Tundra Media could be best classified as a boutique Production Company. Our primary focus has been meeting our clients communications needs whatever they may be. Over the years this has allowed us to produce a variety of products ranging from commercials, to documentary work, and more recently a variety of educational products including one that is being distributed internationally to emergency responders. However currently we are working on a 3D forensic animation of a serious fire from 2007.
Q: What caused you to review Toon Boom Animate?
I had recently placed a follow up call to Toon Boom's CEO Joan Vogelesang to tell her how impressed I was with Toon Boom's products, and to provide my impressions of a presentation that she had given in Denver Colorado. Believe me, I don't place these types of calls often, so when the staff at Toon Boom Animation asked me to share my impressions of both their products, and their company, I didn't hesitate, because I believe in them.
Q: What can you tell us about Tundra Media?
Tundra Media could be best classified as a boutique Production Company. Our primary focus has been meeting our clients communications needs whatever they may be. Over the years this has allowed us to produce a variety of products ranging from commercials, to documentary work, and more recently a variety of educational products including one that is being distributed internationally to emergency responders. However currently we are working on a 3D forensic animation of a serious fire from 2007.
Q: Has Tundra Media been mostly focused on 3D style animation?
Well we produce both 2D and 3D animation within our organization, however when Tundra Media was started over ten years ago, our primary focus was on 3D animation and visual effects in support of our production business. So the tools we chose were based on that need. As I had long appreciated traditional cell style animation, I knew someday we would chose to further explore this animation style. I also realized that while we had software capable of 2D cell style animation, It was my opinion that none of it supported a professional workflow that would meet our needs.
Q: Your company just purchased Animate, what decisions drove your purchase.
Well, a few years ago, we developed a unique concept for an animated children's series that's just now hitting our production pipeline. Recognizing that we still needed 2D software that would support a professional workflow, we are now aggressively looking at the Toon Boom product line to help us out with that need. While we are currently evaluating Animate, we fully expect to be utilizing a number of Harmony workstations if we are able to successfully pitch our project.
Q: Why would you purchase Animate if you were looking to utilize a Harmony system?
Price point. We felt that purchasing Animate would give us the information we needed to evaluate the production workflow issues while also providing us with a tool that would immediately improve efficiencies with our existing 2D work. It was simply a good value that we couldn't pass up.
Q: Having only recently purchased Animate, can you share your initial impressions?
Personally I have been very impressed with Animate, it seems very intuitive, much more so than our other design and animation software packages. It also has some unique features that I haven't seen anywhere else. Beyond that, Toon Boom has another product that we are taking a close look at, and that product is Storyboard Pro. Storyboards are an essential part of a professional workflow. So to have your storyboards in a digital format with camera moves synced to audio tracks and to the script is very appealing.
Q: As a manager and producer, how do you look at making software purchases?
I have often found it interesting that artists and management seem to look at software quite differently. When I am at trade shows or product demonstrations, I usually find that the artists look mostly for the features that are going to make their lives easier, and that's important. As a CEO however, I have to look at a much larger picture.
A company can include a number of different individuals or teams performing different tasks. These can include compositors, editors, and or course the IT staff. It is important that they are able to work with the product or the product data, so when evaluating software there are a number of factors that you need to consider. Certainly the most obvious consideration is that you need to make sure that the tool is going to work out for you or your artists, but beyond that, you need to make sure that it will work seamlessly in your production pipeline. Additionally, you need a company that provides both excellent product support, and educational support of their product so that you can get your production team up to speed quickly. Basically you need a good company that has a good customer base, and has been around for a while and has a track record.
Q: Any final thoughts?
Over the many years that I have been following Toon Boom, I have been very impressed with not only their product line, but also the company, their support and their focus. So we are really looking forward to working with them now and into the future.
