Animation

Great question Michael Teisan I think there are 2 ways to look at this. Are the majority of stories today better than the majority back then? NO! but there were far fewer animations back then and animation took longer to do, so they had to be very intentional about what they animate.

Today, animation is so accessible, that people put out a lot of crap. With that said, there are amazing animations and stories out there today, that tackle topics that society would not have been comfortable talking about back then, so we definitely have great stories that rival those old ones.

I am locked and loaded and I can't wait! Thank you very much for this opportunity

Hey Lauren! Glad you'll be joining us :)

Cyrus, will you be joining us?!

Hey Sydney S , thanks for asking. I need to look more into it to see if it aligns with what I'm currently working on, if it does absolutely!

Cyrus!! Please let me know, happy to help make it work!

Thanks, it's been a long way to this point, and I'm very expectant to what Armstrong-D.U. can become in the future but I'm really having fun with this too!

It looks really good! Cats really do push dogs around. Just one slap and the dog's off whining.

Alex. You know I GOTTA read this one too lol send it over when you get a chance.

You're welcome, Alex Olguin. Having fun with a project helps to finish it and pitch it until you find the right producer, director, etc. Can't wait to watch Armstrong-D.U., Dog's Land, and all your projects!

You're welcome, Alex Olguin. That's great! Congratulations! Keep the community posted.

Absolutely — storytelling is what gives everything meaning.

Even the most polished animation can’t stay with an audience without a strong narrative behind it.

There has to be both a plot and animation. Otherwise, it won't be interesting to watch. I ran into some technical problems with the animation. I make animation with puppets.

That’s a great point.

Both strong storytelling and clean execution really need to work together to keep the audience engaged. Puppet animation also sounds like a very interesting medium—definitely comes with its own unique challenges.

I enjoy Bluey and Pixar films because I feel like they are incredibly clean and light-hearted while focusing on strong storytelling. What do you think?

I agree—Bluey and Pixar are great examples of how strong storytelling can work hand in hand with clean, simple animation.

What stands out to me is how they focus on emotional clarity and relatable characters, which makes even simple moments feel meaningful. It shows that when the story is strong, the visual style supports it rather than needing to overpower it.

A short sneak peek at some of the inside content and artwork from "YELLOW RABBIT" (Part I).

A short sneak peek inside: "DOLL OF FIRE" (Episode 03: Acts I-V Summary).

Here's a glimpse of the narrative structure and visual style.

What do you think of this visual writing style and artwork combo?

I'd love to hear your feedback!

I am excited.

Thank you, Kevin! I'd love to hear your feedback after you've read it.

If anyone is wondering about Evan's other class, the pitch/deck bible series class, it is also good. Here is a link to the pitch deck I made using Canva in that class + the level 2 extension for the class. My biggest issue was wrestling my concept down to fit into a reasonable pitch deck length, something that took about 8 attempts even with feedback. (Please note some decks also have "Why me" and "Why Now" pages, however Evan let me know these pages worked better for this particular concept.) If you are struggling to make a pitch deck/ refine a pitch deck I would recommend that Studio 32 class when finances allow.

https://canva.link/hqix1wq1lrx0f0q

Sarah, here's where my ignorance shows. I never heard of a "pitch-deck" until just now. (I guess I'm still stuck back there in the book world) I followed your link and saw yours with the cat-dragon. Is this something vital for pitching? It looks like the kind of graphical kind of thing I'd enjoy making though. A bible-series class does not sound like me however - I'm too much of a heathen for anything bible-related.

Once I get through my rip-it-down strip-scripting project I'll see what I can find out about it. if you know of any sites that explain it at beginner level I'd be interested to see them but don't worry I can do a google search.

OMG! I just checked out your whole pitch-deck and I definitely now want to see your series. I love that yacht - the bluenose schooner. What glorious boats they were back then.Have you had a lot to do with classic yachts?

To get a tv or movie made you need to "pitch" the idea to agents , studios, etc. Typically pitches are 1-2, 5, 10, 15 or 20 minutes in length. The shortest are sometimes called elevator pitches. For the 5+ length a pitch deck is often used, especially with animation due to the visual element. Think Literary Cover letter to get an agent in pretty slide format to make studios interested. They are particularly useful if you don't have a book to adapt because studios need to know you have a fully thought out story, not just a vague concept of an idea.

https://www.finaldraft.com/blog/21-series-bibles-that-every-tv-screenwri...

I have not had interactions with the classic Yachts, but the Bluenose Schooner is part of Canadian heritage to the point it is on our ten cent (dime) coin. A replica of the Original BlueNose Schooner was made, the Bluenose II, and still sails out of Lunenberg, Nova Scotia as a tourist and marine education vessel. I hope one day to take a trip aboard it. The original Bluenose schooner was a fishing and racing vessel that was a sailing champion, I believe it retired with all wins in official international races. It was built in 1921 and was one of the last set of yachts to be sail powered verses having an engine. Bluenose is a nickname for people from the Canadian Province of Nova Scotia dating back to 1785. https://bluenose.novascotia.ca/namesake.

Thanks so much Sarah. Very useful info,

I did go to an awful lot of effort to make what I believe is called "teaser" for pitching purposes. It is a one minute animation designed to catch the interest of a film maker. John would die laughing at how long it took me. I first had to learn the previously unfamiliar Adobe software After Effects. I was only familiar before with Adobe Premiere Pro which has similarities. I got help from AI and so the teaser I ended up with is a combination of my own animation and AI animation. I paid for a soundtrack by Feraliza.

If I'd known about pitch-decks, I think I would have gone that way. That would be far more suitable to the graphical skills I do have, which have never included animation.

This is a video of the young Feraliza singing one of her songs way back before she did her tertiary music and sound tech degrees. I just loved her voice and her whole psyche even way back then. She is now touring with a rock band as their soundie. I set this song to one of my own videos filmed in The South Island.:

https://youtu.be/NDPqD6pBKVs

Hey Arnold is a brilliant series. Loved watching it as a kid. I miss those classics. Rugrats is another one worth watching if you haven't seen it. Very clever.

Oh I was all over Rugrats as a kid. Thinking about rewatching it, actually.

Strong projects very visual in nature. Have you considered developing illustration or concept art versions of these to strengthen your pitch materials?

Animatic Illustration well, yeah, in fact I have for Arsmtrong-D.U. some visual art, character designs, they are only concepts but they help a lot in picturing the movie and Dog's Land too, since Dog's Land is way more visual, I have some character designs, some concepts of scenery, the two images in the post are the main posters of each one. I still want to viausaly develop two other proyects but I'm scared I end up with a gargantuan portfolio instead of two or three ideas that are well developed.