tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-738814364413384768.post2770251143069673186..comments2024-03-13T23:42:25.845-07:00Comments on Animondays: The Ins and Outs of Indie Animated FeaturesDavid B. Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12611160893518781463noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-738814364413384768.post-68552707389409401682008-09-30T07:54:00.000-07:002008-09-30T07:54:00.000-07:00Michael, For me, the question: Will there be an au...Michael, <BR/>For me, the question: Will there be an audience for my film?, is a creative question. I know it sounds like marketing and such...but, I'm talking about- is my film creatively compelling? Does it relate to the world? Does it say something? That's a creative side of the coin to me. Persepolis does not feature a subject one would call commerical in the US, but it did succeed because there was an audience for it because it met the creative requirements above. I'm not certain I'm making my point as well as I could.<BR/><BR/>I'm not so certain that the students asking the money questions has all the negative implications you suggest. Students could use a dose of reality. They spend their whole four years with their heads in the clouds. Its good for them to spend one evening thinking about the real world of money and distribution. Knowledge is power.David B. Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12611160893518781463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-738814364413384768.post-76124340031912162822008-09-30T07:35:00.000-07:002008-09-30T07:35:00.000-07:00I was looking forward to my first ASIFA event.The ...I was looking forward to my first ASIFA event.<BR/>The irony is that my work papers arrived and I started my first NYC animation job.<BR/>I was busily working away on 25th, merely minutes away...Elliot Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15952897418341461593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-738814364413384768.post-18955139976283774362008-09-30T05:23:00.000-07:002008-09-30T05:23:00.000-07:00Yes, it's difficult to raise money. Yes, it's diff...Yes, it's difficult to raise money. Yes, it's difficult to sell and market your film. You advise readers to "forget funding and forget distribution. At least for a minute. The real issue for me is, 'Will there be an audience for my indie feature film?'” But that's talking about money again.<BR/><BR/>My point in my piece was that those in the audience were STUDENTS asking only about money and distribution and marketing. They have access to all the equipment they want for the price of their education; that is the ONLY time they won't have to worry about money. They have to be creative and worry about making a film that is as artistic as possible. <BR/><BR/>At this point they should only be asking about creative ends, instead they're most interested in making a buck. No wonder so many bad films are out there.Michael Spornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02018522723674960270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-738814364413384768.post-746723037843371592008-09-29T19:35:00.000-07:002008-09-29T19:35:00.000-07:00the way mike and I are sorta approaching things ri...the way mike and I are sorta approaching things right now is we just pick a project that interests us, that seems within range of our capacity to get a thing done, and then simply stick with it till we really like what we have. all we need is time, not money, since we're doing all the art work. still, money would buy TIME and HELP which are both very important for taking on bigger projects and new creative challenges.<BR/><BR/>one of the best pieces of advice i ever got came from fran krause: he said "no one will pay you to do what you haven't already done".Tim Rauchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17372320274473421640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-738814364413384768.post-61930770197682750062008-09-29T15:18:00.000-07:002008-09-29T15:18:00.000-07:00There a quote from somebody smart -Welles, or Pica...There a quote from somebody smart -Welles, or Picasso, or Brecht, or someone like that:<BR/>"When bankers get together, they talk about art. When artists get together, they talk about money."roconnorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04933040935053560675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-738814364413384768.post-54310005456380598782008-09-29T11:30:00.000-07:002008-09-29T11:30:00.000-07:00Well said, Fred. And, in particular, a first time ...Well said, Fred. And, in particular, a first time feature director or series creator needs to put the priority on getting their films made. Most careers are built one logical step at a time and this path is no different. I think your work with Dan Meth is a good example of a producer and a filmmaker finding a way to work together to make something. <BR/><BR/>Emmett,<BR/>Good thoughts... although I'm not totally sure what you are asking me in regards to an animation director moving between indie and commercial features. That sure would sound great to me (or to just about anyone)... but, that's a little like asking, should I be a millionare or a billionare. Either is fine, but not easily achieved. But, neither are impossible either. Set your course and make the right choices along your career to get you there. It could happen!David B. Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12611160893518781463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-738814364413384768.post-40653544555847400642008-09-29T07:44:00.000-07:002008-09-29T07:44:00.000-07:00I had a question I wanted to ask, which I never go...I had a question I wanted to ask, which I never got to. I wanted to know what the opinions would be of an animation director moving back and forth between independent and commercial features, much along the lines of guys like David Lynch and Steven Soderbergh. Both worlds seem to have their own pros and cons.<BR/><BR/>I kind of wish there were more questions about the creative process of making a feature. I mean, the feature needs to be be interesting enough to secure funding. I think several of the audience members, including myself, were thinking that a commercial story could be produced just as successfully in an animated feature. I think its possible, and can be done without all the cliches that ruin commercial features. But there should have been more questions about the creative aspect.Emmetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02550182438003731076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-738814364413384768.post-37471720077492986072008-09-29T06:40:00.000-07:002008-09-29T06:40:00.000-07:00Dave, as usual, you're right on the money (ahem). ...Dave, as usual, you're right on the money (ahem). As a producer, it's somewhat disheartening to rarely engage with filmmakers who are less interested in discussing filmmaking than dealmaking. "How do you make money in ____ [kids TV, movies, internet, fill in the blank]. (For whatever it's worth, it's only in NY that the issue of "protection" comes up regularly.) We all want to make money, but we won't unless we know what films we're interested in.<BR/><BR/>Of course, media executives have their own version of this problem. The obsessive interest in "hits" unattached to creative vision dooms their process too.<BR/><BR/>With both sides limiting themselves to a narrow discussion of the issues, is it any wonder so much of the result is so, so... forgettable?Fred Seiberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10280783007117937680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-738814364413384768.post-57907262089184229082008-09-29T06:38:00.000-07:002008-09-29T06:38:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Fred Seiberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10280783007117937680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-738814364413384768.post-36667603640207130782008-09-29T06:22:00.000-07:002008-09-29T06:22:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Fred Seiberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10280783007117937680noreply@blogger.com