Month: February 2012

[AUTHOR NOTE: This is a reprint of an interview I had the honor of doing with Hilary J. Bader not long after I met her in 2001, and a relatively short time later she passed away. I encourage looking at it, not only as a chance to see more about her and her work, but to compare it to the state of the industry today. I also did a post later remembering her that is currently available at digitalmediafx.com.]

Animation on the Web initially looked poised to take the industry by storm.  Startups like Icebox.com rose to the challenge of providing content but did not last.  Some avenues for animation on the Web have weathered the storm, including the original offerings from WB Online.  One of the popular features at WB Online is Gotham Girls, detailing the adventures of the women of Batman‘s Gotham City — Batgirl, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn.

Hilary J. Bader works as the principal writer for Gotham Girls.  Recently she graciously answered some questions for me about writing Animation for the Web.

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SHANNON MUIR:  How do you come up with ideas for Gotham Girls?

HILARY J. BADER: Since the Webisodes are so short,  (3 to 4 minutes) the scripts don’t take me much time to write, however, it takes me a few days to come up with an idea that I can set up and pay off in just three minutes.  Mostly I toss the characters into bizarre circumstances (in my imagination) then if something comes out of that, I flesh it out.  When I’m in the midst of coming up with a story, everything I see is fodder for that story.  I get my car washed, “Hmm.  What if Harley and Ivy ran a car wash.” I go to the dentist.  “Hmmm. What if Barbara Gordon had a toothache when…”  You get the idea.  I go through dozens of ideas before I find one or two that seem to hold up as stories.

SM: Is there any difference in the script for a web-based animation like Gotham Girls versus a TV half-hour such as Batman Beyond?

HJB: Because it’s animated using the computerized animation method known as) Flash animation and not normal cell animation, I try to simplify the action somewhat.  In some ways it’s closer to a comic book than a cartoon.  You try to make your point using fewer images, or make a point using a single strong image. You’ll notice there are a lot more still moments in a Flash animated work.  Although I’ll put in stuff I don’t think they’ll be able to do, sometimes the Flash Animators amaze me and find ways to pull it off.

SM: Does the fact a story’s being done in web animation put limits, if any, on your storytelling?

HJB: Not on the storytelling.  In fact, since there is no network censor you have a bit more freedom.  The limits are due to the time constraints.  Most Webisodes run for a maximum of three to four minutes.  This is the norm for several reasons – number one being it would take anyone with a dialup modem a lifetime to download a long cartoon.  But at the same time this limit opens up more possibilities.  You get to make a single point and, for me, that makes the point come across much clearer.

SM: What are your thoughts on the future of web animation?

HJB: More, better, longer.  As soon as enough homes have faster computers with mega-mega-bytes of memory and every household has a cable modem or DSL or(whatever the next step in online access is) then Flash will be replaced by the next (yet to be created) computer generated animation  which will rival cell animation.

The only constraints then will be habit and money.  Right now, the industry seems to feel that, though people will sit in front of their TV and watch 22 minutes of entertainment, their attention spans shorten in front of a computer screen.  It may be true, but I think even that is going to change as the technical quality of online products improves.

Of course, that means product becomes more expensive to produce.  Then, the webmasters (companies with a strong presence on the web) will have to find a way to make money from this new, improved, more expensive product or it won’t be “worth” doing.  But I have faith that both these things will happen.

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Thank you so much for your time, Hilary.  I really enjoyed learning more about Web animation from you.

(originally posted 2001 for Suite101.com)

Today, many people in the industry find it tougher to be giving of their time and talent.  Time’s hard to come by because often you’re scrambling to find work on a show (either staff or freelance), and then finding the next show to move on to when that one’s wrapped.  Also, especially for the writers, there seems to be a fear out there that if they listen to people’s ideas, and either already have something planned or later inadvertently do something similar, that they’ll be sued.  These factors can make sharing one’s time very tough.

So, how can you be generous and assist others while overcoming these concerns?

Volunteer your time to be on panels at conventions.  These provide moderated environments where you can answer people’s questions in a public forum.  Perhaps your answers can aid or inspire people you might otherwise not interact with to achieve their goals.  It can also be good public relations and get your name out there — but, in my opinion, that should really be a happy side effect.  Admittedly there are some who only do it for the exposure though, so don’t be surprised.  I’ve volunteered for panels at both the Gathering of the Gargoyles and for several years at Comic-Con International: San Diego.  It should also be something to try working into your schedule simply on a networking level; yes, it takes time but it could indirectly help you land that next job.  You never know who you might meet at the convention!

If you have a little more time, look for charity organizations that can set you up to be a mentor to a youth whose goals match your area of expertise.  These would be controlled, monitored, and documented arrangements.  However, if you go this route, be certain that the organization is trustworthy and has a longstanding history of helping youth.  Due to personal schedule restrictions, I’ve never had the opportunity to be a mentor (but would love to), but in other ways have had contact with two Los Angeles-area based organizations I feel comfortable to recommend as examples.  One is Create Now! (formerly Write Now!), which deals with institutionalized at-risk kids from ages 5 to 21 and mentoring them in the creative arts.  Another is the Fulfillment Fund, which covers more than the film and television, but has a big amount of support from the entertainment industry; the goal of this organization is to identify promising disadvantaged or disabled youth, and help them pursue advanced education to reach their dreams. Investigate and see if there are similar programs in your local area, and get their history and examples of places they’ve worked with.

So, there are ways that you can give use your background and interest in the animation industry to help others – and this doesn’t have to be something you just do at one time of the year.

(originally published 2001 at Suite101.com)

One of the questions I often encounter when interacting with hopeful animation writers is: “What exactly is proper animation script format?”

Animation scripts are standard screenplay format, with one exception.  That difference comes when you are talking about an animated show geared at prime-time (say THE SIMPSONS or KING OF THE HILL).  Writers for these shows originally came from the live-action sitcom world, so they brought the dialogue style used in sitcoms into the prime-time animated scripts.

In sitcoms, dialogue is double-spaced. This is in case they decide to rewrite jokes on the set at the last minute, there’s lots of room to do it.  No scribbling tiny text in the margins.

So why bother to do so in prime-time animation, where the product ships overseas to be animated and then comes back for final assembly?  Series creators in prime-time animation build in a similar advantage to their live-action sitcom counterparts by creating window of opportunity in their production schedules (one that normally cannot be afforded in other series animation).  The show’s producers budget time to re-record dialogue in order to make the comedy fresh and topical, but the only restriction is that the new lines must fit the existing mouth movements.

“Saturday morning” series, such as the ones I worked on for Sony Animation, and animated features use the format identical to a live-action screenplay.  I have heard of some people that employ the two-column audio-visual format for animation, but this is not the industry standard and I personally have not seen an animated script in the two-column format; I recommend not using it.

So how do you find out what “standard screenplay format” is?

The books that remain the traditional reference of standard screenplay format are Cole and Haag’s Complete Guide to Standard Script Formats books.  Volume One covers screenplays, which is the one I’m talking about.  Volume Two covers one-hour drama and half-hour sitcom formats.  You can find the book at the usual places, like Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, also consider specialty stores such as The Writers Store that may be able to fulfill your other writing needs.  (I will be honest, I used to work for The Writers Store.  But it’s on that basis I’m willing to recommend them directly, because I know the kind of operation they run.  Also, they’ve been in business for almost twenty years and the Internet was an expansion of what they do versus being just a virtual storefront.)

Or, you can get screenwriting software to help you do the job.  Final Draft, Movie Magic Screenwriter, and Scriptware are the three major programs.  You can visit their sites directly, or again, The Writers Store has all three (they also happen to be Final Draft’s preferred vendor, so it’s not just me singing their praises).

This should give you a solid start in formatting your animated script and bringing your dream to fruition.

(originally published at Suite101.com, 2001)

Some television shows become “resurrected” by the efforts of avid fans. It’s something to keep in mind that your next series could easily be a “revival,” whether by executives or fans. To me, it’s the fan efforts that are more interesting because they are passionate. I’ve been a part of one, so I know.

VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE first hit the airwaves in 1984, an adapted and combined serial of two Japanese hits, GO-LION and DAIRUGGER XV. One robot formed from five robot lions; the other from fifteen exploration vehicles. Of the two VOLTRON storylines, the Lion Voltron captured fans’ imagination and a second season of twenty episodes was released.

I could be counted among that fandom at thirteen years of age. I became so engrossed in the storylines I wrote my own and sent them via the television station to the producing company. When all I received back was a stock fan package, instead of the feedback I had desired, I resubmitted the ideas directly to the Executive Producer at the address on the package. Many months later, thinking I had been all but forgotten, I received a wonderful letter from the Head Writer of VOLTRON who had read my materials, although the show had ended. His praise and words of encouragement — that I had potential if I stuck to writing — led me on the road I’ve been on for fifteen years that has brought me to this point.

Years passed. VOLTRON fans remained, isolated but unable to communicate as they grew older, never completely letting go of the show that captured their imaginations in childhood.

Enter the Internet.

I don’t remember what got me started on the search. Maybe the discovery of a fan site for a different show. But one day in 1996, as I prepared to move to Los Angeles, I typed voltron into the Alta Vista search engine — http://www.altavista.com — and found more information than I imagined. I came to realize fans of the show, now adults like me, were networking over the web and sharing their knowledge and passion! My interest in VOLTRON put me on the road I’m traveling now, a story that deserves a column of it’s own. I felt I had to get on the bandwagon. It seemed a perfect way to leave my “fannish” past behind me and share all the information I’d collected years before, not to mention my Voltron fiction.

So, I created Shannon Muir’s Voltron Pages at http://members.aol.com/shanemuir/voltron.htm, then I headed off to Los Angeles thinking it was behind me. [EDITOR’S NOTE: This site was taken down by AOL when they discontinued hosting any pages October 2009 and these pages are now at http://www.duelingmodems.com/~shan/Voltron.htm.%5D

Some people credit me for starting the boulder rolling down the hill. A lot of people say they put up their sites because they saw mine first. I really can’t say. What I do know is that things started to happen.

All the web sites fans dared to put out there (myself included) spoke loud and clear to the folks at World Events Productions, who had done the dub work on the original VOLTRON series. They had a hint of the show’s continuing popularity through some letters and late-night airings on St. Louis’ KPLR-TV — which had a long standing relationship with World Events through broadcasting executive Ted Koplar’s interest in both businesses. The sites gave them something solid and substantial, not to mention free promotion.

Unlike the efforts of some companies to shut down fan sites, World Events embraced the fans’ Internet presence. With that they attracted toy giant Trendmasters at http://www.trendmasters.com, Mike Young Productions and the now-defunct Netter Digital Entertainment to sign on board and create VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION, a 3D CGI series picking up five years in the future. Ultimately, they produced twenty-six episodes spanning two seasons (a season lasts from Fall of a calendar year to the Fall of the next calendar year, for those not familiar with industry-speak).

Some people liked the CGI version; others hated it. I have mixed feelings but recognize its necessity as a marketing tool to get an old franchise a little added attention. After all, it was one of the first motion capture CGI TV shows and the first CGI series to be totally produced in the United States.

World Events also created an official site for VOLTRON — http://www.voltronforce.com [EDITOR’S NOTE: now discontinued]–and encouraged fans to be involved. And, in what’s hard to be a humble opinion, they paid respect to the fans by embracing the work of one fan as “official” with proper credit and compensation. The material in question, a starmap of the galaxy in which the show is set, came from myself. This knowledge as gathered partially from episodes and partially from my own theories, clearly served as a resource for the writers who didn’t work on the prior series. I wish others had been given similar opportunity.

Maybe I was the most powerful voice, but I don’t want to imply I did it alone. The combined work of all the fans was required to become the powerful chorus that reached the ears of World Events Productions and beyond. Below are some of the better-known VOLTRON fan sites:

– THE UNOFFICAL VOLTRON FORCE HOMEPAGE at http://www.arus.org/voltron/index.html

– CASTLE CONTROL: VOLTRON HEADQUARTERS, at http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Set/1988/

As a working professional, I’ll never have this experience again, at least from the fan side. I think, though, if I ever find myself in the producer’s chair on a show and hear the fans cry out, I will listen. After all, I’ve walked a mile in their shoes.

(Originally published on Suite101.com, 2001)