Rhythm & Hues to don Producer's cap with Yogi Bear & Toad Trip

Oscar winning Visual Effects studio Rhythm & Hues with offices in LA, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kuala Lumpur has gotten into producing as one of its dedicated focuses. The first project in this new move of the studio, is Warner Bros’ 3D stereoscopic feature ‘Yogi Bear’, wherein the company holds equity stake in the movie along with catering the CG production for the same. The studio is also developing another live action cum CG feature ‘Toad Trip’ with Director Stephen Herek, producing partner Compass and writers Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson.

In an interview with AnimationXpress.com's Amrita Valecha and Chaitra Shetty, Rhythm & Hues’ President Film Lee Berger and Director of Development Venecia Duran talk about this new development, the latest with the projects currently in development and production and the strategy ahead.

So when did this transition of getting into the role of a producer along with being a VFX vendor first start for R&H and what led to the same?
Producing is something we've been trying to do for many years, but up until the last few years we've had little success. We've found that given the current economic downturn, studios and producers have had to get more creative in terms of how they put their financing together and as a result are more receptive to other strategic partners like us who can help get their project going.

How has this new development changed the organizational structure of the company?
The organizational structure has not changed at all. There are just different duties assigned to pre-existing positions. We have a development team in place led by our Director of Development that vets through the creative materials that are submitted and work with the writers on our existing projects to develop our projects into the strongest script possible before we take it out to the buyers. Our design department has also been integral to the process as sometimes it's necessary to design some of the characters early on as an extra step to help sell the movie.

How did R&H end up acquiring equity stake in 'Yogi Bear'?
We have a long standing relationship with Warner Bros. and they knew our desire to have ownership of material we were involved with. Our copious experience with creating characters from cartoon source material made 'Yogi' an interesting starting point for conversations regarding our involvement.


"Toad Trip" is a project that came to us from the writers, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson, who had acquired the turnaround rights of their script from DreamWorks and had a relationship with one of our creative executives and thought would be a good fit for us. We took the project to the Cannes Film Festival a couple of months ago which garnered interest from several major foreign territories.


Tell us about Toad Trip, what is the current development with the same?
"Toad Trip" is a project that came to us from the writers, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson, who had acquired the turnaround rights of their script from DreamWorks and had a relationship with one of our creative executives and thought would be a good fit for us. We took the project to the Cannes Film Festival a couple of months ago which garnered interest from several major foreign territories. We put together a promo reel internally which included a CG test of a talking toad to help potential buyers get a better sense of the look and tone of the film. Our agent at CAA is helping us package the project and we are currently out to actors.

Along with R&H who are the different partners on board till date for the Toad Trip? Stephen Herek will be directing the film. Compass is our producing partner who is helping us put together the financing, and Tamasy and Johnson (the writers) are also producers on the project.



What are the developments on the 'Tales From the Farm' front, when is the shooting for the same slated to commence?
We are still in the early stages with this project, and at the moment we're still doing minor revisions to the script and are about to approach directors.

"The organizational structure has not changed at all. There are just different duties assigned to pre-existing positions. We have a development team in place led by our Director of Development that vets through the creative materials that are submitted and work with the writers on our existing projects to develop our projects into the strongest script possible before we take it out to the buyers.

What are the other projects that R&H is developing as a producer?
And who are the different partners you are working with? We have various properties in active development, some of which are major brands in the children's world, that we believe are very commercially viable and with producing partners that we're very excited to be working with. However, at this time we are not at liberty to discuss them, but we hope to announce something soon.



Considering R&H will be developing its own properties as well continue being a VFX vendor, what will be the focus of the company and what is the growth plan ahead?
Our approach over the last decade has been aggressive in relation to the everchanging landscape of animation and effects and that will not change. We will continue to pursue co-producing ventures and building strategic relationships with artists and studios. Continued expansion into new and emerging markets will allow us to stay current and tap into resources as of yet unavailable to us. At the same time we are mindful to stay flexible as the market and technology are moving targets.



In this news endeavor, how does R&H plan to leverage on the creative and technical strengths of its facilities in India and Malaysia?
The Asian facilities are viewed the same as the Los Angeles facility. They are just in different time zones. We are one company no matter where in the world you turn on your computer. The creative and technical strengths of all our employees are counted on for us to move forward and take us to the next level.