— How do you evaluate the state of modern Russian animation compared to previous years?
“It is now in development. It is clear that in the future it will be difficult for studios to produce licensed projects based on popular cartoons that have been abandoned due to circumstances beyond the industry’s control. But I think over the year the situation will stabilize and there will be a large increase in Russian animation in general.
— Has domestic content production increased in the backdrop of the departure of major studios from Russia?
– In recent years, children’s animation has been actively developing in Russia. Many projects are currently under production and development. In terms of monetization and payback, it will be the most difficult for them in the near future. However, this series of Russian studios, which managed to gain popularity among the audience and the trust of manufacturers of children’s products, will benefit from the weakening of competition with foreign brands. In general, I think that the situation will stabilize and the production of new projects will continue.
TV channel “MULT”
— Does the TV channel take any measures to attract new ideas and experts in the field of animation?
— We wanted to announce a major animation project. It will be possible to take part not only professionals, but also creative people who write for their children and have long dreamed of trying themselves in a big project. With “MULT Pitching”, which will start on June 1st, we will look for a good idea or script for a TV series or feature film suitable for the editorial duties of the Digital Television channel and the media conglomerate. Winners will be chosen in November.
— What requirements will be put forward for competitive business?
— It is very important that the material focuses on family viewing – both children and adults should enjoy it. We are looking for a project that will be implemented on our TV channel and on our platforms, and if we are talking about a full meter, it can be seen on big screens. In addition, the winner of each nomination will receive a cash prize of up to 1 million rubles.
— How is the process of creating feature-length and multi-part animated films constructed?
– We can talk at length about the creation process – I can only say that there are obvious differences. For example, when creating a series, the result appears faster – it is done step by step, step by step. Whereas, when working on a feature film, you can wait up to five years for the final result: in the creation process, you work on different bricks and production phases at the same time without seeing the picture as a whole.
– Which errors occur most frequently during production?
– The most common mistake is “penetration” when one tissue penetrates another and a “hole” feeling or a kind of void is created. For example, when a piece of a t-shirt falls on the skirt. Moments like these are moments to watch out for.
— What is the audience interest and how do you watch it?
— Of course, we look at numbers, analysis, top ratings and ratings. But above all, feedback from viewers is important to us. Our little viewers are very curious, they care about absolutely everything. They love serials on relationships, they also love note cognition and musicality, so we try to take all these aspects into account in all of our projects, so that every child can find their own cartoon and satisfy their curiosity.
TV channel “MULT”
– How do you get children to be interested in cartoons?
— Firstly, we have a very wide array of series, and secondly, we are constantly looking for new styles, graphics, improving quality and following scenarios very closely. It is important for us that the animated series is interesting, informative and entertaining. We try to add new heroes to the story so that the audience does not have time to get bored with the previous ones. For example, in the second season of Cats and Dogs, we added new characters, new families, because we saw what themes were missing. There are new objects and fun – accordingly, there are new themes for the adventures of our heroes.
There is another example. When we realized that we couldn’t reveal some of the characters in our most popular series, Fantasy Patrol (audience still has questions and time is limited and we don’t have time to talk about them in detail), we created the series. A spin-off of Chronicles of Wonders. This is an additional series in encyclopedia format, where children can get to know their favorite character in more detail. After all, a character may be secondary, but very important to someone. The division is made in the style of comics, which also allows you to diversify the visual picture.
– Does the training of a child psychologist help you in your work?
– Of course it helps. Feeling the audience and understanding children’s thoughts allows you to create popular cartoons and talk to children in their language. Education helps children anticipate their questions and understand how to use the knowledge acquired by watching our cartoons in life.
– How different are the successive generations of viewers of the animated series? Do their values change?
– Values remain, only the instances where we are talking about these values change. The world is developing, tools, new forms of communication, games, hobbies appear. But the essence remains the same.
– Some adults praise Soviet animation and say that children are “stupid” from modern cartoons. How can you comment on such statements?
– I categorically do not like the phrase “children are getting stupid”. I think this is impossible because children, on the contrary, develop and receive new knowledge. The fact that parents are skeptical and sometimes very negative about modern animation has always been like that. We can say that this is already a traditional approach to something new. In my opinion, Russian animation is distinguished by the fact that it strives to create interesting, useful, kind projects that meet all the standards of Soviet animation. Indeed, the color scheme, the dynamics, the graphics, the plot, the style of the characters and their communications are changing as society itself evolves. But I do not see a negative trend in the content of modern cartoons.
TV channel “MULT”
– In the past few years, quite a few episodes of the “MOOLT in Cinema” project have been released. How is it different from what is shown on TV?
– First of all, that it has a big screen and a completely different “cinema” quality. The child can see all the details in more detail, and if this is a 3D movie like Leo and Tig, then the sensations from it are much brighter and stronger than watching it on a TV screen. The sound is also better, there is a full sense of presence: the child can completely immerse himself in the atmosphere of his favorite cartoon.
If we talk about content, then “MOOLT in Cinema” are premiere screenings, the material in the cinema appears earlier on TV and in the app. This is quite convenient for parents, because they understand that in the cinema the child will see the series only for the first time – and there will be no need to search in additional sources. We combine the series thematically and orderly so that they harmoniously combine with each other, and it would be interesting for the child to watch them to the end. The almanac “MOOLT in Cinema” is a huge success among our young audiences.
— What innovations are expected in the MULT TV channel? Will there be a project for children during the holiday?
— Our TV channel is always a big holiday and every day is a holiday because we only have cartoons and entertainment. But we switch the grid around the holidays because kids spend more time at home and we’re giving them more new products and premieres.
The channel is planning the first series from Soyuzmultfilm’s new series Well, you wait!, Chuch-Meow, Prostokvashino. There’s a big premiere on TV this fall, an absolutely fantastic new story to help kids learn to play. To date, many children have stopped playing with toys that are now too elaborate and elaborate – there is no room for imagination. Therefore, this cartoon will make children return to toys and hopefully get them back into the game process.
Source: Gazeta
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.