Asides

AWN Deals With Some Tricky Women

Animation, Book /

Spotted over on the Ambling Around column of AWN is this review for a book that you may not be aware of. Tricky Women is a festival held each year in Austria dedicated to, you guessed it, women in animation and they’ve put out a collection of essays devoted to the topic.

The description from the review is as follows:

Published by Schüren Verlag (Marburg, 2011), this 189 page volume contains essays by scholars, animators, and educators that address issues relating to women practicing animation and gaming. The book also includes a DVD with five well known auteur films discussed within the text.

The review is quite thorough in its detail of the essays contained within the book, the first of which may appeal to most of you out there as it pondering the following

[Jayne] Pilling concludes by raising a number of important questions, the most interesting of which is, “Is there a difference overall in the approach of male and women filmmakers in adapting fairytales within animation?”.

Suffice to say it looks like an entertaining (if slightly academic) read, as the conclusion make out:

…this unique scholarly contribution is a highly recommended text for the following areas of study: Animation, Art, Education, Film Studies, Gaming Studies, Media Studies, Women’s Studies, and Gender Studies at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. And it’s a must buy for university and college libraries that collect texts on these subjects.

It’s welcoming to see a topic like this receive some attention. Much the same as other industries, the contribution of women to the animation field was ignored for a long time, so its only right that the history of such be celebrated in the appropriate fashion.

Check out the AWN article for details on how to order the book as well as the full review by Sharon katz.

 

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Remember, It’s Not Your Idea, It’s Your Interpretation of It

1 Comment / Animation /

Yesterday, over on the  Cartoon Brew Biz section, I read an announcement that the Disney Channel has ordered a pilot for broadcast in 2012 tentatively called Zombies and Cheerleaders.  Now I’m not so sure about yourself, but when I read that title, the first thing that popped into my head was this:

Yes, it’s the Zombies Vs Cheerleaders comic by Stephen Frank et al at Moonstone Books. Similar topic, very similar title.

On the surface they look much the same, however each composition is/will be hugely different. The TV show is described as follows:

The story follows Zed Necrodopolis, a typical high school student with one small caveat; he happens to be a zombie. Despite a high-tech wristwatch designed to curb any appetite he may have for his classmates, he and his zombie friends remain unpopular with the school’s most influential group, the pom-pom wielding cheerleaders. Never one to back down from a challenge, Zed sets out to improve zombie student body relations and win the attention of Addison, the cheerleading squad’s newest member.

In contrast, the comic is described as:

Morbid or funny, and sometimes morbidly funny, top talent bring eclectic tales of Zombies vs Cheerleaders in this best-selling anthology series. Based on the hit sketch card series from 5FINITY Productions, read the exciting stories of the two things everyone loves: zombies and cheerleaders!

So while they appear similar on the surface, featuring zombies and cheerleaders, they differ greatly when it comes down to actual content.

This is something to be very aware of if you are writing or creating your own material. You can’t copyright ideas, only exceedingly similar interpretations. This is why we continue to see new versions of Alice in Wonderland despite the fact that the Disney version is the de facto story as far as the masses are concerned.

So don’t be afraid to use someone else’s idea for something personal you’re working on, just so long as it’s different or heads in another direction. 🙂

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Four Signs We’re Possibly in an Animation Bubble Right Now

4 Comments / Animation, Opinion /

I’ll be honest, this post was not used as an excuse to post a picture of Bubbles.

Over the past number of years, we’ve slowly seen animation come in from the cold as it were. Yes, Disney has had critical and commercial successes for years, but only within the last 10-15 has anyone else actually stood up and taken notice at just how profitable an animated film is. Not only does it rake in the dollars at the box office, they also tend to have some very long legs. Just look at the Lion King, 17 years old and still going strong.

Which leads to today’s post. With the obvious success of the technique, are we in the midst of an economic bubble in terms of animation? I mean, there is a difference between strong economic growth and unsustainable expansion. The question is are we in one or the other. Here’s 4 reasons for the latter point of view.

1. Revenues aren’t rising as fast as costs

Revenues for animated features have been rising at a relatively steady rate, but they have not risen at the same rate as costs. Naturally this is partly to do with the greater use of technology than in the past. CGI isn’t as cheap to implement as traditional animation, which could be shipped off to Asia for the real labour-intensive work. CGI on the other hand requires a very large upfront investment followed by the costs of the labour to utilise it.

Revenues are not rising at the same rate and the result is squeeze somewhere along the production line that will eventually reach a crunch point.

2. The Number of Players in the Market is Rapidly Growing

It’s elementary economics that once someone discovers a way to make money, at least one other person will attempt to emulate their success. Animation is no different. Today, there are no less than 4 large players (Disney, DreamWorks, Sony, Illumination) in the market and more are being added all the time.

When this becomes a bubble is when you see players who attempt to over-extend themselves into the market. We’re seeing this right now with various one-man bands and VFX studios that have figured they can have a go too. Of course, this is nothing new and has been happening since day dot. The difference is that the rate at which we’re seeing new entrants has substantially increased over the last couple of years. This leads us nicely to….

3. Competition is Becoming Intense

With more players in the market, this leads to increased competition in just about all aspects of the business, from artists, to technology to studio space to release windows. More competition is always welcome as it keeps everyone on their toes and ensures a more efficient use of resources. the only downside is that it also tends to weed out the smaller or inefficient guys.

Why would more competition signal a developing bubble? Well, with an increased demand and scarcer resources, costs for those resources tend to rise. Since competition is increasing at a faster rate than the market is growing, that is indicative of a bubble.

4. The Market is Limited And Changing To Boot

Right now, the market in North America is limited. The market is mature and it’s not getting bigger in the grand scheme of things. The growth markets right now are in Eastern Europe and Asia. the only problem is that those markets tend to have quite distinct cultures, and as a result, aren’t as open to Western films as the rest of the world.

Negating the fact that DreamWorks recently announced that they’re building a studio in China to capitalise on the local market, it’s clear that Western studios face a market with increased competition but not an larger space in which to grow. The result is that we’ll either see reduced revenues or studios being forced to reduce costs. Mark my words, $300 million movies are not sustainable in the long run, at least not right now.

Coupled to this, the changes in the market in general, thanks to the internet, mean that the industry as we know it may be vastly different in a few years time. The rise of streaming, the decline of traditional TV, and the new revenue streams that go along with them means that studios will have to adopt a different tune. Whether they are proactive or not in this regard will surely determine whether we’ll see the bubble burst.

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Character Sundays: Mandy

Animation, Cartoon Network, Character Sundays /

Mandy from Grim and Adventures of Billy & Mandy

Okay Grim, when the rainbow appears, you take me to the end of it, and I’ll shake down the leprechaun for its gold.

I first discovered the Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy way back in 2005 and it very quickly rose to become one of my very favourite cartoons. Yes, the humour is slapstick and sometimes violent, the stories are completely wacky, and even the very premise is rather absurd. I mean, just how could two kids end up “owning” the grim reaper after winning a game of limbo?

The above reasons are not the full story however, as the characters themselves are one of the strongest and most likeable aspects of the show. You have: an idiot (Billy), a beleaguered anti-hero (Grim) and an acerbic, domineering little girl (Mandy), our focus for today.

Mandy’s character is comparative to a black hole in nothing good can ever come out of it. She is selfish, controlling, conniving, intelligent and above all, pessimistic about life in general. These she impresses upon everyone she meets; no-one is safe from her ire.

Surprisingly enough, Mandy does have some positive aspects. She remains friends with Billy despite his idiocy, and while she never displays a lot of emotion towards him, she does see to it that he is kept safe from himself and others. She also displays an odd mixture of tolerance and acceptance of Grim, who in spite of his powers is rendered subservient to her and her will and makes his dissatisfaction known.

Mandy remains somewhat of a loner throughout the series having only superficial relationships with other characters besides Billy and Grim. It is implied that she is equally feared and loathed by others, a situation that causes her some consternation. Although she often tries to bury it as the problematic “nice” side of her character, she still somewhat resents the situation.

What makes Mandy so endearing is that she, in a way represents, the sane voice of the universe of the show. In such a crazy world where a kid can have an Egyptian mummy for a mother (Irwin), there is a need for someone to fly the flag for sanity. Mandy happens to be the one in this case, even if she is notably missing a nose.

It is this apparent contradiction between sanity and uncontrollable rage that makes Mandy such a great character for a cartoon. She engages so much with the other characters and adds a lot of depth to what otherwise could have been just another slapstick cartoon.

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Apparently Lady Gaga Doesn’t Like Animation

Animation /

Lady GoogooVia: TBI

This just in, yesterday, The Hollywood Reporter among others posted that Lady Gaga has won an injunction against a parody creation from Mind Candy called Lady Goo Goo. The reason?

“Lady Gaga argued that the character would confuse consumers.” – AWN

There’s a couple of different aspects to this decision but all spell potential trouble for animators or studios so they are well worth being aware of.

Firstly, there’s the issue of confusion with the real Lady Gaga and secondly there’s the issue of parody works and whether or not they are legal. Before you carry on reading though, here’s a video of Lady Goo Goo herself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v53lmd5URQQ

Starting with the confusion, Gaga relied on trademark law and its reliance on the famed tests which essentially boil down to the “moron in a hurry” scenario. The court ruled that consumers and fans of Gaga would be susceptible to confusion between Gaga and Goo Goo and thus the latter should not be permitted .

Anyone with half a brain would conclude that this is a clear admission from Gaga that her fans are clearly idiots but as Mike Masnick at Techdirt put it:

Unfortunately, Lady Gaga doesn’t have a sense of humor about the situation and it appears that neither do the UK courts.

Michael Action Smith of Mind Candy puts it fairly bluntly:

“It’s pretty obvious that kids will be able to tell the difference between the two characters.” I can certainly tell the difference, but Lady Gaga and the courts couldn’t

The shame is that millions of kids fell in love with Lady Goo Goo’s debut single on YouTube and now won’t be able to enjoy her musical exploits. It was all done in the name of fun and we would have thought that Lady Gaga could have seen the humor behind this parody.

This leads us nicely into the second aspect of the ruling, which is that parody works are not strictly legal in the UK, where the lawsuit was filed.

The importance of this aspect? Well, in the US, parody works are considered legally distinct from the original material and as a result, do not require prior approval from the copyright holder. This is not the case in the UK, which has no laws regarding parody works. The result is that Gaga was legally able to sue over a parody featuring an animated baby and some Eurotrash music.

Why is this a concern for animators and studios? Because animation has relied on parody and making fun of things since almost the day it was invented! Imagine if all the classic Warner Bros. shorts couldn’t have parodied the political and entertainment figures of the day? Imagine if the Simpsons couldn’t send up films like Citizen Cane? Imagine if Weird Al Yankovic couldn’t release a video to go with his parody of a song? (Side note, Al had is own run-in with Lady Gaga but because he’s in the US, he could release his single anyway).

Our ability to create would be seriously hindered wouldn’t it? The world would be a much more serious place in the absence of all this comedy and poking of fun.

Animation has delighted in being one of the prime candidates when it comes to sources of parody. Nevertheless, this lawsuit simply proves that you have to be on your toes when it comes to this kind of thing, because as bad of a control freak as it makes Lady Gaga look (and all the increased attention the lawsuit has garnered as a result), it ultimately forces a studio to write off an investment it made and to swallow the costs of the project with no hope of getting them back.

Small studios and animators cannot be expected to be effective economic units if they face the prospects of lawsuits like this. There is no reason why Lady Goo Goo had to be yanked in the UK, the decision hurts everyone, including Gaga herself.

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“The Revolution Is Here. What Are You Waiting For?”

Animation, Frederator /

This morning, Fed Seibert has a great post about the ongoing revolution in video we’re seeing thanks to YouTube and he has this choice quote (emphasis mine):

But that’s not where the action is. Remember, Adventure Time first blew up on YouTube; we absolutely never would have sold the show without the explosion of interest from their community.

That’s the money quote right there, and the secret to any piece of entertainment’s success. A community will do more to make you money than any advertising can ever hoper to achieve.

He follows it up with this advice:

There’s ways to make money if you’re popular, and more importantly it’s where the audience is.

The old ways of doing things are falling. You simply cannot expect to make money or reach an audience  the same way they did in the old days.

Thankfully, the tools to do so are so readily accessible and cheap, like Fred says:

Any of you making films should be making more and posting them.

 

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The Tintin Opening Titles That Should Have Been

Animation /

With the impending premiere of the Steven Spielberg/Peter Jackson 3-D, CGI, mo-cap potential flop that is Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn (no. I will not link to it), James Curran has created this alternative title sequence that plays on minimalism (by using the shape of a circle) but still manages to get in a reference for each one of the 24 original books in under a minute and a half.

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Is Disney Self-Censoring Old Mickey Mouse Cartoons for TV?

5 Comments / Animation, Disney /

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJu3u0l_Atk

I came across this post on the Ammoland.com website yesterday (I’m not a regular reader or anything, these things just come to my attention sometimes) which berates the fact that Disney appears to be self-censoring old Mickey Mouse cartoons. As you can naturally expect from a website like this, it concerns Mickey’s use of a gun in the classic short, Mickey’s Parrot (embedded above for convenience).

The gripe from the site itself is:

In this episode, a parrot belonging to an escaped killer wanders into Mickey’s basement. Mickey hears it talking and thinks that the parrot is the killer who is on the loose who he just heard about on the radio. Mickey then goes and grabs his double barreled shotgun off of the wall and prepares to defend himself.

Well, wouldn’t you know it… in the version they presented on the Disney Channel the other day, they had digitally removed the shotgun and replaced it with a broom. Yes, Mickey grabbed a broom off of the gun rack, shouldered it, and prepared to defend himself with his handy, dandy tactical… broom.

So, the question is, why? Why would Disney feel the need to edit out a gun in one of their cartoons? The post on Ammoland makes a heavy argument that they shouldn’t simply because it’s a false representations of guns and gun ownership. While this may be true, it still fails to account for why Disney censored their own cartoon.

Have we gotten to the point where companies will self-censor themselves to reduce the perceived problems of broadcasting their older material? I mean, we all know why Song of the South isn’t seen anymore but that is because of the very nature of the film itself, this is all to do with the a small aspect of a cartoon.

As the post itself says:

Disney cartoons from that era have featured firearms literally more times than I can count. They’ve depicted firearms in terms of being a legitimate means of self defense, as a means to take game animals, and they have shown firearms as the indispensable tool that they are for every cowboy and cowgirl of the old west. Several generations have now been brought up with Disney cartoons that have depicted firearms as an integral part of their plot, and now you are telling me that we as a society can no longer handle it?…

I mean c’mon, we’re dealing with Walt Disney here, the guy who believed that above all, his material should be suitable for anyone to watch. Heck the first and only Disney animated feature film to get a rating higher than G was Tangled, and that only came out last year! none of the animated features to come out of his studio have seen a rating higher than PG.

I can sort of see why the company would feel the need to edit a gun out of cartoon, but that still doesn’t justify it. The idea that as a society, we are somehow “better” now or more sensitive to these kinds of things now is a fallacy. Especially for the Disney company, who seem to engage in stunts like this on the one side, but register trademarks on the term “SEAL Team 6” on the other (though later withdrawn). That sends a mixed message to just about everybody.

Literally millions of kids have grown up with cartoons depicting guns, drinking, gambling, you name it, and yet we’re not a nation of gun-toting, alcoholic gamblers. That’s because kids learn pretty quickly that cartoons are not meant to replicate real life to the extent that they serve as a role model.

It safe to assume that Disney simply jumped the gun on this one (no pun intended). Self-censorship is ultimately self-defeating, especially if it degrades the quality of the original piece, which in this case, it does.

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Evan At A Crossroads, DreamWorks Continues to Innovate

Animation, DreamWorks /

Over the last few moths, I’ve come to develop quite a bit of respect for DreamWorks. I mean, OK, their films aren’t always the best, but they are the largest independent animation studio in Hollywood and that’s something you have to respect on some level.

As I discussed a while ago, DreamWorks has started to innovate as they prepare for the possible end of their distribution deal with Paramount. Besides the deal with Netflix, they announced last week that they will also distribute exclusive content to the Nintendo 3DS games console.

That’s a bit intriguing isn’t it? Why would a studio choose to distribute on a games console?

Well, if that’s where your audience is, it makes sense to cater to their needs. DW certainly has been upping the ante as of late, signing deals with hotels and fast food companies in addition to launching TV shows of the their films. All of this translates into driving more demand for their properties and hence bringing them more money as a result.

All of this was combined quite nicely in a column by Marc Graser et al in Variety today as they break down DreamWork’s current position and the many potential options it has as the company faces a less than certain future.

One thing is clear though, DreamWorks has survived a lot longer than many other animation outfits, so it’s safe to say that

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Some Stop-Motion in Slow Motion

1 Comment / Animation /

Originally shared by Bill Alger through Google+, here’s a GIF illustrating all the hard work that goes into stop-motion animation.

Clearly they’re a special kind of animator for a reason 🙂

Coraline stop-motion in progress

On the same note, to see how a stop-motion film is made in real time, check out Daisy Edwards production blog for her stop-motion film, She’s A Rebel.

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Character Sundays: Master Cyclonis

Animation /

Not to be repeating myself or anything, but seeing as it is October now and Halloween is just around the corner, it makes sense to take a peek at some of the darker characters in animation. Today’s post is from this past June when I had a look at Master Cyclonis from Storm Hawks.

Debuting a few years ago on Cartoon Network is a Canadian show produced by the best-named studio I have come across to date: Nerd Corps. Based on the planet Atmos, Storm Hawks centres around a group of rag-tag young adults who wish to gain the same respect that a previous iteration of the group had.

The premise of the show is that the planet is composed mainly of atmosphere, with various rocky “islands” as the only areas where people live. Each island or group of islands are considered different countries or kingdoms. As with most shows, there are good and bad ones with the show focusing on the confrontations between the two.

Kids shows generally seem to keep within a fairly narrow range when it comes to villainy. Evil businessmen, dark wizards and overbearing authority figures are all the standard fare. However, the vast majority of them are male. Exceptions generally include shows aimed at girls or with girl leads. Which makes Storm Hawks the exception, it’s a fairly gender-neutral show with a mixed group of lead characters and plenty of variety in the supporting cast.

Of interest today is the leader of the ‘bad’ side, collectively known as Cyclonia, headed up by Master Cyclonis. The reason for focusing on her is that she is a rare character, a female baddy, and a fairly heartless one at that. The official description is as follows:

Diabolically intelligent and a master of crystal transformations, the Queen of Cyclonia is hell-bent on extending her new kingdom by force. Extremely paranoid, she only trusts her shadowy henchman, the Dark Ace. Her Talon thugs are in constant fear of falling into her disapproval, which happens a lot.

Master Cyclonis is unique in that she is the same or of similar age to our protagonists. She is not some wrinkly old hag who is clinging on to her throne, she is very much the opposite, looking to widen her influence and consolidate her control over Cyclonia, the lands she rules and beyond.

Often seen wearing a cape and hood, Cyclonis appears dark, in effect concealing her powers from those around. Such a disguise of sorts could be seen as an attempt to subvert or trick the unwitting. When in battle or angered, the hood retracts into a headdress-like set of petals that emphasize her heightened mood. Her comparatively tall stature reinforces her position over others.

While some people have speculated that Cyclonis embodies the ‘goth’ style (see above), I would have to disagree. Yes, she dresses dark clothes, wears what appears to be heavy amounts of eye shadow and has pale skin, such features only serve to contrast her appearance with others and to indicate the dark nature of here character.

Master Cyclonis (like all the characters in Storm Hawks) displays a lot of emotion through her eyes. They’re large size are put to good use as they narrow to convey anger, displeasure or both and widen to illustrate her surprise. Her heavy eyebrows emphasize these emotions.

As a character, Cyclonis displays all the hallmarks of a classic villain including a lust for control and power, a careless attitude towards those who serve her, a demanding attitude and a lack of tolerance when it comes to failure.

Repton: I couldn’t care less about your plan, Cyclonis! What’s in it for the Raptors?
Master Cyclonis: Untold riches to start.
[Cyclonis zaps Repton]
Master Cyclonis: And I’ll promise not to crush your measly little Terra Bogaton.

Much more than your usual bone-headed bad guy, Cyclonis is conniving and clever. She is not just a skilled fighter but is also intelligent enough when it comes to her style of attack. While physically she is comparable to the Storm Hawks, she is also crafty enough to engage in psychological warfare. In one particular episode, she plays on the fact that Piper is the lone girl in the group and is only thwarted because of Piper’s superior intellect.

While her character inspires a lot of fear, it does draw upon pity. Ultimately she is a lonely character not unlike Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter. Yes, he has untold power and people at his disposal, but as Harry points out in The Order of the Phoenix, he is a lonely figure who has been and will continue to be isolated because of his demeaning nature and his unquestionable evil nature.

Master Cyclonis adds a lot of complexity to an otherwise decent series. The fact that she is a female adds to the unnerving nature of her character, the fact that she is also quite ruthless is belied by her age and her level of skill and mastery in the art of fighting is proof of her stature.

If you have not already, she is well worth checking out as a villain.

 

 

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