Part II in an ongoing conversation.
I’m sick as a dog today, so I’ll keep this short. Oh, and cryptic.
The challenge of animation here in Canada may actually be more challenging than even I suspected. That’s all I can say today. More to come.
the challenge of animation, part II
Published in commentary
Animation professional, dad, closet optimist.
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Should I start sacrificing small rodents? May the road go smoothly for you. Not like Carling Ave.
Canada is going about this the wrong way. The way to do it is the way Tomm Moore did it with The Secret of Kells. Somebody needs to write a good script. A small team needs to create a 2 minute trailer. Then the group needs to go looking for money. As they’ll own/control the property, they’ll be the ones making the decision as to where the film gets made and who gets hired, including the production management.
The only thing that chasing service work is good for is cash flow. You’re stuck praying that the project will actually turn out good enough to generate more work, but the quality of the project rests on too many factors that you can’t control. To quote Fred Allen, it’s a treadmill to oblivion.
The key is a property with profit potential. Have that, and you can train a workforce if you can’t find one. It doesn’t matter how much talent is in Canada if the people who own such properties are not interested in placing it here except for the tax credits.
We’ve tried starting at the bottom and climbing the ladder. It doesn’t work. We need to try starting at the top.
My head is slowly clearing, and I’ve now reread my post and had a chance to read some emails. The above post has absolutley nothing to do with the feature project I mentioned earlier. The challenge of animation will be an ongoing column looking at the bigger animation picture in Canada. I’m processing some new information right now that may shed some light onto that big picture challenge and will try to collect my thoughts into something worth writing. As far as the feature project is concerned, I’ve had a lot of response from you guys. A few who fit the bill, a lot of hopefuls, and some studios who want to help out. All will be passed on to the original contact and we’ll see what happens next.
And no Rob, too many cute animals have been sacrificed to the animation gods already. I won’t have any more blood on my three-fingered, white-gloved hands.
the real problem with animation is that it is NOT a simple technology or science . If there was a recipe for “good” or “funny” I’m sure someone would have tried to patent it….but it’s like music producing or sports…..for a team to be really good the general manager better have a genuine desire to excel….and talent / judgement to match. “Winning” in the animation business ought to be about making great films that also generate huge $ because of how great they are…thus funding even better films….but somehow the industry seems to be lacking in all areas….incentive…..vision…..leadership and judgement ( where’s the bar ?) and funding.
World class ought to be the aim and not just “Toronto class” if you’re going to REALLY make a difference.