Writing for Animation

Earlier I talked about how cold war era cartoons helped the animation industry. There are many ways that they did help and improve cartons. I believe that these cartoons paved the way for many writing techniques. It borrowed many elements from live action TV and created some of its own. In a way, we sometimes forget how ground breaking it is. This is where animation was started to be taken seriously in as a form of entertainment.  Cartoons were always praised for their visuals. Now they could also be noticed for their writing too.  It definitely helped make cartoons more entertaining and profitable.

One of the pioneers of writing for cartoons was the show Rocky and Bullwinkle. A show had a simple premise and was executed well. What it lacked in animation quality it made up for in its writing. When cartoons started to appear on TV, they thought it would not work. There is no way that kids or adults would watch it for the whole time. However, the series creator Jay Ward knew the key to keeping the show alive.  He hired writers such as Chris Hayward who would later write for TV shows like “the Munsters”. With his style of writing and jay wards creativity, they were able to make rocky and bull winkle a great success. They went on to make other characters like Dudley Do-Right, Peabody, and many others. These two had a great career together

As the decade moved on we have had many prolific writers in the field of animation. Of course, one of the most famous names in this business is Joseph Barbera and William Hanna. They created an empire of characters that would last for decades. Even while viewing some these it is funny and still relevant today. What I found amazing was how most of the shows they made were clones of each other and they were still successful. Just think about it. Scooby Doo, the Amazing Chan Clan, Josie and the Pussycats, they all had the same premise but they all differed in many ways. It’s a testament to their skill in writing how they were able to adapt.  The same goes to all their animal shows too. They may all look the same on the outside but the writing for them was different at times.

Well into the nineties and early 21^st century, we see the development of cartoons for adults. They have always been there however; they have not had as much popularity. One of the first shows to display adult cartoons was Matt Groening’s the Simpsons. It speaks a lot to the show that has been on the air for over 20 years. The show writing has changed over the years but it is a great model of his style of humor. It gives realistic events and portrays them in satirical and very different ways. The way a cartoon can only do. Soon shows like MTV’s Daria would show the superficial parts of life and riff on them. Then you have the crass and very blunt South Park that has been dealing with its satire and humor. All these use the normal American family trope and turned into something unique with the use of animation and their writing skills.

In conclusion, I think that writing for animation is a whole another world from live action. It can be similar at times but it is definitely different. There are so many styles you can use to entertain people. I think that most of them root themselves in the satirical styles. Even way back when Rocky and Bullwinkle was on they had satire. In the coming years I hope to see animation writing to be keep changing and getting better with time.

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Whats Around The Corner

This whole year we have seen how much animation has changed. So one can only wonder where it can go from here. Here are some future movies and shows I am looking forward to in the field of animation.

I think it is safe to say that the majority of us really liked Coraline. Well it looks like well be getting another story like that. Neil Gaiman’s “The Graveyard Book” has been picked up by Disney to be made into a film. What makes it even better is that Henry Selick will direct the film. He also directed such movies as The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach. Therefore, this dude made my childhood awesome. His and Gaiman’s dark story telling style will make the film a definite must see in the future. Here is the synopsis:

“Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place-he’s the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians’ time as well as their timely ghostly teachings-like the ability to Fade. Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead? And then there are things like ghouls that aren’t really one thing or the other. This chilling tale is Neil Gaiman’s first full-length novel for middle-grade readers since the internationally bestselling and universally acclaimed Coraline. Like Coraline, this book is sure to enchant and surprise young readers as well as Neil Gaiman’s legion of adult fans.”

Another movie that will be coming out later this year is rise of the guardians. It is a DreamWorks film coming out later in 2012. This film combines childhood figures like Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and others. These figures make good stories by their selves. However combing their stories would seem like a challenge. The movie also just looks nice. I hope to see this film when it comes out in November.

The last movie I am looking forward to is Brave. We all know Pixar is a quality company. It was so strange last year seeing cars 2 and they to see how it flopped too. Pixar is definitely trying to prove itself once again. Brave is already looks like a classic. As usual, Pixar is reaching new territory with this film. It is their first film that is trying to tackle a certain time in historical fiction. It is also the first to have a girl at the lead. I am very excited to see where this film will go.

Overall, there are plenty of other movies and shows that will be coming out soon. I am excited to see how they make their mark in animation history. Are there any shows or movies you are excited to see in the field of animation? If so, please comment.

The Importance of Voice Acting

If it is one thing, I have learned this semester is that there is a lot that goes into animation. One of the most important factors is voice acting. It was not always a staple in the business, but it is now one of the most important factors. If you are like you and me here a new animated show is coming, the first thing you think of is the voice. It is such an essential part of character. I can think of the many shows where I could not watch it because of the voice acting. I bring this topic up because I found a trailer the other day of a new documentary called “I Know That Voice”

Just going thru that trailer I thought about how all those voice actors make the show so much better. Even though we know they voice multiply characters, they have their distinct personalities. I hope to see it because it seems very interesting.

While watching this video I thought about whom they were asking. Not just actors but professional voice actors. You see them mostly in shows and movies occasionally. However, in the big name movie you usually get the big name stars. It attracts a lot more people that way. However just because you can act does not mean you can voice act. Not to say that all actors make bad, but they do not have the skill of a professional. It is very different method of acting. Very few actors are on par with voice actors. I wonder how different a film would be if it had more professional voice actors other than live action actors.

However, when I think about if most movies had professional voice actors; I think the unique would be loss too. Some actors do a good job at voice acting. One that comes to mind is jack black. This is the reason why he is in so many movies.He has a genuine enthusiasm for it. Some other actors do not seem like they are even trying. Alternatively, that they seem not as interested. I find this a huge turn off in most films. Overall there is a lot give take when you this happens. I like to see animated movies with them, but some really depend too heavily on it.

In the end, voice acting is really an art within itself. There so many voices they can do and how long they can do them. I give a lot of respect to these actors because it is a hard job. They are not seen and hardly every respected. However, in the last few years many people have come to really give some respect to them. I hope this trend continues.

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Animation Project

2 historical figures having a chat

For The Sake of Entertainment

It happens all too often in the entertainment business. It’s something we just have to get used to. What I am talking about is historical accuracy. For us historians it is something that can irk us a bit. Some it just ruins the whole movie. For me it really depends on the movie. If it is a good one than ill let, it passes. If it is bad then well you know. In class we saw a very good example historically accurate movie in an American tail. It was simple and it hit all the good points of reference. Sadly not all historically charged films are like American tail. Here are some others

Don Bluth did the research very well in American tail. However it kind of loses its historical appeal. That movie is Anastasia. To me it was good film. It talked about the revolution in Russia and how Russia was affected by it. The missing princess was a story that circulated for a while but will later on be proven wrong. It is interesting to see Don Bluth take this story to new levels. I mean when I was a kid and it came out I did not really care for the history. However when I was kid and I watched an American tail I was interested in the movie and the history of it. Anastasia pretty much took a concept and it was downhill from there. I still like the movie though, just not as a historian.

A movie we were about to watch was Pocahontas.  Now I have lived in Virginia for most of my life. I know what the state looks like and most of its historical background. Therefore, when I see Pocahontas now and see her jumping off cliffs I somewhat already know that is not true. There was also a moose and pretty sure none of them are this far south.  Now as for the story, that’s a whole other argument. Age is one of the big things here.  They made john smith a bit younger and Pocahontas way older. You know so it didn’t seem creepy. Overall the movie doesn’t really do much for history. I mean do the settlers and English men stay friends anyways? You know the answer to that.

I could talk all day on this subject. It would make a pretty interesting subject for class. I could also keep listing movies. Mulan, Ballot, the list goes on. However I wonder what would happen if these movies were historically accurate. The movie may not even exist and we would lose some good ones. In the end I try not to take it so seriously but it’s hard not to some times.

The Plus Side of Cold War Era Cartoons

Last week in class we talked about the cold war cartoons. I talked in an earlier blog of mine about how animation quality took a steep down. However, over time I now see that it is all about give and take. I think it is safe to say we all loved Betty boop and the others.  Sadly those cartoons were lacking something. That is the dialogue. When we watched rocky and Bullwinkle it was the dialogue that made it great. With the use of dialogue, cartoons were able to become more commonplace.  Here are some of the other ways they became unique too.

While watching rocky and Bullwinkle I noticed what it reminded me of. The quick paced dialogue was like the old radio shows. I believe that by mimicking this style they were able to open up a new model for cartoons.  Quick and witty jokes were funny and constant. There were also great voices just like in the radio shows. You could hear what they were saying and react to it. In older clips, it feels like they tried too hard to characterize the voices of cartoons a bit too much. For example, Popeye was funny but sometimes you did not understand him. Rocky and Bullwinkle have funny voices but they are more concise.

Another thing I noticed was the use of sound. Cartoons have always been known for their use of sounds and other things. However in the rocky and Bullwinkle show there were so many ways to use it. In addition, just like the old radio shows they help make the story very funny. Older cartoons seemed to be very focused on the music of the clip rather than the sound.  Sound effects are still a huge part of cartoons even today.

Overall, the main factor that really helped cartoons was the invention of the television. Television pretty much changed the world overnight. Even the movie business took hit from TV. Being on TV meant cartoons were able to reach audiences faster.  It also had shows that cartoons would emulate. Just think of the riffing off on the modern American family in different ages. Over time, many shows help make television a must have for entertainment. Later on, animation and dialogue would get better together and make cartoons a whole lot better.

Ladies of Action

I am going to be a bit of a geek this week if you do not mind. Do not worry it all has has a point to it. Therefore, for the past 2 years I have been waiting for show called Legend of Korra to premiere.  It was a sequel to the original series called the Avatar: the last Airbender. Therefore, this past weekend the creators let the show out online 3 weeks before its premiere date. Naturally, I was stoked. The show was great and I can talk about why later.

Now what does Korra have to with my blog topic this week? The one thing that I got excited about Korra (other than it just looks awesome) is that it had a female, person of color, as the lead in the show. This to me is a pretty big deal. I mean let us look at the cartoons we have watched so far with female leads. There was Betty Boop who was always being harassed. There was Lois Lane who needed to be saved. We also have Snow White who also needs to be saved. Do you see the trend here? Early animation was not the greatest place for women as you can see but since then it has gotten better.

For example, let us look at how the Disney princess’s have developed. I think it is safe to say that snow white and Cinderella are not very strong types. Hell, even the prince’s in those movies have bad character development. Aurora was definitely a step forward in character development and a better representation for women, not the best but better. These simpler times when these movies were made so there was no need to really make things too complicated. In my opinion, the most interesting princess is jasmine. She does not even have her own movie, yet thanks to the Disney princess brand she is more popular Aladdin.  There is Pocahontas and Mulan, which a step in the right direction to including other ethnicities to the Disney princess brand.

TV was a different story though. It was the same as most of the women had to be saved. It was not really into the 80’s until we saw characters like She-Ra and others doing the saving. Throughout then there has been more attempts to have women in head roles of action series. It is hard to pitch to make because most distributors want to just make a show with a female lead just for girls. Overtime we have seen girls and boys saving each other in the same show. You could look to comics for many super heroes. Sadly, it seems there is not much effort to. As much as I like comics, I hope to see more content that is original on cartoons. In the end, there has been progress, but hopefully more comes soon.

Lets Get A Bit More Serious

Since the beginning of entertainment, there has always been two ways to interpret this entertainment.  Those two ways are comedy and drama. Since then there has been new genres added. However, these two are always at the center of what the film really is. You can mix them but one always comes out as the more dominating than the other dominates. When animation started to make its way in entertainment, it was strictly for comedy. However, in time we have seen animation try to open up to different genres. The one field it is still trying to grasp. That is the field of drama. I believe that most people do not see animation on par with live action. On the other hand, in different countries they have a bit more respect for it. Here are some examples.

Cartoons in America have been seen to be only marketed to children and young adults.  It has thrived for a long time doing that. Looking at the past, we can see that animation reached for small children and their families. It is a market that has generated a lot of wealth. What I want to ask is that all what cartoons can do? Is there more to cartoons than just jokes and humorous situations? I am not saying its bad thing but it certainly has made animation in a one-dimensional art form. We are not open to the idea that drama can be shown on different mediums like animation. As a western culture, we have yet to grasp that concept. In places like Japan and the Middle East, they have been open to the idea of using animation as a medium for drama. Here are some examples of those films.

Most of the people who read this have watch anime. For those who do not it is a Japanese animation. I believe it far beyond American animation in terms of storytelling in my opinion. It has only been in recent years that western animation has tried to e a bit more dramatic; however, the Japanese have been taking more strides in this genre. One of the studios in the head of this movement is Studio Ghibli. I could name many of their films but there is one in particular I want to talk about. Grave of the fireflies is a war film of a brother and sister trying to survive the firebombs of WWII. The history of WWII still affects Japan today. This movie reflects so much pain and emotion during this time; you forget that this is an animated film. Here is a clip of roger Ebert explaining his feelings on the film. I agree with most of his points that animation help represent ideas better then live action can sometimes.

Two other films use war as a way to tell a story. Both have Middle Eastern roots. Persepolis and Waltz with Bashir are both films that bring a human light to the human struggles of this area. The one film I will be presenting is Persepolis. The film involves a young woman’s struggle to be accepted in her world. This movie just like grave of the fireflies takes place from a human’s perspective. For some reason western cartoons like to use animals or monsters instead of humans. Even in some Pixar movies, we have seen this. Pixar has done well translating drama for younger audiences to understand. However, they have yet to try to make a central theme of the movie. Persepolis uses its animation to show humor and other human elements. It does a great job of this. However, you are still aware of the seriousness of the animation

I hope to see American animation do what other countries have done so far. We taking strides and hope in a few years we will see a major production company accept more serious animations.

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