I guess you could consider this blog, primarily, a commercial.  A commercial for ASIFA, the Association Internationale du Film d’Animation.   ASIFA’s distinction is that it’s the only international animation association.

I’m a big fan!

If you’re in the animation business, you really need to be a member.  Why, you ask?  For me, one of the most important reasons for the ASIFA association is the network of artists and filmmakers I’ve been able to establish. Since my company is international it’s important that I have lines of communication with artists and filmmakers around the world.

 

Hello from China….this time in Fuzhou.  This is quite a city and province.  It’s located on China’s Southeast coast and rests at a junction of the Yangzte River Delta and Pearl River Delta..both are dynamic economic circles.  Across the Taiwan Straits lies its closest neighbor, Taiwan and nearby neighbors include Hong Kong and Macao.  Temperatures are moderate and the infrastructure is excellent.  There’s building going on all over the city.

Surprise, surprise back at 30,000 ft flying from London to Los Angeles after a super quick trip to the UK and Ukraine.  Since my last communication, which was all about the KROK International Animation Festival, I have been back in the US.  A return home after thirteen months on the road.  I left my home in LA in September of 2011 for a two-month road trip.  That trip kept getting extended and extended.  Resulting into the longest period away from the US since I came to America from the United Kingdom after the release of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, nearly 25 years ago.

When we left off last month, we were just getting ready to talk about where your revenues will come from.  If your project is a feature length film, your revenues will probably come from these sources in these amounts:

If your project is for television, the breakdown would look something like this:

Yours truly, atop the Sydney Harbor Bridge.  A tourist

attraction not to be missed.

Once again taking this opportunity to write my blog on behalf of International Animation Consulting Group from 35,000 feet somewhere over the Indian Ocean as I return from a week in Sydney, where I was working with a local animation studio on their five-year strategic plan. 

“Build it and they will come” seemingly reflects the mantra of many Asian cities and countries that feel by merely building a large infrastructure designed to house animation production, it will attract both foreign investment and foreign projects designated for the international marketplace which will, in turn, allow such city to become an “international animation destination hub.”  But who will use such facilities and how are governments going about the business of recruiting and bringing in new projects?

In previous blogs, I’ve talked about the wisdom of producing animated films based on indigenous stories and how native tales, retold through the medium of animation, can be both profitable and personally rewarding.

The big remaining question is whether or not these kinds of films can be made for international audiences while maintaining profitability.  The answer is yes. In the formula below notice how many times I talk about ‘international team’, because that’s at the heart of a successful formula.

I’m in the UK having recently returned from attending the Cannes Film Festival, followed shortly thereafter by the Annecy International Animation Festival.  These two events, both in France, separated by just a few days, are the premiere festivals in the international calendar for live action and animation respectively. 

Zhengzhou China - International Animation Forum and Trade Fair.

Now is the time for US animation entities to actively seek co-production opportunities with their counterparts in Asia.  The growth of the Trans-Pacific animation production pipeline has created business opportunities for animation communities both in Asia and abroad. 

A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, I POSTED A BLOG ON PRODUCING FILMS BASED ON INDIGENOUS STORIES AND CHARACTERS.  I PROMISED TO FOLLOW IT UP, SO HERE IT IS:

You really need to pay attention because in the time it takes you to read a few hundred words, I’m going to tell you the future of producing animated films based on indigenous stories.  I’m going to give you the formula for success.