Cartoon Forum 2020: Deadline 6 May

Cartoon Forum 2020

Cartoon Forum is Europe's biggest TV pitch-fest for animation, and takes place in Toulouse, France, from 14 – 17 September.

If you have an idea for a TV series in your head, Cartoon Forum is the place to pitch it.

The deadline to submit your series project this year is 6 May. So, you have a little more time to sharpen your pencils, fill out some forms - and make your pitch perfect.

What Goes into an Animation Bible?

Shorescripts.com is an excellent resource for aspiring writers and creators, not just for traditional scriptwriters but also for anyone interested in pitching their own  animated TV series.

Best of all is this link to a full page of animation bibles, including classic TV shows like He-Man and Batman, showing how writers and animators go about putting together the all-important animation "bible", the crucial part of any animation pitch.

Raphael Obaro Animator at Muslim TV

Congratulations to Raphael Obaro who has started a new animation job as an animator at British Muslim TV.

Muslim TV is a new channel, which describes itself as "a fresh and exciting TV channel, bursting with a range of educational and entertaining content".

The channel is starting up a new animated TV Series that revolves around a family - an animated comedy,  aimed at the UK Muslim community.

Kevin Richards Animator with Cloth Cat

Congratulations to Escapee Kevin Richards who has just started a new job as an animator with Cloth Cat animation in Cardiff.  Kevin is a traditional animator who took the three-month intensive animation course at Escape Studios last summer, which included access to the Animation Apprentice videos and other course materials. Kevin converted his 2D skills to digital 3D animation in Maya.  working hard on his demo reel, and getting regular feedback to make his reel, website and CV job-ready.

How Do You Get an Animated TV Series Launched? Giles Pilbrow Reveals All

On Wednesday 1st March Escape Studios is hosting an evening with Giles Pilbrow: cartoonist, animator and one of the writers of the UK's longest-running satirical magazine, Private Eye.

Giles also brought the Horrible Histories to TV, and is the creator of the CBBC series Scream Street.

So for any of our students in the London area, come along on March 1st - it's a free event - and find out how you could get your own animated TV series off the ground.

Animation Masterclass by Blue Zoo

At the recent VFX Festival in London, Blue Zoo's Tom Box introduced one of their animation directors to give a "Masterclass in Cartoony Animation".

Blue Zoo does many styles of animation, trying "not to get known for just one style", but much of their work is done for TV format, where schedules are punishing and animators have to work fast.

Blue Zoo have to be creative, efficient, and find ways to stay competitive - even in a high-cost city like London, where rents and wages are much higher than overseas.

They also encourage their staff to get involved creatively, developing in-house projects which can be brought to the screen, and also doing short films - BZ Shorts - within the studio, developing new styles of animation and experimenting with new ways of doing things.

So - what are their secrets for a fast, efficient animation workflow?

Pitch Your Idea for a TV Series at Cartoon Forum!

What is Cartoon Forum? And why should animators know about it? Well, Cartoon Forum is Europe's biggest TV pitch-fest for animation, so if you have an idea for a TV series in your head, Cartoon Forum is the place to pitch it.

The deadline to submit your TV project is 11 May. So, you have just one week to sharpen your pencils, fill out some forms - and make your pitch perfect.

Summer Internships at Blue Zoo!

Blue Zoo are offering two six week internships in their London studio; one working in our commercials team, ideal for someone with bold ambitions to be an animated commercials director, and another in their TV series department for someone starting out on a mission to become an expert CG character animator. We strongly encourage our students to apply.

Just One Week to Submit Your Animated TV Series to Cartoon Forum!

Do you have an animated TV series or TV special in development? And if not, why not? Our animation students are not just technicians, they are creators, brainstorming new ideas and concepts in animation, searching for the next Peppa Pig or Charlie and Lola.  But you can't do it alone - animation is a team sport.  A successful TV series needs co-producers, financing, broadcasters and new media partners. And where do you find those? Well, Cartoon Forum is where.

Blue Zoo Explain How to Make a Hit Animated TV Series

Q Pootle 5 by Blue Zoo

The annual Blue GFX Expo is a treasure trove of visual effects industry lectures and workshops. Among the excellent presentations was a talk by Adam Shaw of London's Blue Zoo, who created the animated TV series Q Pootle 5. In effect, his lecture was a fully-fledged workshop in how to put a TV series together from start to finish. So, if you have ever wondered - how do you get your own TV series off the ground? - here's how they pulled it off.

Pitch your idea for a TV series at Cartoon Forum - Deadline 27 May

What is Cartoon Forum? Only Europe's biggest TV pitch-fest for animation. If you have a project in your head that you would like to submit to producers, business angels and broadcasters, Cartoon Forum is the place to be. The deadline to submit your TV project is 27 May. So, you have just under two weeks to sharpen your pencils and polish your pitch.