Thread 150083678

What NOT to do when making an ~le indie cartoon? both technically and creatively

Quit

Be preachy. Ever. Unless you have a strong ideologically you flesh out in your strip/story, it's unlikely you're going to change my mind ever. Being entertaining is enough of a goal

bump

Don't hire women to work on it

Daddy would you like some sausage

Don't touch kids.
That goes for animation in general really, just don't touch kids.
Many people fail at this.

>>150083678 (OP)
make your gag-toon "lore filled" out of nowhere

My bum is on your thread
My bum is on your thread
Look at me
My bum is on your thread

>>150083678 (OP)
Overshoot

I watched Freddy got Fingered fully aware of its meta elements and I still found it painfully bad

Lots of good ideas ITT
also, never sell out to THE MAN

>>150083678 (OP)
Don't appeal to shippers.


Dont listen to twitter. PERIOD.

Listen to people that want to watch your show with full interest and know what they're talking about.

Make sure you know what your doing and make good decisions ahead of time.

Dont stop thinking about your ideas. Helps keep you active and helps your ideas stay fresh.

Make a strong pitch or pilot. This is extremely important.


If you ever get the chance to sell your indie to someone make sure it is a 100% a legit place and aren't two timing fucks like Netflix or any other corp.

>>150083678 (OP)
Don't be mean to nice boys
>>150084448
They can as long as they're quiet

>>150084448
At the very least hire women that aren't retarded or stupid and politically obsessed.

>>150083678 (OP)
be careful about hiring friends. if youre too strict, you'll have a great product but potentially lose your buddies. if you're too lenient, you'll end up like rebecca sugar with a bunch of your twitter pronoun friends muddying up your vision and turning it into a parody of itself

>>150083678 (OP)
I'm gonna say making it about your personal politics but that's literally impossible

>>150088727
maybe don't listen to fans with full interest, only half interest. if your project was a dish that had one really good ingredient in it, fans will talk of nothing but that ingredient - if you listen to them completely, you'll lose the dish itself, you know what i mean?

>>150088836
I think so. You're basically saying that a show shouldn't be mainly catered for fans because its main premise or idea will be lost and can only be catered with a very niche group.

Like how dragon ball z fans reduce the show into nothing but fights when it was mainly about adventure.

>>150083678 (OP)

>Have a clear vision and stick with it. Don't waste earlier seasons (time and resources) as build up for what you really want to do later when you should do it ASAP.
>Make the best with the cards you're dealt. Avoid going over budget or overextending yourself. Do things within reason and take care of yourself.
>If you don't have the technical or creative strength to do your dream project, hold off on it for later. You'll only get the chance to do it once, so play it safe and take your time.
>Be professional and treat co-workers with respect and kindness. Don't be an asshole or a creep.
>Get your work done on time, even if you are an asshole or a creep.
>If you hire your friends, keep the scope of production low.
>Don't be afraid to be strict with the people working for you. Be firm, but be kind.
>Don't shit where you eat. Avoid dating co-workers if you're not going to make things serious.
>Keep engagement with fans to a minimum. Avoid social media if you can. Don't sleep with fans.
>Don't be preachy or obnoxious, this isn't a soapbox, your Twitter account, or your diary.
>If you're going to be very auto-biographical/personal, then have the balls to be honest about yourself. What, you think Evangelion was a hit because Anno jerked himself off as the greatest guy ever?
>Watch lots of movies and read quality books as often as possible. Take inspiration from dreams.
>Don't get overly possessive or too hung up on ideas. What seems like a good idea today might be a shit idea tomorrow. Let stuff stay as concept art/ideas.
>Be strict with the people you hire and make sure they're hard-working and professional.
>Don't sell out unless that's either your plan from the start (Jim Davis) or you commit to only selling out slightly (Charles Schulz).
>If you have to write about your daddy/mommy issues, then at least have some self-awareness or tact.

>>150088836
>>150089133
This is probably the best advice. Listen to your fans, us, and normies in equal measure. Never listen to shippers or tourists. Know what you want to say and stick to it even if the plot changes a bit. That's about it.

>>150083743
you're aces

>>150083764
This. I've had enough of it and if you make your indie cartoon a platform to whine and be a nuisance, by Davy Jones' locker I hope you snap your tailbone.

>>150083678 (OP)
Make a bunch of different things and don't get too attached to any of them. You might have one project you would love to turn into a massive franchise with a bunch of seasons of episodes, maybe a movie or spin-offs into other mediums, but odds are best that'll be the thing nobody gives a shit about but you. You might crank out a dozen different cartoons in a short time as part of a challenge, and that thing you did in an afternoon and barely remember because you were blackout drunk will somehow be your most popular work and trying to recreate that may be like lightning in a bottle.

>>150088727
>>150088836
Don't listen to fans at all. At most you can do a slight reference to some popular fan thing, but that's all. Too many fall into a trap of trying to appease fans or trying to subvert their expectations. Just ignore them.

>>150083678 (OP)
>>150083743
Ignore this cynic.

>>150083678 (OP)
Millenial writing

>>150083678 (OP)
just have fun. my most successful comic that i got on shelves was a parody about Garfield stealing Jon's pipe. Instead of tobacco, Garfield was smoking a crack pipe. The title said it all "Garfield Smokes Crack" and i delivered on that premise. The title alone had people giggling when i was distributing for free. Would just scan/print raw cartoons off at the library and hand-produce mini comics for distribution. It was never about writing something fantastic, it was about writing something that made people laugh just from reading the title alone, and I accomplished that. Dare to be stupid.

>>150083764
spbp

>>150091133
>tells someone not to quit
>is called a cynic
Not him, but ???

>>150091227
Oop-- Must've read too fast.

Also I'm suffering from insomnia.

Also I'm a little tipsy.

>>150088727
>Don't appeal to shippers.

>Dont listen to twitter. PERIOD.

We need to make this a golden rule for anyone doing cartoons period. Them mofos are insane.
>>150083764

Nothing wrong with sending a message, but when you start using your show as a soapbox then its just not worth watching.

Don't make a character like this

>>150083678 (OP)
Don't ask 4chan for advice

>>150094063
This one especially.

>>150094063
>>150093055

To be frank theres some actual good advice here. But yea, dont rely on 4chan for advice.
>>150089432
>>150089375

>>150083678 (OP)
Run into a restaurant dressed as an English bobby and threaten to blow your brains out in front of the head of an animation studio.

What you need to do to barge into his office and have your dad scream and yell at you.

>>150083678 (OP)
the gay depressed wagie furry cartoon concept has already been used. multiple times. please do not make another one.

AND THEN THE BEAVERS CAME

>>150091133
Wow, you're a special kind of illiterate. Read it again and this time try not to be retarded.

Freddy Got Fingered has aged alarmingly well...