Open The Portal為獨立動畫公司，以逐格動畫聞名並製作過許多人氣動畫，例如由動畫頻道Adult Swim推出的《Rick and Morty》、Disney廣告動畫，也製作過Harry Style的MV動畫與Eminem的串場動畫等，創作模式不拘，更時常輔助獨立動畫導演讓想法落地並完成作品，讓更多好的創作，走向更大、更商業的舞台。
在訪談過程中，我們對於創辦人不斷提及溝通與合作的重要性，感到印象深刻，而這應該也是Open The Portal能在商業和藝術領域取得平衡的原因之一。如何打造一家獨特、搞怪卻充滿人性的動畫公司？以及動畫如何因應串流平台而轉變或不變？ Open The Portal將娓娓分享，位居第一線的體悟與觀點。
以下採訪Cacao mag簡稱C，David Braun（聯合創始人兼創意總監）簡稱D，Barrett（聯合創始人兼音樂作曲家）簡稱B，Jason Milov（執行製片人），簡稱J
C：請簡單介紹一下Open The Portal這家動畫公司的歷史與背景。以及你們為什麼想要創立一間動畫工作室，有什麼作品影響了你們嗎？
D：基本上，Open The Portal的來由是Barrett和我在20年前因為一起玩團而開始的。
B：是的。
D：我們都很喜歡DIY，Barret錄製了很多demo，而我負責創作跟視覺相關的行銷物。海報、影片也都自己來，當時和大西洋唱片公司簽約，能夠和一家主流唱片公司合作，我們都很興奮。
在期間我們遇到了很多非常優秀的人，同時也得到了非常棒的經歷，但我們想要改變樂團的方向。尤其是，當時和我們簽約的人後來被唱片公司解雇了，因此我們決定回到最初DIY的方式—自己錄音、自己製作MV，然後自己宣傳。那也催生了第一支逐格動畫音樂作品。
那次之後，我們意識到我們其實更喜歡獨立廠牌的運作模式。所以當樂團告一段落後，我去學了動畫，Barrett則租了一個工作室。我們都非常享受一起共事的感覺，並進一步追求我們認定的創意視野，而非在一家大公司裡工作，就在那個時候，Open the Portal正式成立了。
一開始，我們只做一些非常小的獨立作品或MV，但Jason加入了後，公司組織愈趨完整。Jason在電影圈擁有出色背景，他與許多電影製片公司合作過，並和很多電視從業人員都有聯繫。於是我們（David和Barrett）負責專注於創意的部分，當然Jason也很有創意能力，但他則負責去尋找客戶或其他合作者，彼此分工合作。
C：Open The Portal 是非常獨特且前衛的動畫工作室，與許多大型工作室以及獨立藝術家合作過，如Netflix、Adult Swim和Kangmin Kim。能否進一步說明Open The Portal 參與過哪些項目？從構思到最終動畫完成的創作過程又是怎樣的呢？
D：我們與Kangmin Kim合作了很多部電影，他是我們最好的朋友之一，也影響我們很深。Jason製作過他一些電影，Barrett負責音效。
J：是的，我認為我們在劇情片和獨立短片的製作面有不同的方式。其中一種方式是與合作者密切合作，像是與Kangmin Kim的合作模式。基本上，與Kangmin這樣的藝術家合作，他會向我們解釋作品的願景和想法，而我們只需要為他找到相關資源與支援，讓他能夠充分實現那個想法，是我們的主要目標。因此，我們會提供工作室空間、材料和支援，甚至是其他完成專案所需的一切。有時候Barrett還會加入，負責音效工作。基本上，我們只是為這些合作者，建立出一個健全的結構和服務支援。
D：另一方面，如果是我們自己製作的獨立短片，有時候我們只要靈機一動，也許是從商店裡隨意找到的設備，都能成為我們的素材，例如，我們的第一部動畫作品《Robota》。
當時我在一家二手商店找到一台看起來很奇怪的機器，於是我們開始為這個機器開發角色和想法，最終成就了我們的第一部作品。所以我認為OTP（Open The Portal）真正獨特的地方，正是在於我們對整個過程採取非常開放的態度。我們不依循既有的方式創作，也不認為所有的東西都必須從頭開始。有很多不同方法能夠產生創意啊，重點是我們非常喜歡和人們協力創作，這絕對是一種更開放的合作模式，有助於讓整個過程更加清楚和新鮮。
J：對我們來說，前期製作是最重要的過程，甚至奠定了每個作品的走向與路線。
B：有時候在廣告製作上，我們會有兩個月的前期製作，但只有五天的拍攝時間。所以一切關乎於，你的準備是否充分，越重視前期製作，工作流程也會越順暢。
C：在動畫產業中，什麼是最具挑戰性的？以及你們如何克服這些挑戰？此外，你們可以比較線上串流媒體和戲院之間的差異嗎？而線上平台如何改變短片動畫產業？
J：針對你問題的第一部分，對於我們來說，由於我們是做逐格動畫起家的，動畫本身相對於其他媒介來說，已經算是非常小眾的領域，而在動畫領域中，逐格動畫更是一個更為小眾的領域。
所以特別是在招攬客戶或想將我們的想法賣給電影或電視節目的過程中，這本身就是一個最難的挑戰。這也是為什麼在過去幾年中，我們擴大了OTP的能力，做了多種不同風格的動畫，並運用不同媒介甚至是真人影片來創作。儘管如此，我們仍然保持著OTP的核心價值，並相信會掌握更多機會。而關於第二部分，這些新的平台和買家的確很大程度的改變了影像內容的市場，對於我們這樣的獨立工作室來說，其實是一件好事。因為他們能夠讓更多人，去關注到甚至是支持我們的作品。
C：逐格動畫是非常傳統的動畫風格，作為一名動畫師，你能描述一下 Open The Portal 使用什麼技術和工具來創作動畫，以及Open The Portal如何保持在此業界的領導地位？
D：針對不同技巧和材料，我們受到了來自不同國家和時代的動畫影響。對我們來說，我們非常熱愛逐格動畫，而OTP 的最大火花和核心就是我們想要表達的理念。我們非常喜歡奇怪的視覺，尤其是能夠讓人感覺到有些奇怪和不舒服的東西，儘管如此，我們還是喜歡帶給觀眾一份真摯的感受。
就動畫的光譜來說，有溫暖且觸動人心的皮克斯，也有超級奇怪但獨特的Adult Swim，而我們試圖在中間找到一個平衡點。逐格動畫非常有趣，因為它需要豐富的想像力和技術；我們也喜歡手繪動畫，最近甚至嘗試了一點點的CG動畫，只要這個媒介能夠清楚的表達我們的理念，我們都非常喜歡。
至於你提到的第二個部分。我認為大多數傳統動畫師使用的軟體都十分類似，像是 Adobe、TVPaint等，這些軟體可以互相支援，但對逐格動畫來說，我們與實物一起工作。因此，在這方面，逐格動畫並沒有一個固定的規則或框架，每個人都會有自己特殊的偏好；在材料的部分，我覺得這是一個很好的問題，因為逐格動畫師對於他們使用的材料非常講究而且都要非常熟悉。
我還記得有一位來自英國的老師告訴我，最大的挑戰之一，莫過於是在自己不熟悉的地方找到習慣使用的材料，因為在很多地方都要遇上相同的材料是很難的，而且運輸方面也相當困難。幸運的是，我們的工作室在洛杉磯，有很多優秀的動畫工作室都在這裡，而且大多數的工作室都彼此認識。即使每個人都有自己習慣的風格或偏好，但整體還是有一個鬆散的基礎概念讓每個人去遵循，比如金屬線的綁法或是固定腳的方法。我們這些逐格動畫工作室都希望能夠以良好的方式一起合作，並互相分享這些知識與技術，讓每個人都能夠創作出更高品質的作品。
C：Open The Portal未來的願景是什麼？工作室如何持續產出前衛的作品？
B：David和我的夢想是開設一個主題樂園。
D：我們在工作室舉辦過一些派對，我們非常喜歡這個空間。這是一個由老飛機頭改造而成的工作室，我們很想要邀請人們過來這，觀賞作品，跟作品互動，對我們來說，和觀眾親身互動是非常棒的體驗。
說回主題樂園，我們曾經把工作室的房間變成不同的體驗空間，並舉辦派對，就好像我們自己的DIY迪士尼樂園一樣，我們還製作了一些設施讓人們參與和互動。之前我們還製作了一個機器，讓人們可以戴上3D眼鏡，躺在瑜伽墊上，藉由它會來回搖晃，同時觀看一些白點或稜鏡變形的影片，還有完整的音樂體驗。
B：我製作了一齣音樂劇，時間長達12到13分鐘，沒有對話，只有聲音效果。它涵蓋了一段生命週期，從子宮開始，到嬰兒時期、幼童時期、青少年時期等等。形狀會變化，進而帶出整個戲劇體驗。一時很難解釋清楚。
D：是的，這個機器本來是用於血液循環，但當它停止時，實際上會給人一種漂浮的感覺，所以計時機器停止的時刻，它會發出嗶嗶聲，同時播放稜鏡花朵的影片，你會開始看到所有近似於天堂的美麗圖像，最後是我們的標誌。我們喜歡自己動手創造出沉浸式的東西，這件事讓我們深深淪陷。
C：對於最近動畫相關科系的畢業生，你們有什麼建議嗎？更重要的是，如果有人想加入Open The Portal，公司最看重哪些特質呢？
D：我們正在尋找的，是喜歡合作、喜歡解決問題並樂於共同工作的人。當我們製作試播集時，那很可能是我們最美好的時光。那是幾年前的事情，但我至今仍然記得當時情景。團隊的每個人，包括實習生、動畫師，每週我們都在嘗試新技術、分享想法並努力解決問題。當然要投入動畫工作需要具備很多條件，但基本上只要喜歡合作，各種不同類型的人都可以加入我們。
至於建議，就像你提到的線上串流平台一樣，社交媒體是一個與他人宣傳和分享作品的好方法。沒有必要進行負面競爭，但我們喜歡良好的競爭。如果我看到有人在網路上做了一件很出色的作品，會興起我也想要讓別人驚豔一下的心情。如今在線上有很多機會，你只需要分享作品並對合作抱持開放態度就行。（全文完）
▌企劃編輯：Che
C:Brief history/background on Open The Portal, and what inspired the founders to create an animation studio? What are some of the reasons or works that inspired you to become an animator?
David: Basically, Barrett and I started a band together almost 20 years ago. We Started in 2004.
Barrett: Yeah.
David: We like to do everything DIY, Barrett recorded a lot of our demos, and I created a lot of visuals. We will make flyers, videos, and we ended up getting our deal at Atlantic Record, and we were really excited to work with a major label. There are some really great people there, and ultimately, we have some great experiences but we really want to change our creative visions for the band. Also, the person who signed us to the label ended up getting fired by the label, so we were back to the idea of DIY again. We record ourselves and we make a music video to promote ourselves. And that’s our first stop motion, music sound collaboration. From that experience, we had a great time. We realize that we really prefer being more independent, and to do things that we like to do. So after the band I went to school in animation, Barrett rented a music studio, and we figured we really like working with each other, and to seek our creative vision together through the way we wanted it to be. Rather than working under a big company, that’s the time when we decided to start Open the Portal.
We did some really small independent projects first, and then Jason joined us. That’s the time when we really formalized the company. Jason has an amazing background in the film industry, and he has worked with a lot of film studios, and a lot of relationships with some TV studios. We (David and Barrett) were able to focus on the vision of it, Jason also has a creative mind, and was able to help us to find clients, or other collaborators that can help us with the project.
David: We love hearing that because our goal is to because at the beginning, it’s hard when you first starting out, clients generally finds younger artists to do a specific style, and our goal is always to get to the point where they come to us for th OTP style. They come to us because of our style, and from the beginning, we really make a point of keeping our style at the same time working with commercials, or independent creative artists. We keep our spirits alongside the professional jobs, and we always try every professional job as much as possible to gear them toward our idea because we have a great team of people who can do a style that’s very unique. Even though it take a really long time, it’s awesome to hear now that spirit is coming though and people come to us because they love our style.
C:Open The Portal is an extremely unique and cutting edge animation studio who collaborate with a lot of big studios but also independent artists, like Netflix, Adult Swim, and Kangmin Kim. What are some of the projects that Open The Portal had worked on, and what’s the creative process like, from ideation to final animation?
David: Maybe a good place to start on this is that you mentioned the collaborations, and we have done a lot of films with Kangmin Kim, who is one of our best friends and biggest influences. Jason has produced some of his films, Barrett has done sounds.
Jason: Yeah, I think there’s different ways that we approach and produce our narrative and creative films. One way is to work closely with collaborators, like Kangmin Kim, so basically if that’s the case, artists like Kangmin come to us and explain the vision and idea of what he wants to do, and we basically create a support system for him to execute that vision to the fullest way possible. So we give him the studio space, the materials, and the support. Everything it takes to finish the project and Barrett comes in and works with the sound. Basically, we just create a structure and support system for these collaborators.
David: On the other hand, for our independent projects, sometimes we just come up with ideas, maybe from devices that we find in stores. For example, our first animation, Robota, I found a crazy looking machine in a thrift store, and we started to develop a character, idea for the project. So what I think is really unique about OTP is that we were really open to all of the process. We don’t just look at some objects, or everything has to come from the ground up. There’s a whole library of ways to come out with idea, and we really like working with people, so it’s definitely a more open connection with people that help the entire process more clear and fresh.
Jason: Most definitely, Pre Production is definitely the most important process especially for stop motion animation. It’s the entire road map for the project before we actually launch.
Barrett: Sometimes, for a commercial shoot, we will have 2 months of just pre production and maybe 5 days of the animation process.That’s it. It’s all about the preparation, and it also makes the entire workflow more fluent.
C:What are some of the most challenging aspects of working in the animation industry, and how do you overcome them? Moreover, comparing between online streaming platforms and theater, how’s the online platforms changing the form of animation?
Jason: I think for the first part of your question. For us, since we started from stop motion animation, animation is already very niche compared to other medians, and stop motion is even more niche in the area of animation, so especially in turns like how we get clients or to sell our ideas as a movie or tv shows. That’s definitely in itself a challenge, and that’s why over the past few years, we have expanded what OTP is capable of, and we have done multiple styles of animation, media, live action while still retaining the true core of OTP. Obviously, all the new platforms, buyers out there, has really changed the landscape for content, and it’s nothing but a good thing for an independent studio like us. More chances to get more eyeballs to our works.
C:Stop motion is a very traditional style of animation, and I am just wondering as an animator, Can you describe some of the technologies and tools that Open The Portal uses to create its animation, and how the studio stays on the cutting edge of industry trends?
David: For the different techniques and materials, we are always influenced by a lot of different animations from different countries and eras. For us, we deeply love stop motion, and the biggest spark and core of OTP is the idea that we are expressing. We really love weird visuals, things that feel kind of strange and uncomfortable, but we always like to show the audience with a heart. From a spectrum, you have Pixar film that’s warm and it touches your heart, and you have an adult swim, that’s super weird but unique. We try to be somewhere in the middle. Something about stop motion that’s really interesting because it required a lot of creativity and technical skill. But we also love hand drawn animation, we even tried a little bit of CG recently, as long as it is expressing our idea, we really love it. But for the second part of your question, I think most of the traditional animators used something that’s similar, like Adobe, TVPaint, softwares that can connect with each other.
But for stop motion, we worked with physical objects. There’s no rule and I think you are asking about the different materials that people used, and that’s a great question. Stop motion animators are very particular to their materials, for example, like the clay you like to use. And I have a teacher that came from England that tells me, one of the biggest challenges is to find good materials in places that you are not familiar with because they might not have the same materials, and a lot of time it’s hard to transport. But luckily, here is Los Angeles, there’s a lot of great animation studios, and most of the studios, we know each other, and even though everyone has their own style, there’s a loose foundation that everyone follows, like the wire technique, tied down. We kind of work together in a good way so that everybody can produce better quality works, and we find and share these techniques with each other.
C:What is Open The Portal’s vision for the future, and how does the studio plan to continue pushing the boundaries of animation in the years to come?
David: We done a couple of parties in our space, where we really love our space here. It’s an old airplane head that’s been converted into a studio, and we really want to make works that invite people to come over. It’s really awesome to have audiences in person, and for the themed park idea, we have done some parties that turned our studio’s rooms into different experiences, and it’s kind of like our own DIY Disneyland, and we make our own machines that people can participate in and participate with. We have made a machine that people can wear 3D glasses and lay on a yoga mat that will swing you back and forth while looking at some white dots or prisms that turn into shape, and there’s a whole audio experience.
Barrett: I created an audio play that lasted for 12-13 minutes, and there’s no dialogue, only through the usage of sound effects. It covers the entire lifespan, so it starts from when you are in the womb, to when you are a baby, a toddler, teenager, and so on. The shapes changed and it created a whole theatrical experience. It is really hard to explained.
David: Yeah, supposedly the machine is used for blood circulation, but when it stop, it actually give you a feeling that you are floating, so we time the moment when the machine stop, it create a beep sound with video of prism flowers, and you start seeing all these beautiful heavenly images with our logo at the end. We love to DIY and create something that’s immersive, and yeah, that’s something we are interested in.
C:For recent graduate animation students, do you have any advice for them? And more importantly, if anyone wants to get into Open The Portal, what quality or personalities do the company value the most?
David: The kind of people we are looking for are people who love to collaborate, love to solve problems, and love to work together. When we did our pilot, it’s probably the best time that we had. It’s a couple years ago but on the pilots, I remembered the most. Everybody from the team, the interns, the animators. Every week we are trying to discover new techniques, sharing ideas, and working together to solve the problem together. There’s all kinds of details but there’s generally, all kinds of people as long as they love to work together. And for advice, like what you mentioned earlier about the online streaming platforms, social media is a good way to promote and share your works with others. There’s no need for any negative competition, but we like good competition. If I see someone did a really good work online, I also want to create something to impress them. There’s so much opportunity online nowadays, and you just need to share and be open to collaboration.
