"The resources I use to implement my plan are determined by the subject. Never vice versa.
I would advise young filmmakers that they not copy or follow anyone but go their own way …"
Jan Svankmajer
Now What?
Once your project is complete, you will mostly likely want to share it with others and let the film develop a life of its own. It is rare to sit back and let the film capture its own audience. You have to promote it and expose it, then the snowball can start to roll. If you had a particular audience in mind when you created your film idea, then that starts to focus your postproduction marketing. There are many venues these days and lots of competition for those venues, so it is important to be more targeted about where you want your film to flourish. Many filmmakers are more than happy to immediately post their original work to the web. The exposure they get on the web can be far better than any other approach. Film festivals are another means of exposure. They are not always easy to get into, and they often have application fees. European festivals tend not to have fees, but festivals in the United States usually have fees. They can elevate the perception of your film, because they are juried. Taking this route requires some research and good choices. Commissioned work already has its audience and special requirements, but there can be some wonderful creativity and freedom in this form. This might include commercials, informational and educational formats, or even music videos. Finally, some filmmakers are creating and producing strictly for themselves, often in an experimental mode; and they may not care if many people see these experiments. Since they are filmmakers, I imagine that they do want an audience, but it may be in a more untraditional film venue, like a gallery, a nightclub, or an exclusive screening at an event.
The bottom line is that you do whatever you can to help your film find an audience, and sometimes, that approach takes unexpected turns and directions. Several of the artists I cited in this topic made the comments that follow:
"The BBC brought Monty Python to the world—we never thought of an intended audience—and I tagged along. Now we just market recycled Python. People still buy"
Terry Gilliam
"Mostly, when I create a short or an independent work I’m not trying to market it. I make it because I want to or I want to share a story or a feeling. Or honestly, I often want to try a new technique or am bored and want to create."
Lindsay Berkebile
"We choose a song that we like and inspires us with visual ideas or a story. We believe that if you do something that you like, other people will like it, too. Then, the profitable work will come"
Yuval Nathan
"The films are sold through art galleries, and are seen primarily in art exhibitions. They are almost never shown on TV, and very occasionally in film festivals. Mostly, they are shown in art galleries or museums"
William Kentridge
"My films reached an audience of people like me and my friends, probably in an educational setting or via TV broadcast. The beauty of the National Film Board is that it doesn’t aim for a mass market though it does have a responsibility to the Canadian taxpayers who fund it"
Carolyn Leaf
"We don’t really put a lot of energy into marketing our work. We believe, if we create something of value, the audience will spread it for us. On the flip side, if we don’t create something of value, it will die a silent death online. Even though we try really hard, we recognize that not everything we produce will be brilliant. The audience is the best judge of what works and our goal is just to help them share some laughs"
Evan Spiridellis
Record and Archive the Process
It has become more critical these days to document each frame-by-frame project you produce. Even for short experiments, documentation can be very helpful as a record or notebook of the details of each experience. There are many very good reasons to record your process. I find when I am in the heat of a shoot I really do not want to break to take pictures of what I am doing, but it is important to include this activity in your preproduction schedule.
If you ever publish your work on a DVD or website, then including some documentation of the process adds depth and interest to your film project.
We are visually centered as a culture, and there is a lot of sophistication in our understanding of films. Audiences often have as much interest in the process as they do the final film. Many young filmmakers are keeping blogs that record their progress on a frame-by-frame production. This allows people who might be vested in their project through fund raising programs like Kickstarter to follow the progress of the film and stay involved. It builds a great relationship between the investor and production group. Often, opportunities arise for viewers to comment on the production progress, giving filmmakers a larger perspective on their creation. These blogs should be updated on a regular basis with photographs, short animated clips, and written notes, potentially with an opportunity for feedback.
The other advantage of documenting your work is having a deeper and fuller understanding of your own work process. This is a valuable resource for you when it comes to explaining to others how you work. You may have to educate a potential client on the process of your work before a commission is seriously considered. It also can guide you in making a bid for a job that utilizes a similar technique. The more you understand how you work and what process you need to complete that work, the more you can reasonably make a bid for a job that has a certain budget and schedule. You may have to hire help to produce a commissioned work, and you need to be smart about how long you need that help. If you know how long a particular process takes, like drawing out a storyboard, then you know how long you need a storyboard artist and you can multiply that number by the pay rate you offer the storyboard artist. In your documentation of each film, you should not only consider the visual recording process, like stills and video, but keep a notebook with brief notes about where to get certain materials, locations and events that may occur during your shoot, how long you estimated for an event, and how long it actually took. This information and visual record keeping can be a wonderful way to present your independent film work at festivals, lectures, and tours.
Websites and the Internet
Sites like YouTube and Vimeo host most films free of charge, but it is important to understand the rules of how they work. Once you put something on the net it virtually becomes public property. I do not mean this literally. You still own the copyright of your film, although some sites may have some ownership claim as long as you are using their services. Always read the rules of any service that you utilize. The other option is to pay for a service that hosts your particular website, and you can post your own work on your site. Films can be downloadable or not. You make the choice. I have a personal website that hosts my main pages and small commercial clips of animation. Some pages have links to noncommercial work on Vimeo, and I have a link to a free blog service, so I can interact with my site on a regular basis. There are all sorts of combinations, and you have to find something that suits your needs and ability.
Short films have few revenue-making venues, but this does not stop independent animators from producing. If you are interested in making money on your work, then you need to invest in yourself by producing original work that becomes a calling card for your particular services. Once you get your work out into the world (and the Net is great for that kind of low-cost exposure), people see your work and may approach you with commissioned work (that is often similar to the original work that you posted on the Net). It is the offshoots of your original work that make the money, and the original work serves as an promotional investment. Some artists feel that posting their work online (especially on their own sites) fosters an interest in viewers to own a "hard copy" of your film, so DVDs are sold through fee services like PayPal, which can be linked to your site. If you really want the world to see your work, then it helps to have short, clever, and inexpensive ideas that you are willing to produce with little or no payback. Opportunities can arise for exclusive showings of your work for a fee to you, but usually this does not happen when your work is on the web. This is why filmmakers try to get into festivals before posting work on the web. The exposure is limited at these festivals, so showing your film at more festivals or broadcast venues becomes more attractive for distributors.
Film Festivals
The film festival is the traditional way to get your animated film out into the world. You not only show your film at these festivals but you meet people from around the world with similar interests and different approaches to their filmmaking. Both experienced and novice animators and fans attend these festivals, and these people are generally pretty accessible for conversations. Seeing what other filmmakers are producing can be very inspiring. Exchanging ideas with people who are driven to make animated films, with all the struggle related to that, can help your morale when you feel defeated by the big commitment that frame-by-frame filmmaking can be. Sometimes this is where you find commissioned work or even potential distribution of your film.
A lot is involved in this process, and it takes constant research and follow-through. Fortunately, many new tools and websites help make this process much more efficient and easy to navigate. In my experience, one of the most widely accepted sites is Withoutabox. Hundreds of festivals, primarily in the United States but also around the world, accept film submissions through this site. You basically fill out one thorough application form that accompanies every entry submission to any festival in the world. You can even upload your film to this site for festival jury viewing (for a small fee), so that you save lots of time and money. These festivals look at the Withoutabox site generic application and view your online viewing copy of the film through this site. You have the option of sending a screening copy to the festivals directly, even though you have submitted your application through Withoutabox. You are given a reference number, so the screening copy can be matched to the application when it arrives at the festival. There are other such sites, and our corresponding website lists some of these sites.
FIG 12.1 The Withoutabox home page.
Choosing the appropriate festivals is very important. Most festivals require that you not have your film online if they show it at their festival. This makes their festival appear more exclusive and interesting to attend. For this reason, many filmmakers do not put their complete film (only teaser clips) online until at least one full cycle of festivals has run its course, which is usually about a year. Your best chance of getting into a festival is when you choose to premiere your film at that festival, so it is important to make the right choice. Many frame-by-frame stop-motion productions fall into a few categories, like animation, narrative, experimental, or music video, but do not limit your festival choices to animation festivals. Many festivals have themes and agendas, like "films and technology" or "American documentaries," or "new directors," so it is important to read about these festivals before you enter. Withoutabox puts you on their mailing list once you join up, and you can research these festivals through the site’s steady updates. It might be important to submit to a festival that is near where you live, so you can attend the festival; or you might consider a local regional festival, which is to your advantage. Most festivals do not pay your expenses getting to the festival, even when you are a potential winner. They usually give you a free pass but often that is as far as it goes. There are some exceptions, and this is why it is important to do your research. Big festivals, like Sundance, South by Southwest (SXSW), Annecy, and many of the urban international festivals are a good place to try to premiere your film, because other festival programmers go to these festivals and they may see your film and ask you later to submit to their festival (often waiving entry fees).
Getting into a festival means that some experienced and seasoned filmmakers and people associated with the business have chosen your film over dozens and often hundreds or thousands of other films to show at the festival. The juries at the larger festivals have a fair amount of credibility, so that gives your film a thumbs-up as it enters the public arena. Just getting into a festival in today’s competitive atmosphere is a great accomplishment. If you do not get in a particular festival, it does not necessarily reflect badly on your film. The competition is very high, since filmmaking is so much more accessible than it used to be; and often your film may not fit the theme, agenda, or style of film that a particular jury is seeking. Keep trying to find a festival venue for your film by starting high and working your way down into the lesser-known festivals. The fees associated with entering a festival can start to drain your account so start and enter early to save money, and consider calling the festival directly if you are broke and ask for an entry fee waiver. You might just get it.
You should not expect to make any money on your short film, but it might get you some recognition that can be translated into revenue in the form of a commission. Some people get lucky and are approached by film distributors and director representatives. There are many possibilities, and if you are approached, remember that it is best to get the information offered and not make any fast decisions. If one distributor approaches you, then most likely more will come. The deals offered range from exclusive screenings on television for a period of time in certain markets to offers to be part of a collection of animated shorts screened and distributed internationally. Numerous opportunities on the web offer some revenue. Remember that you can market and sell your own films, but revenue may be limited by the lack of exposure that some of these commercial opportunities can offer. People involved in promotion and distribution are constantly scanning the web at sites like YouTube and Vimeo looking for new talent. If your short is posted on a site that has a built-in audience and your animated short receives thousands of "hits" or viewings, then you can be sure that your film is being seen by people who may be able to offer you opportunities to make some money. I must say, more unfruitful opportunities appear through this route than really great offers, but you can weigh those out as they come in. People can contact you through sites like Vimeo, so you are sure to see some action.
Ownership
The current copyright laws protect any filmmaker the moment he or she creates and produces any film. It is required that you "publish" your work or just have some way to prove when you produced this film. It is important to print your name with the copyright (©)next to it and the year you completed the film as your final frame.
FIG 12.2 An example of the copyright statement that should be at the end of every film.
This is also true for the preproduction script, drawings, and layouts. Since some sites have restrictions about ownership when you post on them, it might be best to post your film work on your own site, so there is no misunderstanding. You also have other options with this kind of posting. Some filmmakers utilize the "creative commons" option, which allows others to use their work under very specific conditions but for no fee. These conditions might include educational or noncommercial venues that allow their work to be exposed to a greater audience and with the possibility for the work to become part of a larger communal production.
If you feel that you want "rock solid" protection, then you might think of registering your images, script, and branding with the U.S. Copyright Office. This can be done online by visiting the office’s site at www.copyright.gov. You can find out everything you need to know about ownership and protection of your creative products on this government site. Legislation seems to hit Congress every so often, called the orphan works, that threatens the protection of all creative ideas and output in a tangible medium like photography and other visual mediums. The advantage to this legislation is that it offers producers access to use artistic tangible mediums that appear to have no copyright holders, like old photographs, recordings, and images. The danger is that this legislation can be applied to more contemporary work that appears to have no copyright owner, mostly because many of these images and tangible mediums have no author/artist identification associated with them. With the advent of the web and the proliferation of images and ideas, this legislation could move down a slippery path to exploitation of ideas and images by producers that do not make intensive efforts to identify and notify authors of the use of their creative work by others. The Library of Congress wants to move the burden of finding authors to private databases in the area of the artwork, which starts to lose the regulation of a central authority. It will be interesting to see where this legislation goes, and it is worth watching. This will affect both national and international use of images and ideas and is a difficult issue to easily resolve.
A Few Thoughts
This topic is intended for both the novice and more experienced filmmaker, but I want to address the beginners in these alternative stop-motion techniques. It is important in the early stages of making these kinds of films to keep things fresh and not overly controlled. Each film should be treated like a sketch and not a masterpiece that reflects high craft. Allow yourself to make mistakes and take risks. Although I have cited some specific approaches to these techniques, as I have mentioned, there really are no hard and fast rules. Keep your ideas simple and manageable, so you can accomplish them. Shoot for small goals within your reach. Do not overcomplicate your idea.
The process automatically gets complicated with all the problem solving you encounter, so keeping your idea simple works in your favor.
If you are interested in learning more about how stop-motion studios and artists operate, then consider making some short experiments, put together a reel of your best work and start researching who is making these kinds of films and making a living or even just getting publicity for these kinds of productions. The Internet is a wonderful research tool, especially if you follow sites like awn.com and cartoonbrew.com to see what is going on in the industry. Contact these people and ask if you can show your work and get some feedback from them. The issue of internships might enter the conversation but just getting a little of these artists’ time and seeing how they operate is worth the effort. You will find that many of these artists are just driven to produce and make these experimental film shorts. Many times, not much money is involved. That displays the passion necessary to work in this area. If you are fortunate enough to get some commissioned work, like a commercial or a short informational film, consider it an opportunity to experiment and push the bounds within reason. Your client wants to know what you will produce, but there should still be a chance to step out a bit and try something fresh and new.
These techniques open up a wide range of possibilities for established and potential new filmmakers. As I mentioned in the Introduction, the moving image is becoming more and more accessible to a larger pool of producers. Live-action filmmakers want to stylize their films, and this is one way that is not totally foreign to them, since the use of photography, lighting, and performance are involved in both approaches. You really don’t need to know how to draw or sculpt well, but you do have to have good ideas and some skills, and these frame-by-frame techniques are a great way to add something new and different to live action. This is also true for photographers who are now using dslr still cameras that have the capability to shoot high-definition video. These photographers want to know how to take advantage of these camera assets. I tried to incorporate a few basic animation techniques in these topics as well as describe what frame-by-frame artists are now producing, without getting too technical. The associated website has many of the technical hints and approaches, which are always changing with technology, but the fundamentals are described in these topics.
If you start to think about the infinite combinations and possibilities in this area, you can get overwhelmed. Just about anything can be animated to serve an idea. Some things are easier to animate and control than others, and keeping this in mind when you choose an object or person helps determine the result you get. It is important to apply tried and true animation techniques to your movement to elicit a dynamic result. Pixilation that has some snap and punch is more interesting to watch than evenly paced movement. Time-lapse photography that is dynamic in composition and has dynamic transformation can be fascinating. You must understand the subject before you commit it to film. This way, you get the best angle, understand the best part of an event to record, and can be prepared for the change that occurs in front of the camera. Downshooting or using a multiplane animation stand can be a rich art form when used with cutouts, sand, three-dimensional objects, or an infinite range of material. The ability to shoot in a "down and dirty" approach, which can be fast and fresh looking, is really appealing to some filmmakers. This art form also has the ability to be subtle and refined with its multilayered look. It has the advantage of the photographic approach and look, and objects generally need not fight gravity, the eternal bane of stop-motion animators. I hope you consider playing with these techniques. They can be fairly fast to produce and very satisfying in their results. These techniques can be a sketchbook approach to animation or a refined and beautiful expression of art. Enjoy these techniques and have fun, because that shows in your work. I leave you with a few more statements and advice from some of the filmmakers that we cited throughout the previous topics. Shoot on.
"If I have any guiding principle regarding the stop-frame process, it’s to try and accommodate or embrace any spontaneous ideas that might present themselves during the animation. Stop frame is generally a long, slow process, and unless one is unduly preoccupied with the more laborious requirements of a shot, additional and peripheral ideas are always going to occur"
Dave Borthwick
"Focus on what you have that makes your work unique"
Yuval Nathan
"Start filming immediately. Understand that every part of the work is a self-portrait. This can be either dispiriting or reassuring"
William Kentridge
"My approach to time-lapse is very organic. I don’t overthink or overplan my shots. I go 90% by instinct; the other 10% is just making sure the logistics are in place to support the first 90%. The subjects of my time-lapse sequences also appeal to me greatly—outdoor and astronomy subjects, which bring me to the most spectacular and inspiring natural locations I can find. For me, this beats sitting in a studio ten hours a day"
Tom Lowe
"Embrace the tech, but remember the basics of image making.
Technology is the means, not the end!"
Eric Hanson
"I gave up cutout animation because it is easier to achieve emotions with live action filming and I don’t have the patience to do beautiful full animation. The fact is, I always wanted to be film director … animation was an interesting detour"
Terry Gilliam
"Play around with the material and see what kind of images you can make and move. Don’t expect the kind of control you can get from computer imagery. Make images that please you to look at, and you will find that you have the patience to move them"
Carolyn Leaf
"Finally, I understood that, like Bob Dylan said, sometime, someplace, ‘to live outside the law, you must be honest’ By this, I mean that I intended, finding myself suddenly in this big, intimidating, and typically controlling industry, to continue to ‘live outside the law.’ I wanted to make the videos my way and to be trusted to look out for the interests that had been entrusted in us and to repay that trust in spades, to ‘be honest’—to deliver something more valuable than anyone could have anticipated, including us—not to mention, on schedule at every juncture and on budget"
Jim Blashfield
"Life is too short to make a film that takes two years being unhappy with the result. I’m getting older, I do not have dreams of success, only dreams of films. Sometimes, you miss your goal, but you did your best. That’s something I can accept. Don’t start a project knowing you are going to get a bad picture."
Jan Kounen
"I like to stay grounded and come from a base of balance and spaciousness when I am working. I have a cozy studio in an old warehouse near the Willamette River. I love my work and I am excited to get to the studio every morning"
Joanna Priestly
"The best advice I could give would be to try everything. There is no right or wrong way to do this stuff. People should read and take in whatever advice and information they can find but ultimately they should distill it all and find their own way to do it. The only other advice I could give would be to work your a$$ off! If you don’t absolutely love this stuff, you are better off finding another career.
Look for something that you love so much you can’t stop talking, thinking, and dreaming about it. My guess is if you are reading this topic you are probably passionate enough to give it a run!"
Evan Spiradellis
