This week, Encino-based Stan Lee Media will premiere “The 7th Portal,” an animated short about six game testers from around the globe who get sucked into an evil dimension via the Internet.
Most appropriately, this comic will only be available on the Web.
Because of technology that allows animators to deliver dynamic drawings without chewing up a lot of bandwidth, online animation studios are springing to life throughout Los Angeles. In turn, these studios are racing to put out content that will appeal to Web users with the patience to watch what is essentially a five-minute short film broadcast on their computers.
Besides Stan Lee Media, the online company developed by the Spider Man creator, there is Icebox.com, a studio being incubated by eCompanies, Marina del Rey-based Eruptor.com and Santa Monica-based TheThreshold.com.
All these studios agree that Flash, software created by San Francisco-based Macromedia Inc., is the secret to their success.
Animation created by Flash is dynamic it can move across the screen while upcoming panels are being downloaded at the same time. While broadband speeds never hurt, the drawings can easily materialize even under the speeds provided by a dial-up modem.
“Flash gives you an advantage and ease in producing low-bandwidth files,” said Wendy Jackson Hall, a consultant who advises film studios on animation strategies. “And because of that, a lot of people are jumping on the (online animation) bandwagon.”
Flash widely available
A study by NPD Research shows that more than 85 percent of all Web browsers come pre-installed with the necessary plug-in that is used to read Flash creations. Statsistics kept by Macromedia show that more than 225 million Web users have Flash on their machines and the software works across all platforms, from Windows operating systems to Linux to Macintosh.
Web animation studios realize that the easier it is for consumers to watch content, the more likely they are to return for more. Because of the preponderance of Flash, in most situations users don’t have to download additional software to view the animation.
“Flash is really just the standard around the world,” said Peter Paul, head of Internet strategy for Stan Lee Media. “You already have a potential audience of more than 200 million.”
So with a baseline technology that gives the audience ease of access, the next step for the local online animation studios is simple: It’s the content, stupid.
“Broadcasting is still broadcasting,” Hall said. “You need films that are high quality to attract sponsorship and advertising.”
At TheThreshold.com, Chief Executive Larry Kasanoff is providing “online entertainment for guys.”
“Our motto is, ‘No crying, no hugging, no learning,'” Kasanoff said.
Among the animated features available on the site in both static and dynamic form are “Pete The P.O.’d. Postal Worker” and “Galaxy Grand Prix.”
Raunchy, sexy, action-packed
While TheThreshold.com does have some live-action content (“Bikini Masterpiece Theater” is pretty much exactly what you imagine it would be), Kasanoff said animation will always be a vital part of the Web site’s package.
“Some of them are raunchy, some are sexy, some are action-packed,” he said of the animation. “It’s all fun, pure, kick-ass, killer entertainment because animation is just such a blast. You’re totally limited only by your imagination. You can have dogs flying spaceships or whatever you want to do.”
But because the field is so new, online animation producers find themselves borrowing extensively from the talent that is available in other fields. Right now, many are on a hiring spree to get some of the entertainment industry’s masterminds on board.
In early February, Eruptor.com hired Matthew Edelman as senior vice president of content. He was previously at Marvel Studios, where he oversaw the development of film and television projects for “Spider Man,” “The X-Men” and “The Incredible Hulk.”
Icebox.com, which is slated to launch six shows in March, has reached deals with the creators and producers of numerous hit television shows to provide content for the site. Among them are Glen Morgan and Jim Wong, co-executive producers of “The X-Files,” Larry David, co-creator of “Seinfeld,” and Pam Brady, co-writer of “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.”
“We want to take creative risks,” said Icebox.com CEO Steve Stanford. “We can do things that some people might think are too nutty for television or film things that some people might think that nobody would watch. It really just comes down to creative freedom.”
Stan Lee Media is also on a hiring binge. In December, the company named Macromedia CEO and Chairman Rob Burgess to its board. Earlier this month, Stan Lee Media hired Stephen Brain as executive vice president for production. Brain previously established the Fox Animation Studios, which produced the animated film “Anastasia.”
