The Animation Band (Italian Production Company)
Production and competition: growing the number of collaborators. Concentrating on creativity, which means developing characters and developing each collaborator’s work and capacities, in order to produce highly qualified.

Examples of their work are: “Spaced Out”, “Corto Maltese”, “Loulou Monmartre”, and “Spaghetti Family”.

Yet they have international collaboration problems, where artists mean certain challenges, mostly related to legislations (different labor contracts, and difference in the salaries between the States for instance and Korea). Again, credibility is one major challenge that the company faces in terms of TV series in animation, and so is making studios and sustaining them. The collaboration of RAI trade supported the studios of the animation band and invested to produce high quality products.

Team
The first series trained the team, who was at the time very young and fresh. It was at a very high price, and we had to cut a lot of what we had ad redo a lot of the animations. Like in the process of producing the animation of Corto Maltese, the animators were only familiar with classical figures (the academic drawings). At some point everyone in the team get to be specialized, specially the storyboard artist. All develop refined techniques.

Software:
For 2d animation: apple Macintosh computer.
Use of painter and Photoshop for the coloring and the sketching.
For 3d animation: (for the use of Mammuk for instance) in house developed programs.


Green Light Media AG /German Media/ Andre Sikojev
We are not only an animation company; we are an independent distribution company, and we do documentations. SimsalaGrimm was the most successful cartoon we have produced. It was the first exported entertainment material in Germany. We also work with John Williams, (from Shrek), in the production.

We have four departments: Production, Acquisition (for the documentation), Marketing, and Selling or distribution, (Peppermint International and the distribution in the Asia market, in Kuala Lumpur).

Our animation production company has studios in Paris, like Antefilms who worked on Funky Cops. (other production houses: Happy Life, Vanguard, Marathon).
Creative side: statistic show that taste is moving from 2d to CGI. But, in the end, it is the sotry that is the most important thing. Reacting on the market is necessary, yet, never forget your own way and inspiration that is your thing that makes you happy and your team, (your voice).