Friday, October 21, 2011

Again At the Studios

Another busy day in the east San Fernando Valley ...

Today I was at Bento Box, where a staffer said:

"Fox is happy with the 18-54 demographic for Bob's Burgers. We're hoping for a pickup on the back nine. Also hoping for a third season pickup for Season #3 ..."

BB's Magnolia Boulevard facility is pretty full up at the moment.

After Bento, I journeyed to Disney Television Animation's Sonora Building, where Phineas and Ferb, Kick Buttowski and Tron have now fully relocated from the Burbank lot's Frank Wells Building. (Disney has a lot of buildings.)

A week or so ago, the two-story structure was pretty chaotic, what with construction workers putting up walls and installing hardware, what with movers hauling boxes of artists' belongings into different cubes. The dust and noise have now gone away, and the gray, industrial-strength cubicles have been reinstalled on the second floor*. And work is humming along.

I was asked about a TVA move to the Golden Oaks Ranch up in Santa Clarita, and said I knew nothing in that regard. (I can't conceive of another move on the heels of the last one, but hey. Stranger things happened.) I was asked about the upcoming contract negotiations. And about tight schedules and unpaid overtime and the usual issues. I got at least one volunteer for the negotiating committee.

Oh yes. In the earlier morning hours, Mr. Kaplan and I motored to the west Valley, where we handed out leaflets to arriving staff at non-union Moonscoop Studios in the heart of Warner Center. (A union organizer's life is never dull.) A few managers asked us what we thought we were doing, so we explained the procedure to them. Happily, nobody questioned our right to stand on the sidewalk and pass out our fine union material.

* A couple of months ago, the second floor of the Sonora Building was home to DisneyToon Studio and had a laid-back atmosphere with these strange white cubicle dividers that artists complained were too low and too flimsy. Installed near the end of the Sharon Morrill regime, they began life with these strange, white hangings overhead and looked like, swear to God, Civil War tents. Most artists hated them.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

oh no.....

so white.

Anonymous said...

Ahhh...overage hipsters....calling themselves "animators". At least they admit they don't know what x-sheets are.
On the bright side they still do x-sheets. So many of these 'hip' new productions have discarded x-sheets not realizing how much they're necessary.

Anonymous said...

Though I admit I did chuckle a little at the pegboard necklace, a more realistic version would have been funnier. Though I suppose it's harder to find rhyming words with I uncompensate, divorce, layoff, and corporate meddlIng.

Anonymous said...

That's more interesting than hearing chuck zembellas whine about his low stature in the business last night. Not many showed up--no surprise there. I stayed only for a few minutes, once I realized he has nothing to say beyond his whining rants he's only known for.

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah,, the Zembillas thing. Tell us what happened...if anything.

Even a few sad details would be fun to read.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Steve Hulett said...

Let's keep comments on topic and polite.

I've taken the last comment down because it was a bit over the top.

Many thanks.

Anonymous said...

even though it was also very accurate.

Anonymous said...

That video made my week!! Silly, totally geeky, and educational at the same time.

Ahhh...overage hipsters....calling themselves "animators".

Wow, bitter much? Or maybe you're just being facetious... hard to tell over the internet.

Anonymous said...

Could be worse....they could still be wearing ponytails.

Bronnie said...

At first glance I thought-- geezuz.. what egos.. Then I was reminded that it was probably all for Diz promotion-- and that these guys ,Marsh and Provenmire, though I've not met them, have a great rep as being decent and very talented. Bottom line-- 'Phineas and Ferb' has enjoyed popularity and longevity,provided JOBS,and looks good going forward with a movie and another TV season signed on. Any show that has achieved that while treating the artists well(as I've heard they do) ought to be congratulated..

Anonymous said...

If I see one more fedora...

Anonymous said...

Interesting. A rap video called "We're Animating" and nobody's animating.

Site Meter