Watch the interview with Rich Magallanes
Watch the interview with Catherine Mullan
Watch the interview with Alvaro Ceppi
Watch the interview with Frédéric Monnereau
Mifa Pros
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Five executives, reflecting various aspects of the field, share their points of view on the challenges currently facing the animation industry and reveal what they were looking for at this year’s Mifa.
Gérald-Brice Viret – Lagardère Active, France
Watch the interview with Gérald-Brice Viret
"In the future we are going to need more exclusive content material", says the director of Lagardere TV network, which includes the children's channels Gulli, CanalJ and TiJi. In the very competitive domestic market, and with the future arrival of OTT platforms, Viret estimates the biggest challenge is to reinvent what is a pay-TV offer versus a free one. One of the keys is to secure strong exclusive brands; which the group has started to do with shows such as Arthur and the Invisibles and the Popples.
Video in French only.
More info about Lagardère Active
Rich Magallanes, Nickelodeon Animation, USA
"We are in Annecy to let the international community at large know that we are really willing to establish new relationships", says the Senior Vice President of Nickelodeon Animation, who already partnered up on shows with companies such as Ubisoft and Zodiak Kids’ Marathon. Nickelodeon was also in Annecy to look for "new talents, with fresh points of view" as, to him, the way to remain ahead of a market currently saturated with content, is to find creators who "break the mould" with "distinctive art styles".
More info about Nickelodeon Animation
Frédéric Monnereau – StudioCanal, France
After TV drama, the CANAL+ theatrical and international distribution subsidiary is now diversifying into animated TV series, Frédéric Monnereau reveals. "Animation is a key development for StudioCanal", he comments. "The company tries to release two animated or family movies each year. Animation films are currently facing a number of challenges", he says, "with far too many being released simultaneously during school holidays, which obliges studios to define how the project can distinguish itself at a very early stage".
Video in French only.
Alvaro Ceppi – Zumbastico Studios, Chile
According to Alvaro Ceppi, the biggest challenge facing Chilean animation today is getting international recognition. He says that thanks to various government subsidies, animation is currently booming in Chile. Zumbastico came to Annecy to develop relationships with Europe and the rest of the world. The studio is already working with Cake Entertainment on its series Cagemates which won the Mifa Pitch for a TV series in 2013, and this year, they presented their first feature production, The Mango Brothers, a hybrid film with live action and stop-motion.
More info about Zumbastico Studios
Catherine Mullan – MPC, Canada
The Moving Picture Company came to Annecy this year to recruit and find some fresh new talent. The visual effects company behind Godzilla is rapidly growing, with a new studio in Montreal that opened last year and 18 films currently in production across its four sites. For Animation Supervisor Catherine Mullan, the current challenge is that projects keep getting bigger, while time frames and budgets are shrinking, and despite that, the quality must be consistent while standards continue to rise. The MPC's solution: lots of research and development.