I am a strip cartoonist by trade, and am writing/developing an animated cartoon to pitch to a local producer. My problem is I really don't have any true animation experience (besides Intro to 2D Animation back in art school), but I understand it's concepts and am able to draw all of the characters and backgrounds at a professional level. I'm not planning on becoming a full-time animator, but rather create/mastermind the show and get it animated via this producer's studio.
My question is regarding the pitch. Is it best if I simply outline the show and show examples of still frames in slide form, and not animate much (maybe a flash presentation with minimal movement, but voices and scene changes intact).. or is it better to pay a professional animator to produce a true slick sample?
Any professional advice would be great. Thanks a lot and this seems like a good forum (this is my first post). :D
hi macleod, and welcome to the forum =)
the others on here will be able to answer you waaaay better than me, but i thought i'd share my thoughts. pitching is a tricky game, depending on who you're pitching. if this guy is a typical exec, then he wont be able to envision anything that isnt laid out concretely in front of him. and this works both positively and negatively.
if you spend the time and money to get a slick animated 'teaser', you run the risk of him saying, "hmm.. does it have to be a rabbit?", or "he's blue.. i hate blue'. so at the pitch stage, you might want to leave yourself a little open to being able to modify the show idea based on what feedback you get from the producer.
on the other hand, he needs enough information about the character and the world to see its potential. these days, everyone is looking for the next spongebob. they want a strong character with franchise possibilities.
so i think, in terms of the visual aspect of your pitch, a simple flash presentation would be great. or a pitchboard with the key standout moments of the storyboard (maybe done as rough illustrations), and for sure shots of the character in a variety of poses (so the guy can see how he will 'act')
hmm.. i just re-read what i typed, and it doesnt seem very helpful. but as i said, the others on here should have more to say.
good luck!
-pete
www.daspetey.com
www.nomorekings.com
hi,
your pitch will look different to different people. the best thing to do is ensure you highlight the key aspects of your concept, show some sample art work (drawings, boards, blow ups), explain the concept clearly and how the target market would recieve it.
once you gather information from this pitch then your next step would be to make a 30sec to 3 min teaser/pilot.
personally i dont see any harm in you going out and getting a teaser made. they might say they dont like this or that - which is then upto you how much you want to change your concept to begin with anyway. its not that hard to add some changes to the animation itself. if they ask you for a complete change in concept (which i dont think they will. its either they like it or they dont)
its a personal call to make. i would get the teaser made sooner or later anyway because you will be needing it for the very next step. the longer that takes to do the longer you have to wait as well.
hmm, ok. That makes sense.
Just because I'm an animation newbie; what is the very next step? haha
Anything else you guys can advise me on would be great! thanks!
Ryan
Why don't you try doing a leica reel (or animatics), which is basicly a storyboard set to voice and music. It doesn't require really any animation skill, but it does show that you have vision, as well as allow the producer to see that vision clearly. For an example of a leica reel, check out 'The Incredibles' dvd for the rejected scenes that never made it into the movie. They are done in that form and would help to give you some ideas.
Good luck!
Lindsey Keess
Animator
valuable advice.. thanks!
Probably wouldn't hurt to just ask the guy what he wants.
Tell him you want to pitch an animated show, and just ask him up front what he needs to see to make a decision. It might be as simple as one character sketch and the story. It might be as complex as wanting to see a one minute film of the cartoon in action.
I'm pitching to Frederator for their "Oh Yeah! Cartoons" and they are very clear on their website what they want, and it's a lot less that one would assume they'd want. I could have spent a lot of time and money on storyboards and animatics when all they want is keyframe sketches (or what they call a "roughboard"), character sketches, storyline and representative dialog.
What if he said they couldn't take on any new business right now? That might seem like a worst-case scenario, but it would be better to find that out before you spend three months preparing an elaborate pitch than after.
wise advice.. thanks