So there we were, 200 of us – wondering what we were doing in the sweltering heat, on this island off the coast of Africa. Business or pleasure?
Not even the relief of a slight breeze. The interpreters’ booths (and the interpreters) were melting in the damp heat (40°C). The ocean and swimming pool were tempting, surrounded by cooling hibiscus flowers.
But no. At 9 in the morning, everyone was assembled in the meeting rooms, ready to discover European animation. 60 new projects, including those from the first studio groupings, together with well known studios such as France Animation, Manuli, Belvision and ASL•Animationsstudio Ludewig.
So the first presentations took place in three meeting rooms with representatives from 45 broadcasters. Our gamble had paid off. European coproductions were going to happen. It was not going to be easy, but we had got off to a good start. Our host, Mr. Dimas Martin showed great kindness to us during our stay.
We had dinner in a cavern with local music, visited the volcano and spent the last evening on the beach with dancers and musicians from Senegal, accompanied by fi reworks above the palm trees.
So, the tone was set. The Cartoon Forum would be a cocktail of hard work and cultural discovery.
On Sunday morning, our Cartoon plane took off with 200 participants, and we crossed our fingers in the hope they would come back the following year.
The Ramos Camel
How should we present Lanzarote? What should the poster look like? A photograph, a drawing? After a lot of discussion, Manuel Ramos, proposed a smiling camel with a television screen in its hump. This was the start of a collection of posters which, each year, would show something of the place we would be visiting.
Markus Schächter, General Director, ZDF
Like all good ideas, it was simple. Co-production and task sharing would enable small European animation companies to produce faster and in greater quantities. This would allow them to compete with the American market. Although a theoretically sound idea, would this work in practice? Would success be hindered by different languages, currencies and cinematic preferences?
The initial idea for the Cartoon Forum was associated with a second one. Instead of meeting in major centres, the idea was to get together in outlying areas of Europe, as sometimes it is easier to try out new ideas away from it all. The weather in Lanzarote that September was unusually hot and muggy but nothing could spoil our good mood on that last evening. It turned out that the idea for the Cartoon Forum was a great one, not just because it made sense but because everyone felt co-productions would be fun. It was a way to get off the beaten track and come up with new ideas.
The presentations took the form of a workshop and sounded somewhat improvised and unrehearsed. Not all the producers and TV people spoke fluent English but everyone helped one another. The projects were «works-in-progress» so that broadcasters and producers could discuss them openly and at length. We television people were delighted to note that this was an opportunity to pick and choose from a huge array of original ideas with a distinctive European design. On the last evening, we sat on the beach and watched the coloured figures painted on the night sky by a fantastic fireworks show. We had great hopes for the future and we were already certain that Cartoon Forum had passed the first test.
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