Moho Forum

I have received a PM request to kill this post/thread. I'll leave it up and its neither offensive, off-topic or a flame war.

I will say to Michele (and I am assuming it is she), that writing animation is a specialist field ... it is not the same as writing for regular movies: The actual layout and structure of the script is physically different. It also requires a good understanding of animation technique (or at least, for the 2d/3d format you are aiming for). Having worked as s series script editor, I have seen many off-format scripts, material which has ended up back on the writers desk to redo; tv format script was a common mistake of new-to-animation writers.

The key question you should be asking yourself of an animation feature, is who is it aimed at. The market is tight and when you consider the amounts of money required to make a feature, scripts are passed out only to the most experienced hands. Adult animation is the hardest to place, whilst family features are ferociously competitive - probably less that 1 in 50 every make it. pre-school TV animation is the easiest to place.

I would suggest you hang around on the board - you ruffled s few feathers on the way in but by and large, it's a helpful crowd here, with some of us with 20 years plus of animation production experience.

I'll agree with the others grammar and spelling are critical for a writer - it is the hallmark of professionalism. It is the very minimum you should be doing if you expect a producer to look at your work: He has to invest the minimum of $750,000 on a feature; S/he needs to have the confidence in your work. Typos are one thing but shoddy spelling and 'there' instead of 'their' simply won't wash. Your tools are words and if you cannot write right, you should think again/study more.

Welcome to the forum. Ask constructive questions and you will get lots of constructive answers.

And don't give up the day job - animation is the most insecure profession in the film industry.


Rhoel
series animation writer.
currently Phnom Penh

Rhoel wrote:I have received a PM request to kill this post/thread. I'll leave it up and its neither offensive, off-topic or a flame war.

I will say to Michele (and I am assuming it is she), that writing animation is a specialist field ... it is not the same as writing for regular movies: The actual layout and structure of the script is physically different. It also requires a good understanding of animation technique (or at least, for the 2d/3d format you are aiming for). Having worked as s series script editor, I have seen many off-format scripts, material which has ended up back on the writers desk to redo; tv format script was a common mistake of new-to-animation writers.

The key question you should be asking yourself of an animation feature, is who is it aimed at. The market is tight and when you consider the amounts of money required to make a feature, scripts are passed out only to the most experienced hands. Adult animation is the hardest to place, whilst family features are ferociously competitive - probably less that 1 in 50 every make it. pre-school TV animation is the easiest to place.

I would suggest you hang around on the board - you ruffled s few feathers on the way in but by and large, it's a helpful crowd here, with some of us with 20 years plus of animation production experience.

I'll agree with the others grammar and spelling are critical for a writer - it is the hallmark of professionalism. It is the very minimum you should be doing if you expect a producer to look at your work: He has to invest the minimum of $750,000 on a feature; S/he needs to have the confidence in your work. Typos are one thing but shoddy spelling and 'there' instead of 'their' simply won't wash. Your tools are words and if you cannot write right, you should think again/study more.

Welcome to the forum. Ask constructive questions and you will get lots of constructive answers.

And don't give up the day job - animation is the most insecure profession in the film industry.


Rhoel
series animation writer.
currently Phnom Penh

Thanks for the uplifting Rhoel. You are so right! Selling regular screenplays is so much easier than an animation screenplay. Jazz Cat is the only animation screenplay that I have written. I currently have representation with an agency & my agent even told me that animation is the hardest to sell. So, with that acknowledgement...I decided to try to sell the script also. (If I sell it, then my agency will not see a dime) Jazz Cat has been out on the market for about ten months, but I really don't have any leads, nor do I know where I can post. If you, or anyone reading this thread have any suggestions, then please let me know. Again, thank you Rhoel for the encouragement.

screenwriter

screenwriter wrote:If you, or anyone reading this thread have any suggestions, then please let me know.

Since this is your first animation script, try getting someone with animation experience to read it: I recently sent a problem script to another colleague to read and the comments received were helpful. He pointed out a potentially visually weak area whilst praising a running gag, one he thought worked well.

IF they think the format is right, (remembering that the writer is a defacto director in animation, helping to break the film into shots: The page running time is around 27-30 seconds depending on the pace of the film: If your script is 1 minute per page as per live action, you need to go back and rework it), study the market for a producer targeting the age you have written for. Then send it to them and wait. You may be lucky and score a one year option, a small amount up front, then % of gross back-end. When the option expires, they or you might renew.

But also expect it to bomb.

The other option is to develop the script with a graphic artist (or a children's illustrator if intended for a younger audience). If it is successful, it might be of more interest to the animation companies. At least three for the last 5 animation series I have worked on, started life as a children's book.

Rhoel

Doing an animation feature, takes time. How long? Think in years and lots of money. My current project is going to require me paying for the voice work. The animation I will do myself. Once I get the 17 speaking roles and 20 background characters drawn (3 to 6 months) then I hope to get about 5 seconds done an hour. So 3 hours a day 5 days a week to do 80minutes is 320 days. Or just over a year and a half.

This is not like making a movie with a camera, where you shoot for 10 to 30 days and have a feature. Rarely is a scene completed and then thrown away because it doesn't work. The script has to be tight, no dead scenes, nothing that will be 'work out later'.

Dale

Thanks for the advice Dueyftw & Rhoel! I didn't realize how much time & effort can go into doing an animation feature. Now I understand why animation is so hard to sell. Just please pray for a producer to pick up my script. It's to much of a good story to sit on my shelf collecting dust.