Sep 8, 2016

Cartoon Forum Reflects Rapidly Growing and Changing European Animated TV Industry

Talk to most American TV series producers and they will probably tell you that the process of pitching a TV series in the US is not particularly efficient or practical.

They bring idea after idea to one network after another, find an executive who believes in the project, and, more importantly, try to see if they can find the right slot for it. But what if there was a different system? What if you could pitch your project to dozens of networks and investors at the same time and receive immediate and comprehensive feedback on what works and what doesn't work about your idea -

That's what the Cartoon Forum is. The tagline for this European event is "You create, we connect," and it will take place next Monday in Toulouse, in the south of France. This year, 20 European countries will participate in the pitching and co-production market, which is the mainstay of the European TV animation industry.

Over the course of three days, producers ranging from small stores to major studios will pitch 80 different animated series.

The Cartoon Forum also sets itself apart in the world of the TV market. Cartoon Forum began 27 years ago as "an alternative to the big European TV markets like MIPTV. There, producers usually had to make a name for themselves before they had the opportunity to pitch to broadcasters, investors, and distributors," Cartoon Forum director Annick Maes told Cartoon Brew. The event provides a venue for young creators and small studios to present their work directly in front of buyers and decision makers based purely on the merits of their projects, and the strictly regimented pitching format puts everyone on an equal footing, whether experienced or inexperienced.

Many success stories have emerged from Cartoon Forum over the years, and small indie stores like UK-based Karrot Animation, producers of the CBeebies series "Sarah and the Ducks," were among the event's standout became series producers overnight after a standout presentation.

Cartoon Forum is also an ideal place to see the capsule of the evolving European television industry. First, as a result of the SVOD model, many animated TV series have migrated to the Internet, and more and more SVOD companies have recently joined the Cartoon Forum. This year, SVOD giant Netflix will participate in the event for the first time.

Another major change currently underway is the boom in series production across Europe. For example, all three Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) will present projects this year, as will Greece, which has not presented a project at the Cartoon Forum since 2007. In addition, Hungary and Poland will each present three series, and Bulgaria will present two. South Korea will exhibit three films and Canada will exhibit one.

Not only where the projects are made, but also the types of projects that producers bring to the Cartoon Forum are different. Says Maas, "It's certainly a new trend to see young adult projects, which we didn't see as much of five or six years ago." The majority of projects being pitched next week are still aimed at preschoolers (26%) and children (58%), but alongside them are more animated series for teenagers and young adults (10%) and families (6%).

According to Maes, the focus in the UK and Ireland remains on content for preschoolers and children, but the Franco-German channel Arte and broadcasters in Eastern Europe are looking for a wider range of content.

On the technical side, 2D animation remains the preferred production method for European producers as well as American producers. Of the 80 proposed projects, 56% use 2D animation, 20% use CGI, 19% use a combination of 2D and 3D, and 5% use other techniques such as stop motion or cut-outs.

The Cartoon Forum also introduced the concept of a "spotlight country" for the first time, with the honor going to Ireland. Previously, the idea of a spotlight country was not necessary, as the event was held in a different country each year, but the economic crisis in Europe forced the Cartoon Forum to consolidate its venue in Toulouse starting in 2012.

Ireland was chosen as the first spotlight country due to its vibrant and expanding animation scene. With an area roughly the same size as South Carolina (and about the same population), Ireland produced $124 million worth of animation in 2011, accounting for about one-third of the country's audiovisual sector. In terms of production costs, the Irish animation industry almost doubled between 2009 and 2011.

Cartoon Brew will report from the event next week.

(Top image: Pitching session at last year's Cartoon Forum. ©CARTOON.)