We Test Well!

Our Marie Callender's animatic was the second highest scoring spot in ConAgra's history of test production!

Watch the animatic:

Watch the commercial:

Cinematics vs animatics- an insiders report

The eternal quest to use the latest medium for animatics rages on. So which medium is better- cinematics, photomatics, animatics or 3D? Ask three different producers at 3 different agencies and you'll get 3 different responces. We all know the real answer to that question depends on the idea but surely there is a medium that skews higher than others? At Animaticmedia we are a full service testing production company so we have had the opportunity to produce animatics spots in a variety of mediums; however we rarely are given research statistics. Before I wrote this article I called several testing facilities for statistics; however none could offer any information on which animatic medium scores better than others. I was told from Millward Brown this isn't the type of data they track. I would strongly suggest they make it part of their data collection.

In December of 2008 we had an opportunity to do a series of high end video animatics or what we call cinematics for a Chicago agency that was pitching for the Intel account. Intel had shopped around a sample cinematic showcasing this high animation style they preferred on their testing. We bid for the job but ended up working for another competing agency.

We had the opportunity to see both campaigns and ended up working with Venables Bell & Partners who had a really solid creative idea. The job was truly a 14 day timeline but we only had 8 days. On such a tight deadline we knew there was no way to finish the animatics in the style Intel wanted so in a crunch we tend to go with what we know best. We swinged for the fences using a traditional hand drawn style pushing the limits of animation and had suggested some angles that really allowed us to make the spots dramatic. Two months later we found that Venables had won the account with a great idea and some blood sweat and tear animatics from us.

So what we learned from this were a couple of things:
1. We still dont know what medium tests well over others, but we do know that "Idea" is king if you have to rely on a medium to get your spot through testing you proably need another idea.
2. While we love 3D, and working with models and shooting video for high-end cinematics there is something magic about hand drawn animatics and a great editor.

By Scott Ownbey
Founder Animaticmedia

To view more animatics
from Animatic Media click here

Ad Industry Stimulus Plan: A Bailout for Stressed Testing Budgets

It’s no secret that budgets are tight.

And unfortunately for advertisers and marketers, their budgets are often the first to be classified as “expenses” or “non-revenue generating” during hard economic times.

That’s why Animatic Media, a full-service animation studio based in Miami, with satellite offices in Burbank, CA and the UK, has stepped forward with a bailout for stressed ad agencies and their clients.

“We don’t want to let clients suffer through this period, so we are offering more value for their dollar by giving them 2-for-1 pricing on their animatics and deep discounts on the most popular styles of storyboard frames,” said Scott Ownbey, CEO of Animatic Media.

This offering will help clients with shrunken advertising budgets avoid a recession disappearance.

As history has shown, companies that continue to advertise during recessions come out much stronger than those that slash advertising budgets all together. In 2001, aggressive recession advertisers were rewarded with an increased market share 2.5 times that of average businesses post-recession.

Animatic Media’s stimulus plan for the ad industry will allow agencies and clients to remain competitive in the recession advertising space while still accommodating recession-sized advertising and marketing budgets.

“Before the recession set in, average test spot budgets were $15,000 per animatic. For a limited-time, we’re accommodating the pinch that many are feeling by offering full-up, 30-second animatics, including some 3-D, for $6,900 - $7,500,” said Ownbey.

In addition to test spots, Animatic Media’s services can also be used by infomercial producers looking for a quick way to create quality animations and videos for demonstrations. Storyboards Online is offering stimulus pricing for as low as $49.95 on loose color storyboard frames and as low as $34.95 per frame for loose black and white frames.

This offer will expire May 31st, 2009. Click here or call 954-462-4000 today to take advantage of Animatic Media’s Ad Industry Stimulus Plan.

October Artist of the Month - Nora Koerber

Basics first, where are you from?

I am a bona fide "Valley Girl." This would specifically and only mean the San Fernando Valley, in L.A. County, California, U.S.A., as so coined by Frank Zappa right about the time I was attending Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Lots of info there, eh?

What was the exact day and time you first picked up a crayon?

I just can't believe this story, but my mother claims I actually drew a face on some toilet paper when I was a year old. Now, if this were true, I'd have become a brain/heart surgeon with that type of dexterity. Actually, unlike most artists, I've been drawing since I can remember; since I was but a child. O.K, I know most all artists say this. I am no different. It's all true. Boring, arrogant, usual, and yet something all we artists LOVE to brag about, even as we know most any other artist says exactly the same thing.

If such statements as, "I always drew as a child. I grew up drawing and painting; my parents had to pull the pencil out of my hand and force a fork in it and order me to eat; that's how OBSESSED about drawing I was, as a child. I drew on my walls. I drew on my shoes. I drew my friends at school. I impressed teachers...such that my Kindergarten teacher swiftly ran out to meet my mother (swiftly, mind you) to show off the amazing elephant with the highly decorated carpet on its back... and that I'd get drinks bought for me when I'd draw on cocktail napkins when I was of drinking age....ah, yes, we can all brag these similar stories, can't we? We're all so very talented, being artists. And why? BECAUSE WE'VE ALL BEEN DOING IT OUR ENTIRE LIVES! O.K, I guess it takes "talent," which I have heard is "the ability to learn rapidly."



At what point did you decide that you wanted to pursue a career in this field?

Being that I was such an artistic rock star in school growing up, (unlike all other professional artists I know- ahem), I suppose the notion of my being an artist as a profession was inseparable from the fact that I was already an artist. Gimme italics on the word, 'already', won't 'cha? Thanks. Ah, I like this being interviewed. It's all about me. Ah, well.

I grew up knowing I was an artist. When I was graduating from high school, my school advisor brought out a catalogue from Art Center. I was hooked on that school from the moment I saw that thing. It was the castle on the hill. That was my ticket to artistic paradise and the stairway to heaven as far as becoming a professional artist. So I'd say that essentially, when I saw that catalogue, I knew "what I was going to be when I grew up." (Not that I have, yet, mind you...)

Did you consider any other career paths?

Even though I always drew as a child, I also sang. Yes, and on key. I was simply fabulous, if I do say so, myself. Ahem.

Actually, I WANTED to be a singer when I grew up. But I was so shy around my parents that I thought they would have to first die before I could become a professional singer. No, they are still alive. Yes, I do sing, and have done a few stage thingies, but low key, not so I'd give Stevie Nicks, Cheryl Crow, or Bonnie Rait any competition...

...just while we're on the subject of me and how incredibly great I am, let me just expound on my past endeavors, interests, and childhood pursuits that could have turned me toward any of the following: I played classical guitar, made leather purses and belts and sold them at school, took jiu-jitsu, designed clothes, sewed almost all my own clothes, experimented with recipes, and more! And it was all when I was thirteen. That silly run on sentence is true, but it's not true I could do any of those things, I suppose. I've always been an artist. Just wanted to brag a little more. It makes me feel like such a groovy chick!


Where'd you go to school?

Art Center College of Design, Illus, '84, Honors. C.S.U.L.A., M.F.A., Design, w/ Distinction, '04. (There's more, but that would allow people to more effectively calculate my age). Oh, and more bragging: I was the President of the Society of Illustrators, Los Angeles, '01 and ''02, and have served on the Art Center Alumni Council, as well as having taught for a bit at Otis Art Institute. Currently, alongside my fulltime gig here at IAS, I teach Portraiture through an Adult Education division. The class is well attended; there is a lot of competition, in fact, and models regularly tell me how amazing the level of work is in that unassuming class. It's all because of me, of course.

How long have you been at IAS? Where did you work before?

IAS: three years. I was a freelance illustrator since graduating from Art Center in '84 to right before this job. For the past seven years or so, I have done assorted teaching jobs that took me to a few schools, such as Otis, Cal State Northridge, and Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, (otherwise known as 'LACHSA'), which is located on the campus of C.S.U.L.A. It was very convenient, while I was obtaining my M.F.A. on the same campus. 'Twas fun. I love teaching, but enjoy the college age audience most, as I like challenging students who are ready to immerse themselves in hard, intensive work. (Can you hear the crack of the whip?) What can I say? My last name is German.

What is your favorite style to use and why?

At IAS, I suppose my favorite style is "loose," as it probably most befits my personality. I am a little wild inside, and it's like someone saying, "Hey, step into this masaratti right here and take it for a wild ride, but you've gotta make it real quick!" I'm the woman for that job. Yo.



Anything else you'd like to add?

I imagine that most of those who may randomly choose to read this blog or this interview might possibly be considering getting into this business. If your heart is in your drawing and painting, I would encourage you, as it is so wonderful to work at something you truly love to do. Every day, I am amused, I am challenged, I grow, learn, and get to lay down chops that make me feel groovy, baby. Steady employment also affords a social atmosphere, which was lacking in my freelance years, even though the occasional plum job would mean my earning a ton of money in a very short time. But those 'Golden Days of Illustration' have never resumed to how they were, from around '00 and prior. The computer is here to stay, and 'boutique' art schools are cropping up everywhere. There is a glut of artists out there. But there are only so many who are maniacally driven to support themselves as artists and who are actually good enough to sustain their habit. If you're one of this breed, I'd say, go for it. Don't give up until you get there. But if you find it's taken you ten, fifteen years, ah, well...time to do something else...because work like this doesn't grow on trees anymore, and it takes an immense amount of hard work and talent. Not that I have any, mind you; I think they hired me because I was so good looking and they needed me for blockings. Joking aside, I really enjoy this work and know I am fortunate to be employed with IAS so I can support my habit of choice.

Presidential campaign gets animated: Candidates square off over pencils?

A new viral campaign by Storyboards Online and Animatic Media presents an animated version of the presidential candidates’ positions on an obscure topic that is unlikely to make it to the final presidential debate: pencils.

In the age of digital media, Senator Obama views the No. 2 pencil as an archaic utensil and a setback to environmental progress in the U.S. Senator Obama’s green solution, a reusable digital drawing pen, is an extension of his platform for change.

Senator McCain, however, views the No.2 pencil as a reliable option that Americans of all generations can relate to.

Who do you think is right?


Senator McCain's view on pencils:



Senator Obama's view on pencils: