How much traction do animated shorts gain with you guys? Something on the order of the little squirrel thingie that Ice Age movies do. Before I pulled the trigger on a pitch I was wondering if it's just wasting my time unless you were only looking for feature length animateds. How short is TOO SHORT? in other words.
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Sure, if the short film is really really good and resonates with people. If it's a hit at festivals or goes viral that helps too. Usually . I look for people who already have a professional credit or two under their belt, so the short needs to be excellent.
I've seen shorts that at as short as 1-2 minutes that are great. It depends on your story. If you can make me feel an emotion, I'd say it's long enough.
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Thanks, Daniel! I particularly like the bit about emotion resonating.
If I understand your question correctly, you want to know if you should pitch a short to an established animation company for the purposes of production. If that is the case then I would say that in order to get traction with a animation studio, you probably need to see how the short fits into a larger creative strategy, since shorts themselves are not traditionally moneymakers; they almost always are meant as calling cards or proofs of a concept. (The squirrel, for instance, is generally used to generate buzz for the next Ice Age features.)
So, if you are reaching out to studios with a pitch, I think it depends on what you are trying to showcase with your short. Is it a proof of concept for a larger project? Is it to demonstrate your writing and storytelling ability? As with live-action shorts, ask yourself how it fits into your larger creative and business strategy for your career.
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Thank you Jason! I don't normally write animations. I've written quite a few short scripts, many of them based on short stories I've had published by various publishers over the years. (several are in my log line file here) My brand is science fiction and fantasy. "All Sorts of Dragons" was published by KId's 'magination magazine in 2011 and it really begs for an animation in my opinion. It's only 8 pages though. :( But, it "does" showcase my story telling.
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Some killer info right there from Mr. Kendrick and Mr. Mirch!
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I am soooo stoked! Thanks again guys!
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Awesome. Thank you for this fruitful information.