Howard Beckerman - "Animation Spot" - Back Stage; New York Vol. 23, Iss. 52, (Dec 24, 1982): 28, 42.

 ". . . I'll have Walter Disney

 Pictures on the wall, 

When my ship comes in."

              Eddie Cantor, "Kid Millions," 1934 

The drawings and paintings that make up an animated film were never meant to be studied individually but instead were intended to be viewed as part of a continuous flow of melding images. Art for the Disney films was usually enhanced with double exposures, camera effects and the illusion of motion which transformed them from bits of paper, paints and cels into pieces of believable time and place. Much of these finely rendered works were discarded with the trash after they had served their purpose, or if they were salvaged at all it was strictly for reference heeds and not for privileged hanging on gallery walls. 

Animation art served the same purpose as magazine illustration or comic strip art. It was made to be reproduced and as soon as it was the artists' handiwork lost its reason for being. In the last few years interest in animation drawings, cels and backgrounds has been growing among collectors much to the surprise of veteran animators, even though they may have clung to favorite sketches themselves for over thirty years. 

Much of the current interest was fired by the vast exhibit at the Whitney Museum last year which under the shepherding of Greg Ford was able to herd thousands of drawings, paintings and photographs into one arena for popular viewing. The public responded enthusiastically, and many individuals returned time and again to peruse samples of Disney studio art; most of which had never been exhibited anywhere before. 

Now, two books have appeared in time for the holiday gift buying season that contain choice examples of graphic works from the Disney archives. "Walt Disney's World of Fantasy" by Adrian Bailey and published by Everest House has been packaged for a general market. Yet inside this collection of Disney family photos, stills from live action films and colorful views of Disneyland, are some fine reproductions of drawings and pain-tings that were the underpinnings of the animated films. 

The book is designed so that the reader can happily glide through the text and keep turning pages to find new delights on each subsequent leaf. Adrian Bailey has detailed the now familiar life and times of Walt Disney and has attempted to add a bit of balance to a story that has often included only the bright side and ignored failures and critical put downs. Yet the text rarely strays from the accounting of Disnev triumphs even as it is expressing some of the negative aspects of more than fifty years of efforts from the Disney organization. 

For instance, one reference explains that the film Pinocchio was not as charming as its predecessor, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and that it did not follow Collodi's original story very closely, yet on the following page the film's integrity is rescued when the author observes that, "Pinocchio is a film that is at times almost surreal, and in this respect takes its cue from the fantasy of the original." 

Bailey also takes a stab at explaining the personality of Disney, and as he attempts to pull together the opinions of those who met Walt on a daily basis the reader will not get any negative impression of the Master of Burbank, because this book is weighed heavily in the direction of extolling the genius of the man whose fortunes it follows. 

"Walt Disney's World of Fantasy" contains several previously unpublished photographs of Walt and his surroundings that should appeal to the fans and followers of the creator of Mickey Mouse, but the high point of the work is the sketches and animation drawings scattered throughout. 

Many prominent artists that visited the Disney workshop over the years expressed their wonder at the strength of the drawings as against the slickly finished colored cels that became the final film. It is rare then to see a collection of art that was only preliminary acts to the big show. Yet much of the sketches and inspirational paintings are worth close scrutiny and appreciation. Curiously, all of this work was accomplished by artists who had little interest in their daily doings as real art. 

Happily the author refers to several of Disney's best artists by name a welcome practice that has begun to usurp the earlier anonymity that shrouded the hundreds of practitioners of the art that toiled in the fields of animation. 

Disney himself had little truck with the presumptions of art and was strictly concerned with the entertainment values of his films. Though he surrounded himself with the best animation artists in the business, Walt was always looking toward the final screen result. A new book now contains examples of the art that made up the foundation of these films. Entitled: Treasures of Disney Animation Art" and unlike "Walt Disney's World of Fantasy", it has been solely designed as an art publication in the manner of hooks that extoll the work of Picasso or Rembrandt. 

This volume with a preface by publisher Robert Abrams and a lengthy introduction written by John Canemaker is an impressive 12" by 51/2" bulk that is intended to approximate the size of the original art as closely as possible. Contained in this volume are samples of layout sketches, parts of animation sequences, background renderings chalk techniques, an approach once popular in cartoon studios and ad agencies, but that has now been usurped by felt markers. The many pastel and chalk drawings in the collection reveal the excitement of shaded hues on deep colored papers an effect out of the realm of even the most brilliant felt markers. 

Wherever possible the artists' names are mentioned along with the samples of art which fills this 320 page work. The numerous references to, "Artist unknown", attests to the problem of finding out who did what in the short history of animation. 

An interesting point to note is that this vast volume contains no drawings by Disney himself. You would have to turn to "Walt Disney's World of Fantasy to find a sampling of early art done by Walt. In the introduction, John Canemaker filmmaker and animation historian tells of the studio's attempt to improve the product and points out the pattern of change that took place from the early simple Mickey Mouse cartoons to the more complex demands made on the artists to produce films such as a Dumbo or Fantasia. 

While these books are not cheap, "Walt Disney's World of Fantasy" is just under $40.00 and "Treasures of Disney Animated Art" retails for $85.00 they offer a chance to own reproductions of animation drawings and paintings that are not readily available for scrutiny and study. 

Howard Beckerman - " The Art of Frederic Back" - "Animation Spot" - Back Stage; New York Vol. 23, Iss. 51, (Dec 17, 1982): 24, 49.

 The Art of Frederic Back

It is important that I tell you about the films of Frederic Back. Working' through the auspices of A Radio Canada, The CBC French Services division, Back has created a world of animated stories that should be seen and studied by anyone engaged in the production of frame-by-frame images. 

In a program of selections of animated films that included the work of Francine Leger and Paul Driessen from A Radio Canada at this month's meeting of ASIFA-East, there were three selections of Back's work. His films have a distinctive soft quality, derived from the use of colored pencils on frosted acetate and the delicate appeal of his characters. Yet this softness packs a sturdy wallop. 

The selections included, Illusion, an 11-minute film, Tout Rien (Everything Nothing), 81/2 minutes and Crac, 15 minutes. Back's films have won numerous awards in international competitions and the latter film, Crac, received the Academy Award this year. Crac tells the tale of a rocking chair, built a century ago, which is then passed down from generation to generation. At last it ends up in a modern museum as the museum guard's comfortable spot to rest. Among all of the ultra modern art displayed on the walls, the small children that visit the gallery find the rocking chair the most wonderful object. At night while the guard makes his rounds, the chair calls up images of its past life. We see the scenes that comprised the earlier part of the film, scenes of country folk working and celebrating to the strains of fiddles and stomping musicians. These images merge with the avant garde cubistic and abstract museum paintings, bringing the whole pageant of the old and the new together. As the museum guard passes by the images fade and the chair comes to rest. 

Tout Rien is a story about Adam and Eve and their annoyance with their Creator who has not given them the adornment that other animals possess. They request that they be covered with fur as bears are. This fails to satisfy them when they find that they become too warm wearing fur, so they request feathers. They are also disappointed in that arrangement. At last, having exhausted their demands to become as bears, birds, monkeys or fish, they slink away, and they contrive to dress themselves in the varied coverings of these beasts. So begins the slaying of animals for their feathers and hides. 

Adorned with a bit of every animal we see the image of primitive man plundering the species around him. The spear pierces each one of them and finally, adorned from head to toe with the trappings of birds and mammals, wearing shark's teeth necklaces, the spear pierces the image of God in a pagan ritual. With humor and a lightness of touch that is almost startling compared to current styles of animation, Back manages to drive home the point of our relationship to the environment. Most important, as in all of Back's films, he tells us about ourselves. 

Animation at CBC French Services is divided between nine animators. Back designs and animated his film almost entirely himself with the aid of other CBC artists when necessary. In a time when we expect to see animation that contains strong attitudes toward disarmament, world peace and concern for the ecology to emanate from the hand of an exuberant recent film school graduate, it is a delight to find that these images of regard for the human condition made with exceptional artistic ability created by a man of mature years. 

Frederic Back was a young artist and illustrator in France during World War II and emigrated to Montreal in the late 1940's. He became a teacher at an art academy and continued working as an illustrator. Along the way he began doing animation and gradually it grew to a fulltime obsession. 

In 1977 Executive Producer Hubert Tisson coordinated the formation of a team of creative people to enliven the already operational animation department of CBC French Services. Back became an integral part of this department and surrounded by other creative people, they jointly produced hundreds of opening titles and promotional films as well as 10 animated shorts. Their work is exhibited in many ways. Primarily made for Canadian consumption on television or in theatres, the films are traded internationally with other countries and find their way to prestigious international film festivals. 

There is a lesson to be learned from viewing the animated ideas of Frederic Back. These shorts, with their warm and gently humorous portrayal of children and animals, combined with well integrated musical tracks and excellent pacing, offer a contrast to much of the mechanical animation that pervades shows for children as well as the harsh, hard-edged look that American commercials have come to embody. 

Children's programming should have the diversity of visual design that is apparent in the best books for their age level and advertisers might benefit from portraying their products in a more humane style rather than with the slick and heavy handed techniques that confront us at every twist of the dial. More necessary than style is one factor that reveals itself in every frame of Frederic Back's work. It is something worth striving for: good taste. 

New Animation Publication 

Harvey Deneroff, in Los Angeles, informs us that Grafitti, the ASIFA Hollywood newsletter is to be turned into a quarterly magazine. The publication, which may go through a name change, will feature articles bout animation for professionals in the field, and hopes to pick up readership from the thousands of interested non-animators throughout the country. It is termed "a sort of American Cinematographer for animators" by Deneroff. Currently he is soliciting articles and illustrations for the first issue. A publication date will be announced shortly. 

Anyone wishing to participate in this venture and to contribute articles should contact Deneroff at 23121/2 Scarff Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007. The phone number of ASIFA-Hollywood is (213) 466-0341. 

Howard Beckerman - "Comings and Goings" - "Animation Spot" - Back Stage; New York Vol. 23, Iss. 50, (Dec 10, 1982): 26-27.

 Comings and Goings

Animation is noticeably in the news these days. The holiday season, heralding the openings of features and television specials, is one reason for this attention. On November 19th three animated features opened in New York, an unusual event in itself. 

It must have come as a shock to the producers of the feature length films, each of which began production on different dates and each with the hope of exclusivity upon opening. It would seem that being the only animated feature at this season would have a certain advantage at the box office. One of the films, "Heidi's Song," an offering from the television production organization, Hanna-Barbera, had been in production for a good many years and was scheduled to premiere months ago, yet here it was making its long awaited debut at the same moment with Rankin and Bass', "The Last Unicorn" and Friz Freleng's "1001 Rabbit Tales," featuring Bugs Bunny. 

It must have been interesting for the local critics, who are generally a bit awkward in their assessment of animation, to have to run around from theater to theater to view each of the new movies. Can't you just see the critics at the Times, who normally spend their days ogling Bergman, Kurosawa and Fellini, to decide who will review which cartoon production? 

Even more surprising than the fact of the simultaneous premieres was the reality that none of the offerings were from the Disney Studio. The Disney boys however had beaten Messers. Rankin, Bass, Hanna, Barbera and Freleng to the punch with the rerelease of the 1940 classic, "Fantasia," featuring a newly recorded Dolby soundtrack. "Fantasia," as you may recall, was the first theatrical film to incorporate stereophonic sound when it was initially released. In fact there were much more than just two speakers to deliver the music to the audience, but several theaters in key cities had been accommodated to reproduce "Fantasia's" nine separate tracks (reduced to three for projection) so that sounds would appear to emanate from various points in the theater. It was called Fantasound in 1940 and it was a bold and costly innovation at that time. 

Now the producers have yanked the film back into the studio and rerecorded the tracks for the purpose of obtaining the ear tingling resonances that seem to be required for today's "Walkman" generation. Also on the chopping block went the scenes featuring music critic and composer, Deems Taylor, who introduces each of the film's concert portions. His tuxedoed figure has been replaced with a voice over narrator mouthing the same dialogue. It all seems like a lot of effort for nothing, unless a younger generation will appreciate the souped up sound reverberations without any knowledge of the historical aspects of this film. I have a sneaking suspicion that the Disney people have been chafing for almost 40 years over the Warner Brother's send up of this feature in their short subject, "Corny Concerto" which included Elmer Fudd portraying Deems Taylor in caricature complete with white tie, tails and Taylor's characteristic mannerisms. With the updated "Fantasia" track, the Disney organization not only has a new chance at the box office but they also can create confusion for the new audiences who see the Warner's short and wonder why Elmer Fudd looks the way he does. 

Mighty Mouse Honored

While all of this hullabaloo was going on at neighborhood movie houses, the library in New Rochelle was quietly making history by exhibiting the art and memorabilia of the Terry-Toon years. Paul Terry's studio had been situated in this community just 45 minutes from Broadway, from about 1934 till the late '60's. The exhibit, that had originally been mounted in April of this year and was accompanied by seminars and a dinner dance, was rehung to celebrate the completion of a sculpture depicting Mighty Mouse and Heckle and Jeckle soaring through the air. The work was specifically commissioned to be displayed permanently on the library site. 

The figures, accompanied by a plaque honors the talents of Paul Terry and all of the hundreds of artists and technicians that were employed at the studio over the years, was sculpted by Michael Lantz, a well known artist from New Rochelle. Lantz is the brother of cartoon producer Walter Lantz who for 60 years has been creating animated films, most notably those featuring Andy Panda and Woody Woodpecker. 

The exhibit and the commemorative sculpture is sponsored by the New Rochelle Council on the Arts. Much of the effort to bring the idea and its reality to New Rochelle was due to the persistence of Diane and Eli Bauer, Doug Crane and Thea Eichler. The unveiling of the Mighty Mouse sculpture was attended by New Rochelle's mayor, Leonard Paduano, Paul Terry's daughter, Pat Leahy, Arts Council members as well as former Terry-Toon employees. Smiling for the cameras were animation artists Doug Crane, Eli Bauer, Marty Taras, Al Kouzel, Doug Moye and myself. 

Hugh Harman

This past week, newspapers carried the obituary of Hugh Harman, who working with Rudolph Ising, was responsible for the inauguration of both the Warner Brothers and the MGM cartoon departments. Harman, Ising and several other young artists began began making cartoons with Walt Disney in Kansas City shortly after World War I. When Disney set up shop in Hollywood, Harman and some of the others were sent for to help produce the Alice in Cartoonland series that Disney and his brother Roy had managed to get distribution for. By the end of the decade they were all pitching in on a new series, Oswald The Lucky Rabbit, which had supplanted the Alice cartoons. At this time Harman, Ising and Friz Freleng, another of the Kansas group left to work with Charles Mintz, Disney's distributor, who undertook to do the Oswald cartoons on his own using most of Disney's best animators. The major reason they left was due to Disney's interest in his own career and lack of concern for the contributions of those in his employ, Harman once told interviewer Mike Barrier.

Harman eventually became partners with Rudolph Ising and the two gained distribution for their character, Bosko The Talk-Ink kid. The arrival of sound films not only effected the name of the series but the studio name as well. In deference to the wonders of science that had rendered films lyrical, the partners chose the euphonious title, Harmon-Ising to hang over their studio door. 

Though none of their characters achieved the fame that accompanied those from other studios, Harmon-Ising were the only producers whose technical expertise matched the look of the Disney product. In fact during the '30's the Disney organization, in an effort to meet their quota, farmed out a Silly Symphony to Harman-Ising since they were the only ones that could duplicate the Disney style and flair. 

It would take a research genius to discover any articles written exclusively about Hugh Harman. Most of the world's animation information tends to illuminate the doings of Walt Disney. In fact there were probably more lines written about Harman's brother Fred who drew the Red Ryder comic strip for many years. Still the passing of Hugh Harman is an important note in the history of animation, a medium that he was closely connected with all his life and to which he had, though often unrecognized, a profound effect. 

Howard Beckerman - "Onward and Upward" - "Animation Spot" - Back Stage (Archive: 1960-2000); New York Vol. 23, Iss. 49, (Dec 3, 1982): 42.

 Onward and Upward

When things get slow in the animation business, the harrassed studio owner looks to whatever available means there is to bring work into the shop. Naturally, advertising is one of the ideas that looms as the surest way to bring attention to you and your work. So the question arises, have you ever considered doing your own television commercial? 

All those years that you have been creating 30-and 60-second spots that lavishly praise this toothpaste or that deodorant, you never once made a spot telling the world about what a great studio you have. Just think of it, your own commercial. But what would you say? It would have to be something to the point, something significant and at least as good as the slogans that go with the nation's top consumer goods. 

You could say that "Animation's The Real Thing," or you could invite people to become part of "The Animation Generation," except that you would have problems explaining it to Coke and Pepsi. The answer is to hire a copywriter. 

Now with a copywriter creating a knockout slogan, you can move onto the visuals. Since that's what you have been doing for all of those national advertisers, it should be easy to figure out some snappy logo or character that will extol what it is you do. Then you realize that your own design style is hopelessly dated, so you do the only natural thing. You hire a designer to develop the theme that the copywriter has been diligently working on. 

Then you hire an assistant copywriter and you make the designer the art director and then hire an assistant art director. Now, while the chief copywriter and the head art director are having important meetings, the assistants can develop the ideas to enhance your commercial. 

While all of this is going on you decide to check out the marketplace so you contact the various television networks to see what sort of time buy would be set to your spot. Since there is so much to learn about so many stations you find it beneficial to hire a time buying specialist to decide on all of the pertinent information. This is smart because it leaves you time to get the animation ready for the commercial. That is if you can get into the meetings that are now going on between the head art director, the chief copywriter, the assistant art director and the assistant copywriter. 

Eventually, the time buyer brings in a young assistant to help with the load, and they join in the meetings with all of the other department heads and assistants. Since you have a small studio with inadequate conference space, the meetings move to a convenient-restaurant across town where the food is good but the service is slow. 

Meanwhile, you are all alone at your desk eating a cottage cheese sandwich which you brought from home. Feeling left out, you hire a secretary to answer the phones and you begin attending these lunchtime meetings. 

At one of the meetings, it is decided that it would be more beneficial to have the studio situated closer to the advertising business, since so many decisions on the proposed commercial relate to that field. The next day you begin the necessary negotiations to move your desks and materials to Madison Avenue. 

Once settled, you can't get over how fine your new place looks. The secretary, who has by now hired a receptionist, has an office for herself. She's using a new copying machine to duplicate the storyboard. Most of the copies are for your new legal department, four lawyers who will determine if your commercial will get past the FCC, FTC, the NAACP and the B'nai B'rith.

At last the fateful day arrives; the storyboard is complete. You are aghast at what has been agreed on by your entire staff, including the new office boy who had always wanted to get into films. They have voted unanimously that the spot should be done in live action! 

Your first thought is to fire the whole lot of them, but then you have second thoughts. You look around and realize that you are now no longer an animation studio. Instead, you have become an advertising agency. 

So you gather your crew together and explain that now you are an advertising agency. You tell them you are going to sell the storyboard to another animation company and then begin soliciting work from national advertisers. It is unanimously decided to have a high level meeting on the subject, after lunch, of course, at a restaurant across town where the food is good and the service is slow. 

Howard Beckerman - "The Little Red Hen" - "Animation Spot" - Back Stage (Archive: 1960-2000); New York Vol. 23, Iss. 48, (Nov 26, 1982): 20.

 The Little Red Hen

Several years ago I worked for a studio which, during slow periods, would put the help onto a short film of their own called "The Little Red Hen." The hope was that when the production was completed it would be shown in theatres. As far as I know, neither of those events ever took place. Eventually we all moved on to other desks at other studios where there where other down time films on the shelves. No matter what the title of these productions, we always referred to them as, "The Little Red Hen." 

Now the possibility of getting a short subject into a theatre has ceased to be a desirable reality, studios still carry the glint of an idea that can be turned into a short subject for some form of distribution. The battle cry has changed from theatre release to cable release, which sounds like the little device that photographers use to trip camera shutters. 

More often than actual distribution, a film finds its way to one of the international festivals where it can bump up against similar productions from all over the globe and jockey for prizes and recognition. Once a film is screened at such an event it may tickle the interest of distributors who whisk it off to be enshrined in their catalogues for dissemination to schools, television stations and various and sundry organizations. 

Charles Samu is one of the people who is tickled at seeing animation films that can be shown in all of these areas. Presently he is with Home Box Office where his concern is to satisfy the voracious needs of a large cable network and so he spends his days looking at endless reels of "Little Red Hens." Just a few short days ago Samu returned from Lucca, Italy, where as a distinguished guest, he proudly presented three 90 minute shows of American animation for the enlightment of gathered cartoonists and filmmakers. Lucca has hosted a comics exhibit and festival for the past 15 years. Part of the event is set aside to pay respects to animated films along with the preponderant display and discussion of the world's best comic art. 

The Italian animators had just recently formed their own chapter of ASIFA, the international animation organization, and were happy to be able to see the works of the American studios and independent artists. Max Massinino Garnier, a distinguished Italian animator was the host for the animation segment of the Lucca conference. Gamier has been active in the field for a good many years and was nominated for an Academy Award last year for his film "Dedalo." 

The audience at Samu's showings were very interested in the films that he presented representing East Coast American animation. Most people in other parts of the world think only of the Hollywood product, or what they imagine to be of California origin when thinking of animated films. Also they were surprised to learn of how many women were directors of animation, either on their own personal productions or for commercial studios. In Europe women are not yet working in the area of creative control of animation as is the case here on the East coast. Some of the works of Faith Hubley, Kathy Rose, Candy Kugel and Emily Hubley, were shown as examples of East coast independent production along with the films of Eli Noyes, George Griffin and John Canemaker. 

The second surprise for the European filmmakers was that the American independents very often did commercial production and were not solely working on personal efforts. One of the advantages of international festivals is that they help to destroy the myths that we all harbor about the realities of production in each country. For us it is a surprise that European commercials are very often so soft sell and for the animators over there it is interesting to learn that there are commercial studios that have a "Little Red Hen" on the shelf while the guys who spend most of their time creating "Little Red Hens" are out looking for commercials. 

After the event at Lucca, Samu visited Turin and Genoa where he showed the films to other audiences. He found that the cartoonists and animators in Italy were quite interested in our underground cartoonists, the proponents of a design genre often overlooked by the slick school that pervades our own advertising. Samu mentioned that the Lucca conference is sponsored by the town government and was one of the few nods that animation gets from an administration that prefers to back other forms of art and entertainment. Though there are many animators in the country and there is commercial production, animation gets short shift. One ironic incident occurred the day that a group of college students gathered to protest the conference because they felt that the government was misspending money on trivial cartoons while more important needs were not being met. This must have come as a shock to a lot of gray haired cartoonists at the Lucca event, who thought all the time that they were drawing their pictures for the kind of people who were now massed outside the hall yelling curses at them. I always appreciate having Charles Samu share his experiences with me, as he gets to see many of the events that I can't cover. Charles gets to travel, while I must remain here to complete commercials, informational films and oh yes, "The Little Red Hen." 

Howard Beckerman - "Runaway Production" - "Animation Spot" - Back Stage (Archive: 1960-2000); New York Vol. 23, Iss. 47, (Nov 19, 1982): 34.

 Runaway Production

A few short weeks ago, striking animators went back to their drawing boards in Los Angeles. At least some of them did. Others who had joined the picket lines found they were not needed. It seems that the main purpose of the union action was to gain acceptance of a clause in their contracts, with producers of animated television entertainment films to limit runaway production but during the course of the strike some of these producers completed their network obligations overseas. This ironic twist has caused much unhappiness in a field that has already been jeopardized by demands for programs to be completed on shorter deadlines resulting in expanded layoff time between seasons. 

One studio, Hanna-Barbera, which is a subsidiary of the Taft Broadcasting company, has attempted to maintain a staff throughout the years by putting theatrical features into production. One such effort, "Heidi's Song" will open during the coming holiday season, and another film, "Rock Odyssey" is being animated currently. Both films are fully animated, a departure from that studios traditional limited movement techniques employed to satisfy the huge footage demands of television. In fact one animator reports that the latter production is the heaviest animation he has ever had to contend with in a career that extends more than 30 years. All this production, no matter how complex, will not satisfy the job needs of the approximately 1600 animation workers in the Los Angeles area. 

One woman who will not be returning to studio work after the strike and who is still annoyed at the producer's insistence on overseas productions, is studying to be a nurse. "I doubt they will be sending bedpans to Taiwan," she jokes. 

A great deal of work has been sent to studios in Australia, Korea and Taiwan. The recent Disney film, "Tron," was made almost completely outside of the home studio. While much of the special effects work was done in California and New York, other aspects of the production employed scores of artists in Taiwan as was indicated by the many Chinese names listed in the film's credits. 

Sending work overseas is obviously an attempt to get cartoons done at cheaper rates than are paid American animators. Perhaps the only way the strike could have been effective would have been if related television technicians refused to project American productions made overseas. 

There is a bright side to this situation. Look what the Japanese have accomplished by adopting American business practices. They have become so successful that we look to them for guidance. I always thought that if it were possible we should have given them the transistor in 1938 and thereby avoided World War II. 

The Japanese have succeeded because they not only manufacture good products at reasonable prices, but they have the vast American nation, the largest consumer country in the world to purchase their output. Unfortunately some of our own industry is suffering because of this competition, but there is a possible solution to the problem. 

Japan now wealthy and prosperous must give us a helping hand. They should have us do their Saturday morning animation. We could be the recipients of RRP, Reverse Runaway Production. We gave them the transistor they should give us Speed Racer. 

We could throw all of our knowhow into the breach. We wouldn't have to worry about unemployment in Detroit, we'll continue to buy Toyotas and Datsuns and simply put all of our auto workers into the animation business. 

Working together in the good old fashioned American way, we will become the masters of Kung Fu and Samurai pictures. If this plan sours there is an alternate solution. As long as producers are sending animation overseas, why not give the Russians a chance to join the interchange. I always figured that if Russians were able to sell something in the American marketplace, they could become as successful as the Japanese and the West Germans, and they wouldn't have to worry about what happens in Poland and places like that. I suggest we give the Russians our television commercials to animate. It would be a lift for the stagnant Soviet economy and might create a renewed interest in commercials for a jaded American public. What television viewer would not perk up upon hearing those timeless advertising slogans given a new life. For American Express there would be, "Don't defect without it!," Eastern Airlines advertising department might wince at, "The Wings of Marx" but it might get recognition when placed adjacent to "The Detente Skies of United." Burger King could gain strength by the insistence of, "Have It Our Way!" I suppose the Telephone Company would feel a bit uncomfortable to see a Soviet tank turning the corner of a Warsaw street with the slogan, "Reach Out And Touch Someone" scrawled on its side, but just think how helpful it would be to have all of that military might on their side when they approach the Public Service Commission for an increase in phone rates. 

Much of what I have proposed will probably be rejected by experts who refer to economies as the "dismal science." I'm sure we can come to some meeting of the minds once the experts admit that economics is no science, and, as you can see, it doesn't by necessity have to be dismal. 

Howard Beckerman - "Animation Spot" - Back Stage (Archive: 1960-2000); New York Vol. 23, Iss. 46, (Nov 12, 1982): 37, 46.

Once several years ago when the commercial field was in one of its periodic slumps, I found my way to a desk at the Norcross greeting card company where instead of animating for television I was designing funny messages that said Happy Birthday. The experience was enlightening in the way many unexpected events in our lives are. I met some very fine artists and found that I had enough versatility to perform in an area that I had never worked in before. Best of all I learned a few things about what novelties the American public was willing to plunk down hard earned cash for. 

Though the company was quite aware of its formidable competition, it was at that time the third largest greeting card producer after Hallmark and American Greetings, the powers that controlled the creative output did not always admit to the superiority of much of the competitions' line of greetings. One day while browsing through a card shop, I came across a beautifully designed calendar created by the Hallmark people. Though it was only September, I plunked down a big $1.85 for it. Today when large, oversized illustrated calendars are commonplace and sell for $5.00 and more, the calendar that I selected that day was an early attempt at exploring the market. 

When I arrived back at the Norcross studios I happily showed the calendar around. "Who would spend $1.85 for a calendar?" asked the head of the department. "I did," I said. The calendar was whisked away to be shown to several writers and art directors with the promise that it would be returned shortly. The next day came and my calendar was not only still unreturned, it was unable to be found. The company offered to pay for a new one. 

I quickly raced back to the store where the day before the calendar had made its debut. There were none left, and it was only September. Back at Norcross, people were still walking around saying, "Who would spend $1.85 for a calendar?" "Everybody," I replied, calendarless. 

I was reminded of this incident this past week upon reading of the death of Joyce Hall, founder of Hallmark Cards, the company that had made my calendar. 

In the years since I worked at Norcross, their competitor had diversified not only into calendars but into many other adventurous areas of the publishing and card related business. Norcross on the other hand was acquired by another company and eventually moved from its sprawling Madison Avenue offices to a small town in Pennsylvania, and after some struggles with a changing field, this long established company reduced its production earlier this year. 

The obituary for Hallmark's founder and guiding hand, in the New York Times, mentioned Joyce Halls, attitude toward the television program that his company sponsored for many years. The Hallmark Hall of Fame was a prestigious show bringing solid dramatic productions to the television screens as every important holiday took its turn in the year. In comparison with much of what appears on the tube, these shows were tasteful and thoughtfully produced. "I'm not a philanthropist in the matter of culture," the Times said in a quote from Hall, "but I feel that good television is good business." 

There has to be some food for thought in a statement about our field made by someone as successful as Hall who used television to sell his wares while enriching the medium that made it possible. I use the comparison between the two companies not to show that one is more successful than the other, certainly Norcross, served the public well for several decades, but it is interesting to observe that without taking risks and playing it safe can lead to stagnation, a condition that oftentimes occurs in our own industry. 

Advertisers assume that if a program is popular it will lead to greater sales of the sponsored product which I'm sure is easy to check. One of the humorous sidelights of The Hallmark Hall of Fame is that their competitor, Norcross would receive glowing letters complementing them on their fine program from little old ladies who assumed that Hallmark and Norcross were all one big happy company. While product identification is always a problem for an advertisers, producing a quality show that helps a whole industry image is still a worthwhile result. 

One of the areas where Joyce Hall's attitude toward quality programming to encourage sales should be considered, is certainly animation for television. Animated films are a form of popular culture and in our society all culture, low or high has to compete in the marketplace. Creating programs that have value, not only in the commercial sense, but in the idea that they will enrich peoples lives, could bring dividends that goes beyond the original intent. Not only did the Hallmark people find this out, but so did Walt Disney who managed to build a library of movies and programs that are still ringing cash registers, while they entertain ad enlighten audiences year after year. Thinking of the long haul in the creation of television programming, especially for the young, makes sense. 

The fabulous success of the Hallmark company in its own area as well as the television medium should be enough of art incentive for us to heed Joyce Hall's words. "Good television is good business." 

Howard Beckerman - "Animation and Corporate Video" - "Animation Spot" - Back Stage (Archive: 1960-2000); New York Vol. 23, Iss. 45, (Nov 5, 1982): 38, 40.

 Animation and Corporate Video

Corporations are now involved in video production on a scale greater than ever before. Where as in the past many large organizations may have had some filmmaking capabilities within the plant, they depended mainly on independent film companies for most of their important communication needs. Today the entire picture is changing. Corporations of various sizes now boast video equipment in greater amount than the average film studio may have had invested in 16mm paraphernalia.

Although there is still a demand for the talents and expertise of the independent film production house, the advent of video technology and the many ways this medium can be incorporated into the structure of large business firms has changed the face of the industrial film production field. 

Each corporation uses the new technology in a manner suited to the nature and needs of their business and communication requirements. After looking over the facilities of a few representative organizations one thing became apparent. Though companies may be heavily equipped with all of the latest video or computer technology, they still find it necessary to go outside their own cozy halls when they need specialized talents. 

A corporation may often use their own people as performers, but for best effect they turn to professional actors to deliver the important messages. It might be sufficient to point a video camera out the window of the 24th floor to get a passable aerial view of the city, but when they want the total effect they'll contact a firm that rents helicopters for the real thing, and when they find that no amount of electronic gadgetry can deliver lip-sync animation, they seek out a firm that can create the necessary components. Animators can take heart that there are still many times when their specific knowledge is in demand. 

Recently I visited some of the corporate firms that have embraced the new technology and are actively producing programs for their organizations. I've chosen three of them as examples of the various ways that video is being used in industry today. One of the companies is a major oil corporation, the other a large publisher and the last a key New York banking institution, I will not refer to them by their names as it was explained to me more than once that certain powers that be, stockholders or whomever, may resent the fact that money is being spent on electronic materials at a time when the economy is depressed. Actually this fear may be unfounded, as all large businesses must use some means of communicating, informing or instructing its employees and affiliates and no matter which form this need takes, whether through print matter, film, video or just telephone calls, it all adds up to considerably cost with the only profit being better informed personnel. 

The particular oil company that I visited has a great deal of capability in the production of video programs. They have a suitable stage for taping interviews or enactments of company related themes and of course they have all the necessary cassette machines for editing and making audio and video dupes as they require. The setup looked like an arrangement that one might encounter at a small well equipped video station complete with video camera, dollies, zoom lenses and mixing panel. 

At the other extreme was the bank that had recently incorporated video as a tool to keep this institutions affiliates up to day with the goings on in their New York office. Working primarily with 3/4 " and 1/2" cassettes, this company produces informative material based on meetings and executive talks that can be duplicated in-house on the several cassette machines available. These cassettes, weighing a few ounces each can then be mailed or whizzed off by jet courier to may parts of the globe. 

The publishing house, a firm that had always produced films as well as print materials now includes an increased number of video cassette programs for business and school instruction. Their new video facilities have now replaced all of their former film related equipment and they have a studio that can produce professional quality 1" tape programs for sale or for in-house communications. 

The added advantage to each of these firms in the ready ability to create a video tape that can explain the intricacies of a new method or system or to increase employee morale through a personal message from the chief executive should not be underestimated. 

For a filmmaker to encounter the diversity that now exists at these firms is sometimes a bit unsettling. The ease with which some of these organizations can knock out a meaningful cassette without the hassle of film production can cast a pall over any film producers' aspirations. 

Actually there are many areas where the skilled filmmaker can assist these companies. There is still a need for films that are of professional quality for the times when the large corporation must appeal to the interests of the lay public who will be receiving their message in a theater, on network television or in a school auditorium. 

For the animator the case is not so bleak. Their services are always in need no matter what the method of reproduction, film video or computer. The bank for instance commissioned a film last year, totally in animation, to explain the complexities of their newly installed telephone system to its vast array of employees.

The publishing house produced a film on sex education for junior high school students that included diagrammatic scenes that could only be accomplished with animated art. The oil company, used animation in a presentation to explain its employee benefits system, an assignment that could have been accomplished with live video but because the cassettes were to be sent to countries around the globe, animated characters softened the images of the personnel pictured for all of the various races and nationalities that would be viewing the finished product. 

Animation cannot be dismissed as a medium for delivering information when it cannot be displayed in any other fashion. The very fact that it is drawn and delineated by not just one artist but many artists is a guarantee that it will generally look fresh and different. When the situations arise, and they do quite often, the corporate communicators must reach outside their own resources to gain the necessary elements that can only be accomplished by animation. Animators on the other hand now have to set their sights on the corporate areas that are heavily involved in producing their own films and graphics and show in the best way they can how the art that is made one frame at a time can solve special problems.

Howard Beckerman - "Animation Is a Real Thing" - "Animation Spot" - Back Stage (Archive: 1960-2000); New York Vol. 23, Iss. 44, (Oct 29, 1982): 28.

Animation Is a Real Thing 

With all of the various techniques jockeying for center stage these days, many users of visual media may have forgotten the strength and appeal that animation has for most audiences. In a society that relies heavily on the casual reproduction of everything from printed matter to video copies of classic films, it is with great difficulty that we can recall the glow of the original object.

There are certain things in our world that are obviously the real thing, while others are not. The Statue of Liberty is certainly a real thing while the little three inch figurines that are carried home by tourists are far from the real thing. Marilyn Monroe was a reality but the pin-up photos of her that remain are only a fantasy. 

A print of a painting that appears in a magazine is not the real thing, nor is a movie or a videotape of the painting the real thing. The painting hanging in the museum, that's the real thing.

 Stage Is Real

The actor that struts across the film or video screen, is merely a shadow, an interpretation of reality. The stage performer is the real thing, although there are those that are cynical enough to say that the player you bump into at the drugstore wearing jeans and a two day growth of beard is really and truly the real thing. Animation is the real thing because for it to exist at ail it must be recorded in some manner, and then played back. This goes for all of the earlier forms of animation such as the zoetrope and flipbook and other 19th century scientific toys. Those are most assuredly the real thing, but their brevity keeps them in too primitive a state to be greatly effective.

There is a great deal of animation that is less than the real thing, though. Saturday morning television, unfortunately, is more like radio than something intended to be viewed. So much do the stories depend on recorded dialogue, and sound effects while the animation limps along with stilted use of stereotyped characters that the child viewer is short changed. Any animation that does not offer the possibility of all the magic it can bestow on children is certainly less than the real thing. Popeye and Bluto wrestling, Mickey Mouse being overwhelmed by water in the Sorcerer's Apprentice or Gerald McBoing-Boing walking to school are the real thing. These examples are certainly not live action or computer generated. Live filming and computer animation are real things in themselves. Each is a separate medium that requires individual design approaches. Misusing them only leads to watered down productions that are unsatisfying because they lack the substance of the real thing. 

Animation Offers Control 

Tracing live motion pictures (rotoscoping) to create animation is not real animation, just as simulating a computer look using traditional animation is not real computer animation. Animation as a medium offers a control of elements that cannot be obtained any other way. Dressing an actor in a costume and heavy makeup to look like Popeye or Mickey Mouse is certainly missing the point of what animation is about. The real Popeye is not Robin Williams but the cartoon versions of the comic strip character done by Max Fleischer's Studio in the 30's are the true Popeyes. The Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck impersonators at Disney World are skillful impersonators of characters that have only existed in animation. No matter how good the actors, we still know that the real thing is the animated original.

It's okay to put Christopher Reeve in a Superman suit and say that he is the Man of Steel, because in this case the characters are imitating real life to a great degree, but the real Orphan Annie is neither a character that can be reproduced live or animated for best effect. The real Annie is the one in the comic strip with the blank eyes, the never changing red dress and the wisdom of a college professor. 

Animation in its purest state relates to the world of imagination. Why is it that television commercials use so little fantasy in their treatments? Fantasy is not only images moving against a star field, as might be expected from the constant graphics appearing at every twist of the tv dial. It is also clever use of imagery that can only come from artists' brains. Years ago it was natural for agencies to approach production houses for designs and storyboards for animated spots. It's been a long time since animators have been asked to create selling ideas on a regular basis, and a return to such a practice could well uncork commercials that would find appeal among viewers who are surfeit with repetitive live and animated images.

Once it becomes a habit again to think of animation as a medium of substance, a medium that can be molded and shaped in any form that the mind can devise, then the excitement of the form will be appreciated. Several years ago the master animator Grim Natwick, responsible for the creation of Betty Boop and for most of the animation of the Snow White character in the landmark Disney feature, was asked what he thought of animation. Natwick whose expertise had also embellished many short subjects as well as prominent television commercials responded with, "Animation is animation." A simple reply, yet a whole lot to ponder upon.

 

Mighty Mouse Sculpture 

An exhibit of original art, photos and memorabilia, related to the Terry-Toon Studio, will be displayed at the New Rochelle Public Library, starting November 13. The library on Lawton Street is not far from the center of town where Paul Terry's cartoon studio flourished for over 30 years. The exhibit commemorating the association of the studio with the city of New Rochelle had originally been displayed earlier this year, and is once more being placed on view for the public.

This time around there will be added a sculptured work depicting Mighty Mouse in full flight as a lasting remembrance to the fact that the popular character was created in New Rochelle. The sculptor Michael Lantz, a native and resident of the town and also the younger brother of Hollywood cartoon producer, Walter Lantz, fashioned the work from Terry-Toon model sheets and additional information from sketches by former Terry-Tooner, Eli Bauer. The sculpture will be on permanent display in the children's section of the library.

The exhibit encompasses the history of the cartoon studio from the time it was formed in New York city up to its demise as a production company in the 1960's. The studio moved to New Rochelle around 1933 and occupied two sites at various times The last building that housed the studio is now used by a film company that produces television commercials. The exhibit includes many photographs and cartoon drawings that were made during the Terry-Toon Studio's more than 50 years of operation. The public is invited to view the exhibit without charge. 

Howard Beckerman - "Animation Sale" - "Animation Spot" - Back Stage; New York Vol. 23, Iss. 41, (Oct 8, 1982): 26.

 Animation Sale  

By Howard Beckerman

With the economy the way it is, I thought I'd run a sale on animation this week. It seemed like a good idea after I noticed all of the marked down goods in store ads and rebates by manufacturers that are popping up in local newspapers. Flipping through the pages of a daily gazette suggested several ways for offering an animation sale, so I thought that if any other studio operators were looking for payments, or even no payments, I could offer some advice.  

The first thing is to mark everything down. Go to the local stationery store and get a batch of red tags, with strings attached, and tie them to drawings which you can hang in your window. It should look something like this: 

Notice that the character with the ears costs more than anything else, this is to cover royalty payments to the original creator. Another gimmick that is frequently used is the offer of a bonus. So on a large sheet of paper, say about a 16 field, write the following: "With every purchase you get a set of numbers so that you can make your own Academy Leader."  

Another device that is employed is the rebate. The customer buys something and then returns a form to the company which then rebates a set amount of money. The only reason they don't just mark down the item in the first place is they expect several people to lose the form, and then the rebate never happens. So,  

Now all of these machinations may seem strange at first, but remember using such ploys have been part and parcel of business for thousands of years. Animation should be considered no different than any other form of production, manufacturing or selling. How you exploit these sales methods is also very important. 

For instance, many companies feel that sales depend on the romantic association between the product and where it is made. Once upon a time when products came from Japan they were shoddy and cheap. Today that image has changed totally and almost everything worthwhile appears to have originated in the country whose main export is no longer paper parasols. In fact it has become American to proudly state that your product was made in Japan.  

So for the producer who wishes to attract business by extolling his product's place of origin, stickers should be ordered that say, "Made On 45th Street, N.Y. USA." California animation studios have an ever broader range of exotic and romantic locales to turn to, such as Australia, Taiwan, Korea and other wondrous ports of call that now export animation as they once proffered spices.  

Many businesses take into consideration the fact that their competition may. be enticing prospective clients with gifts, lunches, tickets to the theatre or meetings in pleasant surroundings. The clever animation producer has many choices at his/her disposal. If one takes into account the knowledge that the chief competitor of the cartoon medium is live action, a good idea would be to invest in some second hand cameras, tripod and lights. Set these up in an adjoining room and tell the clients that love live action that while you and your people are making their animated film, they can play to their hearts content in the other room with all the 'live' paraphernalia.  

For the clients that had their hearts set on computer animation but had to turn to traditional techniques and are still uneasy about that decision, there is the perfect solution. Rent a few electronic games, hand them a bag of quarters and while they are engrossed in the zap and glare of Pac Man you can animate away to your hearts content.  

I also have some consolation for producers and services who have invested a great deal of capital in electronic imaging and videotaping equipment. Even if new technology usurps your current machinery, have no fear, the price of new equipment will remain about the same. I say this, because I've noticed that since 1950, when a loaf of bread cost about 22 cents, a black and white television set cost about $200. Today a loaf of bread costs 90 cents and you can buy a color television set for about the same price as a 1950's black and white version.  

One last thing. This you will have to figure out for yourself. After you've told your happy client that lines cost 5 cents and circles a half a dollar, how will you get him to understand that the commercial will still cost $35,000 dollars? You will have to explain the drawings are the easy part, it's the overhead that has no money back guarantee. 

Howard Beckerman - "What Do The Lines Say?" - "Animation Spot" - Back Stage; New York Vol. 23, Iss. 40, (Oct 1, 1982): 22.

 What Do The Lines Say? 

By Howard Beckerman

     Animation is encountering a special revolution. Those precocious electronic twins, video-tape and computer graphics are out of short pants well into their adolescence, and they're strutting around showing off their stuff. It's gratifying to watch these newcomers blossom, but it is disconcerting to observe the growing generation gap between them and the parent mediums, film and animation.  

Howard Beckerman on the 1980's Home Video Revolution - "Animation Spot" - Back Stage; New York Vol. 23, Iss. 38/39, (Sep 17/24, 1982): 26/26, 32, 114.

Home Video

by Howard Beckerman

If, when I was a kid, had anyone told me that I could own a Hollywood movie, I would have been stunned by such a notion. As every kid knew, the movies belonged to the giant studios that manufactured them, and one thing was certain, you or I could never own one. We could pay to see all of those wonderful adventure and fantasy films, sit enthralled at the flashing images on the screen, but we couldn’t take the thing home with us.

Television changed all of that, it brought movies into our very own living rooms, and we began going to bed later and later, watching Hollywood classics into the wee hours of the morning. Still, none of us could actually own those films, I mean hold them in your hand. There have always been some movies available for home use, like the Castle Films that were abridged versions of the Hollywood product, and there were always sources where collectors could obtain legitimate 16mm prints of features that had fallen into the public domain, and some illegitimate sources that supplied pirated prints. Only with the advent of the home video recorder or disc player can we now be allowed to own an actual film and thereby control when we could view a movie and how many times.

Now, there are forces at work which may prevent us from buying cassettes or playback equipment without first paying a premium for the privilege.

Universal Pictures Corporation and Walt Disney Productions have brought such a case-against Sony Corporation, the original manufacturer of home video recorders. The problem is understandable. After years and years of controlling when and where audiences could see a film, the producers of the product now have no say in the matter. Anyone can purchase or record shows that they would otherwise have had to pay to see in a theater. The studios are reacting to what is obviously another revolution in the entertainment media.

Since before 1900, there has been constant change in how amusements, dramas and performances were made available to us. When vaudeville was the rage and there was no radio, movies or television, people gladly went to the local theaters. You could not take a vaudeville hoofer or magician home to entertain unless you were wealthy.

With the invention of the phonograph, things began to change. The invention came out of Edison’s original pursuit of a device that could be used to record voices in conjunction with the early telephones. However, in the 1870’s, not everyone owned a phone. Also the few lines that were available were often too busy to handle all the simultaneous calls. With an invention that could record a person’s voice, a message could be copied onto a tinfoil cylinder and be played again at a later time. It didn’t take long for someone to realize that the entertainment value of the new machine and popular performers were soon being recorded. For the first time the customer could now own the voice of Harry Lauder, Enrico Caruso, or Lillian Russell.

Somehow vaudeville survived this first revolution, in fact one helped the other. Harry Lauder’s popularity on the stage helped sell records and his records made him better known to others who then went to see him in the theater. It was good for all concerned. The important thing is that for the first time in the history of the world, a person could hear an entertainer or a symphony without leaving his home. The thing that killed vaudeville was the growing popularity of movies. Many of the vaudeville stars moved over to the film medium and others went into the next revolution which was radio.

Now, movies, which were silent without voice synchronization, could co-exist with phonograph records. You could go see a movie and when you returned home you could listen to Alexander’s Ragtime Band. All was right with the world. Then came radio and talking pictures. For a while the medium that suffered most was the recording industry. With all that other sound available to the populace, record sales dropped off. It looked as if the new electronic revolution was about to be the death knell of the phonograph record. Hardly. Soon business picked up, in fact it began to soar as film stars and radio personalities were in demand on recordings. All was well with the world once more.

Then, like a cartoon mallet on the head, television arrived. The movie studios who know that this new device was imminent for many and brought it to fruition while the film people just hoped it would go away.

Television did not go away, as we well know, but Hollywood did. The movie capital as it was, no longer exists. Coincident with the arrival of tv was the act of the government ordering the large studios to divest themselves of their theater holdings. Without control of the places to show their wares, these studios were now in competition with independents, often their own former contract stars, and the new medium, television. As each studio suffered reverses, it conveniently sold off to the new competitor much of its valuable library of movies. Paramount Pictures plucked itself from the grip of possible bankruptcy by selling all of its cartoons to other companies that have reaped the monetary benefits over the years. CBS acquired the Terry-Toon studio and its vast library, and they managed to rent them to advertisers for programming on other networks.

The subject of short subjects

Most people look upon film festivals as merely a contest to see who wins what. Actually, an international event that brings animators and filmmakers together at a friendly gathering, affords the participants an ideal opportunity to meet and share information and experiences. After the festival has brought down the curtain on its final night and everyone has gone home with fond memories tucked away in their brains, it is the mix of ideas and information absorbed from others as well as the inspired impressions that retain any importance. Somehow it is always more fun to derive a column from these combined thoughts rather than to just list a series of winners.

Charles Samu is a person who has spent several years gathering films from various animation centers throughout the world, first for Phoenix Films and presently for HBO. Since attendance at the major animation festivals is one way to see what is out there, Charles gets to go to all of them. I cannot always be available for such festivities, so I have come to rely on Charles Samu for information, and it was Samu who notified this column of the winners of the recent Ottawa festival and enabled us to get the news out to you immediately. Now that he is back, I queried him about a seminar that he chaired which related to a subject dear to the hearts of animators and producers, ‘‘Markets for Short Films.’’

The panel for this discussion included people who were active in some way with the production, distribution or use of short animated films. They explained to a large and enthusiastic audience several of the problems inherent in the short film field. After listening to Samu’s overview of the meeting, I realized that there was a great deal of pertinent information here for those of us involved in short film creation, but that the seminar revealed a Jack and Jill aspect about itself. By that, I mean that there seems to be a great need for short films, and this thought sends our hope running up the hill. On the other hand there are many pitfalls, usually involving money, which then sends us rolling back down the hill while our hopes come tumbling after.

 Bernice Coe, a member of the panel, formerly with CBS, and now functioning as an agent and distributor, made it known that there is a need for short; bright, humorous material in several of the cable areas. These films are used as fillers. Although there are many short films available, there are several problems with many of them. First of all the good ones are now all too familiar to the present audiences. I know as a fact that some local stations run some very good short movies until they are ragged and the audiences are bored through repetition. Many good films have the problem of being too long for slots that require subjects from one to five minutes. Also, some very fine animated shorts are too esoteric; they fall into the range of personal or art films that do not readily hold the attention of the average viewer who may decide to flip the dial to another channel, rather than slog through four minutes of geometric abstractions.

Since most cable networks don’t offer much money for films that are used, Coe feels that the way for a producer to make any profit is to keep the films, short and simple enough to ‘‘be made on the kitchen table.’”

Mary Silverman of the children’s program, Caliope, expressed the need for good short films for the younger set. Most producers in the United States do not create films for children, at least films for the very young child. Television and theatrical films are slanted toward the whole family and to teens and pre-teens. The idea on Saturday morning tv is that all kids aspire to be teenagers and so all of the shows cater to that level of thinking. Since little kids have no say in this matter, and certainly no money to directly influence advertisers or the sale of their products, they get short changed. Interestingly, it is in the socialist countries in which most of the fine children’s films are made. Over here, in free enterprise land, small children get pushed into the corner. Witness the way Captain Kangaroo was so often asked to remove himself to a less desirable hour, finally to be shunted from his daily programming schedule altogether. Since many films in this category do originate in Europe, there is still a need for children’s movies that are animated, have the sense and style of the best children’s books, and still appeal to an American audience without the added necessity of voice dubbing.

Mary Silverman uses films that are for very young children which run from three minutes to about ten minutes. Originally Caliope, which is part of the USA Network, was geared towards children in the 8 to 14 year old bracket. Now the program is on earlier in the morning and attracts a much younger group of kids.

Mike Nicholson operates one of the few centers for the screening of short films, at ““Off The Wall,’’ in Cam-bridge, Mass. Nicholson’s small theater caters to the college set that throng in to see everything from Bugs Bunny to Norman McLaren. ‘‘Off The Wall’’ relies heavily on the catalogues of 16mm distributors. Nicholson, however, voices the same concern, as do these distributors, over the prevalence of home video and cable programs that may be cutting in on the public showings of films. It is even more of a problem for “‘Off The Wall,’’ since they are not funded as are similar showcases such as the fine Film Forum theater in New York, nor can he just move into videotape and show what everyone is already seeing in their own living rooms. One fact that became clear throughout the seminar and brought home by the existence of Nicholson’s little cinema, was that the theatrical short has been dead for a long time and when you do see a short animated film, it is either at a festival, on television or at a specialized theater.

Eli Noyes is a New York producer who began inauspiciously by producing a clay animated film while still in college. This film, an extemporaneous and humorous use of clay, called simply, ‘‘Clay,’’ has been a best seller on the 16mm circuit since its inception over 10 years ago. Noyes has now moved into other areas which have included children’s films for national distributors like Learning Corporation, commercials for various agencies, and is now in preparation for a half hour show for tv. He has found that the market for independent films is very narrow. Even though distributors and cable outlets would like to use animated short films, the money from these sources is often not equal to production budgets in today’s inflated economy.

Other members of the panel included Sandy Mandelberger from Phoenix Films, New York, distributor of informational films and tapes; Brian Norris and Antoinette Moses from England, and Sam Freeman from Canada. It was revealed through discussion with Norris and Moses that Europeans are excited about home video tape and that this is now a growing phenomenon over there. In some countries overseas it has been common for people to rent television sets rather than buy them as is the custom here. Renting tapes for viewing of popular movies then fits into an accepted pattern.

The message apparently for anyone wishing to gain access to the new uses of short films seems to be: keep it simple, keep it short, keep it cheap and don’t ignore your audience. In other words, if you wish to obtain some success in the area of general audiences, don’t make an art film, but make a commercial film artfully.

Disney was the only one to understand the potentials of the tube and went full scale into developing shows for the medium, which helped him push new films and his original theme park ideas. Eventually other studios followed and so began full scale production of shows originating from the studios that once made the movies that held us spellbound in darkened theaters on long ago

Now the new revolution is at hand, the home video explosion. In effect it is not so much a revolution in the idea that you can record your favorite program. Since the end of World War II owners of reel-to-reel audio tape recorders have been recording desirable things through their high-fidelity.

Many of these people still purchased records, attended movies and pro-watched television. With the advent of the Compact Cassette, home recording became universal. The record business is not what it was a few years. The economy is not what it was a few years ago either and may industries finding it tough sledding. Many feel that the problem with the recording world is the ready availability of taping radio and the duping of records, Instead of every kid on the block buying a new album, one purchases it and everyone makes a copy of it. The convenience of print duplicating machines has created the same problem for the publishing field, so that if someone wished to Xerox a book they can do so without paying any tribute to its author publisher. Though duplicating in any manner is a copyright offense, there is no way of policing such actions.

It is interesting that the Disney people are in the vanguard in this way against Sony. Just recently they aired their 1941 feature, ‘‘Dumbo,”’ which I’m sure many people taped at home, then it was released for sale in video stores throughout the country. I wonder what the sales receipts show for it? I think that this corporation could use more of their founder’s thinking. When cartoon shorts appeared to be losing ground, Walt Disney began developing features. Some of these features still bring in handsome returns. Disney was also the only studio that actively pursued the licensing market. Money from spinoffs of Disney films must have gone into other ventures. When movies began losing out to television, he went into producing shows for this medium and also created Disneyland, which brings in more money than any individual animated feature. With the release of “Tron,” the Disney organization has tried to enter a world that includes an audience not limited to nine-years-olds. There are already Tron video games planted across the country, and video games are big money.

It is narrow thinking to penalize the viewer who wishes to record television programming for later viewing or for whatever personal reason. The entertainment media, has shown that it can survive and afford us with wonderful things when provided by persons with imagination and foresight. Instead of a tree piece suit, I think the large corporations ought to get one executive with ideas, give him a straw hat and a cane and send him on his merry way, He may come back with yet another revolution that we can all cash in on."

Howard Beckerman - "Animation Spot" - Back Stage; New York Vol. 23, Iss. 37, (Sep 10, 1982): 16, 56.

Back To School

By Howard Beckerman

I’ve sharpened my pencils, arranged my slides and brought the old Mickey Mouse movies down from the attic. It’s back to school time again. All across the nation, art schools, colleges and other institutions of learning are once more readying their premises to receive the hordes of interested young people that wish to get involved with animation. 

I expect that they will all be tramping in with versions of “Tron,” “E.T.” and ‘‘The Secret of NIMH” dancing through their brains. Their eyes will be all shiny from the glow of contemporary television commercials and program openings. They will be excited about the marvelous field of animation. They will want to do special effects. They will want jobs. 

I produce animated films, and like many other film professionals I teach my subject in schools in New York City. So I wonder, what will I tell these young people about the conditions in our business as they are at the moment? I could start with the frame of reference of some of the above mentioned features. Do they know for instance that the Disney organization, producers of ‘‘Tron,” went out of their own studio for the first time to gather story and production techniques when they engaged producer Steve Lissberger? Lissberger is young and just a few short years ago he was making films in school much like today’s group of students. After gaining some successes in commercial production, (he did the Bubblicious spots), he created a special animated hour for television entitled, Animalympics. For quite awhile he carried an idea around about doing an animated film, combining characters with popular video game imagery. 

The Disney people, in an effort to break out of the ‘‘G’’-rated trap that they had fallen into, listened to Lissberger’s ideas and out of these meetings “Tron” evolved as a combination live-action-animation-computer graphics production. 

The students should respond to that information as a positive hope for the future. Now instead of just learning the rudiments of drawing, design and animation they are going to have to become involved with computer technology. 

In regard to such productions as, ‘‘E.T.’’ and ‘‘Poltergeist,’’ and other assorted special effects epics it would be of interest to the new classes to know that an animators’ work is now not so obvious but hidden in among all of the effects techniques used in those films. In the old days, animation was strictly Donald Duck and Bugs Bunny, but now an animator has to know how to create natural and supernatural illusions to be incorporated into scenes that can be combined with live actors or three-dimensional models or matte paintings. Just being able to draw a character with a big nose or three fingers and a thumb is no longer enough for an animators’ bag of tricks. Not only must the skillful practitioners of film illusions be able to render water, smoke or fire with pencil or brush, but they must also understand how to use photo processes and video equipment to enhance such effects. 

So it would seem that there are many new problems to be solved by future animators, and there should be enough things to keep them occupied in the search for knowledge about all of these developing worlds. But what about traditional animation? What is happening there? Well I could point to all of the programs for children that abound on network television and show that there is still need for new material in that area, I would also have to explain that there has been labor unrest in Los Angeles where most of that work originates. The main cause of the discontent of the animation workers on the coast is that much of the work done on these shows is being performed outside the U.S. Are there not studios that employ animators to do traditional animation here, they might ask? Such as Disney and Don Bluth who are active in full animation projects. Yes that is true, but I might have to tell them that even for “Tron,” work was farmed out to Taiwan that could have been performed by these very same students. Also, even though audiences seem to enjoy animated films, there is no guarantee how well movies like “‘The Secret of NIMH” will fare at the box-office. Films like ‘‘E.T.”’ or ‘‘Star Wars,”’ which have been runaway successes beyond belief, do not require the years of commitment and the cumbersome staffs that an animated film worth its salt demands. 

Those studios that do have a vested interest in full feature animation are still excited about the potential of this form, Disney has, in recent years, begun to search out new young talent to maintain their leadership in this field. Much of what garners interest for Disney products at the theme parks, on television or in novelty stores is generated by that companies feature releases. There will always be a property that demands animation to bring it to the screen, and there will always be a producer who will get the backing to do it. 

It might be fun to show these students of animation a list of studios that dotted the New York area 20 years ago. There were about 40 or more companies listed then under union contract and about seventy-five percent of them were devoted to the production of cel animation, the other studios numbered were camera and optical services. Today a similar list would show that the majority of companies are engaged in producing camera effects and graphic representations rather than the cartoon variety of film. The list, by the way, would probably be much smaller since many of the studios that were around in those years have since disappeared. 

At this point I would have to explain that with the increase in cost for office space and with the tightening of the economy, studios are finding it tough going before they even get to the stage where they can bid on commercials or sponsored films. 

By now everybody should be at the edge of their seats wondering where the whole business is headed.

 I think that I would summarize everything by agreeing that business is not too good at the moment. However I am reminded of the words of a sage accountant who said, ‘Business is always bad. There is always some fault you can find with it. You just have to learn how to work with it and seek the best advantages.’’ How does this relate to those of us in the animation field, or for those trying to get a foothold in the business? It is important to remember that animation will always be a desirable commodity no matter what its end use is, Much of today’s technology actually has the potential of relieving a lot of the drudgrey that is connected with animation production. Unfortunately jobs fall by the wayside when new systems take charge. 

The advent of Xerox reproducion curtailed the hiring of young artists and inkers since the ’60’s and some computer generated productions may never require the talents that would normally be needed to complete animation done by traditional means. 

There is a danger in this field regarding over specialization. Years ago full character animation was the mainstay of the business. While there are still many desirable reasons to employ that technique, other styles have presently taken the stage away from humorous character spots. Now the camera shop that can streak and strobe magnificently with the aid of computerized equipment is riding high. As this form becomes tiresome something else will take its place and we will be off and running in another direction. Time has proven that depending on one technique or style of film production can lead to uninteresting results. Fashion moves much of this industry and fashions come and go. If there is any advice that one could proffer to those coming into the field as well as those of us already in the business it is to be versatile and keep an open mind. For those of us in animation everyday is ‘‘Back to School,”

1. Beckerman H. ANIMATION SPOT. Back Stage (Archive: 1960-2000). 1982;23(37):16-16, 56. http://mutex.gmu.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.mutex.gmu.edu/magazines/animation-spot/docview/1014540828/se-2?accountid=14541.