Renegade Animation brings cartoons to life with Avid

Renegade Animation brings cartoons to life with Avid

Brie Clayton January 23, 2025

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Renegade Animation, a well-established animation studio in Glendale, California, has been a pioneer in creating beloved animated series, such as Tom & Jerry and The Mr Men Show, for Warner Bros. and its Cartoon Network channel.

The Challenge: Maintaining Quality in a Demanding Industry

Tasked with managing increasingly complex animation projects, Renegade was faced with a familiar challenge: having to meet tight deadlines while maintaining production quality. The studio needed a robust, reliable editing solution - one that could handle the high demands of episodic animation, from managing vast amounts of media to ensuring seamless collaboration among team members. What's more, the studio was transitioning from traditional to digital animation workflows, requiring tools that could adapt and evolve with the studio's growing needs.

Michael D'Ambrosio, Senior Editor at Renegade

The Solution: Embracing Avid Media Composer

Michael D'Ambrosio, Senior Editor at Renegade, has been an integral part of the team since 2005, bringing nearly two decades of experience to the table. His relationship with Avid dates back to the early 1990s, when he first honed his editing skills on Media Suite Pro, before transitioning to Avid's now-iconic video editing toolset Avid Media Composer.

He explains that, over the years, Media Composer has become the backbone of Renegade's postproduction process. And the ability to work in a shared environment, initially with Avid Unity and later with Avid NEXIS, has been a game-changer.

After experimenting with other software and finding it increasingly frustrating, D'Ambrosio returned to Media Composer. His passion was reignited by its user interface. I've been using the new UI for a while now, he says. The bin structure, being able to customize bin sizing, and dock them together - it's a brilliant upgrade. I would encourage anybody still using the old floating layout to really give it a try. It is so much more efficient.

Keen to adopt a networked solution early on, D'Ambrosio also lead the charge to implement Avid's media production storage solution Avid NEXIS. This transition not only boosted efficiency but also enabled the studio to handle higher resolutions and more complex projects, such as their work on Tom & Jerry and Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi.

The Power of Media Composer in Animation

For D'Ambrosio, the tools within Media Composer are indispensable. He emphasizes the importance of the effects module, particularly in episodic animation.

Reuse is king in episodic animation, he explains. You have to be able to harvest elements from other shows to complete the storytelling. Media Composer makes that possible.

Another critical feature for D'Ambrosio is the Symphony module, especially for color correction.

Sometimes we're given shots where the background is too similar to the foreground, making the character disappear. Symphony allows me to pull those apart and make the character appear more vibrant. It's critical and saves us a lot of time and money.

The Impact: Sustaining High Standards with Avid

Thanks to Avid's solutions, Renegade Animation has maintained high quality standards while meeting the rigorous demands of episodic animation production. The seamless integration between Avid Media Composer and Avid's digital audio workstation Pro Tools has been a revelation, fostering tighter collaboration between the editing and sound departments. Recent advancements, such as the ability to create Pro Tools sessions directly from Media Composer, have further streamlined the postproduction process, reducing potential points of failure and saving valuable time.

For D'Ambrosio, Avid's stability and reliability are unparalleled. He highlights the importance of Avid's media management, particularly its ability to relink media effortlessly - a feature that consistently outperforms competitors. This reliability allows him and his team to focus on what they do best - being creative - without getting bogged down by technical issues.

Looking Ahead: Navigating the Future with AI

As technology evolves, D'Ambrosio is also exploring the potential of AI in his workflow to enhance productivity. In a word, AI brings efficiency, he notes. I'm seeing that AI is going to give the individual the ability to be more productive, just like every other technological advance has.

He appreciates Avid's approach to AI, emphasizing that it's about support, not replacement. We're not trying to eliminate the human here; we're trying to support the end user, he remarks. That's a critical difference between generative AI and AI as a productivity tool.

Advice for the Next Generation of Editors

For aspiring editors, D'Ambrosio's advice is clear: master the fundamentals and don't shy away from learning Avid Media Composer.

Learn timing, learn storytelling, and bring your own aesthetic to the table, he advises. But also, don't get stuck in a lesser tool. Avid Media Composer is the bread and butter for big studios and major projects. Learning it will be advantageous to your career.

D'Ambrosio's journey back to Avid Media Composer underscores the enduring value of a tool that combines reliability, innovation, and deep-rooted familiarity. For him, it's not just software - it's a creative home where storytelling comes to life.

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