This blog highlights the work of one of BCre8ive’s Lab partners Collingwood & Co. They are an established animation company with a 25 year history of making award-winning animated series and specials, to critical acclaim around the world. Series include in house ideas: Oscar’s Orchestra, Yoko Jakamoko Toto, The Secret Show and our current production Ruff-Ruff, Tweet and Dave. We have also had success with adaptations, working with DC Thompson on Dennis & Gnasher and Dr Seuss’ Estate on The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!
Here Jude Spencer, Development assistant at Collingwood & Co sets out what Collingwood & Co are making and what they hope will come in from members of the BCre8ive community.
Our programmes have ranged in age from pre-school through to 11-year-olds. Our current focus in development is predominantly pre-school and cross-over shows for 3 ½ to 7 year olds. With each new idea we look for a new challenge, both in the way in which stories can be told and in the way the series is made. A series for 7-10 year olds is harder to finance, but may still be of interest if the right idea was presented. This would require a relatable central character, a strong visual style and a funny, off the wall tone (able to stand up against established brands as seen on Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and Disney).
We have a strong history of successful co-productions from around the world with Singapore, China, Korea, Canada and America. Having a series which has an international appeal, particularly with an American broadcaster in mind, would be a key element of what we’re looking for; as in order to get a series commissioned we require multiple financiers and broadcasters from around the world.
Projects which have scope to go further than the small screen, with online or with merchandising potential, are also something to be considered when shaping an idea.
Pre-school broadcasters require an element of educational content, either soft or curriculum based, which would need to be a part of any series idea for this age-group. We’re looking for shows where an educational thread is incorporated into every episode, whilst keep the characters and storylines fun and engaging.
Whatever the project, we are looking for strong characters the audience will fall in love with, and want to go on new adventures with each week – and a big part of that is to make them laugh! Series need to reflect the lives of the audience in some way, and feel relevant to modern children in order, to stand out and capture their imagination, amongst the many demands for their attention. There would need to be a big enough scope within the world for potential to make as many as 52 episodes in a series, and beyond.
But whatever your idea, there are always exceptions to the rules for the right project, so surprise us!
