Thanks to RobotJohnny at Drawn.ca for linking to this. There are a bunch of other great clips from the same interview available on YouTube.
Saul Bass wants to make beautiful things
Published in Uncategorized
Animation professional, dad, closet optimist.
I like this.
That’s why if you are an artist, the only way to get your own work done right, is either completely by yourself, (and in the case of animation it would most likely become your life’s work.) or through others, by means of your own personal funding.
Now… Where do you get the funding? You can’t, because you’re an artist and you don’t make shit! Haha!
I guess that’s where networking and partners come in. Find someone with money that trusts you and use them! Good luck convincing a businessman that he’ll get a return on a risky animation project that no one cares about though.
Yup… Well that was motivating and sad at the same time. Good post!
I agree with Saul 100% and am doing my best to get into this mindset while running a studio. However it’s hard when you’re trying to run a business and make some cash to not only keep the lights on and people paid, but take a bit to invest into things you want to do on the side or that you want in your life. It’s a balance.
I agree partially with Moocow, sometimes your vision is your own and it’s hard for others to grasp it in theory or technically. In which case you’re probably better off doing the gig yourself. However, in general, if you work with the right people. Like the artists that surround me at my studio. They’re so damn talented and we’ve been around each other for so many years, that we understand each other intimately and know our styles of story, humour and design very well. We’re very fortunate at Loogaroo in that sense.
As far as funding your own gig. It’s an investment in time on your part to develop a unique and innovative story or idea for a market that doesn’t have it or shows demand. This is where keeping your ear to the ground comes into play, read all the trade mags, go to the markets like Mipcom and Kidscreen to see what’s out there. It’s expensive as hell but if this is what you want to do, you’ll find a way to get inside and see what’s being sold.
You must network, you must find people of like mind that don’t have your skill sets and offer you services and alliances for free if you have to. Anything to get talking to them to a point where you’re friends. Then develop that relationship into a genuine friendship.
It’s not easy to start or maintain but it’s worth it to have people in your life that know you so well that when you have “THE IDEA” that they know it’s value, because they know you and what you’re capable of. It’s when this happens, that they will believe in you and put their hard earned cash into your project.
Most Artists need to know more about the business they’re in. Take the time to know WHY you do what you do and WHY others like distributors, broadcasters, producers, animation studios, etc. Do what they do. How the industry and it’s players fit into the value chain. NOT HOW they do it. BUT WHY they do it. If more animation artists out there knew this, there would be more creator driven content on the air instead of lawyers and accountant types making the decisions in programming.
Those that know how to do things will always have a job. Those that know WHY will always be their boss.