February Update: An Emotional Rollercoaster

Dear Patrons,

As I'm writing this, I'm sitting with a bowl of Udon soup in front of me. Somehow noodle soup has become a customary celebratory meal on my end. There's a lot to be happy about, but it also was quite the trip to get here, so let's jump right into it. 


TALES OF ZALE TV-SERIES:



When we last left off, we had had a broadcaster pitch, which had gone really well. As a result, we were invited in for a follow-up talk. Now, a well-received pitch can fill my stomach with butterflies for months to come, so I spent most of the beginning of January feeling quite good about where I was at. Of course, those happy days tend to invite great contrast. 

The week of the meeting was at hand - when suddenly, Monday morning, my Producer comes into the office, teary-eyed. One of our close project members had been hospitalized, and we weren't sure if they were going to survive. It's not my place to share news about somebody else's personal health, so I will only give the major beats as they relate to our efforts. Thankfully, shortly before we left for Copenhagen, we learned that the person would pull through - though obviously, they wouldn't be able to join us for the meeting.

It was a big relief, but in a week where my mom's workplace also been evacuated, and where one of my dear dog friends was put up for adoption (not dramatic events to the same degree of course, but it just adds to the pile), it just seemed like a time where everything could go wrong. 

And it kinda sorta did. We had been told that this was a follow-up talk to discuss the details of the project. What I had not expected, was that I'd have to pitch the project again. Everybody had already heard the pitch, after all. Nonetheless, half an hour before the meeting, we get the calendar invitation for the event where it says "pitch". We get a call from our Executive Producer, wishing us good luck with the "pitch". And we are shown into a meeting room with a big screen so that I can set up the pitch. 

THANKFULLY, I had brought my Ipad with the material on it, just in case. And after some technical hurdles, I manage to start the presentation. I've pitched this many times before, so of course I'm not at a total loss. But I really like to pick my words wisely ahead of time, because putting the emphasis in the right areas, especially when pitching to more traditional broadcasters, is so important. I didn't get to do that here - and what resulted was probably one of the messiest pitches I've ever done. One man down, we didn't get to talk about many practical details, and as we finish the meeting and return home I can't shake this sinking feeling that I hadn't been vigilant enough. I'm afraid that I missed my shot.

The weekend arrives and the emotional exhaustion hits me. I don't recall the last time I had such difficulty getting out of bed in the morning. Every detail and word of that day plays on repeat in my head, and my own doubts outweigh all the positive comments that were given. But day by day, hour by hour, those thoughts start to turn more constructive. By Monday, I've laid a plan in my head about how I think now is the time to push on, and send them a finished financing plan and budget ASAP - trusting that the creative work speaks for itself. Instead of sitting uneasy, now's the time to show initiative! 

Well, I'm partially right, but the initiative turns out not to be totally necessary, because the next day they call and ask for the material themselves. The Producer and I work overtime that day getting it all ready. And the next day, they have their meeting - and - 

we wait.

And we wait. We wait over a week for the news, the results of their meeting with all the higher-ups.

And life goes on. I'm out walking one of my dog friends when the Producer finally gets the call.



They love the project and would like to finance further development!

Now DISCLAIMER: this is NOT an announcement. There are still far too many unknowns at this point to really say anything for certain (development can be a LOT of things at this stage, and we gotta have another follow-up meeting to discuss this). And even then, this is no guarantee that the project will see the light of day as a TV series. There are still many more steps and hurdles before we reach that point, especially as they can't offer to finance full production - yet. But still, finally having a broadcaster as an ally is a BIG step that opens up many more possibilities for where Tales of Zale can go next. And just seeing the effect that our visual development work and our trailer has is a big validation of all of our efforts.


So yeah, that's the news! I usually keep it pretty vague, and I've made efforts to not name too many specifics. But I thought it might be interesting to get a small read into some of the ups and downs that come with this sort of journey. And the many tedious steps.


SOME INDUSTRY THOUGHTS:

On the note of "tedious", here's a thought that has been rummaging in my mind as of late. When one asks to be granted responsibility for a multi-million-dollar TV show, it's only natural that you'd have to move mountains to prove your worth. That doesn't really bother me, especially since TOZ is an ambitious project on multiple fronts. 

Still, I can't help but notice the discrepancy when I look at the young live-action Directors with whom I pitched at Nordic Talents those years ago when the journey of the Tales of Zale TV series first began. A good portion of them already have multiple TV series under their belt now, one even winning big at this year's Robert Awards (the Danish Oscars). On the other hand, the animation Directors whom I pitched with, and who dared to dream, have now almost all moved on.

When we were doing our financing plans, I had a look at what the Danish Film Institute had granted other TV series of similar minute count to Tales of Zale. Of course, there weren't any animated TV series to reference... because they hadn't supported any in the last decade, as far as I could see. But on the part of the live-action series, the numbers were often mind-boggling - the sort of numbers an animated project could only dream of being granted. We struggle, simply to give animators a decent wage - even though it's a highly skilled profession, which takes maaaany years to master. Those skills don't come to their right when all that the budgets can muster are rushed production pipelines and low ambitions.

The point is: if I do succeed with Tales of Zale (and that's still a big IF), if everything goes as smoothly as it can, I will be at least 30 by the time it releases. I will have spent 5-7 years getting one show off the ground, and I will likely be the youngest in Denmark to have done so. I will have started almost as early as humanly possible, and have proceeded almost as quickly as humanly possible. At least for any animated project of this type and scale.

So what about all the many others who wanted to walk the same path? I can't help but wonder how much talent and potential we waste by not giving people the right means and opportunities. Of course, I am only speaking from my own country's point of view, because there are certainly a lot of places where this is a lot worse. I'm lucky to live in a time where people before me have already put in efforts to give people like myself something to latch on to, even if it is only the scraps of the live-action industry at this point. I can only hope that if I do succeed somehow, this trodden path can be slightly more approachable for those that come next. But right now we're caught in a cycle of low budgets leading to low ambitions, leading to low skill development, leading to low quality, leading to low demand, and leading back to low budgets.

Well- that's a bit of an oversimplification that overlooks the institutional issues. But I have to stop the rant somewhere. As you may be able to tell, I'm in a bit of a writing mood today. These are simply some reflections on the landscape I trot, which I otherwise hesitate to lay public. After all, we have to lift each other up, rather than tear each other down. But it is also such a big part of my current every day that I can't help but think about this stuff, and I thought it could be another interesting insight. Still, there's a lot happening right now to be hopeful about.

If you can, support your local animation with your viewership. And if you live in Denmark, go watch some FredagsTamTam!




LEARNING TOON BOOM:



Alrighty, so time for some more fun stuff. Been working on learning Toon Boom - as you probably gathered from the top video. I'll be starting the new job as Animation Supervisor on Monday, and I'm pretty stoked to sink my teeth into it!



I've been using that other project that I started developing as a sort of testing ground. But before I could get started I spent some time searching for a main character design and style that I'd find appealing... and I'm still getting used to the whole "drawing humans"-thing again. I think it'll take me a while before I really truly loosen up. I know it's going to take a while to build up the right skillset, on the side of everything else, so I'm taking my time with it. But it's nice to have another side-thing while TOZ is out in the wild.





500K CELEBRATION STREAM

And, as the newest news, we just got to half a million views! And like most of the other milestones, it's one we have to celebrate! This time around with a livestream, Saturday, 7PM Copenhagen time. Unlike the other times, I don't really have a specific project I'll be working on or any solid plan. So if you have any suggestions for what I should draw or do feel free to let me know! Most of the time I just end up doodling and talking with the chat anyhow, but I'm up for taking requests and what-not this time around.




DRAW THIS IN YOUR STYLE!



I've been hosting a DTIYS! Mostly hosted over on my Instagram, since it was a celebration for all of a sudden passing 10k followers. But it kinda expanded into Twitter and the YouTube community tab. So if you want to join and share your creation, there are plenty of venues - just be sure to use #DTIYSTOZ or tag me over on YouTube. And, for a bit of behind-the-scenes, here's the original sketch too:



ROUND-UP:



So my sweet canary birds just started laying eggs! January was in many ways a really long month. All in all, it's been a lot of good for me, but a good deal of bad for people in my close proximity. So that has made my feelings a bit mixed. I'm happy about my own prospects - I get some real nice work experience supervising for these coming 6 months, and then I get to work on further development on my dream project. I'm beyond excited about that, and I'll keep giving it everything I have!! 

I'm able to do so because I think that what I do will ultimately also help others in the long run. Sometimes I just wish I had more power in the 'now'... But let's see what the future brings, and what hatches over time!