A Station Eight Fan Web Site

Gargoyles

The Phoenix Gate

Ask Greg Archives

Business, The

Archive Index


: « First : « 10 : Displaying #42 - #48 of 48 records. : Last » :


Posts Per Page: 1 : 10 : 25 : All :


Bookmark Link

Todd Jensen writes...

The first season of "Young Justice" takes place over the course of half a year, starting on the Fourth of July and continuing to New Year's Eve in the Season One finale (with episodes set on Halloween and Thanksgiving along the way). I remember that the first season of "The Spectacular Spider-Man" similarly stretched from the start of the school year in September to Thanksgiving (with a Halloween episode along the way), and that the second season got up at least to Valentine's Day. The time progression in "Gargoyles" was more vague, but we had two Halloween stories ("Eye of the Beholder" and the Double Date story) and three wintry episodes in New York ("Her Brother's Keeper", which ends with a snowfall, "Re-Awakening", and "The Price"), as well as a clear timeline for the Stone of Destiny story.

I like this sense of the year's progress through the seasons and landmark days (like the Fourth of July and Halloween), but it doesn't seem that common in animated series outside your own work. I've seen two speculations on why that element is so rare in animated series. One is that a lot of the people who engage in such creative work aren't big on continuity and change, far less than you are. Another is that most people involved in creating animated television series live in or near Los Angeles and other parts of California, where the climate is pretty much the same year around and there's less a sense of four seasons than in other parts of the United States. I was wondering what your thoughts were on these theories.

Greg responds...

Both these theories seem valid to me, but they probably pale from the economic explanation: if you progress through the seasons then you have to redress backgrounds and characters, and that's expensive. Me, I believe it's WORTH the expense. But that's only true if you're really going to DO something with it. If you're not, then there's not much point. (We also did it on W.I.T.C.H. by the way.)

Response recorded on September 12, 2012

Bookmark Link

AJC writes...

Just watched Downtime and it was a great episode! I'm impressed by the amount of detail in the choreography and backgrounds, and the number of voice actors you had in the episode. While I thought cutting from scene to scene of each YJ member during their downtime would be a bit choppy, it was actually very insightful, and it made it very realistic to see each of their lives.

How do companies decide what kind of budget to give to cartoon shows? Some older cartoon shows (ie from the 90s) had worse animation as the series progressed. I noticed the even the batman's animation wasn't as good as its earlier days(although still never went that bad).

Have you or brandon watched avatar the last airbender? I feel your show is taking some cues from the show (ie, the water sorcery, the diverse locations the team travels to each ep).

I have a question about aqualad. He obviously does not live at mount justice so would he not return to atlantis when he's not crime fighting? So wouldn't that mean he sees tula and garth still? Or is he that busy?

Greg responds...

Let's answer these in reverse order.

As I've MENTIONED BEFORE, Aqualad DOES go home to Atlantis (the continent/country) between missions. He just doesn't live in the city of Poseidonis, so that, yes, a couple months had passed since he had last seen his friends. He was surprised that it had been that long. But time flies, you know...

I don't know about Brandon, but I've begun watching Avatar with my son Benny. We're near the beginning of Season Two. I like it. I don't know how much of an influence there's been, since we started YJ before I started watching Avatar.

The way companies decide on budgets is an arcane science beyond my pay grade. But guys like Brandon and myself make it our mission to squeeze as much onto the screen from whatever budget we have.

Response recorded on May 12, 2011

Bookmark Link

Phil writes...

Hey Greg,

I'm sure it's cliche and you're tired of hearing it by now, but I loved Gargoyles as a kid and continue to do so...I guess there's no need to go into any more detail than that. Just wanted to start off by saying thanks for all the hard work.

Anyways, onto the questions:

1. With the Marvel/Disney merger, what are the odds now that we'll see you pick up where you left off on the Gargoyles comic?
2. Does SLG still own all the rights to the comics you wrote for them or is it all owned by Disney and thus now a part of Marvel as well?

Now that the semi-practical questions are out of the way, time for my far nerdier side to kick in:

3. If asked to do a Marvel/Gargoyles crossover, who would be your first choice in Marvel character to cross over with? And since it's likely to be Spidey, who's your second?
4. Have you been approached about bringing Gargoyles into a future Kingdom Hearts game?

Thanks,
Phil

Greg responds...

1. I don't know that the Marvel merger has any effect on Gargoyles.

2. For starters, Disney owns Marvel, not the other way around. Marvel has no control or say over Gargoyles. But I don't know the specifics of the Disney/SLG deal or who owns the reproduction rights. I do know that Disney maintains ownership of the intellectual property including anything added in the comics.

3. Uh... I'm not that excited about the idea at all. But I guess the Defenders.

4. No.

Response recorded on March 30, 2010

Bookmark Link

Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

Sneaking in a question or two at work lest I start falling far behind again. I apologize if I overlap anything already asked, I've been trying to avoid Spiderman spoilers. I have a stack of set aside responses for after the rest of the season airs. (Though I wonder if I should have bothered; what I didn't pick up just skimming I probably read checking the 'waiting to be asked' que. Oh well...)

First- Love the show.

I did have that first reaction to still art some did thinking it looked a little young, but between prioritizing fluidity of motion for the web slinger on the one side, and not getting that overly static look from being too faithful to the comic art on the other, I am completely won over.

Also, I am not terribly well versed in Spidy lore. (It's too expensive to get hooked on two major comic universes and I started on DC first.) Despite not getting all the references, the deference shown to the history, right down to mining the comics with the intent of not creating a single new character, really shows. Very impressive.

Second-
I thought it was particularly classy to post the credits of the episodes because they went by too quickly to be seen on screen. I assume people like working with you because they know they are not taken for granted. (Just like changing the "Staring..." in the opening credits shows respect to the characters. Love that.) I do wonder -

1- If each episode is written by a particular person or team, what do the staff writers do?
2-If you already have a voice director, what does 'casting' do? Or does the voice director not choose talent too? (I think this question was more involved when I scribbled it on my note sheet months ago, but I didn't write out the details and no longer remember.)
3- How did Cheeks Galloway end up with that nickname? I took a glance at his website and saw his autobigraphy is named "Cheeks Unclenched" Much mirth followed.

Greg responds...

1. Most of the writing is done freelance. That is, they get paid a fee to write a script. And they don't have offices with us, but work out of their homes or wherever. Our staff writer on Spidey, Kevin Hopps, was paid by the week and had an office at Sony TV Animation. He's still writing scripts, just like the freelancers, but he's also there to bounce stuff off, which given the way I work, is a hugely important resource. He also did things like writing the audition sides and other small tasks, and he really helped break the entire second season with me.

2. Well, in our case, our voice director and our casting director were the same person: Jamie Thomason. But you could have a casting director (in charge of casting various roles) who doesn't actually direct the actors' performances, which is what the voice director does.

3. That's really not my story to tell - and I couldn't do it justice. But "Cheeks" refers to the anatomy you think it does.

Response recorded on March 24, 2010

Bookmark Link

bob writes...

Hello I was just wondering if you could help me with something I know you've answsered questions like this before but this one is different. I think that I would like to write lyrics and get paid for it haha I was just wondering if this is a real job? I know your not in the musuc bussiness but you are a writer and have written music before so any help would be apprciated. Were would I go with this? And who do I talk to to make this Happen? Thank you very much for your time and any help you can give, I really appriciate it!

Greg responds...

I wouldn't personally want to do it for a living, but it's fun to do every once in a while. But I'm afraid I have no career advice to give in this area beyond confirming, that yes, some people do lyric-writing for a living.

Response recorded on March 30, 2009

Bookmark Link

Wesley Nichols writes...

What is youre opinion of the script writer's strike going on in New York and Los Angeles?

Greg responds...

I believe that the writers are 100% in the right. And I wish that my guild, the Animation Guild, was able to get residuals -- ANY residuals -- for its writers.

Response recorded on December 21, 2007

Bookmark Link

Peter Brülls pb@rogue.de writes...

Hi.

Ypou write

"4. Would Disney ever consider selling the rights to Gargoyles?

No. They won't even let go of Clarabelle Cow. They don't want to take the risk that someone else could make a mint on their property and make them look bad."

"Clarabelle Cow" is actually a bad example, I think. She's making regular appearance in Non-US Mickey Mouse stories, acting as best female friend to Minnie Mouse.

Greg responds...

You're talking LICENSING, not selling the rights. Clarabelle acting as Minnie's best friend does not mean they've sold the rights... unless you think they've SOLD THE RIGHTS to Minnie Mouse. (And just to be clear, they HAVE NOT.)

These are two very different financial concepts.

Non-US Mickey, Minnie or Clarabelle stories are under a licensing agreement. But Disney retains the rights.

It's the difference between leasing a house and selling one.

Response recorded on February 08, 2007


: « First : « 10 : Displaying #42 - #48 of 48 records. : Last » :