The Business of Animation & A Workshop with ToonBoom

As usual, this week we have a lot going on at BA Animation 4th Year. For the lecture on Wednesday morning we have not just one but three guests, followed by two special events courtesy of ToonBoom Animation.    

The Lecture (11 am, S235): 

First up is Tony Tarantini, who will give us a quick update on the preparations for Industry Day. This is a short presentation, as Tony will give a much more in-depth look at Industry Day in a few weeks. 

Next up is a special visitor, Josh Bowen from Bite On Mondo (http://mondo.bite.ca), an online animation series. Josh is interested in your story ideas, character designs, and series pitches, in fact, he's interested in just about anything you have that Bite On Mondo might be able to use in its online shows. But be sure to read the fine print, because the devil is in the details! 

What concerns me is some of the legalistic text in the "Agreement" page of the website, in particular the "Waiver on use of similar or identical material" (page 2.)    Basically, it says that your creative material is not unique or even original. While that may or may not be true, it seems to be written into the "Agreement" in order to forestall any legal complaint from you should your creative material mysteriously appear in animated videos on the Bite On Mondo website. 


Last but not least, we have the renowned James Caswell, who will offer us the fruit of his years of experience in the animation business. Perhaps he has dealt with Bite On Mondo or similar organizations and can provide some insight into their methods?

The Workshop (2 pm, A150)

We have a special guest from ToonBoom presenting some of the interesting things their software makes possible. In their words:

The Toon Boom Pipeline, a review of how Toon Boom products are being used in current studio workflows (i.e. Nelvana & Mercury). The focus will be on how Harmony and Storyboard Pro's advanced features are allowing studios to push the envelope of traditional/tradigital animation. 

The Sales Pitch (6 pm, location TBA, but I'm guessing S235) 

6-7:30 - Open session - Toon Boom product review with a focus on new features and tools in Harmony 10. Lilly with share how Ari Folman used Harmony in his 2013 live action/animation film "The Congress".  This is usually a talk that also allows opportunity for Q&A.