Dear AWN Visitors;
If any of you have been following the progression of this forums thread on "television commercials" our small 2D studio arose as a subject. As one contributor suggests, the subject has taken a shift away from this threads original intent and thus, this new thread has begun for whatever it is worth. As the founder of a few companies (bragging unintentional) as well as www.SavedDisney.com and www.hignitesmiraclestudios.com I would be happy to contribute to whatver "good" I can do on your forum on a periodic basis. While we are all top expert on our own opinions, frankly most of you are substantialy bigger experts on most anything I can think of which is Animation related. While I do love traditional 2D I am a relative new-comer to your world and have been satisfied gleening knowledge from your many comments over the past year.
Nonetheless(spelling is another weakness), since I opened the door, I am very happy for any attention given and will answer or comment if there is any further intrest. As to the one question already asked , yes, the Demo on our site is our only fully completed piece. We are nearing the finish of a second peice and are in-progress on our feaure.
Blessings
Tom Hignite
Pres. Miracle Companies Inc.
Another "Miracle"
By miracle_sets | Sunday, September 4, 2005 at 8:22pm
#1
Another "Miracle"
Very cool. Thanks for coming back.
Do you have any "sneak peaks" for us on your upcoming projects?
Producing solidily ok animation since 2001.
www.galaxy12.com
Now with more doodling!
www.galaxy12.com/latenight
yeah my thread got jacked. but it was nonetheless. :D
ive seen your demo. good stuff. mate.
I like the fact that you are keeping traditional animation alive.Your add for miracle homes was very well done i wish the best of luck to you and your company. :D
because you are the man behind the add what does miracle mouse say at the end? cheese whiz? :D
Just a question, sorry if it offends but are you a native english speaker? , is this an off shore studio?
Pat Hacker, Visit Scooter's World.
Sorry for the delay but it got late last night and now I am rushing a bit to make an appointment. I will be happy to put a few sneak-peeks onto our regular Hignitesmiraclestudios wbsite. I will see to this with-in the next 48/72 hours. I can place them in our "Demo" section. We are currently developing our secondary characters such as Miracle Mouses friend who is a large beaver .
Yes , while I know it is a throw-away line that is not particularly funny, it is "Cheese-Wizz" instead of Gee-Wiz. Since he is a mouse and since we want to develop a few catch-phrases for him, this seemed a cute and quick natural. Any other ideas?
Lastly,(for now) we are not an off-shore studio. I was born and raised entirely in this Milwaukee area.
As an aside, it took us about 8 months to do the first demo commercial project with about 6 people. We went down a few false alleys in the process but now we can feel the character fairly well. Suprisingly, we have not recieved much feed-back from animation buffs before your postings. Good or bad, we all really appreciate your comments because we will listen and even modify our ideas based on feed-back. Thanks for your time and perhaps I will check back later tonite to see your thoughts.
Thanks and blessings
Tom Hignite
Catch phrases are tricky. It may work if you stick with it. Have you tried any others? Cheese-whiz may work particularly well with your core Wisconsin audience. I'll think about it.
I'm looking forward to seeing some more of your character design and sneak peaks at what you're working on. I think it's exciting to see a new studio open up IN the US instead of automatically hiring out overseas.
I was thinking about the piece in general and especially the music. It sounds good (ie, high quality) and it's very grand. I just think it might be a bit too much for such a complicated visual style. It's a bit of an overload. On the one hand you have this incredibly ornate and detailed animation style, with lots to look at. On the other you have a very detailed, full sounding orchestra playing with it.... all in 30 seconds, complete with a relatively dense script, and a number of scene, character, and background changes.
It ends up feeling rushed and like your brain never really caught on to what was going on before it was over. I had to watch it several times before I really caught on to everything, and even then it still felt hectic. Either the visual style could be simplified a little or the music (possibly both). It could be as simple as simplifying the backgrounds by just a little and using a smaller set of instruments (one melodic, one rhythmic). I'm not in advertising, that's just my 2 cents.
Producing solidily ok animation since 2001.
www.galaxy12.com
Now with more doodling!
www.galaxy12.com/latenight
Actually i like add's like this.
Im tired of seeing the same boring commertial over and over again.If i see this one on television it can last for multiple viewings due to the fact that you dont get it all in one viewing.
Just like some of pascal's work there are so many things going on that you can watch it many times. :D
Hello again,
I'll take your "2 cents " worth or anyone elses for that matter with thanks. You suggest that the music sound too complicated or the piece seems to have a lot of content for a 30 second piece. Our friends and associates first impressions were varied but a few felt that they wanted the scenes to be longer because they were just getting interested in the characters then suddenly, they were gone. This echoes your sentiments pretty closely. I held the ultimate authority in the writing and pacing(acting director) and had only directed and written live action prior to this. I watched a deluge of animated pieces in preperation and decided that if I was going to error(which seemed likely in my first experience) I could error by either pacing it to slowly or too fast. I leaned on pacing it what I thought was a balance but in 20/20 hindsight, I would agree with you.
My mindthought I kept following was to make a(what I refer to as...) "layered" piece. That is to say I wanted a piece so rich in details and subtle backgrounds that new things could be discovered apon multiple viewings. It was funny to read Thunderobots view of the piece that draws a simular observation to this. So when you see the 113 hand animated leaves(each moves separatly) done by Troy Gustafson, or see Mike Lowerys richly detailed backgrounds (with awards on the walls for bing the "most expensive" homebuilder) , or the grass that blows and shifts as the car passes, or the cheese dangling in Miracle Mouses car windsheild, you are able to watch and see more each time. We may not have succeeded fully but this was the method to our madness, right or wrong.
As far as the music which you mention, I wrote the script with a good idea of how I envisioned the score to go. We went to Indianapolis in June and recorded it(scored by a Disney composer who happens to live north of Green Bay, Wisconsin) with a full 35 piece orchestra . The intent was to give it a sense of 1940/50's granduer where it seemed everything in animation was full orchestra. At the same time we recorded our 2nd commercials score as well. If you listen to our website opening, as well as the music played under me when I speak our mission statement, this was also part of that session.
I have seen a lot of avante gaurd or "cool" new styles of animation which I love however our goal is to "bring back" the golden era of classic styled animation so full orchestra tells that message. Lastly, I always say that in the end , the final piece must tell it's own story. If it takes this much explaination to excuse-away wy we did things , then the commercial probably has'nt succeeded in our ultimate goal to inform and entertain. Now I am facing a TIE. One AWN person seems to really like the piece as it is, and another suggests it does'nt fully work as-is. I would ask perhaps another reader to view it(www.hignitesmiraclestudios.com) and break the TIE. I assure you I will be reading your comments to my staff at our next meeting.
You all have been very helpful. Thanks and blessings
Tom Hignite
Pres. Miracle Companies Inc.
I also had to view it a few times to catch (most) everything! And I say that in a positive way!
It is packed door-to-door, but (I'm sure that's client driven!) 30 seconds isn't a lot of time to say much about buying a house...anyhoo, y'all say it with grace and quality.
Strangely, my only beef is the last shot, where the lad on the bottom right seems squished against the fence-post...a small issue at best, but there ya go!
Loved the music, loved the animation.
Two thumbs up!
Splatman:D
SPLAT digital
Thankyou for breaking the TIE and weighing in on our first project. Our animators read them and discussed them with great intrest. As for Splatman's comment on the fencepost apparently squeezing the live-action character on the right, it is amazing what a fresh set of eyes can reveal. Now that you mention it, I will never look at the piece the same again on that scene. We very well may alter the background(foreground in this case) painting to correct this. The fence device came about when we had orignally shot the live action in too narrow of a format to work with our widescreen animation. It actually was meant to mask a shoulder on the taller background person which was out of frame. It is certainly possible to make this fix. I may sound like a broken record but thankyou all for you comments. We will be posting (per your request) material on our up-coming second project, including an entirely hand rendered complicated scene(in semi-finished form) of our new character riding a swerving forklift.
Blessings
Tom Hignite
I'm looking forward to it! I'm glad our input may be useful to you all.
Producing solidily ok animation since 2001.
www.galaxy12.com
Now with more doodling!
www.galaxy12.com/latenight
Hi Tom, I've watched your animation a few times and from the first time, I got the point. You're a homebuilder and you're selling your homes. I would have to say your commercial did it's job.
True, it's more involved than the typical commercial but I say "have fun". Obviously, this is your company and you enjoy Disney and if you have the funds, keep it up. It's a nice piece. All the local companies I know do cheap , cheesy commercials and that works well because people remember them. I' can't think of any local companies that would do anything as elaborate as your commercial. I believe it will have the same effect though but in the opposite way, people are going to remember the "quality" as well as the Disney familiarity.
I couldn't quite tell what your goals are for your company. Is the company strictly for your love or are you trying to get clients? I only ask because it sounds like you are very much into the Disney style animation which you'll have to break away from if you are going the commercial route. You most likely will not have the luxary of spending 8 months on one commercial.
It almost sounded like you are just planning on doing your own thing, I really couldn't tell. Either way , I wish you the best of luck (and you'll have my resume tomorrow :D )
take care
Thankyou for your vote of confidence on our project number 1 . I must say that your opinion does not match your web name "killjoy". As for your question, we are in a most unique position when it comes to operating our studio. Because our small(and always growing) 2D studio is a division of a larger company, we do not have the common problems associated with commercial studios. Our goal is simple. We are in business to produce classic animated features. Because we are just beginning, we are organizing by producing 2 2D commercial pieces to get comfortable with operating proceedures and learn our main characters. We are in the process now of work-booking our first (musical) sequence for our first feature. Other studios find it difficult to work this way because if they do not do commercial jobs, they can not make their payroll.
We have a great creative freedom because none of our animation staff needs to be concerned about making payroll or paying the rent,etc. Our larger company is set up to do all of our clerical items and keep our lights. In short, they are our investor along with my personal funding as well. We all realize that it will take many scores of animators to realize a full feature and are prepared to grow steadily to acheive our goal. So, you see, while we would not turn-away a paying job( I would welcome it for the experience) we are not in desparation for work either. We do it mostly for the love of the art. My main purpose is to nurture and grow this company by creating a group of talent who are capable of remembering, embracing, cultivating, and continuing the tradition of Disney animation. I know this sounds a tad "corney" but I have always believed that if we take care the quality, the public will ultimatly take care of our paychecks. We have found this a winning formula in home building, and I trust the public will embrace it in entertainment as well. I will look forward to reading your resume.
Thanks and blessings
Tom Hignite
Pres. /Miracle Companies Inc.
This should have been a postscript to my prvious response. We do have a classified ad posted presently on your AWN website which "Killjoy" was responding too. Here's a question which I have been pondering. When I first traveled to Orlando about 2 years ago, there were lots of newly laid-off Disney animators to interview. When we traveled to Orlando 1 year ago, the responses for interviews were far less. Our advertising for Orlando animators this year are virtually non-existant. It is helpful(although not mandatory) to hire folks who have shared the same kind of backgrounds in a common workplace. Since we have several folks from Disney's Orlando studio, we have kept a keen eye to this area. Some animators have gone to Project Firefly studio but WHERE DID THE REST ALL GO??? When we traveled to California this May, we found the same. Is our seeming lack of intrest because everyone is switching to 3D or is it because everyone has moved out of animation, or is it because folks are afraid of a new studio, or is it Wisconsin, or all of the above? What are out of work animators doing now? Just really curious.
Tom
The answer is - yes :) Orlando, for animators, was a one-company town, but at least it was a big company. Wisconsin, I imagine, is a one-company state, and a pretty small company currently. Given that a lot of ex-Disneyites moved to Orlando to work and got burned once, they may be skittish about moving again to a "non-center-of-show-business" location and run the risk of getting burned again. Better to be unemployed somewhere that there's an outside chance of finding a gig than to be unemployed in the middle of nowhere.
No offense to Wisconsin meant. I love your cheese curds :D
I can see where some people might find the ad a bit busy, or too much to take in. Maybe it doesn't get the message across as well as it could, but it is a nice spot nevertheless. I think what really comes across regardless, is that your company seems to take pride in it's work rather than cut corners. On that level the ad succeeds. And it looks gorgeous.
I read the article on your website, and that you hoped to break into features, including one centered around Miracle Mouse. I would like to see that, but I would question the wisdom about building a feature around a commercial mascot. For example, would you want to see a feature centered around Snap Crackle and Pop? I think Disney made the right decision when he did "Snow White" instead of a Mickey Mouse vehicle. You could still maybe work in a cameo role for Miracle Mouse, or have him 'present' the film. Anyway, I'm sure you already have plenty of ideas, and whatever you choose to go with, you will have your work cut out. Do you plan on doing any short to medium length projects initially?
I think DSB hit it right on. Some of the other reasons you had mentioned are also a factor.
I live in pretty much the one studio state also, it was a commercial house mainly(Cap'n Crunch, Tony the Tiger, Raid, etc..). Anyway, they moved and then were bought by Vinton Studios. Since then we (animators) have worked at a few start up companies (independant features) which have all failed from funding.
I'm quite sure I'm not the only animator who has gone through this type of situation. I know for myself it would be hard to pack up the family and move to Wisconsin, as nice as it would be. Heck, I haven't even been able to move to the animation hubs.
I'm sure you'll find some more animators but maybe it might be worth a thought of working a little remote (for a little bit). If not just for clean-up and paint.
best of luck
I was thinking more along the lines of cheesy. Delicious, Wisconsin cheesy. Personally, I think that's great. I love that someone cares so much about this artform and really thinks it deserves to continue.
As far as where have the Disney animators gone? Not sure, I imagine if they wanted to they were snapped up pretty quickly by smaller studios (or even supervising in other countries), some went on to 3D, and some just left it all together. Just a guess though.
Some of them went on to create this documentary. It may explain more. I haven't had a chance to see it yet.
http://www.dreamonsillydreamer.com/
Producing solidily ok animation since 2001.
www.galaxy12.com
Now with more doodling!
www.galaxy12.com/latenight
There are alot of us out there still looking for the 2D world here in the great US of A. Most of us feel that it will come back and live side by side with 3D. Both are great mediums and have a place in this world (even the USA).
Patience is the key to this little set back. We will be back!!! :rolleyes:
Hello again AWN animators,
Each night, I am continually gradified that even a few of you have taken the time to weigh-in on our first animated project(get ready for the "plug") at www.hignitesmiraclestudios.com and to attempt to answer my question as to where have all the Florida 2D animators gone? Yes K Diddy 13, I have knowen about Dan and Tonys documentary "Dream On Silly Dreamer" for quite a while but have not seen it yet. I have talked to associates who have seen it , but it does not really answer the question of where they are today. I do nonetheless,appreciate your attempt to help. As an update on your prvious request to see more of our up-coming work that our studio is doing, a few pieces of character work as well as the Troy Gustafson agressive hand animation of a swerving fork-lift vehicle should be on the Hignites Miracle Studios site (whew!.... that was quite a run-on sentence) If it is not appearing tonight, than my web master assures me it will appear (under the Demo section I believe) very soon.
Thankyou "Ant-Eater" for viewing the piece and I will count your kind "gorgeous" comment as a very positive endorsement. You too mention that there is an awful lot of content and scenes to obsorb in a short period of time. This has been a common thread in the comments to date. Our second piece(completing near the end of October) was concieved to be an even faster paced production. YIKES, we will have to weigh that idea again. The sound track and dialog are already cut but.... As far as centering a feature around this commercial character, your comment is well placed . Our take on this is that Miracle Mouse is only recognized by a few thousand people on a local basis. He may not "play" well in the Milwaukee or Green Bay box office, but this is so small compared to the worldwide box office, so it really should not matter in the big picture. We have 2 other(big talk from a start-up studio who has only one small piece to it,s name) features in mind for our second and third pieces which hinge on this piece being first. These 2 other features stand on their own feet but our idea of relating them, shall I say , is unique. Mickey came before Snow White. In that era animated short subjects were in demand,. Since today a short-subject has limited marketability, we have no plans to do a short at this time. If anyone has a differing opinion, I am all ears.
To "Riolobo" , you and I are in agreement, 2D is not dead in America, it is only in hibernation. Until it does return, I have a rare opportunity to work with some of the best talent that major studios have ever trained. From that vantage of selfishness, I am all smiles to have a trained pool of talent available. Form my hearts vantage point, I am truly saddened that this vast talent pool has been digaurded pretty much for reasons of money. While money is important, the viewing audience of a feature does not know or care about how much money was saved. The audience only is left(for eternity) with the quality of the product. From my view, despite the beauty of some over-seas features, America has always been the leader with Disney at the forefront.
Lastly, to "DSB" ,as you may gather from my comments, I sympathize with many ex-Disneyites who got burned from a large company such as Disney. Your comment about Wisconsin not being exactly the center of the entertainment empire cannot be argued. We have have 5 animators who are on staff that worked at the Orlando studio. Each had to come to grips with the same set of thoughts. Still, it would seem that if I were in the shoes of a burned ex-Disneyite animator I would at very least want to be interviewed and ask a few questions to ANY animation company who would come to Orlando. Since 5 Orlando animators have already taken the plunge, does't it make you just curious enough to warrant an hour of time to explore the possibilities? Disney did not start-off as DISNEY and Pixar did not start-off as PIXAR. They too, were new at some time. New, I contend is many times "safer" than old as is clearly evidenced in that Disney is "old and I am "new and guess who is still doing 2D animation. It all depends on your point of view. Just ask those broken hearted Disney animators in Austrailia how Wisconsin sounds right now. I respect your opinion and thankyou for your frank honesty. That seems like a good spot to end for now with my....
Thanks and Blessings
Tom Hignite
I think that the main point is that it's not real easy to move to a non-industry center (LA, Bay Area, and lesser so New York/Boston, for instance), not that it isn't a great place to work or live. The entertainment industry is a fickle one. I tend to move from company to company once a year or so as projects end and others begin (some jobs last longer, but they're few). Living in an area where there are more options is just easier to deal with that uncertainty.
Producing solidily ok animation since 2001.
www.galaxy12.com
Now with more doodling!
www.galaxy12.com/latenight
Tom, they're talking about you at AnimationNation.com. Might stick your head in there. It takes two acts of God and the third act of Macbeth to get approval to post, though. Figure on a week.
Yeah, I read that thread too. You aren't kidding about getting on, I had an account there and it's been dormant because I got out of animation for a while. I tried to get back on last week and it was a huge pain so I gave up.
Don't get me wrong , they were going to get me on (they're good people) and I imagine since Charles posted the original thread about you, he'll get you on the forums quickly. Only thing is, they said they are moving to a fee.
Anyway, they were talking about saveddisney. I have to read that again but they thought it was counterproductive to what you are doing. Like I said , I have to look at the site again but are you saying "saved" Disney as opposed to "save" disney. Meaning that you are trying to save the Disney style with your studio rather than trying to get Disney to get going again?
I'll go read again.
Tom, I agree with you that Disney wasn't always "Disney", and Pixar wasn't always "Pixar". However, Walt relocated to L.A. from Kansas City because L.A. was where filmmaking was centered, and Pixar started as an arm of ILM, which was a successful enterprise with a track record when Pixar started.
In your case, and with all due respect, you're an unproven quantity (albeit with a gorgeous piece of work to your credit), with studios pretty far from any other production center. It's to your credit that you've got five ex-Orlandoites to move there, but by the same token you really shouldn't be surprised that people aren't willing to move to Wisconsin en masse.
Let's turn it around for a second - would you relocate your studio to Orlando if it meant that you could have access to all the talent you want? That of course means uprooting your family and business, dealing with all the logistics of physically getting there (both you and your stuff), and learning the ropes of living in a new area of the country. If you can't honestly say "yes, I'd do it in a heartbeat" and really mean it, then you shouldn't really be surprised that the talent pool feels the same way.
Finally, and again with all due respect, you're not in the shoes of ex-Disney folks in Orlando. You're not being asked to uproot your life and move it halfway across the country. Some just don't want to do that - I have several friends who worked there, and they want to stay in Orlando, even with the studio closed.
You might want to consider whether you'd be willing to work with these people remotely. You're absolutely correct that there is a tremendous talent pool there, and with the internet, ftp, and cheap technology, remote contractors could be part of the solution you're looking for.
I'm very much looking forward to seeing the work your studio produces. If you keep up the quality shown in your first piece, it will be a credit to independent studios and U.S. based production. Good luck!
Wisconsin? Why not? Sounds as crazy as Ottawa.
I've sent Tom a private message when I discovered he was here....just so I wasn't talking about him/studio behind his back.
Wisconsin isn't any more crazy than Bluth moving to Ireland or to Phoenix. I think you're doing the right thing. The home-building business is what's paying the bills, and the last thing you want to do is put that at risk. I think it's healthy to see more films coming from outside the Hollywood/L.A. environment. They usually have a different perspective, and are not so easily swayed by trends. That's one of the things that made the Florida studio's output special.
Just to get back to what I was saying about your mouse character. In the newspaper article, it mentions that some have compared it to Mickey Mouse. Now that doesn't immediately jump out at me, I think as a trademark, it looks different enough. But as a character, what happens when he takes his helmet off? Do his ears spring up like Mickey's? Would he wear the helmet for the whole film to hide this? The other problem I see is the character's name. As a mascot for your business it makes perfect sense, but as a character name, what is the logic behind it? Does he go around doing miracles? Would the other characters call him "Miracle" for short? I don't know exactly what you have in mind, and there may be good answers to all these questions, but as you seem open to our reactions, that's what occurs to me.
One of the tougher nuts to crack for independent producers is distribution. I think there is a danger that distributors would view such a film as a feature-length advertisement, and steer clear.
DSB, you have a good point about relocating. I feel though that if an individual has been really bitten by the animation bug and wants to animate location is not really going to matter. As you can clearly see it has become a game of chance at any studio. How long is it going to last?! I have seen many in the animation field relocate over seas just to be able to stay in animation. That is true didication
I have seen the quality that Miracle Studios is doing and I can see a sincere love for the art of animation. I liked it enough to send a resume. What have I got to lose. If it takes off then great, if not I will continue to search for my next animation fix.
I have also come to relize that animators are like nomades. :)
Riolobo, I'd agree with you but you also have to see the individual. Unfortunately, it's a bit harder when you have a family to pick up and keep moving when you can stay in a central location and hopefully have a few more options.
If I were single with no kids , I'd be everywhere. Much easier to take risks.
DSB, I mentioned the remote thing too since I think it's a good option to look at until you get those that feel secure about the move.
if that were an option, there's 5 animators here that would be sending resumes.
anyway Tom, it's a great thing you are doing . That's for sure.
Greetings to all the members of this forum;
I agree with riolobo about the nomadic nature of this business. Originally from L.A., I started with Hanna-Barbera Prods in July of 1976. I am now in my 30th year in this industry, having worked for H-B (6yrs), Filmation (4yrs), Bluth (6yrs), Disney (8yrs) and too many studios to list here.
Although the majority of my career has been spent in L.A, I have animated or supervised production in the the central coast of California, the bay area, the Philippines, Korea and Hong Kong.
I moved to Orlando in '96, spent 8 years with Walt Disney Feature Animation. Most recently I was in Tempe Arizona working on a feature.
The point is....I am an animator. I loved it as a kid watching it and am very grateful to have had a career doing something I love. It isn't about Where I do it as long as I can continue to do it. It's in my blood, it's who I am. So if I have to travel and see new places to pursue my career, so be it. I feel blessed to be a working professional doing something I'd probably do as a hobby if I wasn't being paid to do it.
Wisconsin? Hey, at least it's in the good ole USA, right where it should be. I commend the folks at Miracle studios for keeping a truly American art form right where it belongs....America!!!
The best of luck to all those at Miracle. I have worked with many of them and they are a very talented bunch. Keep up the good work!!
Well, that's my rant. Sorry it took so long. Best wishes to all who love this art form.
Sure, moving around is part of being in this business. Heck, I've done it myself. The point I'm trying to make is that Tom is questioning why folks don't want to discuss going to work for him. I'm suggesting that maybe they don't want to move to where he is. Plain and simple. It's their choice, just as it is his choice to keep his business wherever he wants. He asked the question; I'm merely provided one possible answer.
That's the point I was trying to make as well. I'll move around, but now that I have a family, I'm going to think twice about moving someplace that, if it doesn't work out, I'll have to move from again. And to top it off, you're a relatively unproven quantity. Studios with a track record, that includes a number of features, close all the time. The smaller the company, the more likely it is to slip under. It's just how it is, and I definitely hope you succeed at your goals.
That being said, it hasn't stopped me from moving from New York to the Bay Area to New Zealand and probably back to the North East. It's all a matter of weighing the pluses and minuses of moving around. A new, unproven company hundreds of miles from any other company, doesn't weigh as heavily as proven companies with impressive credentials near other companies.
Producing solidily ok animation since 2001.
www.galaxy12.com
Now with more doodling!
www.galaxy12.com/latenight
Hello again to my new "friends" in animation,
With 7 different responses in the past day, and with a new thread being started on Animation Nation, this writing is going to get real wordy but here it goes.
First to "Killjoy" who is asking what our(get ready)www.SavedDisney.com website is really meaning by the word "saved". The word saved just seems to fit on so many levels as well as being easy to remember and pay our respects to the previous great site, Save Disney. Roy Disney ,who started the old site had a fantastic site and I can only hope to hold a candle to the old site. This site gave me many pieces of information and inspirations for several years while I followed Disney news. When I heard that it was closing, I began to file and Save this sites content. I attempted to contact Roy, Stanley(Gold), and the old sites webmaster to see if the site could somehow stay alive. My e-mails were not answered. In the final days of the site, I made the decision that this site was important enough to be maintained(and expensive enough too). In my opening statement on the new Saved Disney site, I make no prtenses that this site DOES serve as a tool to get the word out about our new studio as well. If you log onto the animation Links page on the site and go to Animated Buzz forum(A Cal Arts students site) one young reader asserts strongly that this is a poor copy of the previous site but then closes by wishing the old site was back. I hope the site improves and know it will every day but I would offer that a poor copy is better than no copy at all.
Now, to answer the original question, you may view the word "saved" to mean that we have attempted to save the old site. You may view it that we are attempting to be a place to have 'saved" Disney news articles and opinions, or you may view it as though we, in our own small way are attempting to keep a small part of Disney 2D alive by saving some of it's essence, artists, and ideas. There is no right answer except that the name works on many levels.
To "DSB" and his question as to whether I would consider moving to Orlando if it meant that I could get all the talent I wanted. You have always posted great comments and with your provoking views, I can surely say that I do better understand the situation of why ex-Disney animators are hesitant to re-locate. As "Anteater" smartly points out, the company that feeds our studio(home building) can not move easily to Orlando, so we must keep the studio in Wisconsin in order for my involvement in both.I must underline,however, one error in thinking that has been mentioned a few times. There ARE several other animation studios with-in one and a half hours south of us in Chicago. Ther is even a small sudio(5 people) forty-five minutes south in Racine. You and others are quite right in saying that I am an "unknowen Quantity" in this field. More important in this are two things. The financial stregth of the company and the commitment of the principals. To know either of these would require an interview and maybe a trip to the area. My only contention was why toher Orlando folks have not en-mass submitted inquiries to at least explore it? People are built differently and many want to explore every option while others do not. Ther is a lot to be said about re-locating to a cold climate and that's FOR SURE.
As far as potentialy considering outsourcing some work, I feel strongly that one-on-one "eyeball" comunication is critical to assuring stringent quality of product. I have some of the top talent I could possibly hope for right in my own studio and yet, we are constantly helping, communicating , and correcting each other. Ther is one thing that is simply not possible doing long-distance. I believe in constant "teambuilding". This means having our entire studio go out to luch frequently together. This means taking company(family) paid trips together. This means that when a new Animated DVD is released, I can gather everyone in our projection lounge and enjoy it to gether and personaly hand each person a copy of it. If I could not call everyone together to celebrate one of our staff kids birthdays or take a movie and dinner with our animators, we would lose what makes Miracle a life experience and not just another job. Most importantly is the ability to look someone in the eyes and say thankyou for doing well. As long as we are hip-deep in "corn"and sentiment, let me say that I always belive that life is too short to live for only money. We succeed because we create good experiences. I can't do that though e-mail.(As is in great evidence here).
"Graphiteman", thanks for the heads-up on Animation Nation. I have tryed to register for their forum. 'Riolobo" , you share the same compassion that I have and any team would be proud to have folks with your passion on it. As far as "Anim8ed 1" ,it sounds to me like you have traveled far and wide and I agree that 2D is an American artform that should not be allowed to be shipped overseas bulk and whole. "Kdiddy 13 " many small companies do slip under yet a few still make it through. If you wait for all the lights to be green before you make a move than this is just not the right thing for you. Thankyou for your continued commentary in this forum.
Lastly for now"AntEater" I appreciated your questions about our main character Miracle Mouse. His friends do call him "Miracle" . As odd as this may sound, belive me, it just seems to naturally work. We have an excellent Miracle Mouse costume(made by the same folks who did the,((naturally)) Disney costumes, and Kids call him Miracle without hesitation. Trying this character in our small market has been a living test-market opportunity. When Miracle Mouse takes off his hardhat(as he does do in our second commercial, as well as qickly at the end of commercial one) his ears stay flat and do not rise. The logic of exactly "WHY" he is named Miracle Mouse is made clear and simple at the opening segments of our feature. While I can not get to specific, he DOES NOT go around performing miracles. If anyone wants to take a guess as to how we will explain his name, I will not deny your answer if it is correct.
You all have been kind and generous in your support and comments and you as always have my ...
Thanks and Blessings
Tom Hignite
Pres./ Miracle Companies Inc.
Even a poor speller such as myself can spell "there", ,"lunch", "Other", and "together" . Next ime i wil try to get my spelling act to gether.
Tom
I understand that, I was merely pointing out the hesitancy of moving to a relatively remote (as in surrounding companies, not necessarily back woods meaning of the word) part of the country to a new studio. You definitely seem to have thought things out, and I sincerely hope you succeed. I think we all are here (hence our interest in what you are doing).
And I REALLY appreciate how polite and patient you are in explaining your point in, where others may become defensive and argumentative. I can sometimes be...argumentative or insulting (although I guarantee you that it isn't my intent). I appreciate that you realise this. It is very refreshing. I imagine you are a pleasure to work for. :)
Producing solidily ok animation since 2001.
www.galaxy12.com
Now with more doodling!
www.galaxy12.com/latenight
Thanks for the reply. I'm surprised I didn't notice him take off his hardhat, my moniter is a little dark. I suppose, to be blunt, I just don't like the yellow hardhat much. But you seem to have pretty good answers to my other questions, so if you feel it works, go with it.
It sounds like you treat your crew really well. I think what goes on behind the scenes in a studio is almost as important as the finished work. It gives sincerity. The excitement you sense in the early Disney films somehow seeped through from the enthusiasm of the people making them. You see the same spirit behind the scenes in Pixar today. When Disney got more corporate and cynical, it came through in the films and part of the magic was lost. You mention that on the first commercial you spent 8 months, and made some false starts. Has it gotten easier now that you've been working with these people for a while, and do you feel that the endeavor is gathering momentum?
Hello from Sunny(90 degrees today) Wisconsin,
It feels as though this is beggining to be a nightly habit. As I said previously, I am happy to reply as long as there is intrest in HEARING my replys. I think we can make this one a short entry.
To "Kdiddy 13" , I hope I am a pleasure to work for but you might be suprised how doing nice things for staffers on a regular basis can become commonplace and even expected in time. We really like to do good by our staff mostly because , as "Ant-Eater" notes, a satisfied workplace shows ultimatly in the work that is produced by that workplace. I understand from our ex-Disney staff that Disney was great at trying to do very nice things for their staffers. They would get clothing and DVD's for free. They would get free fountain soda machine drinks, pay increases when a film did good, great parties when a film was released, and more. The ingredient which I percieved to be missing was a trust in what management was communicating or not communicating. This was espeacially true towards the end of Disney 2D. This trust is what we try the hardest to keep by always making sure that everyone knows what is happening and has a "say" in giving in-put.
As far as your(Ant-Eater) question on Miracle mouses hard hat, in the feature, it is part of his profession. I would be very interested to get everyones feed-back on Miracle Mouses new friend who is a large Beaver we call Okey. His picture was just posted, along with a scene of Okey driving a forklift in a lumber yard. His feet got cut-off(We will fix that next week) on the color model of him. Do you like his colors. Does his style remind anyone of any other animated character? If you look at the early version of Okey which is seen carrying the big immage box on the same page, we did not think the early version was unique enough. Since there has been a bit of debate about whether Miracle Mouse looks too much like Mickey Mouse, I would encourage opinions about this new character who is introduced in our second up-coming piece. He is a kind-hearted simple-minded(slow but not stupid) fellow who happens to be Miracle Mouses workmate and best friend.
As far as the final question as to how our studio is doing since our first small project took 8 months to do, we have made great strides. As a new-comer to the business, even though I studied to learn animation basics, our initial crew of 2 CalArts students and one Warner/Disney artist with MOSTLY storyboard experience was a wrong mix to begin. Once we hired more animation experienced Disney staff the difference was night and day. It has gotten much easier. Please let me know your collective thoughts on our Okey character on www.hignitesmiraclestudios.com and any other comments or thoughts you might have. Have a great weekend.
Many thanks and blessings,
Tom Hignite
Hi Tom, I am enjoying reading your posts but I may live up to my name a little now. Myself and many others find it highly commendable what you are trying to do but I wonder " why try and mimic Disney so much?" . I've read other posts wondering the same. I understand the love of Disney ,the history, everything about Disney is beyond influential but why not try and create your own identity?
everything seems to be very Disney driven. Your staff is very talented but they are talented " animators" and "artists" in general . It seems every mention of them is ex "Disney" staff though. I imagine with your crews experience they have worked at other studios as well. Don't get me wrong, that's obviously great credentials and something to be proud of. It just seems a little wierd to me that rather than showing those great animations done by a talented staff , it seems more about the ex Disney factor.
I wonder why you are focusing so heavily on finding the ex Disney staff when there are lots of talented animators out there. There are tons of experienced animators from Fox, Dreamworks, Warner Bros, etc.. . other studios that have shut down. I'm sure you are open to looking at everyone but it seems you are more focused on getting the Disney staff rather than just talented animators.
I guess it feels like marketing "as" Disney, just changing the name.
I know I'm being the "killjoy" but I really hope you succeed (we need it). I just hope with the similarities , I see, to Disney that you won't have any problems down the road. I would have rather seen Miracle Moose or something than a mouse. He does seem like he really could be Mickey's cousin. Hopefully, Disney doesn't give any problems when you release him in a feature.
it just seems to me that you should take all the great things about Disney and embelish that into something "new" something different, something truly " Tom Hignite". I think you can keep the spirit of 2d and Disney alive without just replicating them.
on a different note.
I do want to say , I think it's great that you took the time to learn the basics of animation. I have worked for a few owners that were owners because they had the funds, not because they knew anything about animation. It makes it very hard when the guy trying to do budgets ,deadlines, and so forth just doesn't have a clue...and hence, none of these companies worked.
you really have been very pleasant in your talks and I mean all this in the best way...because I do hope you succeed (and without any problems)
take care
They wouldn't be the first studio to go for the Disney model. Early Warner Brothers shorts were derivative of what Disney was doing, but they developed their own identity over the years. You can't come out of nowhere with your own style immediately apparent. Although Disney has dropped the ball with traditional animation, the people behind those films live on. Project Firefly studios and the now defunct Legacy studios both make a big deal about their Disney talent.
As for Tom's question about the Beaver character, I think both the beaver and the bird character look pretty good. There are 2 colour models for the beaver, and I think the one with the green looks better. If I'm picky about it, I'd say that you're running into the same problem they had at Disney, where Mickey, Donald and Goofy(all 20s/30s designs) wind up interacting with characters like Chip and Dale, (which are more 40s/50s designs). Miracle Mouse's design is more like a modernised 30s design than the others. But you can probably get away with this.
I would agree with you to a certain extent, doing something new and exciting with a whole new style (away from the Disney style) is the best route. What I think is also good is to show the animation world that Miracle Studios can do the top of the line Disney way. If they can show us that then they can most likely come up with thier on stuff. Looking at what they have now has some similarities but more than enough to be different. I don't think it's a bad direction they are taking. Who knows, maybe they already have something in the works. Miracle Studios seems to me to be pretty agressive already. And if Tom Hignite has already convinced some ex-Disney animators to move all the way up to Wisconsin then he probably has alot of this worked out.
On another note, if you go to his web site Hignitesmiraclestudios.com you will see that he has not only hired ex-Disney animators but also some from H-B and WB. I think he's open to others. That's why I sent my resume. Maybe I'll hear from them. ;)
I hear this argument a lot, and I don't really buy it. There's nothing wrong with following Disney's style, as long as you're not trying to re-create Disney. Any studio has to (eventually) decide what look and feel they're going to pursue.
I didn't think the commercial on the site had a particular Disney "look", other than the quality of the animation.
Maybe I'm just crazy. I"m not bothered by the Disney style (although it would be nice to see it enhanced in some way). I guess it's just me that feels kind of like this is too close to Disney to be safe.
I probably am the only one that feels this is more marketed "as" Disney rather than the "next" Disney. The signature, the fireworks homepage, the mouse, yeah they are different but too close for me to not get a feeling of later trouble.
If I feel that way, you can only bet someone at Disney will too (when the studio is making money). The animation business definitely needs some success now in 2d features and I do hope Tom brings it.
I'll be quiet now (just please ,no, Duck)
One of the things that has suprised me most about this forum since I started posting several days ago is that just when I think that this thead is getting worn out, another great question or opinion is posted. "Kill Joy" has posted a few questions which no one else has directly come out and asked before either in this web forum or for that matter in interviews or even in small conversation. This could be another long anwser to a series of short questions.
When you(Kill Joy) ask why we (or I) feel it benificial to attempt to foster Disney's itentity instead of foster our own unique "Hignite" identity , I will offer a story I tell to our staff when we have our annual orientation for new (construction- remember I started as a home builder and still am) staff members. In 1993 I decided to get into the home building busines with absolutly no prior experience in building homes except hiring a builder to build my first home in 1990. I saw a huge gaping opoportunity because I felt as though I could build a much better home than any home I had viewed. Moreover, I knew that while I was in an area with many old, highly recognized builder names, each with great reputations , I knew that (this sounds cocky but..) I could do a better job and build a better house.
As luck and blessings would have it, my wife Jacquie and I second mortgaged our home and built a model and began to slowly learn the home building business. I designed a home which looked like a "normal" house on the outside but once inside, all the walls were angled 45 degrees from the square exterior. Because I have an advertising background and education, at our first open house, we had over 125 people show up to see what a "Miracle House " was and had 3 offers the next day. At that time you might say, we had something unique and different. Relating this to animation, you may think "Ah-Ha, apply that to animation and leave "old" Disney behind!"
This was all well and good for the first, even the second, third, fourth , and twelfth homes as we began to get a following of what we dubbed "Miracle Groupies" who would rush to see our unique designs with great accolades, but fail to buy them. The plan was to develop our skills over a two to three year period(Is everyone still awake) , to get our systems and suppliers in-line and then launch ourselves"overnight" into the Huge Milwaukee market area. Until then we stayed small and localized in a remote suburb.
Our launch into the big leauges was to find which of the already knowen Huge home builders we wanted to be most like. The 2 largest builders sold an awful lot of homes but were knowen as Discount store quality. The third largest builder was behind the others slightly in sales but way ahead in perception of quality. We chose them. We went on to build three homes directly across the street form three of theirs. We used their same artist to draw the brouchoure home drawings . They had tan brouchoures with green ink, we had a slightly different tan colored brouchoure with teal and black ink. We used simular typestyles and simular ordering in listing our standard features. That made it easy to see that where their features ended, our features(broken down by room) had several more than the chosen competitor. Their home was called the Block Island, ours was the Round Bay. We had simular sizes(ours a bit larger in square footage) simular concepts but our floorplans were different, I felt , our floorplans were much superior(ther goes that cocky thing again). Our price was,you guessed it, just a little less than their price.
Home shoppers instantly saw the simularities. The reputation of the huge builders quality and image transfered instantly to our own in most visitors minds. I hope you are not all so furious at me now that you will still catch the overall final message of the story. We as humans are instinctivly wired not to like copy-cats. This sentiment is showing in forum comments. A few years of continuing this marketing plan did result in some folks not liking it and many many folks buying our homes. We became the fastest growing homebuilder in Wisconsin history and remain that way today. It was summed-up when I interviewed a head guy who was considering joining our firm from that other competitor. At that time we were just beggining our cycle. He said that "It is impossible for the immitator to ever become more than the original". While this sounds true for a xerox machine , it is completly false in business and in other areas as well. Today, we sell 10 times more than our original "competition "model, and enjoy a sterling reputation to boot. Funny as it sounds, the first words that are associated with Miracle are originality, innovation, and creativity. Today, we look nothing like our first "competition" model. That model allowed us to begin our career at nearly the same public perception level as our competitor who built his over 35 years!
Does this sound unkind? Our competitor is still doing well but we no longer think about him much except in fond memories. While we did compete with them, we were careful not to infringe on their designs. We also constantly gave them high praise as they had deservidly earned. Is Miracle Mouse a close cousin of Mickey? I have always believed he looked more like Speedy Gonzales myself . From Pinkey and the Brain, to Mighty Mouse, to Fivel Mouse there are many icons that "all started with a mouse" In our case I only hope we never loose sight of one thing, it was all started with a "house".( Sorry for this previous pun on Walt.)
As "Ant-eater says" you can't come out of no-where with your own style immediatly apparent. While I do love all-things-Disney and respect Walt like a father(coincidently my real fathers name is Walt too) I want to do things that are superior to any thing that has been done in the past from any company. When I see a Disneyland ride, I question why many things were not done differently. When I see Disney animation, I ask the same. Just as you said "Kill Joy", we will take all of the great things I ,and countless others, like about Disney and embelish them into something that has the quality and charm of Disney's best, yet is uniquely something different and definitly our own.
Thankyou for the comments on the new Beaver character and thankyou Riolobo for your posting and support. We all love Disney . As we continue to pay tribute to this American legend, I beleive we will pay tribute to their great past while forging a whole new generation of classic 2D. Let me know your thoughts and..
Blessings to all
Tom Hignite.
Hey Tom, or anyone who knows the answer, If you are looking for animators with Disney Experience, why not try Austrailia. Sounds weird but that Disney studio is nearly history and it might be a good idea to check them out. If people are afraid to travel to Wisconson because they are hoping to still find work in LA or Orlando, ther probably is'nt anything much as a fall-back plan for those guys over there. Anyone know any Austrailian Disney guys or gals or the real inside scoop on whats happening there??
Tom, I'm having trouble viewing some of the quicktime clips on your website. What codec was used for the video?
Hello "Ant-eater" and "PizzaNut"
I will have to have one of my staff answer your question about the website question tommorrow. As far as Austrailia, I have (and am) giving consideration to going to Austrailia to conduct interviews for animators from the soon-to-be-closed Disney studio. We are first looking into cooresponding to their office to get details. If any AWN member knows further information or contacts to this Disney studio, any help would be greatly appreciated.
It seems odd to be considering going all the way to Austrailia when their are so many great animators currently unemployed here at home but I must say that the response to our AWN classified advertisement has not brought out an abundance of highly experienced candidates as of yet. Maybe that "Wisconsin" thing is getting in the way. Thankyou to all who have applied and no offense meant to any interested party.
Blessings
Tom Hignite
Miracle Companies Inc.
I am glad to see that you are trying to revive 2D animation. But... Many of us in the 2D animation world have been thrown to the wolves. We are very leery of anything out there. To move to Wisconsin is a very big step, with very little gaurantee. I know that being in animation is taking a chance at what ever project you are involved in. I just want some reassurance.
I do have to admit though Wisconsin sounds a lot better than going over seas.
Keep up the great animation.
thanks "el conquistador", I'll give that a go. I have Quicktime 6.5.1 on my computer and I get audio, but the picture is blank.
Dear AWN animators, this thread seems to have slowed sufficiently to leave our near-nightly responses and feed-back to fade into the long list of past forum threads. I did want to say that as for "Riolobo", your comment has been well taken and my original plea to find out why (in light of the fact that there are a multitude of unemployed 2D animators) we are not attracting hordes of talent to re-locate to our studio to join in our 2D feature project? You all have opened my eyes to a different perspective on the subject and I do truly appreciate all the many replys. I have been told it used to be hard to get football pros to come to cold Green Bay until the Packers started winning or signed a Reggie White or Brett Favre. Perhaps after our first feature is released we can have this talk again with different comments.
As to "Ant-eater", I hope you finally were able to find our full Demo on our studio website. I would ,as always , appreciate any opinions or comments about our work. You may respond to our studio webpage if you have further commentary to add. If not, it has been a pleasure to speak to you all and you can be assured that I will be scanning the Forums to see through your eyes what is happening in the world of animation.
More Thanks and More Blessings,
Tom Hignite
Pres./ Miracle Companies Inc.
Great to have you here, Tom. I wish you all the best with your project, and hope that you'll pop in from time to time and let us know how things are going. You're doing what many, many people in animation talk about doing endlessly, and I hope we can all learn from your example.
Blessings right back atcha! :D
Hi Ant-eater,
We used the new version of Quicktime (7) to encode the movie files. Either H264 or mpeg-4 was used. It has been a few weeks so we don't quite remember. If you are able to download QT 7 and try it, that may help. If you still have difficulty let us know. We test on both Mac and PC before posting.
From Miracle Studios
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