Work/Life: Royale attempts the impossible
LA-based Royale launched their new site last week, tearing the wrapping off a stack of new work, including a charming holiday short, Impossible Present.
In other words, they’ve been very busy.
But Royale’s approach to busy-ness — and business — is a little different than what you might expect from a studio of their caliber. As part of our work/life series, we’ll dig into Royale’s work philosophy after getting a little behind-the-scenes dirt on Impossible Present.
We chatted with Royale Partner and Creative Director Jayson Whitmore via e-mail.
Why did you guys decide to do a short?
Every year we like to invest back into our company and try to push the team creatively with an internal project. [Partner/Creative Director] Brien Holman, [Partner/Executive Producer] Jen Lucero and I have always loved character animation and decided this year it would be fun to do a company holiday piece as a gift for our clients, friends and family. We wanted to take the piece from start to finish and have complete control, including the option of exploring a darker storyline.
Where did the idea for the short came from?
The idea came one day when I was trying to open a plastic package that was sealed shut … you know the ones. They usually house a cool, little electronic device in an impenetrable plastic casing that, more often than not, draws blood before you are able to enjoy the product inside.
Brien and I have a dark sense of humor and are huge fans of great animation — often a fun combination. Over coffee one morning, we were reminiscing about how awesome older animated shorts used to be when they were willing to blow up the main character. Daffy always lived despite having his face shot off.
Sadly, kids are now subjected to uber-safe programming due to fears that they might do something dangerous themselves. Funny enough, no one I’ve ever known who loved Looney Toons has ever done anything remotely as dangerous as setting off a pile of dynamite and/or shooting their friend in the face. Thus, Impossible Present was born.
How many ideas/revisions did the story go through before you knew it was ready for production?
We wanted to keep the story simple. There were a few minor revisions along the way; however, it pretty much stayed intact from the beginning. We presented to the internal team to see if there was interest in the story and everyone responded positively to our treatment.
What was the most challenging aspect of making the film?
The challenging part about the short was trying to maintain normal working hours while staying on schedule. As a company, we strive very hard to find efficient ways of working together as a team with the common goal of meeting and exceeding client expectations while giving artists the space to live their lives.
We believe that by letting artists have sane working hours, they will come back more rested and therefore more energized and inspired the following day. Inspiration happens off the clock. Too many late nights in a row depletes an artist’s creativity and attention to detail, leaving more room for error.
