What Do You Want To Know?

[Ward Jenkins]

Obviously, there are a good mix of people here from the animation industry, both young and old(er), newbie to seasoned. For those who are dying to know anything and everything about working in animation, ask away on this thread. Myself (11 years experience), along with many others in the industry will try to take a crack at your answers.

For the record, I work in the commercial/broadcast side of the biz. Others have worked on TV shows and internet. Do we have any feature peeps? If not, let's try and get 'em here.

Ask away.....(or not)...

[Elliot Cowan]

Ah well.
I'm not actually allowed to work here at the moment, but you get the point I'm making.
And yeah - it is cool, especially living here and earing the pound...

[Vincent Veidt]

How does it feel to have a valuable currency?

[Elliot Cowan]

Pleasing, actually.
It doesn't go far in London...
It's even better when I head home to Oz.

[Amy Mebberson]

Yeah, this. Don't dismiss totally working through email and phone.
I'm currently doing some concept art for RDF media in London. It's all done entirely through email.
I did part of my first Tokyopop book from Sydney and communicated with Tokyopop in LA entirely via email.
The only times I've actually met my co-writer and editor were at NY ComicCon and SDCC!

The only thing I lament about the bulk of it being in LA is that you miss out on a lot of really cool screenings, exhbitions, events and workshops. But as Danny said, the other major cities often have their own animation resources if you look around.

[Vincent Veidt]

True enough, it doesn't matter where you live. I'm actually considering (if I could ever afford it) getting a boat and running a studio as I sail around the world... it sounds so much easier than just picking a single location to live and work. Plus, I love sailing (a Michigan thing).

[Cory Morrison]

I have to agree you can pretty much live anywhere and do freelance work, I'm a storyboard artist myself and live in Ottawa and I haven't worked for a studio in Ottawa for the past year and won't anytime soon, it's all freelance out of Vancouver, Toronto, New Brunswick and State side. It's pretty awesome to be able to wake up and start work in your "office" a.k.a corner of the basement in your own home. Though I must say that I do miss the studio atmosphere.

[Joanna Davidovich]

I can speak for Atlanta- its pretty dead. Of the three major studios that hire animators, two have recently had massive lay-offs. Which leads me to my own question: Everyone here in Atlanta says that there's a nationwide trend of slackening demand and lowered budgets for broadcast animation, and that these recent lay-offs were more the rule than the exception. Is this true? Does this trend exist outside my fair city?

[Vincent Veidt]

Sadly, there has been a trend this past decade (and longer) to outsource traditional animation work to Asia and focus on 3D and Flash animation domestically. As a result, Disney no longer exists as a production studio (3D work by Pixar, traditional work outsourced, 2D television production halted, etc...). I here the short film "Dream on, Silly Dreamer" by Dan Lund and Tony West does a good job of chronicling this trend.

So, to answer your question, traditional animation is dying, but my personal outlook foresees the North American audience growing bored of only 3D/CG animated films and a resurgence (led, ironically, by Disney) in the next decade. It's just a rough spot... the good news, though, is that most television and commercial work is still done using traditional methods, so there are jobs for the foreseeable future.

[Fred Seibert]

Joanna, there is a slackening of demand.

Denny, it has nothing to do with Asia.

There has not been a bona fide smash hit television cartoon since 2001 (though "Barnyard" is already looking like it might break that streak). Most feature book office has been declining during the same period. Until there's a resurrection of hit-making (that is, truly exciting cartoons) the demand will continue to fall.

But, it'll be back. The bio-rhythms of the creative/commercial process are always in play. Remember, in 1988 it was pretty much taken for granted that cartoons were dead forever. Thank you Simpsons, R & S, B & B, etcetera etcetera.

So don't give up, no matter what. It was the pent up desires of the great new animators that brought the industry back. You're out there, you'll be the ones to bring it back again.

[Elliot Cowan]

Barnyard is really a hit or was that sarcasm?
I've only watched about 12 seconds of it...

[Joanna Davidovich]

I thought it was just a movie- is it a terrible TV show now as well??? Gack.

[Jennifer Adkins]

I never saw the movie but oddly enough this show is on as I am catching up on this thread, and what the heck IS that ugly orange character. Is it a cat, kangaroo, weasel, or what?