The Ruby Gloom crew: Scott Dryer, evp, production & development, Nelvana; Bonita Siegel, director, development & production, Corus Ent.; Rita Street, md, Radar Cartoons; Robin Budd, director, Big Picture Animation; Carolyn Hay, story editor/creator/writer, Nelvana; and Merle Anne Ridley, Nelvana.

“Ruby Gloom Case Study” brought together the various artists and execs behind the new series Ruby Gloom, which began as a merchandising line. As business sounding as the decision to turn a successful clothing line into a TV series sounds, the panel really displayed the creativity behind the scenes. The writers and animation team struggled to keep true to the vibe of the original property while expanding its universe in a logical and compelling way. Sometimes it seems that artists feel that on a network level animation is only a product. But this panel showed that everyone involved in a project knows it has to come down to strong characters, engaging visuals and compelling stories.

But what if you’re appalled by the mere mention of ratings and focus groups? Why go to Ottawa? Well, of course, there’s the screenings, which I will get to in a bit, but the festival also offers a host of workshops, exhibits, parties and the famous Animator’s Picnic.

It was a privilege to be asked to moderate the panel titled, “The Tools We Use,” which included filmmakers Jonas Odell, Karl Staven and Guru Studios’ Tim Dormandy, discussing the whys and hows behind finding the right medium for each individual project. Having a biased opinion, I can’t comment on the quality of this panel, but will say that students, filmmakers or educators who attend panels like these are looking for more technical information, but it can’t be only out of necessity. Folks who get into the more technical sides of animation do so because they enjoy it. The event understands this and allows its laid back mood to even infuse the more “dry” subjects, knowing that this information will inspire some in the audience and what’s more fun than finding inspiration?

While older students may find inspiration at workshops or discussions held by idols like John K. or Lucasfilm’s Rob Coleman, younger students looking to go to college have ample opportunities to find the school that inspires them the most at the Career Day exhibits and presentations or the AniMarket displays. The AniMarket, held right outside the main screening hall at the NAC, also allows students and filmmakers alike to play with new software.

Creativity abounds at the Animator’s Picnic.

The nightly parties and Animator’s Picnic make me bring up that word again — fun. These events give attendees a great chance to connect with old friends and make new ones. The traditional pumpkin-craving contest at the picnic, underlines the creative energy that’s alive everywhere at the event. Projectile vomiting on the bus ride home from the picnic wasn’t enjoyable by those directly effected, however the way the story grew in grandeur as the weekend went on was like watching an urban legend form before your eyes. Like the picnic, the parties allow people who love market trend reports to converse with fans of Estonian experimental animation.

What often brings folks like this together in conversation is the screenings. For some, they have seen the films at other events and others this is their only chance to see these films. Everyone has their reasons for attending as many screenings as they can, but few say its because they have fun. At this point, why hide it? Not everyone will like every film screened, but they will enjoy debating their likes and dislikes with fellow attendees.

Festival artistic director Chris Robinson mentioned during the event that they like to keep the number of films in competition smaller than other events. I believe this is an essential part to the festival’s success. During the course of the event, several attendees complained about the amount and quality of the selections at other big festivals like Annecy. But even though the same people may not have liked all the films at Ottawa or had seen some of the same films elsewhere, they did not complain about the selection.