DISQUS

Niko Anesti · 11 months ago

Hmm. While I didn't catch the premiere today, I think I can still comment on this. I was and still am excited for Random Cartoons, but the wait was a bit much, especially once everything was done and then nobody had any idea of when it was going to ever air. I do not think that the internet could really ever fully replace TV in any respect, and definitely not in cartoons. The type of content you see in TV cartoons is very different from what we see on the internet. On TV, the shows are longer and more polished as they have a higher budget and more people working on them than with internet toons, but with the internet, people are much more involved in their own creations, it's limitless as far as what you can do with them, and of course, instantaneous distribution. So overall I can't say that one is really better than the other. And as an animator, I love seeing some of the high quality animation on television that you don't see on the internet. When you consider the general audience though, there's no question they're going to go for the internet. You can get it whenever you want, as many times as you want, and while it may not always be up to the same standards as TV, it's equally entertaining. Either way, it's a very thought-provoking post. I would love to see internet animation rise, but I would hope that television animation would not die out as a result.

ElliotCowan · 11 months ago

I tend to agree with Niko (who I believe was at Too Art For TV and I didn't get to meet him).
Internet cartoons are great at maybe 3 or 4 minutes at a time.
TV is good for a longer format - you're on the couch, you're relaxed etc etc...

chocolatelog · 11 months ago

I agree. I think it has always been difficult to get your content on television so people are just creating the animation and distributing it on-line, which is great. With current technologies and the internet this is all possible. But I think everyone still dreams to have their content television given the chance.

www.chocolate-log.com

floydbishop · 11 months ago

I would guess that we will be seeing longer format and HD content distributed via YouTube sooner than later. Once that finds a way onto our television screens, maybe via an internet hookup direct to the screen, or a third party machine with a browser (such as an XBox 360 or a PS3), we'll maybe see longer form stuff from the web take the crown away from television all together.

ElliotCowan · 11 months ago

Maybe...
Don't forget that the internet was supposed to herald the end of books too, and they still seem to be here.

chocolatelog · 11 months ago

Also don't forget that they predicted that nobody would paint pictures any more when photography was invented.

floydbishop · 11 months ago

I would argue that the internet has killed off the way many people use print media. While I don't think that the internet will kill television, I do think it has already affected the way animation is viewed on TV. Newspapers have really taken a hit as well.

Fred Seibert · 11 months ago

Floyd makes some great points, as usual. Just to pitch my two cents in, I should point out that Nickelodeon delayed the debut of Random! for good, solid business reasons of their own. Logical too, in this era of incredible economic hardship. The fact Nick invested to make the cartoons to begin with should be considered a great step. 40+ filmmakers got a chance to see their vision through on a fully commissioned basis. They made the films with a team of their choice, wonderful composers, and a dedicated, committed production team.

Yes, it's a shame it took so long for the cartoons to come to the television market. Yes, it's a shame the network didn't post them online first (a real miss on their part I believe). But, they've supported us thoroughly over the last 12 years, bringing 90 original cartoon character shorts to production. More than any other studio or producer in the industry.

Thanks Nickelodeon.

Niko Anesti · 11 months ago

I think putting them online first or even alongside the television airings would have been great and more accessible. I still haven't been able to catch them yet because of the odd air times (I haven't been around during the day and I can't figure out how to record with five different Comcast boxes on my TV now). And some people are unable to see them at all because they're on a network that a good deal of people don't have access to. I've only had this digital cable stuff for a few months, so I'm lucky enough to even have Nicktoons Network, hah. Going back to putting shows online though, more networks seem to be doing that, and I know that I've been able to watch a lot more of Cartoon Network and Adult Swim because of their online distribution. Of course, they don't have every episode up all the time, just the newest ones and maybe some others here and there, and I think that's very practical. And being able to distribute things instantly with the internet is great, but TV doesn't necessarily take that away from shows, even cartoons. Look at South Park. For the last several seasons, their episodes have been right up to date with current events because they actually make the entire episode within the week. It's pretty risky, but it does show that it can be done. I think that there are a lot of good points on both sides of this discussion, but I can't see internet taking out TV entirely. I can, however, see it become a close asset to it, and it's definitely on the way.

floydbishop · 11 months ago

It would be nice to see them air online, like what they have done in the past with the Nicktoons anim fest. The point of my post is that a lot of the red tape associated with networks is non existant on the web, and the convience of watching what you want and when you want is unmatchable by normal television.

I would like to see another series of shorts on Nickelodeon, but it would be great if it didn;t take so long from initial production to airing.

mukpuddy · 11 months ago

What about us down at the bottom of the world... chuck 'em online already!! Satisfy our curiosity please!!!