Arthur Sheriff (Aardman Animations Publicist) and unidentified at the "iced" Vodka shot ice sculpture. Those who participated received a 20th Anniversary Aardman T-shirt. Courtesy of Ron Diamond.

The Changing Landscape
"Feature animation is in high demand and there are a very limited number of artists who can produce the quality of work. Opening in Europe is one way of working with great animation talent," says Roy Conli, head of Disney's Paris studio and coproducer of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Although they are both bringing major production work to Europe and providing fresh employment prospects for European animators, many independent producers fear the process could damage the industry by creating a talent shortage and forcing up the rate for the job. "We are all having problems either losing staff or having to pay more," says Jerry Hibbert of Hibbert Ralph Animation and chair of the Guild of British Animation.

"There is an upside in that British animators are getting lots of money and experience. But if you are a producer trying to raise a crew for a smaller budget, it makes life very difficult."

But the smaller American independents also made the trip to Cardiff, many of them hoping to develop relationships with partner companies in Europe. With the changing US market making life increasingly difficult for independents, they are now keenly eyeing Europe for their expansion plans. Few European animation studios have so far made any kind of real impact in the American market. But at the same time many producers in Europe are now looking to see if they can carve out a slice of that very tough American pie. The Festival featured a session devoted to cracking the American market but the Europeans soon discovered that transatlantic cooperation was the recipe of the day.

"The landscape in the US has changed so much in the past few years with vertical integration, forcing all of us to think of new ways to find a way in," says Nina Hahn from Sunbow Entertainment in New York. "It is all about thinking globally, which really is a first for the creative industry. It is like making a quilt, with all kinds of people playing their part. No market should operate to the detriment of any other."

Joint developments are the way forward, according to Phil Roman of leading American independent Film Roman. "If a European producer works with an established US producer, it is a lot easier because there is a level of comfort for the Network to work with a producer who has already delivered for them," he says.

One European producer who has been working for the past three years at getting European coproductions off the ground in the US is Jorge Iglesias of Spanish company AKA. He has been developing Mondo Logo with a team of American writers.

"The key in the US market is credibility. You have to have a longterm perspective and you have to have your eyes wide open to reach the talent," he says.