TV Show questions
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If Pepper&Carrot was a TV Show, what optimal lenght for an episode? Target audience? Type of stories? 2D or 3D? I just had a meeting with a studio and we are curious to know your opinion. Thanks for the help 😻
23 comments
I would imagine it as a similar showification as Hilda, 20-ish min episodes, 2d, great for kids, still interesting for adults
Definitely 2d, I would say ideal episode length would be 10 minutes but aired as two independent episodes. This would allow to intertwine story profession and short stories
2D for sure...
Episodes are no longer than 20 minutes. The target audience should be preteen and early teens... the characters reflect that same and it would resonate best with that group.
Type of stories? struggle -> lesson -> unexpected solution -> learning.
In my personal opinion, contemporary western animation is truly lacking good 2d animation. While 3d has evolved in terms of artistic style, it can never replicate the appeal of traditional hand-drawn animation. It can still benefit from modern technology like the comics do by adding sparks of digital visual effects, though. A great example for how these can work together are modern Anime from Japan, that are able to deliver the "warmth" of traditional animation while still utilizing digital effects for things that would not be possible otherwise (e.g. certain camera movements and action scenes).
I’m however undecided about episode length, but that really depends on the stories you want to tell. A story as told in Adventure Time is packed with action and usually has not a single seconds without something happening. That’s a great format for short stories. A 21-minute episode (e.g. Simpsons, Rick & Morty) on the other hand would be better-suited for complex story-telling. Maybe start with short episodes, which would be a great format for telling the adventures of a very young pepper (2 x 10 minutes in one episode), while leaving room for getting more serious when she grows older as in your web comics?
My kids (7 and 5) just love the comics. Same is true for my niece and nephews (11+8+6). If you want to keep real to this part of your fan base, you should definitely make it nothing but 2D. Really please don't make it 3D.
In terms of length. I'd say it depends. As an adult I rather have it taking the standard 20~ish min. But story and artistic level should hold up to it. Since budget is probably scarse, and for kids anyways, make it (as others already suggested) 2x10min per episode. And just throw in those beautiful background sceneries and those short but funny stories that we love.
That's awesome ! I hope it gets made into an animation series !
Optimal length - 15-25 min
children aged 6-14 years
2D type story
Story type - hilarious, unexpected twist, Moral based
You know, Steven Universe did very well with its 11-minute episodes. Shorter format, more direct, they were able to get ALOT into each episode without making it feel too rushed and hurried.
I think it definitely has to be 2D, to be in spirit with the original. The target audience should probably be teenagers, but the sort of thing adults can enjoy too, like Avatar the Last Airbender.
Each episode should probably be 20 minutes, certainly not any shorter than that, or they won't have enough time to develop any interesting story... The stories should (in my opinion) be like in the comics, but perhaps with a clearer/more rapidly developing overall season arch.
As long as you keep the sweetness and innocence, any length would be great.
I want to second the comparison to Hilda. I think it would definitely work best as a 2D show, I'd love to see as much of your beautiful aesthetic translate to animation as possible (let me second that idea to use similar backgrounds!). I think 11 minute episodes would work really well with a lot of your current story pitches, plus it would be more story per dollar, but if you want to do 20 minutes and can afford it, I think you could pull that off, as well. Generally speaking, it takes more skill to tell shorter stories, and you already do that well.
Just please don't make it 3D.
Hi, I've never commented before, but my brother and I have been fans of Pepper & Carrot for going on six years (we're also both major animation nerds), and I have to say that this is a really exciting idea! I honestly think that a style similar to the one you've developed for the comic would be really fun to see as a cartoon, you could even potentially reuse some of the backgrounds you've already made. As for the types of stories the show would tell, I'd honestly say focus on drawing from what you've already been really great at when working with the characters, telling stories in the adventure comedy tradition with a lot of heart; I like that the comic's overall been really graceful when touching on heavier themes, while keeping the tone of the story fun and accessible to kids. I think that the eleven-minute segment format, with two segments per episode, would fit well for Pepper & Carrot as a cartoon series, especially if you're planning on drawing from the plots of some of the comic episodes as your basis.
Regardless of where the potential project goes, best of luck!
Me too
I hear the concern of others about a 3d adaptation, and I understand that given the poorly-handled 3d adaptations in movies recently. But having seen some of your own ventures into modelling Hereva and also those of fans, I'd love to see a good-faith translation of the style into 3d (since a team other than you would be animating anyway).
As for length, it's flexible but it shouldn't feel rushed -- the fact that your art takes time to just show the world outside the plot is one of the things I think best lends the comic a unique character, and I think an animation should be the same way. I liked the half-hour slot idea others have mentioned.
The Phineas and Ferb format of 20 minute episodes that are usually 2x 10 minute stories is a good one. Also allows the flexibility for a full 20 minute episode for bigger stories. Or just the obvious 20 minute episodes!
I'd guess 2D would do it the most justice? But I don't know enough about animation techniques to really know. And yes, Phineas and Ferb is a good model again for age groups - more oriented towards children but enjoyable for adults (I watched it with my partner and we don't have children).
Your work is great. I'm sure you'll make a good choice whichever direction you decide to go. These are only my thoughts. I'm no expert.
Pepper & Carrot's solid rendered style (as opposed to flat shapes, or line-based) would translate well into either 2D or 3D. I'd say it depends on the strengths of your animation team. I've seen great shorts in both 2D and 3D from animators in France. France has some of the greatest animation schools, a long tradition of animation, so I imagine you're working with a talented group.
As for age/target audience, you could shift up or shift down pretty easily. The learning/school and "coming of age" aspects of Pepper & Carrot give you a wide age range to target. Your stories/artwork feel older than the target audience for Little Witch Academia (an animated series in the same basic genre). However, that's just my opinion. My guess is Little Witch Academia is targetted at 8-14 years. Your stories have a slightly darker mood, so I tend to think of Pepper & Carrot as 12-18. But, I'm in my fifties, so what do I know?
Length depends on if you want to do your existing stories or expand into a longer series. Your existing stories would do well as short films, maybe 7-12 minutes each. Your world and characters are easily rich enough to expand into a longer series. That would put you in the 20-25 minute range. But, as you already do storyboarding, you know a lot about this than I do. I'd love to see either version of Pepper & Carrot. If you were in the United States and your goal was to make money, I'd probably recommend you go for a series (shorts are difficult to sell/license here) and try to license it to one of the streaming markets.
An animated show of Pepper&Carrot would be really nice.
I'd say most of the stories are good for kids while still being enjoyable for adults as well.
As for the style, 2D would definitely be better; I think that most 3D animations aren't as good at showing the characters' emotions as traditional animation does and it would lose some of the comic's charm.
2D and about 20 minutes long is best I think
About standard 20 minute mark in total either in bulk or split to two 10 minute episodes. Saturday morning children's show type genre, slice of life and comedy with a touch of adventure and some good messages to learn per episode for sure. Something cozy and comfortable and magical. Although that is just my bias towards the more laid-back comic strips.
As for style, I'd say the a mix of tween- and hand-drawn 2D animation coupled with something akin to the watercolor painting aesthetic of Elinor Wonders Why could really help make it stand out from the crowd and feel very in line with the style of the comics themselves. Emphasis on 'painting', not 'watercolor', of course.
Je vais rejoindre ce qui a déjà été dit :
- 2D
- 10 minutes (max 20)
- pour les enfants de 6 Ã 10 ans
Au passage, je ne crois pas avoir eu l'occasion de te l'écrire : merci pour tes histoire de Pepper & Carrot.
En espérant que cela se concrétise.
I'd love to see it made into a show! Similare length episodes to other cartoons and animes, so ~25 minute episodes (including intro and credit scene).
I'd say "from 6", keeping the other end of the scale open. If the episodes are anything like the comic they'll appeal to any age group except for rebellious teenagers (and those will watch it secretly when they think we don't notice).
Definitely 2D - It makes me really happy to see that the previous commenters are as fed up with this 3D fad at I am. Whatever you do, don't sacrifice art quality to keep production costs down, although it'll be tempting at times and executives tend to want that.
I'm not against digital stuff in general, but a lot of the appeal of P&C lies in the amazingly detailed settings, the attention to lighting, the cool watercolour vibes and the extremely high quality of the artwork in general. Also, I think that because of the relative simplicity of the characters, who do most of the moving, that the P&C look will translate very well into animation without having to make dire cutbacks.
15 to 20 minutes will probably be a good idea. In more complex plot lines (if you plan those) that'll mean plenty of cliffhangers, but they'll probably just help making the whole thing as addictive as the comic.
I'm don't think about 20 minutes. Every episode of comic is relatively short, it's hard to stretch up to more than 2 minutes. Yes, some episodes is parts of one plot and can be connected together, but they will not more than 5-10 minutes. For example, Russian cartoon series is usually 5-7 minutes length, it's hard to get lost in details here.
The target audience, in my opinion, is all ages, countries and peoples, because original comics is for all.
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