Happy Wednesday y'all!
I had the supreme pleasure of chatting with the animator Frank Gladstone recently, Frank (pictured) is a LONG time veteran of the animation industry, having worked for Disney, Warner Bros, DreamWorks, and more in his 45+ years in the industry. Frank is also currently the Executive Director for The International Animated Film Society (ASIFA - Hollywood).
I am excited to report that Frank with be hosting a series of vlogs on the Stage 32 Blog where he answers YOUR questions about the craft and business of animation!! So please comment below with your questions for Frank and I will pass them along! Feel free to ask multiple questions.
Frank is an avid storyteller with a lifetime of knowledge and amazing experiences!
Franks full bio:
Frank Gladstone has been working as a professional animator, producer, director, writer and teacher for more than 45 years. From 1973 to 1989, he managed his own Emmy award-winning studio, Persistence of Vision, producing commercials and educational films, and has since held management positions at Disney, Warner Brothers and DreamWorks, among others. He is currently the CEO of his own company, Gladstone Film, consulting on animation, filmmaking skills and story structure at major studios worldwide. Additionally, Frank continues to teach about animation, film history, production techniques and cinematic fundamentals at studios, secondary schools, colleges and professional guilds in North America, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. Frank recently directed the independent feature THE HERO OF COLOR CITY, has served as Artist-in-Residence for the ACME Network and on the board of directors of the Visual Effects Society He is the executive director of ASIFA-Hollywood, the world's largest honorary animation association, and is the executive producer of the animation industry's annual Annie Awards.
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How to make narrative animation on a low budget? There are some articles online but those are fairy tales and not practical. I have done commercial animation for companies in Europe and North America and would like to create a narrative animation based on my fantasy story.
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Maria Johnsen & Claude Gagne great questions, thank you for submitting! Community - keep 'em coming!
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Thank you Maria Johnsen! That is a great question!
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What is selling in the animation category lately? Is there one that is dominant over the others? Like Anime? Or is it who knows? No one really? I need emojis
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OMG, THIS IS SO MAJOR! Thanks for making this happen, Taylor C. Baker! I'd love to know - what kind of core crew and workflow do you see working in remote-working teams? How can professionals working from home make themselves studio-appropriate? I know how it applies to voice over actors, but am fuzzy on the illustrators, animators, and graphic artists LOL!
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Thank you WL Wright and Karen "Kay" Ross for your great questions! I'm am passing all these great questions over to Frank now! I will post the video/blog link in this thread once it goes up in a couple of weeks - Stay Tuned!
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Sandeep Sharma Weren't we just talking about animation? I feel like we were talking about things like - what is the difference between live-action and animation direction? What kind of skills should an animation director have in order to work with their crew? How do you determine the animation style that best serves the story?
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Hey Taylor sweet! That's good news! Cheers!
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Actually, I'd also love to know suggestions for animation pre-visualization. Do they also use storyboards? Or are there more reference materials that matter more?
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Frank is a dear man and long time friend, more importantly, ASIFA is wonderful organization that is very supportive of the animation industry workers. I would have him cover the resources that ASIFA provides and the need for those trying to break into animation to immerse themselves within the community.
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Thanks Taylor C. Baker for hosting this and Karen "Kay" Ross for mentioning this. Great questions and I can’t wait to check out the vlog. Question —If you’re looking to build an audience for a feature and attract a production or distribution studio would a production studio respond better to a trailer or short(s)? (Hopefully my question isn’t too late.)
Thank you for your kind words Laurie Ashbourne! I will make sure Frank covers that in his next video!
Thank you for your question TC Bolden! I will be sure to submit it to Frank for his next round of videos!
Hello All! Thank you for your great questions! Frank's first vlog is LIVE! Check it out on the Stage 32 here:
https://www.stage32.com/blog/Animation-Industry-QandA-with-Frank-Gladsto...
I have already sent the next round of questions from Laurie Ashbourne, TC Bolden, Sandeep Sharma, and Karen "Kay" Ross to Frank for Episode 2! If any has any more questions for Frank, feel free to comment below and I will pass them along for future episodes!
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Thank you to Frank for doing this. My first question would be why has traditional 2D animation fallen out of favor for feature length projects in America. There have been and there are a lot of great 2D traditionally animated televisions series out there but when it comes to feature length movies it is all 3D computer generated and Disney has also been remaking their animated classics into live action. Do the screenwriters or directors have any authority in choosing the style of their film or do they have to adhere to the demand of the big studios to make it 3D CGI?
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I can't wait for this series to start!
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Mr. Frank Gladstone, I was wondering if you could direct and voice act in The Hero of Color City 2, 3, 4, 5 and more and the Hero of Color City The Adventures of Yellow and her Crayon Friends TV show. Pretty please?
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Episode Two with Frank is OUT!!! Check it out here on the Stage 32 Blog:
https://www.stage32.com/blog/Animation-Industry-QandA-with-Frank-Gladsto...
Mr. Gladstone, my question is this “ I have a great concept for an animated series,.Do I need to develop a short to pinch to potential outlets?” Thank you
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Episode 3 is out now, right Taylor C. Baker? https://www.stage32.com/blog/Animation-Industry-QandA-with-Frank-Gladsto...
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WOaaaw Pure GOLD, episode 3, was an eyeopener, Will wait for EP4 and post some questions also,
Oooh here we go!