand and send them off like kites with no strings. If you know me, you probably know I’m a rather selfish person, but this forever-COVID period combined with having a wee baby girl has left me as soft as a well-pounded steak.
Of course, there are no shortcuts when it comes to being a writer, but there are a few truths that seem to apply whether one is writing poetry, prose, wedding vows or animation. None of them will make you a better writer, but some of them may help to keep you here among us.
First and foremost, figure out if you’re really a writer. The way to determine this is easy. If you were stuck on a deserted island for the rest of your life, would you prefer to have someone to talk to or something to write with? If you chose the person, then you are not a writer and you can rest easy. If you chose the writing tool, then truly I say you are one of our sitting Tribe.
Second, accept that there will always be someone giving you notes. These will range from the enlightened to the inane. Try not to be offended, not even when they quote their own offspring. Accept all notes with grace, thank the executive earnestly, and then apply only the notes you agree with. One of the sad realities of showbiz is that maintaining positive and often completely false relationships with people in power is a precondition for any form of success.
Beware of all chemicals, including alcohol. Your writer’s brain is already wobbly enough. I understand all too well the comfort that these substances provide, but it is exactly this comfort that will keep you from having the fortitude, agility and synapses to do your best work. There are an infinite number of ways to avoid oneself, and all of them work — but only for a while.
Don’t be surprised that there is so little originality in the shows that get produced. This is a byproduct of the collective decision-making that dilutes everything from a good show bible to a good piece of legislation. Most humans celebrate compromise, but I for one don’t recommend it. The first casualty of any consensus is detail. Yes, the Devil is in the details but, alas, so is God.
Try not to take refuge in anybody else’s brand. Work on a show if you need the work (or if you like the work), but never confuse it with the main event. There is something wholly your own that needs to come out. It has no allies in the world except for you. You are its only parent and if you don’t tend to it like a young seedling, it will certainly die. Finish what you start, pitch often and shake off rejection like dirt from your boots. Some of what you create will stick to the wall but, even if it doesn’t, this is still a better fate than living behind another’s creation.
And finally, always remember that life is short, more like a bottle rocket than a sunset. There is a thin whiz and a pop. And then quiet. Lots of quiet. So, while we’re here on what’s left of this lovely orb, it behooves us to be kind to one another. And, when given the chance, we should always answer postcards from strangers. After all, people only write if they absolutely must.
Josh Selig
Josh Selig is the creator of Wonder Pets!, Small Potatoes and 3rd & Bird. He has won 10 Emmy Awards for his writing and two Emmy Awards for his musical compositions. Selig is the President of China Bridge Content and the former CEO of Little Airplane Productions.
Singapore-based Omens Studios’ new animated short Soft Rain recently took home the Best Short Film prize at the Asian Television Awards. The short centers on a middle-aged man suffering from depression, who meets a cheerful young woman who introduces him to a different perception of reality one rainy day. The short’s writer and director Sacha Goedegebure (Big Buck Bunny, Oasis, Counting with Paula, Leo the Wildlife Ranger) answered a few of our questions about his new project:
Animation Magazine: Can you tell us how you came to direct this short after working on features and series?
Sacha Goedegebure: At Omens Studios, we try to create a new short film every two-three years, as a way to let our artists try something different both creatively and technically. It’s an opportunity to discover new talents in the studio, as well. The process usually takes more time than planned, as priority is always on our production series, so we all do our best to keep our short films development moving along as well.
Sacha Goedegebure
How many people worked on this short with you and how long did it take to make?
The number varied from three to 10 at any one time depending on the stage of the process. Several artists in each department in our studios in Singapore and Malaysia have worked on Soft Rain in one way or another, so perhaps a good part of our artists have contributed one way or another to the project. The duration was spread over a span of three-plus years, as we were working on it on and off, while simultaneously running with all our series productions.
What was the inspiration behind the short?
For a long time, I was thinking of a simple, surreal story, like a boy-meets-girl in a rain of bunnies. Over time, this idea evolved into something more, shifting its theme to perception and depression. For me personally, watching rain always makes me a little sad. It’s interesting how some people have a completely opposite reaction to rain. With Soft Rain, using symbolism and metaphors, we tried to show such opposite perceptions and how one person could perhaps affect another’s perception.
Soft Rain
Which animation tools did you use to tell the story?
For this project, we created a specific Maya-to -Blender pipeline; using the FBX format, animation and rig data were transferred to Blender for all the shading and lighting. This allowed us to apply a clay shader without the use of UVs. The choice of a “claymation” style was simply an aesthetic one, but important enough to dictate the pipeline. With the shading and lighting in Blender, I could also easily contribute to that part of production.
What do you love about working on this short?
Whether it’s this project or other projects, I love to do some hands-on work myself. Being a director is more enjoyable for me if I can be part of the production. In the case of Soft Rain, I was happy to work on some of the lighting, effects and compositing. Bringing the shots to life in the final stage can be very rewarding.
Soft Rain
How did you get your start in animation?
Having a 2D background (with a Bachelor of Teacher of Fine Arts 2D), I started using Blender as a hobby to translate my 2D ideas into 3D. This got the attention of Ton Roosendaal, main developer of Blender and now producer at the Blender Institute. He invited me to work in a small international team in Amsterdam, to write and direct a short film. That resulted in Big Buck Bunny, which started its production in 2007 and took us six months to complete. Big Buck Bunny was created completely with free and open-source software, and it was released under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.
What was your biggest challenge as you made this short?
Besides finding time to work on the project, the technical challenges were the most obvious. Soft Rain has moments with lots of pink fluffy balls (which we called “Flinkies”) dropping from the sky. The physics weren’t always great, especially with character interaction. But luckily, we can always move the viewer’s attention away from small flaws to something more important.
Soft Rain
What kind of feedback have you received?
Due to the ambiguous nature of the story, people have gotten a different meaning out of it. Though as a writer, I gave everything its own specific meaning, it’s interesting how people’s interpretation can differ. Much like the theme of Soft Rain, people’s perceptions can be very different.
What do you hope audiences will get out of this short?
Soft Rain uses different symbolism and metaphors, so the story is quite ambiguous in its meaning. We opted for a story that might leave the viewer with questions, so we hope that anyone who watches Soft Rain feels invited to give the story some thoughts about what it means for them. More specifically, Soft Rain tries to tell that we don’t all share the same perception; and being aware of this could help us take more care of each other.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced shortlists in 10 categories for the 94th Academy Awards: Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, International Feature Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Music (Original Song), Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, Sound and Visual Effects.
In a rare turn for an animated title, Danish film Flee (released by Neon) has been shortlisted in the Documentary and International Feature categories (15 films each), as well as previously qualifying for consideration in the Animated Feature race.
Animated features also make an appearance in the music categories: Disney’s Encanto is among the 15 films shortlisted for Original Score as well as Original Song for “Dos Oruguitas”. Illumination/Universal’s Sing 2 is also up in the latter category, for “Your Song Saved My Life.”
Animated Short Film: Selected from 82 qualifying films by members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch.
Visual Effects: Determined by members of the Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee.
Black Widow
Dune
Eternals
Free Guy
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Godzilla vs. Kong
The Matrix Resurrections
No Time to Die
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Nominations voting begins on Thursday, January 27, 2022, and concludes on Tuesday, February 1, 2022. Nominations for the 94th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, February 8, 2022.
The 94th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland in Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.
