Creating a studio

#1

I wasnt sure what category to put this thread in so sorry if its wrong.

I want to set up a animation studio to do like TV series but I was wondering whats the best way to go about this, because I think the biggest problem is funding so I would probably need a job eslewhere and save up for a studio and use youtube and other similar sites to get out animations and entering animaiton festivals can help, but what would be the best way to start up a animation studio which can actually produce stuff because I do have a concept of how hard it is to get anywhere why sticking with TV because wouldnt stand a chance in movies.

I want to set it up after I get my degree in animation and special effects or after I get a masters if I choose to so it will be in a year or two, or if I really have trouble I will gradually built up even if takes me 10 years.

Any tips will be helpful please dont say “oh your gonna fail” or "you’ll never do it"blah blah because no one will know whats going to happen unless someone tries.

#2

I don’t have an experience yet in building a animation or sfx studio, but I have a couple of friends who’ve already started their own studio. And based from their experience, I’d suggest to work first at a known studio, not only for saving money and build your own later, but also to get in to the industry and learn about it. This way, when the times come for you to start your own studio, you’ll know what to do and what to avoid.

Hopefully this helps.

#3

You have to establish a client base too - which is also why you need to get some work in the industry, to make the contacts that will eventually become or lead you to your customers.

#4

Thanks a lot, I was thinking about spending 5-6 years in the industry then settling down for a studio, so I am guessing be good to do stuff that will build up a reputation that can help you get contacts. Thanks for all your help

#5

Also have a budget and plan for marketing your product. The studio wont work if you have a product but no one to show or sell it to.

#6

I have a small studio myself with two others, we do volunteer work.

Starting a studio to make money is starting a buisness. So learn about starting a buisness if you want to own a succussful studio.

If you’re an artist and like creating I’d focus on that.

People these days want to start at the top. Being the boss and making all the desicsions. It sounds like you haven’t even finished school and you want to own your own studio.

If you like creating then focus on that.

If you like buisness then focus on that.

a studio is another word for buisness. You’re just creating shows and not paper clips.

Disney spends more money on marketing then anything else. Like 50 million maybe more. That’s why people watch there movies. Because people know about them. No one knows no one watches.

anyway . .

my advice is get a great pilot together and shop it around for someone else to do the buisness end. Then you can keep creating which is what you like, right?

or are you interested in money?

If you are the boss then you are the buinsess manager, accountant, marketing director etc . . . no time to have fun creating. Boring

Let someone else deal with the money. You’ll get paid.

You get my drift mate?

So what do you want? To create? Or make money?

Do you want a job to focus on creating or making money?

#7

I do get the ‘drift’ I did business at school so I know about budgeting and finanace. Also already thought of ways to advertise and what not granted aint finished university but already talked to some ppl about it who explained bits further. I got plenty of well solidifed ideas so even if I had to do the business side and not the creating start but still had input into the directing then I would be happy. I know that a studio is a business aint a kid, I would start of small either myself or with some close friends who may even have to do a second job to keep money coming in, so I aint going ithinking about it blindly but thanks for the feedback.

#8

Sorry about my arogance mate.

I just know that as an artist when I get sucked into the business side I lose my creative side. So I wanted to give the question of what do you want? We are limited in our energy, time etc so we need to focus and not try and do it all I think.

#9

This probelem of creativity vs buisness has been weighing so heavily on me I barely even want to finish school much less step into the industry! Most artists going to the ‘creative’ side hardly care about the work they’re given much less that they are being given someone else’s work to do. The artists who starting thinking about heading towards the ‘buisness’ sides are the ones driven by their own ideas and want total control over them as well as the privelage to make a living from them.

What no one in that category wants however is a “Oswald” or “Richard Williams” scenario to hit them were their character, story, or film gets taken (robbed in their minds) from them or manipulated in any way that murders the reason they wanted their idea to exist in the first place. So these artists desire the first and foremost position in the industry because that is the only way they can feel secure in doing what they want to less on the money-making side but more on the side where they don’t have to conform to anyone. If copyright laws and production costs weren’t so intertwined: one could write a movie/comic/tv series and put it one the shelf for 10 to maybe 50 years before gaining the capital necessary to get it done with the largest crew in the quickest amount of time; and you wouldn’t have to worry that someone would come up with the same idea and steal your audience from you!

Why does the legal side have to fall under the ‘buisness’ route?

The other probelem with starting your own studio or getting a team to help enact your idea is the demographic. Youtube is hardly going to bring a paying audience, but it would bring a large audience nonetheless, depending on what they favor…According to CartoonBrew, Charlie the Unicorn is all that’s going to pay the rent or the utilities for us nowadays, if that’s the only audience we can reach. So you would be screwed if your story didn’t fall under that genre/demographic/style! How does Disney/PDI/ILM/Lucas/etc seem to not only predict but predetermine what demographic will pay for their stories and their merchandise and how large it would be? What does it take for any of us to get that kind of power before we run out of time to present all of our work?

#10

You can read 3D Animation Bible by John Averakis :wink:

#11

I’ve been an artist my whole life. I thought music was the pureist route because I saw bands like tool doing well and portus head. Non-commercial bands making money. But I met the members of tool and they weren’t happy. So I dropped that pursuit of happiness.

I now volunteer my creativity to God. It’s what I was looking for. Our natural position is to serve God. We’re all serving anyway. Even bands like tool or the small indie band “it’s all about the music” guys. Thet’re all serving someone or their minds.

So forget serving for money. Serve God. He’ll take care of the money. I promise you and he promises you mate. There is a perfect solution.

thanks
Jason

#12

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