Exploring creator’s block in award-winning animated short NEW IDEA
We’re honored to bring you the premiere of multi-award-winning animated short NEW IDEA, created by Marko Bosanac and his talented team at Fun Box Animation Studio.
Anybody who has struggled to squeeze a creative idea onto paper will relate to Marko Bosanac’s animated short film NEW IDEA.
With the creative juices refusing to flow, the writer, director, and producer at Fun Box Animation Studio decided to turn the camera on himself (figuratively) and explore the process of finding that elusive creative spark.
If it sounds pretty meta, that’s because it is. The film is a wry and ultimately inspiring look at the trials and tribulations the creative mind must overcome to capture lightning in a bottle. Watch the premiere of the film below.
Anybody who has struggled to squeeze a creative idea onto paper will relate to Marko Bosanac’s animated short film NEW IDEA.
With the creative juices refusing to flow, the writer, director, and producer at Fun Box Animation Studio decided to turn the camera on himself (figuratively) and explore the process of finding that elusive creative spark.
If it sounds pretty meta, that’s because it is. The film is a wry and ultimately inspiring look at the trials and tribulations the creative mind must overcome to capture lightning in a bottle. Watch the premiere of the film below.
We also caught up with Marko Bosanac to hear the fascinating story of how he nearly quit—twice—before applying for an Epic MegaGrant and ultimately winning 26 awards for best animated short film. Read on to find out more.
NEW IDEA is a story about the inner struggle of a creative mind. Each scene satirically describes how our minds react to the obstacles in the creative process.
Hi! Please give us a brief overview of NEW IDEA—what’s it all about?
NEW IDEA is a story about the inner struggle of a creative mind. Each scene satirically describes how our minds react to the obstacles in the creative process.
Image courtesy of Fun Box Animation Studio
What was the initial inspiration for starting this project? How do you go from having a new idea to bringing it to life?
The initial plan was to create a 30-second intro animation like those from Lionsgate, DreamWorks, or Pixar to showcase our creativity as an animation studio. However, after three days of brainstorming, I had only a pile of crumpled papers and three words: research, creativity, production. These inspired me to create my characters: Loopito, the magnifying glass for research; Pensilio, the pencil for creativity; and Lensio, the camera for production. My characters inspired me to write a story about their mission to find a new idea.
Your team’s first major challenge was the COVID-19 lockdown. What kept you going as an army of one?
The biggest obstacle we had was that we couldn’t find a solution to do the final render in Unreal Engine 4. On top of that, lockdown made our core business disappear, we had no income, and in that particular moment, my whole creative team resigned one by one.
So I decided to quit. But no matter what I was doing, I was always thinking about my characters. The more I thought, the better ideas I got, and I read the quote that became my mantra: “The most honest form of filmmaking is making a film for yourself,” so I rewrote the story for a film I would like to watch.
You managed to assemble a new team and make a teaser for the film. What was the turning point?
Under peculiar circumstances, I found people who are exceptional at Unreal Engine. With the final render complete, they took the production quality to the next level. We published the teaser, and a few thousand people saw our teaser in 48 hours. The next thing I know, we are the spotlight of the week on a News and Community Spotlight. That was the proof that we were on the right path.
After the trailer’s success, you set out to finish the film. What was different this time?
We received an overwhelmingly positive response on social media, which motivated us to bring the original teaser team back together and assemble a crew to continue the project. This time, with a solid production plan and a reliable pipeline, everything indicated we were on the right track.
Then you decided to apply for an Epic MegaGrant…
Yes. My friend encouraged me to apply for an Epic MegaGrant. However, I was skeptical since I didn’t know anyone at Epic Games or 3Lateral or anybody who had received the grants. On the other hand, the only funding source was from Fun Box projects, and additional income was more than welcome.
After submitting my application, I waited 67 days for a response. Finally, I received an email from Epic MegaGrants, and they asked me about the screenplay and plans for the film, so I replied with all I’d got: script, storyboard, screenshots from the scenes, and animation. A few weeks later, I got an email from the same sender, and it said they regretted to inform me that NEW IDEA wasn’t selected for a MegaGrant. I was devastated. We continued to work like nothing happened, but I couldn’t afford the team after a while, so I told them we needed to cancel, and I quit again! But this time, it was for real.
I'd submitted additional applications and six months later, when I had almost recovered and moved on, I received an email from Epic MegaGrants. That was the moment of no return.
Image courtesy of SGA
Why did you decide to switch from UE4 to UE5 in the middle of making the film? How complex was the transition, and what benefits did you see?
My colleague, Nikola Jelenković, showcased the significant differences between UE4 and UE5, and I was impressed right away. I enthusiastically agreed to the upgrade, but he pointed out that transitioning would require us to correct many elements of our project.
When I asked for clarification, he said our models and characters hadn’t been prepared for UE from the beginning, and the only possible way to import into UE was through Alembic files, which took an enormous amount of time for import and complicated material set up without any option of animation corrections in UE.
To tackle these challenges, we have corrected all the rigs for the characters, animations, props, and environments, and switched to an FBX export/import workflow. Furthermore, we adapted everything to comply with the new lighting and shading system with path tracing, resulting in a significant enhancement in final render quality.
After watching a MetaHuman Animator cinematic showcase, you became interested in MetaHumans. What made you opt for this technology, and how was it incorporated into the film?
After facing numerous challenges, we finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. But, when I saw a cinematic showcase of MetaHuman Animator, Blue Dot, I was amazed, so I decided to use my talent to complicate my life and the lives of my colleagues, and I thought we should do the same thing with our last scene.
The problem was that we didn’t know anyone with any experience of MetaHumans; everyone saw tutorials and probably had tried something, but nobody had done it. Blue Dot was shot in Take One studio, and I contacted them.They are not just a motion capture and MetaHuman studio; they also had a long-term collaboration with Epic Games and 3Lateral—the studio that invented the MetaHuman technology—so I took that as a sign.
I spent some time in Take One studio to see how MetaHuman works and to ensure we covered everything before we started shooting. We cast the actress, and she tried on a suit and helmet. We did some tests, and it worked perfectly. During the shooting, we tried everything I had in mind, and we shot the last scene in one day, giving me a different viewpoint on filmmaking.
The plan we had was to show our work to producers, animation studios, TV networks, and streaming platforms, and hope that someone would hire us to do the same thing for them. But my wife insisted on submitting a film to the festivals.
February 15 was the date of our first submission, and our only ambition was to pass the first round, because it’s the worst feeling when somebody rejects you immediately. But it turns out that most of the festivals liked our movie.
We won 26 awards for the best animated short film and received numerous nominations from prestigious festivals like Sapporo, Animaze, and AmDocs. If I had to single one out, it would be the Festival of Cinema NYC, as it was the first time I got to see my film on the big screen and accept the award in person.
Additionally, I want to highlight the PFCTA in Portland, where NEW IDEA was screened on the IMAX screen in front of an audience of 300 people.
I spent some time in Take One studio to see how MetaHuman works and to ensure we covered everything before we started shooting. We cast the actress, and she tried on a suit and helmet. We did some tests, and it worked perfectly. During the shooting, we tried everything I had in mind, and we shot the last scene in one day, giving me a different viewpoint on filmmaking.
February 15, 2024 was another turning point for your project. Why?
The plan we had was to show our work to producers, animation studios, TV networks, and streaming platforms, and hope that someone would hire us to do the same thing for them. But my wife insisted on submitting a film to the festivals.
February 15 was the date of our first submission, and our only ambition was to pass the first round, because it’s the worst feeling when somebody rejects you immediately. But it turns out that most of the festivals liked our movie.
NEW IDEA has won numerous awards at film festivals worldwide. Can you name a few?
We won 26 awards for the best animated short film and received numerous nominations from prestigious festivals like Sapporo, Animaze, and AmDocs. If I had to single one out, it would be the Festival of Cinema NYC, as it was the first time I got to see my film on the big screen and accept the award in person.
Additionally, I want to highlight the PFCTA in Portland, where NEW IDEA was screened on the IMAX screen in front of an audience of 300 people.
Image courtesy of SGA
Your most recent success was at the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival. Tell us more.
LA Indie Short annually receives 4,200 submissions. The film must win a monthly award to compete for the annual award, so at the end of the competition, there are 12 winners, and out of 12, they pick three films to be nominees for the annual award.
Fortunately, the jury decided the best animated short film in 2025 is NEW IDEA. We are very proud of that, but also, for me, it was amazing to be part of the panel discussion among acclaimed artists like Eileen Dietz, Michael Raymond James, and Steven Ogg.
What did you learn from your mistakes?
I made many mistakes, more than I would like to admit. I quit twice and faced many rejections. However, I’ve collaborated with various types of artists, and together, we’ve explored nearly everything in Unreal Engine and MetaHuman. Through all this, I consider creating NEW IDEA the best film school I could get.
What is your advice for someone considering making a film of their own?
Follow your vision, learn as much as you can, and be consistent. At some point, the right door will open for you.
Image courtesy of Marko Bosanac
What is next on the horizon for Fun Box and NEW IDEA?
NEW IDEA is nearing the end of its festival tour, and we plan to release it soon, pending responses from streaming platforms and TV networks. We are also developing our first feature animated film using Unreal Engine, motion capture, and MetaHuman technology.
We are currently accepting submissions for Epic MegaGrants! Find out more and apply today.