Fact Check: Understanding Indie Animated Pilots and Critique Trends

Can I just ask what the happened in the last couple of weeks to make everyone so nasty towards the newer indie shows

coming out? There seems to have been a shift within a very short span of time in how the indie animation space is

being perceived. Originally, people were really excited about getting to see new shows being made that weren't getting

consistently blockaded by studios and executives in the traditional pipeline. People in studios who operate outside of

the mainstream have proven that they have the chops and can gather the resources on their own to create truly

magnificent pieces of art. And yet, for some reason, the most innocuous circumstances are causing people to hone

in on specific aspects of a pilot that aren't really a big problem in the grand scheme of things. It's really weird.

It's an incredibly weird vibe at the moment. Also, if I had a nickel for every time a protagonist of an animated

pilot was hated on for being hot, I'd have two nickels, which no, I'm not doing the whole line, but yeah, it's not

actually just to do with that, but I don't know what happened. Whether it seems to be some kind of fallacy of

gaining popularity or something else, all of a sudden, people are looking at the newer shows being made at the moment

and instead of being excited about what makes them different or interesting or even just offering some objective

critique, because you know, you're allowed to do that. Instead, they're just being mercilessly picked apart. And

every decision made by the creator or perceived oversight by the audience is now being subbed in as this indicator of

morality. Because, god forbid a pilot not be perfect, I guess. So, for anyone confused about what I'm talking about,

we had two indie animated pilots drop within a couple of days of each other last week. One of them was the highly

anticipated Gamerverse made by Glitch on the 15th of May, and the other was Planetronica by Raphael and Dia on the

10th of May. Both pilots I personally thought were fine. not groundbreaking, not insanely next level, but they were

both an enjoyable watch while still having some elements of which could be improved upon, which is quite literally

the purpose of a pilot. And yet, when broadcasting these pilots to the wider public space of the internet, if the

pilot is not a perfect encapsulation of what's to come, suddenly this is a major issue and the show doesn't deserve to be

made. So, I was a bit sick last weekend and I genuinely was planning to rest, but then I saw all of this and decided

that no, it's going to stew in my brain and it's going to make me all prickly until I put my thoughts down and eject

it into the ether just to get it out there. But, I've just kind of been watching this unfold and have started to

ask myself, does anyone actually know what an animated pilot is anymore? Did a good chunk of these people throwing out

criticisms even know what one was in the first place? Or did the definition change while I wasn't looking? Do I even

know what a pilot is anymore? Why does every other person's version of critique on the internet at the moment feel less

about helping someone and more like an attempt at getting clicks? So, while yes, I'm slightly annoyed at how the

general public are treating the medium I care about so much, I'm still aware to a degree that a lot of this issue is born

out of parasociality combined with a bit of ignorance. And so, even though a bit of this video is me basically venting my

frustrations about the online space, I also wanted to at least try and make this situation into somewhat of a

learning moment. Because in all honesty, what counts as a pilot has been up for contention for some time now. And so is

what counts as critique and what creators should actually be taking on board when it's being dished out

publicly. So let's look into it. Hello everyone. This is Fiona Apollo. I'm an artist, animator, and glorified think

piece generator. And today we'll be talking about animated pilots, the nature of critique, and why they've

become such an anticipated yet polarizing step in the indie animation process. Lately, it feels as if your

project's perceived worth and potential to get it seen by as many people as possible hinges on your ability to

deliver a spectacular pilot episode, which, you know, if that's what you're aiming for, I'm not here to judge. But

there also seems to be a lot of confusion as to what that actually means. And like, obviously, I'm aware a

good chunk of these audiences skew young. But it's also not helped by the fact that aspiring indie showrunners and

emerging studios also feed into this idea that a pilot should both perfectly encapsulate and set up expectations for

the rest of the story without any kind of experimentation or even just a bit of wackiness. It's an interesting thing to

watch unfold, but it is definitely worth looking into in my opinion. So, if you like the sound of that, please keep

listening and consider liking and subscribing while you're at it. I talk a lot about animation and pop culture, so

there's bound to be more on my channel that you may like. But to begin, what on earth is an animated pilot?

At its core, an animated pilot is a one-off episode that is used as a kind of proof of concept to show how the end

product will appear and also allow for any final odds and ends to be tightened up before the series actually begins.

It's usually made as a part of a show's pitch, meaning that if a studio is interested in a show's concept, but

maybe just needs a little bit more convincing, they will allocate enough budget for one episode to be created and

then decide from there whether or not it should be green lit for an official series. Because of this, a lot of TV

pilots for popular cartoons like Gravity Falls or Powerpuff Girls and the like were never really made with the

intention that the show's audience would actually see it. at most, depending on the show's demographic. Say if it's for

a kid show, a sample audience of a couple of kids would watch it and give their honest thoughts on whether they

liked it. But outside of that, they were kept mostly in house and would often only be released long after the show

already aired on TV, if at all. They're also often not released officially by the studios either. So when one surfaces

online, a lot of these pilots tend to be treated almost like lost media. These pilots would be a lot more rough around

the edges and sometimes contain elements that you would never actually show on certain TV stations. Like for example,

the palp girls pilot was called Whoopass Stew and the girls themselves were called the Whoopass Girls girls and they

would obviously never call a show that on Cartoon Network. Actually, the Whoopass Girls is a really good example

in almost every respect. The animation is very limited. The art style is slightly different. Some of the

character designs get changed in the final show. But all of this is to say that rather than being an integral part

of the main show, in traditional TV, a pilot is more so viewed as one of the final stages in the pitching process

before the green light is given to commence the core shows pre-production stage. While it's customary to introduce

a good few of the core characters, set the tone and give a sense of the world building. It does not mean that the

entire stage has to be set and everything has to be perfected there and then because writers will still need to

write the show as it goes along. So, it's more about capturing the essence as opposed to having it all planned out

from the beginning. It's basically a taste assession of what the show's formula could look like. Emphasis on

could because a lot can still change after a pilot is made, especially if it's being shown to multiple studios who

may want different things. If Powerpuff Girls had been picked up by say Adult Swim, for example, it would probably

still be called Wastu and be drastically different to the show we know and love today. So, because of that, and don't

hate me for this, but I am just going to say something that might ruffle a few feathers. Knights of Quine, stunning

project, beautiful animation, it's an actual masterpiece of media storytelling. I love love love it, but

in my humble opinion, it doesn't feel like a pilot. It's basically the show's first episode, which after looking at a

few of these older examples, feels like it pretty much defeats the purpose of making a pilot altogether. And this

seems to be a trend that's being set by Glitch in particular. And I can understand why they're doing it. You

know, it likely has a lot to do with the fact that they are an indie company who don't have a legion of wealthy investors

behind them and therefore don't really have a set amount of disposable cash to fund any given pilot episode that might

not go anywhere. If an indie studio wants to thrive economically, they need to be a lot more strategic with the

projects they are pouring money into. Hence why Glitch also happens to have a heavy reliance on merch sales and why

merch is already being sold for gameverse. But personally, if there is one thing I wish could be adopted in the

indie space, it would be for another term to be used. Personally, I think calling them OVAs would be a much more

fitting term. But by now, I think everyone is so used to using the term pilot that it's probably going to

continue being the deacto name. I think where a lot of casual fans of indie animation get confused is that they've

kind of joined in at a point where a pilot episode's purpose is being redefined due in no small part to the

fact that it is now becoming responsible for setting the expectations of the final product rather than that

expectation falling to the series itself. This is one of the unfortunate drawbacks of wider visibility because of

how much indie has been booming lately and how easy it is to find tens of hundreds of brilliant projects where the

crew are more than willing to dulge the production process to its fans. A good chunk of these same fans are conflating

what they see in the indie sphere with what they're used to seeing in the mainstream. A lot of the production

elements for mainstream shows are strictly locked down under an NDA. And because mainstream shows tend to be

typical frame of reference for these communities, fans automatically assume that a show's functions and purposes are

exactly the same in the indie scene without fully comprehending that other factors like crew size or budget also

play a huge role in how and why they gain access to certain elements of production. For a lot of indie projects,

allowing access to the behind the scenes of what they're making is how they hook potential fans into their projects in

the first place in order to keep them engaged in an increasingly competitive space. And I mean competitive as in they

are all fighting to keep an audience's attention. Please don't be nastily competitive with your fellow creators.

We've had enough of fans doing that. Thanks. So, that's the s on pilots. But what about critique? Better yet, here's

another question. Why did it feel like so many people did such a sharp heel turn on the indie scene around the time

of these two specific pilots coming out? >> What are you talking about? I was a nerd. You were a bully.

>> Look, we all know it isn't just appearing now after these came out. It's been ongoing for years at this point.

And in all honesty, I think that this specific coincidence is just that it's just timing. And a similar reaction

probably would have been inevitable if two other similar shows had come out instead. People always want to compare

the two new popular things to each other and claim that specific trends are reemerging. But in my personal opinion,

it also has a lot to do with how art isn't really being seen as art anymore. Movies are not just movies. Music is not

music. It's all just being lumped under this unilateral label of content. It's a very specific cultural shift that has

become more blatant since the turn of the decade. People are a lot more glued to their devices. Screen addiction is

rampant and it is increasingly difficult for people to not only get a substantial hit of dopamine from something, but

retaining that sense of joy and intrigue without it devolving into an unhealthy obsession where they are viewing things

in a very black and white fashion. And you know, this has always been the case. Fanatics have always been a thing, but

it's never been as numerous as it is now. Or at least there's never been a space like the internet where it's been

able to be so heavily concentrated. And that is thereby having an effect on people's ability to clearly articulate

their feedback related to a specific piece of media. So instead, they become frustrated and decide to write the whole

thing off instead because it doesn't cater to someone's exact preferences. And this consequently results in a very

insulated internet culture where calling something trash instead of specifying that one or two things could be changed

is the natural course that many people end up taking. It feels like the internet has become so turbulent and

reactionary that whoever has the hottest take and is able to dunk on the current popular thing for supposedly being

content slop or for being undeserving of its five minutes of fame ends up causing a domino effect where everyone just

parrots the exact same thoughts just because that's the trendy opinion without any kind of introspection. And

sure, that's been the case forever, way before many of us were even born. But then, because creators of these projects

are that much more accessible to this group of losers, basically, these creators end up being bombarded with

harassment that is being touted as critique, even though it isn't critique. It's literally just cyber bullying at

this point. I swear to God, even back when more people were still pretending to be woke and stuff, it didn't feel as

obnoxious as it does now. It feels like people are all trying so hard to have the Regina George moment, even though

it's actually more like a Liz Lemon from 30 Rock moment, that it just comes across as pathetic. You don't have to

clap back at everything. just like watch something you actually enjoy and stop engagement farming on Twitter. That's

really embarrassing. And what are these specific hot takes being paraded as critiques, you may ask? Well, I've

actually already done videos talking about a few of them, but the two new ones revolving around Gameverse and

Planetronica about Glitch and subsequently other indie studios and projects are apparently typ casting

themselves as only producing shows that appeal to edgy tween. And first of all, incorrect. There are indie projects

being made for the whole spectrum of age. But second of all, is that supposed to be a bad thing? Genuine question.

Personally, I think Kiana, the creator of Pretty Please, I don't want to be a magical girl, said it best here. I wish

there was more willingness here in the US to make animated stuff for young adults and teens. It's either preschool,

6 to 12, or adult. I've almost exclusively worked in children's TVA, 6 to 12, which I do enjoy, but I feel like

my personal work is more suitable for young adults. Aesthetically, leaning more towards kids animation, but with

slightly edgier writing, but definitely not edgy enough to be adult. That in-between sweet spot is so fun.

Definitely the demo for Pretty Pretty Please. I feel like a lot of anime strikes the balance so well, but stuff

here is either categorized as for kids or for adults in a very black and white way by execs and animation fans alike.

The whole kid versus adult cartoon with no in between definitely feels like a significant issue with Western

animation. Whereas the reason anime has become so popular in the rest of the world is precisely because it fills that

gap in the market. Teenagers need something for them. They're not allowed to hang out in third spaces anymore.

They get called lazy for not working or studying, even though both education and the job market are in shambles at the

moment. So, to be honest, sometimes it feels like media is all they've got left. So, I'm not surprised that a lot

of them tend to latch on to these shows so strongly. And this feels like it feeds into the other big complaint as

well, that being that both female leads in these shows are made to be attractive purely for sex appeal. Look, I am so

sorry. I get that people are very adamant about female characters not being portrayed purely for sexual

gratification anymore, and that's great. We have a lot to be grateful for on that front, but at the same time, people are

allowed to make their characters attractive. I do that with OC's I have zero attraction to. There's nothing

wrong with it. But to equate a character being attractive as being sexually provocative feels so icky in a way I

don't like. It almost feels similar to seeing a cute person on the street and automatically assuming they sleep

around. You know, this whole debate feels extremely counterproductive towards the point of not making

assumptions about anyone, male or female or in between, based purely on appearance. I feel like we're stepping

backwards here. There's definitely a real conversation to have about people trying to subliminally insert

questionable stuff in between the lines, but this in the context of these two shows is very much a non-issue. Kit is

just a curvy girl character, and the episode is set in an ocean world. Like, okay, maybe you could make the argument

that a diver suit might have been more appropriate than casual swimwear, but these outfits aren't offensive. It's a

bikini. This is a fictional show. Remind me again why we're getting so riled up. Have you guys never been to a beach? You

should go. It's fun. And Planetronica is a pilot that taps into a lot of that innate 2000's nostalgia where anime was

just beginning to make its mark on Western pop culture. And one thing the 2000s had no shortage of was quirky

redhead protagonists that a generation of kids just happened to grow up developing crushes on. This is not an

indication of something more sinister. It's just acknowledgement of the culture at the time. Sci-fi was big. Cute

redheads were big. Goofy cartoon level high jinks also were big and more or less reigned supreme at the time. Shows

with overarching storylines were only just beginning to inch their way into the wider cartoon zeitgeist at this

point. This whole purity thing is just another form of moral posturing. Let's be real. The only reason people are

kicking up a stink about this now is because people are becoming more worry in general of actual degenerate behavior

than they were around 10 or so years ago, which to a certain degree is causing a bit of friction for media that

ends up being caught in the crossfire. And there's not really much we can do about that.

>> DO GOOD. So yeah, there's just a lot about this past week's uproar that has bugged

me. And it's becoming apparent that these lackluster complaints are just the symptom of a bigger issue surrounding

media consumption and a fundamental misunderstanding of certain production items. Pilots are no longer a private

final draft shown to a select few people before the real project begins. They are the introduction of a show to thousands,

sometimes millions of eyes and ears that can make or break its potential to survive an unrelentingly critical

internet landscape. Like, yeah, there are valid criticisms to dole out to certain indie projects. Gameverse is not

Glitch's strongest pilot to come out. It has some bad audio mixing. The world building is a bit confusing, and it also

unfortunately has some humongous shoes to fill with the finale of The Amazing Digital Circus looming over the horizon,

which has also become a huge target for this needless harassment. But on the flip side, it's also such a fresh idea

that we haven't really seen explored as much as other concepts. A character game hopping and trying to prevent the hero

from defeating the villain because it destroys the game. What's the closest thing we have to something like that

like Wreck-It Ralph? And even then, it's not really comparable. We don't know everything of what's in store, but

that's what makes it exciting to stick around and find out. And same for Planetronica. The closest thing that I

can compare this to is like the way that shows like Totally Spies would have their own western spin on common anime

tropes or visual cues. It definitely didn't do the best job of explaining what the show is actually about. In the

description, it describes the protagonist, Butterfly, as a space explorer, but we don't really see her

exploring space, and therefore, we don't really get an indication of that. It more so appears on screen that she's an

inhabitant of an alien world that seems to function pretty similarly to our own. Actually, it kind of reminds me of the

gorilla's phase 1 Gbite shorts. Anyone remember those? >> Can't kill it. What do you mean can't

kill it? >> I'll show you how to kill all YOUR GRAND FACE.

>> NO, NO, NO, NO. >> LITERALLY, all you would need to fix this is have the characters arrive at

the planet right at the start. But even despite that, Planetronica really is such a love letter to the 2000's

light-hearted cyberwave moment that was encapsulated in so many popular cartoons at the time. It's gorgeously animated.

It has personality, and I frankly really love it. I'm probably going to be thinking about this pilot for a while

afterwards because it's kind of scratched such an itch for that kind of media that I didn't even realize I

missed so much from my childhood. If we truly want art to flourish during these times, people need to really start

pulling their fingers out of their asses and stop being so pessimistic. If you like something and want it to do well,

you can't keep turning on it at the drop of a hat just because someone had a popular take about how they don't like

this one inconsequential aspect about it. And therefore, the entire thing should be tossed to the side. Obviously,

if it involves something like a crew member being a criminal or something, then sure, by all means, go scorched

earth. But that isn't the conversation we're having right now. People are just being mad for the sake of having

something to do in their boring little lives devoid of any meaning. So, make meaning and don't let it be to tear

things down. You're better than that. I thoroughly enjoyed both Gameverse and Planetronica while still being able to

admit that there are certain things about them that can be improved upon. And that to me is proof enough that they

are both exceptional pilots. But anyway, I'm done now. I'm satiated. This just ended up being a very impassion topic

for me. But what do you guys think? Please let me know in the comments. Thank you so much for watching. And if

you liked what I had to say, please consider liking and subscribing. I talk a lot about the indie animation scene.

And I also do a series on my channel called Inspiring Animators, where I talk about prominent animators who have made

huge strides in the industry. That's actually going to be my next video, which will be going up before the end of

May. So, please check that out if you're interested. Thank you as always to my lovely Patreon supporters. Thank you to

my tip jar supporter, Pandandy. Thank you to my YouTube peeps, Manuel Leon Gonzalez, Mystic Mind, Lauren R, Ash

Valentine, Lonim, the Her Craig, Edboy, Stefoodles, Why Not Warrior, and Taiishan. And an extra special thank you

to my indie production supporters Morgan Lefeda, Matty A, Koshi, Roundcat, Arsonist, and Nomad Bob. If you're

interested in joining the Patreon, a link can be found in the video description. Stay safe everyone, and I

will speak to you all again very soon. Bye. What counts as a pilot has been up for

contention for a dog. You done?

He's a good boy. Really?