Animation : Ask Me Anything (AMA) 1/24 to 1/25- How The Animation by Bob Harper

Thanks for having this AMA, Bob Harper. Cool new profile pic. Is it difficult to make an indie animation show?

Bob Harper Hi Bob, whilst I know it’s not Thursday yet, I thought I’d get a few preemptive questions in, before the mad rush!

I’m planning to move across from live-action to animation, for my next project. What are the main differences in terms of budgeting for an animated series, as opposed to live-action? Is pre-production much longer for animation? What are the main pinch-points, that I need to be mindful of?

Many thanks Bob for doing this AMA. Here’s wishing you all the best, for 2024.

Hi Bob Harper - thanks for doing this AMA. Question: How do you see AI affecting/influencing animation in the future? Thanks in advance.

WOW !! Bob Harper I wanted to ask how approach Animation film producers who wants to make movie under $2mn , i know every one wants to reduce the cost and make profit, Here i am with my unique pipeline offering movie production under $2mn , i have no takers yet.

Hello Bob Harper- I have and animated/live action musical where the two complementary narratives weave together. The animated narrative holds the preponderance of the script. As the main character evolves in his consciousness, the styles of animation change. How difficult would it be for one animation studio to work with that consideration or is it preferable to use different studios for the different styles?

Thank you Bob.

Hello Bob, as a aspiring writer who’s dreams is to create an original animated series It seems like we are seeing a ton of reboots and revival than original content in big studios like Nickelodeon, Disney, and WB animation. Is it still worth pitching original idea to studios despite not being a reboot or IP?

Maurice Vaughan There always challenges in making a series whether it be live-action or animation. Animation rightfully has a reputation for taking longer and often being more pricey. But with technology growing and more production companies popping up around the world, it has become less daunting than in years past. It isn't an easy endeavor, but with the right planning, it isn't as difficult as some may think.

Bob Harper, what tools or programs do you advise independent animators who are looking to learn and begin making their own content, invest in, and learn to use?

Geoff Hall Preproduction for animation is very time-consuming, especially if you include time for proper visual development. Storyboarding is usually a more detailed process in animation than in live-action. The other part of the process that differs is that you are doing most of your editing before production, as creating new shots involves more time and sometimes more money than in live-action, and there isn't "coverage" unless you are creative enough to reuse pre-existing footage.

Leonardo Ramirez AI is and is going to continue to be a major disrupter in the animation industry. It is already being used in major productions, and some smaller studios are even designing complete AI pipelines. It will result in the loss of jobs and also, much like the DLSR camera did for live-action, create an even bigger glut of content, by reducing barriers for those without the skill or talent to create fully animated content.

Thanks for the answer, Bob Harper. That's encouraging to hear. Besides technology, is there anything new going on in the Animation industry that you've never seen before? New process of making animated films, new animation style, etc.

Kumar Sambhav, unfortunately, you are caught between a rock and a hard place. Bigger studios do not believe that a feature can come in at that budget and visually be comparable to, say, an Illumination or DreamWorks film. You would need a feature in the can to prove it to them. On the other end of the spectrum, most indie producers are learning that even $2 Million would still be a risk as minimum guarantees keep getting lower and lower each year, thanks to the glut of international productions entering the marketplace. A couple of years ago, the numbers I got from AFM from quite a few distributors were the production should be around $ 3 million. The same sources and others told me at the most recent AFM that the number is down to half a million. I suggest optioning an established IP fining investor to make your own film and prove what you can do while hopefully profiting from it. Otherwise, I'd suggest showing a cost-effective episodic pipeline since most animated content is for the small screen.

Prema Rose Most competent animation production companies can handle more than one style and would be best to deal with one for budget, scheduling and legal reasons. Now, if you were to go with a coproduction model of involving multiple studios, just be sure you and your team are exceptionally organized and can handle the tracking and communication for all involved.

Lydia Cornell You're welcome. Do you have a question?

OB Nwani It's always good to pitch and network, but it is challenging to sell a project that either isn't based on an IP, has recognizable attachments, or from someone who doesn't have a track record in the industry. I suggest you try to get as many writing assignments as you can and write for different markets, like children's books or novels. Self-publish or get published your own books and make those an IP that would interest the studios.

Ashley Renee Smith I suggest "newbies" research the advancements in AI and explore free software like Blender in regards to technology. But, if they want to have longevity in the industry, learn the artistic and storytelling skills to be a great creator.

Maurice Vaughan Aside from AI, animation production is pretty much the same as it has been for the last few years; they are only trying to make the process quicker and cheaper and are finding more shortcuts. What I am seeing is that there are more unique visual styles that are coming into the mainstream audience and new types of storytelling that expand into different audiences, and thankfully, more diverse voices are being heard.

Ok, thanks for the answer, Bob Harper. I really like the animation styles of "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" and "TMNT: Mutant Mayhem."

Bob Harper, I've been thinking about working with Kumar Sambhav on a new animated feature titled "Martial Arts Pets". What advice would you give us when searching for an investor?

Bob Harper thanks for your answer Bob. So, it appears that preparation is the most important and labour intensive element to animation production. Do the prep, work with the animator going through the script and work out the choreography for each scene. Gotcha…and thanks again.

Would a studio like Laika be equipped to move between genres or are they strictly stop-motion?

Hey Bob Harper . Thanks for doing this! I've had an adult animated comedy project in the works for a few years now. It's been my first stab at writing for animation and is very much a passion project for me. I have a full season outlined with episode scripts fully written for 8 episodes along with a few shorts. I did have an artist friend do up concept art and we put together a pretty impressive show bible. In my opinion, it already has legs. I've received a lot of positive feedback on the concept and it's about as ready to go as one can get without having a Pilot/Sample made. Which brings me to my question - How important is it to have a trailer or short made when pitching an animated project? I absolutely see the value in it, however animation is very costly and finding someone with the skillset/time to work on an unfunded project is difficult for obvious reasons. Is there a path to pitching an animated series without an actual animated sample? If so, what would be my best approach? I sincerely appreciate any feedback you're able to provide. Thank you!

Prema Rose Laika could move between genres, but I believe they are focused on their own content. Then again, enough money would get anyone interested.

Andrew Nixon There is a paradox to this question. Sometimes, studios like to see a 1-minute sizzle reel, visual development, and scripts ready to go. Sometimes, they feel like if it is too developed, then there is no room for them to add their "stank" to it. I would research each potential buyer to see how they operate. You can then go in with an "underdeveloped" or "fully developed" version for the appropriate buyer with the understanding that either way they might change everything you have created. Another route is getting an option with a production company that has relationships with buyers and follows their lead. If you are able, you may even try building an audience with a short piece and turn that into a Kickstarter like Hazbin Hotel did, but that is a unique story that we'll see gets replicated as a model. Or, produce one of the shorts and get it into festivals and online to also build buzz and an audience.

Cee Whirx It is essential that you have your project fully developed before going to an investor. You need a script, a visual pitch deck that clearly describes the film, and a business plan detailing distribution, marketing, and how you plan to recoup the money that the investors have put into the project.

Bob Harper There's a lot to work with there. Thank you so much!

Bob Harper Great to see you doing an AMA, Bob! I started out in animation development at Nickelodeon a million years ago but left that world for live action TV, which is what I've been doing for a long time. When I was in animation, there were a couple of basic "truisms" and I wonder if they still hold up today. One was that writers don't develop animation on their own - in order to sell anything an artist must be attached to the project from the outset. Most of the content I developed came from artists (on other shows or comic book artists) and any time a writer pitched to us, step one was to "marry" them with an artist. Another was that kids want to watch characters who are one step older than them, i.e. shows featuring middle schoolers appeal to elementary school kids, and shows featuring teens appeal to middle schoolers. What are your thoughts on this? Are there other big changes in terms of content development that you have seen?

Anna Marton Henry The truism in regard to children audiences wanting to see a step older than they are still is the prevailing narrative, but we are finding that children are accessing even older skewing content, yet rarely go in reverse. As far as where shows come from, they happen with waves. For a while, kid show pitches were primarily artist-driven, but writers initiated some. Now I feel it is more open, and especially now that companies are looking for established IP, writers have an advantage in pitching a treatment of an existing IP relying on the inherited visuals that usually go with it. Even shows pitched by an artist will often have another artist assigned to the show once optioned, which has happened to me on a few occasions. I do suggest writers spend a little dough on some visual development for a pitch that will help buyers get a vision for the show.

Bob Harper Many thanks for sharing insight, There is a producer in LA called Mikeyoung he has been doing this for the last 20 years, before covid the 90min 3d CGI he would spend 10mn and get it done from an Indian studio , After covid and scenario changed and our industry adapted work from home seamlessly costing further dropped, and blender and unreal emerged, netflix bought few movies based on this pipeline. So I decided to pass on this heavy-duty discount to producers who want to produce simple 3D Animation content. We recently delivered Dragonero to one of our client on belnder, its Airing now, https://youtu.be/xjCyTwa98UY?si=928qyj8f77znaXRy

So i wanted to tap into that specific niche or group of producers who really want to get their content out , recently in kids screen i met Carl Reed, founder Lionforge, he makes a movie in $800k and sells it via markets . Carl reed has found his team, but I wonder there may be more like him who are looking for this kinda teams. I want to learn how find those producers.

Kumar Sambhav I'm familiar with Mike and Carl, and as you have noted they have brought the budgets way down. $800k gives you a better chance of finding the right property. I would suggest checking the list of attendees for all of the major shows like Kidscreen, MIP, and AFM and seeing which ones distribute or produce animated and/or family films. Be direct by asking them what budgets work for them and see if you can engineer it to their needs and yours. What I heard from some of the buyers was that their concern wasn't so much about production costs but marketing costs. The Asylum has a model of doing animated mockbusters, but their budgets are even lower.

Thanks so much for your input, Bob. Are you available for further conversations? Through Stage 32?

Prema Rose I'm glad to be of help. We still have a few more hours on this AMA, so please feel free to ask further questions.