Welcome back, everyone! Since my first post was published, I have been honored to see everyone's reactions and interview requests. So thank you from the bottom of my heart. My blog will be published every Tuesday unless I tweet out that I need to take a break.
Look forward to my next post on May 9! I will be around on Twitter, looking at. Studio Heartbreak's The Lovers trailer, so please support them as well!
I want to thank our friends at Creator Nation for adding the lists of indie animation and comics. Even my blog mainly talks about indie animation and art in all forms (mostly theatre and short films)
Check Creator Nation out: thecreatornation.com/
And our friends at The Sunflower Club have planned something for our indie animation creators; please share your indie animation on May 16! #IndieAnimationDay!
Either way, I want to start my blog with one huge sore point of the indie animation industry. In last week's post, I wrote a positive outlook on indie animation, and I still have that hope.
Some of you ask, "Well, Jocelyn, I don't think running the animation project with any money is easy. Does animation require money? Is it expensive?"
I agree with you. It's costly. It's draining.
I often see many indie projects start up and get abandoned in the middle of the preproduction; I know that for myself in a few abandoned pre-productions.
Amber Avara, the storyboard artist at Warner Bros and the creator of the indie project: NOCTURNE, has written her thoughts on indie animation, and I have read about it on her thread, and it's an honest take on how it runs. (I love Amber's NOCTURNE)
As Amber put it in her thread: "How are you going to distribute and monetize this project enough to pay off your loans and do a project, as an individual or small indie team? Distributing on youtube will not yield nearly enough money to offset your costs. [What about] Merchandise?" She asks her readers this.
"Maybe, but that relies on hoping your project goes insanely viral and enough people who are "fans" of your project will want the merch you can sell. Merch also costs money, so even more debt is added to your indie animated project before you make any money again."
"This is why indie animation (that competes with studio animation in scale/length/quality) cannot reasonably be a replacement for studio animation, cuz ppl on the indie level simply do not have the funds required, nor avenues to acquire funding, to produce it at this level..." She ends her thread later, but I mainly wanted to mention this.
(Edited for clarity)
But I'm not saying that doing this as a passion project is wrong, but we need to consider the costs, time, and benefits of hiring the artists. The industry has treated us poorly, and we don't need another drive that treats us poorly too.
That's why some people look at the free exposure and jobs that are free, which expect you to give your time and effort with such disdain. Passion alone isn't enough to get you paid. It can, but it will eventually hurt your health. Remember burnout?
I was an ex-Boldbird Studios volunteer when it was a thing, and I did my time there, but the expectations were crazy in projects my fellow artists and writers were on.
I was lucky to have a team of understanding artists, but it still doesn't excuse the actions that the studio has been running poorly and inadequately.
I could have made paychecks with my skills. I didn't go to college to be paid with nothing but exposure. That won't help me pay my rent, food, and health insurance.
Now, think about this with artists and writers, production coordinators, etc., who struggle in L.A. (LA housing is such a hellscape)
Don't tell them this: indie is a way to go; it will help you to keep your ideas and do what you want!
Ideas alone and passion aren't going to pay them money. They DO need money from a stable job. Period.
They want to stay afloat above the rising waters of inflation, pay their rent, able to have health insurance from the company, etc.
"Well, Jocelyn, how will I pay my team if I want to make this happen?" you ask.
Do the funding avenues: Kickstarter, Indiegogo (although both are hard to do, planning is complicated), Ko-fi, Patreon. (money is money)
Once you get the premise done yourself and present the art to everyone, I'm sure someone out there loves it and puts in the monetary support; even sharing that art with others helps to make it happen. It's a slow and painful process. That can also hurt your self-esteem if it doesn't get famous. It's easier said than done. I understand. But try to plan your animation team with the mind of paying them. It shows you care beyond the skills they bring to the team.
Indie animation will not take over or replace the mainstream by storm, significantly how expensive it is and how it's not sustained means of a stable job. But indie animation is meant for passion and love of the story. If you can afford to stay with your living, health, etc., then all it means, do what you love. Stay safe and healthy. I hope us the best with the job hunting within mainstream animation and indie animation. Stay masked.
Spotlights:
Ringmaster's Odyssey: Jesse
I got to interview Jesse, the showrunner and creator of Ringmaster's Odyessy. It follows Anthony Barnum, the ringmaster of a declining circus. He dreams of someday performing at prestigious carnival showcases. He uses magic to an audience of mortals to improve his performance. Expressing himself and everyone freely without fear of hiding. Unfortunately for him, it draws the wrong kind of attention!
This reminds me of my childhood days of seeing circuses and magicians, that one famous circus in the US, remember, my fellow American audience? Haha, no? Okay, but still. I remember the voice of the particular ringmaster. He was into tricks and magic. He carried himself in a dramatic tone and engaged us, his audience, in his life of magic. I didn't believe in magic as a kid, but he had the charm of speaking. But oh well, shame, I don't go to the circus these days, because my brother doesn't like loud noises, and I understand honestly, he prefers ice skating performances. That's nicer, haha.
Jesse tells me during the interview that he's 27 years old artist/animator from the UK (Lalala, the United Kingdom! I visited the UK once, and it was chilly as hell during my visit, although I did love their fish n chips. I got one near the Tower of London.)
He studied at the University of Lincoln in 2020 in Animation and VFX before becoming a self-taught artist. (Dang, during COVID? Good job; I cannot deal with the education during COVID. I hope you were safe and healthy during the time, Jesse)
He said that he got the idea for this project during his debate with his friends, with the context: If a small percentage of the population had magic in real life, would people be afraid of it, or would they accept it?
Jesse put much thought into it, building the lore revolving around that. How many people? Will this world have laws and regulations? How is this used in daily life?
Love that premise and questions to ask about the world lore; Jesse tells me that he draws inspiration from The Greatest Showman. His influences are from Vendetta and Arcane (fighting against a corrupt system to make changes at high stakes)
He likes that the hero doesn't always get their way quickly, morals can be blurred by doing wrong things for the right reasons, and more. His project has darker themes as the story progresses—ranges of characters: lovable, hatable, etc. Jesse put a lot of effort and dedication into this project.
Jesse (and myself) hope the audience will see that progress and where our dear Anthony's destination takes us.
Follow this project and Jesse:
Night Grim by Katarina Fink
I interviewed Katarina Fink, the creator of Night Grim.
It's a dark fantasy Victorian thriller focusing on a monster hunter named Jack. While searching and discovering his identity, he becomes involved in an expanding lycan revolt?!
God, I love the Victorian era; you got me good, Fink; fun fact, I wrote the webcomic draft about characters in the occult stuff during the Victorian period, but I scrapped it because I had no English grammar skills back then, sob.
Anyway, back to it, they tell me that the idea of Night Grim dates back to 2013. (Dang, that's when I was in middle school, creating comics) Fink grew up loving the monster media and had an affinity for creature features, mostly with werewolves. Wanting to make the story around them, Fink draws inspiration from Wolfman (2010), Van Helsing (2004), and our popular known movie, Corpse Bride. Another huge media inspiration draws from the manga named D. Gray-man! It contains exciting lore about the genre that Fink wants to dive in.
It has been developed a lot since, but it's been picked up again in 2019. Through many changes, it's rich with lore, incorporating their love for mythology internationally while keeping the lycan at the center. At the same time, they explore the character identities and moral ambiguities.
The production is slated to begin in May or June, with the projected goal for the episode to be complete in early Spring 2024 with a small indie budget. It includes Fink as a sole animator, along with the voice actors, a co-scriptwriter, a composer, an art director, and an environmental concept artist.
Fink is a full-time Cinema and Animation BFA student, graduating in 2024. They arrived in the indie animation scene, citing that Night Grim was very personal to them. Not wanting to risk losing their creative liberties while pitching or selling it as the product to the studios (corporate). They believe that losing that freedom will break their heart. Indie animation, Fink believes, allows to bring artists together and gives new talents a chance to gain experience and skills. Fink hopes that with future support, they will be able to get contemporary artists and talents onboard with the opportunities!
I am so thrilled that they have shared a lot with me, and I am looking forward to how they will transform Night Grim as the story of the identities and dark elements!
Follow Fink's project here:
Puppet The Nightmare Elf: Edward
It follows the story of the young elf Puppet and his fellow friends. Puppet has the power to create dreams with his bare hands. But Puppet can only make nightmares no matter how hard he tries; Puppet learns about his abilities, what purpose it means for him, and how it impacts folks around him and in his life. He uncovers the secrets, as well.
Edward, in our interview, mentions that he is working with a small team to produce an animated introduction and trailer as proof of concept to get funding for the episodes. If everything goes well, he would love to get the opportunity to pitch his series to the studios and networks.
I applauded his effort to make it work with the small team since there are so many characters and an art style to upkeep! I asked Edward about his background and how he arrived in the indie scene.
Edward is 25 years old animator from South Wales, UK. He studied at the University of South Wales, and during his time, he landed a big freelance gig on the Hazbin Hotel pilot by Vivienne Medrano. Since graduating, he went on to work as the animator and compositor on The Heros of Tomorrow! (Oh, hello, Jax! @jackillynn on Twitter)
He also had been participating in the Ramshackle pilot production by Zeddy (@zeddyzi on Twitter) as the clean-up artist. Last year, he created an animated homage to the 90s cartoon Count Duckula, recreating the intro.
I was surprised that he has been working in the indie scene for a long time. I'm sure that a seasoned person like him will be able to bring his indie project to life!
Follow his project here:
Adventure Noises: Animation Studios
I wrap this week's blog with Ben, the studio Head of Adventure Noises. It was such a pleasure to meet with Ben.
Ben is a WGA (Writers' Guild of America) writer and has worked in production coordination and shows for almost a decade.
Jeeeeezzzz, wow! I'm impressed. The dedication is real! Now I look at my blog, dang. Professional writer talking with me, the hobbyist writer, kidding.
Adventure Noises is an East Coast-based full-service art and animation studio working with professional and indie teams in 2D animation, games, Vtubing, and marketing. A media studio, if you will. They currently have eight people- creating art assets, promotional materials, animatics, animation for clients, and their in-house projects: "Accidental Gehenna" and "Marabelli: A Scoundrel's Tale."
Whoo, East Coast! I live near DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia area), so this is a win for me to have a fantastic studio! Suck it up, West Coast; just kidding! I love both coasts equally. My best friend lives in Seattle, so he is probably looking at me with disdain. Sorry, Nathan!
Back to Adventure Noises, Ben says that everyone at Adventure Noises has a background in animation and entertainment. They started the studio around the time of the massive surge of smaller indie groups popping up there and there. It breaks the studio's heart to see the productions and projects struggle, grinds to a halt, or go on indefinite hiatus. In any similar circumstances, it's sad to see it go.
So that cemented their goal: ensuring long-term stability. They're happy to work with their clients and studio partners, like Two Kings Entrainment, to support their fantastic team. Along with the primary goal, they want to help other indie productions to achieve what they have—finding them stability and paving a clear path forward with the projects.
Adventure Noises has been built on making professional assets and animation easily accessible to support smaller and larger indie productions. They want to keep the community creating things that matter to them stably and practically. They're incredibly proud to do this, Ben says.
They go to conventions to discuss things, the same message that Ben and I discussed—trying to help people to get their foot on the indie production and learn how to do so. They also want to promote their team in the industry, show their work, and let others know that the studio is there for them.
Ben says that he can talk about projects and Youtube and Tiktok numbers forever, but what it's important is to convey why Adventure Noises has a goal and why they are doing this for.
I asked Ben what his hope was for the indie animation industry and the advice for people like me in the indie scene and others trying to manage the studio.
He answers: "We hope to grow the studio and bring our talented team onto more prominent and significant projects but also never to forget where we came from. Where all of us came from at one point or another. We want to help as many creators grow as we can. Everyone can use some help starting with their projects or moving to that next level of professionalism and working on something BIG. And having a professional studio of your peers by your side that wants to help figure out a path forward is an asset many people wish they had."
Our team comprises folks from so many different backgrounds. We hope Adventure Noises will be part of telling stories from [all] around the world and across many communities that want to be Loud, Bright, and Adventurous!"
[This interview is edited for clarity]
Since Ben and Aventure Noises are the last ones today for this week's blog, I asked him a difficult question.
JOCELYN: "What indie project are you most excited about? You must pick one, knowing we have too many to choose from besides your projects?"
BEN: "Ahhh, that's so hard."
JOCELYN: "That's what makes it fun."
BEN: "Hmm, Hearts of Titan"
I asked why, and Ben explained that their friends at Kappapon Studios have been doing fantastic work on their series, inspired by the dynamic art styles of the early 2000s. The art and animation they have been releasing so far are visually stunning, and the team involved are industry professionals gearing up for their passion project. Ben is thrilled to see it come together, knowing it will be entertaining and beautiful.
Thank you, Ben and Adventure Noises, for a fun interview!
Follow Adventure Noises since they're worth checking out: