The Super Animators

by David Cohen

Forged in the crucible of experience, girded for battle, gaze firmly on the future, and fighting for all that is true and good, they are . . . The Super Animators!!!

Our story begins with mild mannered student, Ralph Aldridge. Just out of superhero school, he has had to resort to taking up a secret identity as an architectural draftsman to make ends meet. Although he has pounded the pavement looking for opportunities to use his super skills, there are no openings. Aldridge has sent emails, marketed himself, and yet there has not been so much as an internship. He has joined user groups to meet kindred spirits and to network but has yet to find positive leads. Admittedly, he does not yet have a portfolio, instead asking employers to rely on trust, word of mouth and the belief that he has the powers he claims. In such a competitive environment, most employers have not given him the time of day.

Then there is Mark McJunkin, also known through his superhero name, Product M. For a while, the story looked grim for our dynamic drawer. He would go to work not knowing if there would be anything for him to do. For a while he wondered how long he could keep up his daily battle against the economy. He tried to network. He tried self-promotional pieces. And just when it seemed that the end was near and that a sinister fate was creeping closer, he nabbed a :30 spot from New York and fought back to regain his strength. Though his studio not up and running at full capacity, McJunkin is growing again. He seems to have overcome his foes and is looking to the future.

WaveGuide, on the other hand, is a justice league of superheroes in many different fields of film, video and animation that has stayed healthy throughout the dark economy's rule. Although uber-salesman Jeff Goddard attributes some of WaveGuide's success to luck, it is their skill that has propelled them in their battle for survival and success. Now, WaveGuide is pushing further into the HiDef production market, making animation an even more accessible studio weapon. Goddard admits that if the company was solely an animation studio, he does not know how WaveGuide would be financially successful today.

WHERE DO ANIMATORS GET THEIR POWERS?

To understand our story, one needs to go back to the beginning when superheroes were more rare. Not so far back as Walt Disney's move from Kansas to California or the heyday of animated shorts at the dime theaters. But going a few years back, before 3-D animation. There was only cel animation. The labor was intensive, time consuming and expensive. Animators had to have talent with a pen and marker instead of an Apple and mouse. Disney, Warner Brothers and the other studios hired hundreds of animators for their staff. There were less animators, more jobs, and the industry was starting to open up. As television took on a bigger role, an increasing number of creative companies came up with animation programming that brought more work and more technological advances to the industry. This is when animation first came to Atlanta.

"I came here in 1993, and things were just getting started in Atlanta," says animator Jerry Fuchs."Mostly animation was done in California. Some in New York. Here in Atlanta, there was only Stone Mountain, Crawford Communication and Primal Screen. That was about it."

In the nineties, animation truly came into the computer age and continued to gain popularity. Comic book addicts and cartoon wunderkind from across the country joined in the fray to become the next animation mastermind. The Simpsons proved animation could go primetime. Cartoon Network proved that animation could sustain 24-hour programming. Still based in cel animation, computers sped up the process so that less animators were needed for a single show or commercial, but there were more shows and commercials out there. It seemed as if all the best and brightest had a place in this world of ink and imagination.

Very few businesses were able to financially jump into the fray. Workstations cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, as did the software. Programs were technical and the learning curve was steep. Obstacles to entry were high. The investment was sizable. Business was difficult, but doable.

A PERILOUS CHALLENGE

As computer hardware and software became more abundant, pricing began to drop. Rand Cabus from Giant Studios describes the affects of the personal computer age, "The cost of entry is so low now. It's caused the cost of animation to just plummet. To put an animator on a computer used to be a staggering cost. Now it's $7,000 for the computer and animation suite. So of course that started a lot of low balling." Cabus describes the situation as the haves and the have-nots. There is low-end work and high-end work and nothing in the middle. "Now, every student out of SCAD [Savannah College of Art and Design] can start his own studio and provide the low-end kind of stuff for a nothing price. There's still the high-end 3-D movies and gaming, but it's hard to get access. That leaves most small studios struggling for work."

In addition to the influx of low-end providers, many jobs went overseas. As Stewart Harnell, of Cinema Concepts says, "I just laugh when I hear all the hype about all the jobs are going overseas. Animation jobs have been going over there for ages, but nobody paid attention. It's only when engineering and management jobs are exported that everyone gets all in arms." Hundreds of studios have started in India and the Far East in the last five years. The Indian government estimated animation was a $100 million dollar industry in that country alone."It's basic economics," says Dave Warner, General Manager at Crawford Communications."Instead of paying an animator $15 an hour here, the job's sent abroad where they pay $4 an hour."

If that was not enough to make business difficult, even the biggest companies have tightened the belt. AOL bought Cartoon Network and put holds on most of the outside vendors helping with their animation. Warner Brothers closed their animation department. Disney went through a mass firing in California and has started another one in Orlando.

In Atlanta, it has not been much better. Click 3X and Funny Farm had to shut their doors. Giant Studios had to lay off 70% of its staff. Product M struggled to survive. Even Stone Mountain Productions, who have constantly run the Laser Show at Stone Mountain, had to cut back. Many animators started freelancing to survive.

THE GREAT ANIMATOR MACHINE

On top of all those obstacles to making it in the animation market, there has been an over supply of animation students in the market. With computers and programs so available and affordable, colleges and vocational schools seem to be overloaded with students hungry for the exciting world of animation. They are armed with computer training and a lobe for all the latest and greatest animation films and games. But do they know what they are in for?

As Rand Cabus puts it, "The animation schools are telling all these kids that there's tons of work out there. But that's only for the top 10%, maybe. There are not a lot of entry level jobs where they can cut their teeth. Sure there is some stuff out there for a couple of kids that graduate and are willing to sweep the floors, eat Krystal burgers 6 days a week and eventually become an animator, but that's hard going."

"The easily replicated styles have become such a commodity," says Dave Warner. "Everyone is coming out with work that looks like something that's already out there. Plus, SCAD is graduating 100 animators a quarter. If you have 40 different schools doing that, that's 4000 animators graduating a year for the 200 animation jobs that might be available."

Jobs definitely seem to be in short supply, even for more experienced animators. But many animators in hiring positions have had trouble finding students who have the talent and the business skills. The general consensus is that students are learning 3-D skills and programs but may not have a lot of functional knowledge. "Their video know how is lacking," says Rand Cabus. So, even when there are jobs, the talent and maturity can be hard to find. As animator Matt Jenkins says, "Students have to exercise their talent and gain experience. Of course, it's hard to exercise your talent without a job."

Mark McJunkin of Product M subsidizes his animation income by teaching at Georgia Tech. He knows how hard it is to get into the animation business. When he first graduated, McJunkin had to work as a model builder while interning at DESIGNefx and while doing his own promotional work on the side. "I tell my students to get in an environment where what you want to do is close by. It might not be what they want to do, but it will inform them about what they want to do."He says his work in the downtown studios taught him about the business practices of the creative profession. It taught him how to be personable and responsible."It's more than just skills. You have to find people whose work you admire and then learn what they do from the bottom up. You have to find someone to mentor you along."

"Someone right out of school isn't going to help me," says Dave Warner. "I only hire someone who is one job out, ideally two jobs out of school. I need someone else to have taught them what they need to know to work in a business. I had one student come to me with a broom. He said he'd sweep the floors and clean windows if I let him intern for me. I played his reel and all the senior animators I showed it to said he was amazing, a real prodigy. So, I hired him. Within a few weeks I had to tell him it wasn't working out. He was a great animator but he didn't have the maturity. You have to be more than talented. You have to be able to fill out forms, present to a client, work with others and show up everyday. Some people just can't do that."

This leaves a grim picture for the new superstars of animation. Some schools have heard what professionals are saying. Schools like SCAD have started to implement classes on professionalism and self- marketing into the curriculum.

A WORLD SAFE FOR ANIMATION

Luckily for students and senior professionals alike, most studios see an upswing in 2004. As the economy has been picking up, entertainment companies have more cash for animated shorts, shows and features. Corporate spending on animation is also up. More advertisers are including 3-D graphics in their commercials.

One of the big hopes is that as animation becomes more affordable, more corporations will turn to this new medium to spice up corporate communication. Presentations could be given a high tech look through a few well placed 3-D animations. Computerized in-house newsletters might incorporate a quick animated image to grab everyone's attention. At WaveGuide, Jeff Goddard and crew are already trying to break into more of the management communication side of the business. "We're doing more corporate communication work than ever before. We'll not only do a :30 spot for Delta, but also human resources training videos and investor relations presentations."

A NEW LEAGUE OF HEROES

In addition, more companies are also coming up with their own projects, hoping to sell them to broadcasters or directly to the public. Some are doing only their own work. Macquarium's Fathom Studios unit is working on the first animated feature to come out of an independent Atlanta studio, Delgo. The movie has drummed up quite a buzz, not only in this region, but in Hollywood as well. The production stars such notables as Jennifer Love Hewitt, Anne Bancroft, Val Kilmer, and Chris Kattan and promises to be a hit. "Atlanta tends to be a service town: multimedia, broadcast spots, logos and station packages, flash animation for the Web. And, that's not a bad thing. Service work is a necessity for business. It's been the bread and butter of Fathom for years and for our parent company, Macquarium," says Jason F. Maurer, co-director and co-writer of Delgo."However, with Delgo, Fathom Studios is now developing our own project, from script to screen. There are so many other people in this town with the talent and ideas to produce their own projects. I certainly hope more people will take that plunge and independent animated features will be the next trend."

Many smaller studios are also working on their own projects. Graham Anthony and Steve Floyd are in what they refer to as the "pre-revenue stage" of their studio, Marsh Cove Productions. They are developing folk tale animation for broadband sites, CD-ROMs and broadcast. With the help of storyteller and voice talent Rob Cleveland, they are hoping to have a whole line of folk tales out for public consumption."There are 20 million Broadband users out there right now, and that number is quickly growing. That's going to be a huge audience we can tap into," says Marsh Cove's Anthony.

USING DIFFERENT POWERS TO SURVIVE

It seems that the companies that have done the best in the lean years, and are now doing even better as business returns, are the ones who have multiple capabilities. Most animators who have done well are talented in an array of efforts: design work, web work, broadcast, and even storyboards.

When Stone Mountain animator Jerry Fuchs went freelance, he said that he had to broaden his areas of expertise significantly. "I freelanced for Cartoon Network, PBS, and comic book companies as well as for Stone Mountain. I did anything I could." Mark McJunkin also tries to use his skills for as many possible profit centers as possible. "You have to be multi-disciplined. You have to know typography, web design, product design, and logo design as well as animation." McJunkin's company, Product M, is known for a number of different capabilities, including designing their own brand of mountain bikes. "You have to be ready for any opportunity."

Crawford, Macquarium, and WaveGuide use animation as an added value resource for their production clients. "Everyone has delusions of grandeur of end to end animation," says Jeff Goddard of WaveGuide, meaning whole commercials in only animation. "But I don't think that will happen anytime soon. What we've been getting into in the meantime is HD production. It's great because you can do something that used to cost $25,000 for $15,000 without any loss of quality. Hopefully the money saved from the processing and transfer will then be used for effects and animation. Also, HD makes it easier to incorporate animation and effects."

For students, it seems employers are also looking for multi-faceted talents. "This is a great time for animation but in tough market conditions. Everyone has to do what he or she can to keep going. I can't afford to bring someone in to learn the ropes unless they can bring something to the table," says Giant Studios' Rand Cabus. "If a student can design web sites as well as do animation, they're more marketable. At many studios, this philosophy carries over to all positions. Sales people are performing the tasks of producers. Writers, designers and animators pitch clients as a salesman or rep."

TRIUMPHS AWAIT

So, to rejoin our heroes WaveGuide, Product M and Ralph Aldridge, we find the secret formula for triumphing over their adversaries is diversifying. WaveGuide, through the powers of production, HD and combined services, will continue to build strength and speed. Product M, as an independent animation studio, is using teaching skills, web powers and design abilities for a multi-front attack on its enemies. Aldridge too is surviving through his separate powers as a draftsman. Will he manage to segue over to his true love of animation? Will he build his portfolio in a single bound and capture the prize internship at some creative hot spot? Only the fates can tell. All the animation industry can hope for is that they are able to continue the good fight with the most powerful weapon of all-their passion.

If you're ready to be a Super Animator, check out these tips.

© 2004, David Cohen - All Rights Reserved.
Animation stills from Fathom Studios "Delgo"