BAFTA – Producing Masterclass with David Thompson

David Thompson at BAFTA

This past Saturday BAFTA held a series of lectures and masterclasses on film production, welcoming members of the public to hear industry professionals give lectures on all aspects of the business.  One of the best presentations was a talk by David Thompson, formerly head of films and single drama at BBC, and a producer with a clutch of BAFTAs and Golden Globes on his shelf. Most importantly, he has over 100 screen credits, including Billy Elliot and Mandela. So, someone worth listening to then.

Steve Burch Uncovers the Mysteries of Producing Animation

Animation Producer Steve Burch

Animation Producer Steve Burch recently gave an excellent talk on Producing Animation, aimed at students hoping to start up their own small businesses and take on commercial freelance jobs. What are the challenges involved in successfully bidding on, winning - and delivering - a freelance animation job?

How to Get The Taxman to Finance Your Independent Animated Feature Film

Anyone who has tried to raise money for a film project knows that this can be the hardest part of the whole enterprise. Yes, you may have a great idea, but finding the money needed to bring it to life is no easy task. For anyone in the UK trying to finance an independent film (and every self-respecting animator has a story in them somewhere) - a working knowledge of how the system works is pretty much essential. Sure, you will need a producer to help you out, but knowledge is power, so you need to get educated. One of the best ways to finance your film is called EIS - and it is an excellent way to get the taxman to help pay for your project.

Hollywood Producer Max Howard Explains Independent Animated Film Financing

Max Howard

Earlier this year Producer Max Howard a lecture about how to produce an independent animated film.  He talked in detail about how films get financed, walking through all the steps necessary to get a film off the ground and into theatres. With a wealth of experience at major Hollywood Studios, and also with a number of independent animated features under his belt (plus one coming out this year - The Hero of Colour City) - there are few producers better qualified to explain how the system actually works.

Animation producer Claus Toksvig explains how to finance an independent animated feature film

How do you produce and finance an independent animated feature film? It's far from an easy task, but not an impossible dream. In this interview last year at our sister blog FLiP, Danish producer Claus Toksvig explains how it all works, and what are the challenges of making an independent animated film outside of the studio system.

Animation Producer Don Hahn explains How to Make it in The Movies

Don Hahn, Producer of "The Lion King"

How do aspiring film-makers break into the entertainment industry? It's not an easy question to answer. Digital media and outlets like YouTube have made it easier than ever to gain exposure, but increased competition can make it seem harder than ever to get that first job in a mainstream studio. In this 2013 interview in our sister blog FLiP, producer Don Hahn explains how students can break into the business.

What Does a Visual Effects Producer Actually Do?

Below is a 2013 blog post from our sister blog FLiP, which interviews visual effects producer Martin Gabriel on what a VFX producer actually does for a living. When I first started working in VFX, I genuinely had no idea. Martin carefully explains the process, and in doing so reveals the nuts and bolts of how the VFX industry actually works.

Martin Gabriel is a visual effects producer with a long list of successful feature films on his resume, including Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,  X-Men, The last Stand, and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. He also worked on the TV series Band of Brothers and The Prisoner.

How do you produce an independent animated film? Max Howard explains

Max Howard

In this interview last year at our sister blog FLiP, independent producer Max Howard reveals the secrets of financing independent animated films.

Animation producer Max Howard began his career in animation working on "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?", after which he joined Disney in Florida to set up their fledging Orlando studio. Since then he has worked for many of the biggest animation studios, and for the past decade has forged a career as an independent producer, as well as consulting for the animation industry and giving lectures and workshops all around the world. We asked him to talk about what it takes to produce an independent animated film.

What do Producers Do, Exactly?

Jeffrey Katzenberg - the uber producer

What does a producer do, exactly? This is an important question for anyone who hopes to go into the entertainment business. Here at Animation Apprentice we teach students to animate. But we don't teach producing, and perhaps we should. After all, when you go to the movies and watch the credits, there seem to be a lot of producers. And also sub-species of producer. Like associate producers. And executive producers. And line producers. And creative producers. And what do all these titles mean anyway?