FMP Research Audience, market, production

1. Research
Audience, Market, Production
Clara Johnson

2. I know I would like to make a short animated film. I am considering many
different options for what the film should be like/about. My two favourite ideas
are a silent film (no dialogue) and a twist on an old nursery rhyme/fairy tale.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both of these ideas. If I make a silent
film it would give me a lot of experience learning about movement, expressions
and story telling which I would love to do. However I think it would be very
difficult, especially for someone who has little experience with animation. The
animation would need to be simple to be manageable in the time I have, not too
busy as to confuse the audience and must be detailed enough to create
understanding and tell the story. Another disadvantage of doing a silent film is
that I would need to create my own story. This wound be quite difficult to do and
I would have to find a balance between detail and simplicity to make it both
understandable and enjoyable. It will also be quite diffiult to create real emotions
and tell the story without words because I have never done an animation like this
before so I will be experimenting with a new media with no safety net of
narrative which I don’t think is the best idea for an FMP. However, if I did this idea
I would imagine it to be in an exaggerated style with big movements and the
characters having big features to give the most scope for expressions and
understandable movements. something like the Hazbin Hotel characters. I love
this style and the character designs I think they are really fun to watch and
probably really fun to animate. I would also need to create the audio for this
piece using foley sound which is something I really enjoyed trialling in year 1 e.g.
surrounding noise such as traffic or coffee shop ambience. This shouldn't be to
difficult to do but I would need to plan my production well. Reflecting on all of
this I believe doing my second idea would be better suited for this project.

3. My second idea was to do an animation about a common nursery rhyme
with a twist. I got this idea from a book I used to read called ‘The Chas
Addams Mother Goose book’. The Chas Addams Mother Goose is a book
made by Charles Addams which I used to read when I was younger. I love the
illustration style. The book contains common nursery rhymes and Charles
Addams has added his darker twist on the illustrations. It’s a little different
than other rhyme books which is what I like about it. The illustrations in this
book are fun and unique, each of them having a dark, but funny twist to
them. Some of the rhymes are classic like Hickory Dickory Dock or Humpty
Dumpty but some of these have a silly change, for example when Humpty
Dumpty broke there was a dinosaur inside him. This doesn’t affect the
rhyme, only the illustration changes. Some of the rhymes are not as
commonly known but still have the same style. The story's/rhymes are just
bizarre and I love the creativity. I would like to do something similar to this, a
twist on a nursery rhyme or a fairy tale. I’m not sure which one yet. The main
advantage of doing this is I already have a story so I can focus more on the
animation than the story telling. The story is simple and well known which is
suitable for this project as I don’t need to worry too much about having an
unclear storyline and confusing animation. But it also gives me the freedom
to add in elements which I would enjoy to draw and also keeps it interesting
for the audience as it is a little bit unexpected. Also If I do this I will have no
copyright issues because they are such old tales no one can claim them. One
disadvantage to this is because they are so well known that limits the
elements I can change as I still need to remain faithful to the tale.

4. I think I still need to keep either the main plot of the main rhyme the
same. for example, Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty
avoided a fall. or something like that, keeping the main lines but changing
the story. Or the story of Little Red Riding Hood but the wolf loves Red
Riding Hood, keeping the exact same events but with this little twist and
the whole thing is just a big misunderstanding. possibly or I could maybe
change cultures like little red riding hood with a red hijab or something. I
could give the rhyme a dark twist like, Hickory dickory dock, mankind is on
the clock, I greatly fear, the end is near, hickory dikory dock, tick tock tick
tock. I love things like this with dark twists, but I think having something
funny is more my style. I have a book at home called ‘Miss Butterpat goes
wild!’. This is another book which I loved to read when I was younger. The
story is about a teacher called Miss Butterpat who is portrayed as a caring,
old fashioned motherly figure who likes knitting. In the classroom she is
very responsible looking after all of the kids, but when she is free in
summer break she goes on these amazing adventures which are at times
daring and dangerous. This reminded my of the common nursery rhyme
there was an old woman who lived in a shoe but the old woman never had
the chance to go on any adventures because she was too busy looking
after her children. I could edit this rhyme so all of the kids grow up and
leave home so she would be free to do all of the stuff she never got to do
when she had kids. This would be narrated so there would be very little
lip-sync as I have done a lot of that in my last project and it will give me
more time to focus on creating the best movement and other areas I
haven't done before.

5. In looking at similar products which have twists on fairy tales I
remembered The Fairy Tale Police Department (FTPD). An animated TV
series set in fairy tale land. In each episode a fairy tale goes wrong, for
example the magic lamp gets stolen, Rapunzel goes missing or the little
mermaid falls in love with the wrong person. The officers from the FTPD
are called to fix the fairy tale and get it back on track. The story of each
fairy tale is a little strange but for the most part is loyal to the original,
except of course where it goes wrong and the FTPD have to fix it. I love the
wacky character designs. they are quirky and exaggerated and I would love
to do similar designs in my FMP. The animation here is simple as only the
main characters talking are moving but this simple method is still very
effective in telling the story and making the funny elements exaggerated,
which makes it suitable for the target audience. It doesn't overwhelm them
but it is effective enough to create an enjoyable piece to watch. I think I
would like to add detail in my work like the characters animation in this
show because I think they are fun, slightly exaggerated and get the point
across well while adding a funny twist. I will need to make solid plans so
nothing goes wrong and I don’t waste any time.
Although these are fairy tale story's I am looking more at the character
designs then the story.
I could possibly also make a series of episodes. it could be either the
adventures of the old woman and make something similar to Miss
Butterpat or I could mess with different fairy tales each time like this one.

6. Hey Duggee is another animation which is so cute and fun to watch. I am
mentioning this piece for animation purposes. There is very little actual
movement other then the characters or the main element in the story.
Nothing in the background moves but it is still a very effective animation. For
example if the character moves the background scrolls and when the
characters move they just jump and have no real walk cycle but it is still very
effective. To create movement thought the entire piece the characters bob
up and down and blink which would be simple to do. Also if you pay
attention to shots there isn't a great need for walk cycles as usually the
camera zooms out, they jump everywhere or it it just cuts to the next scene
for example the character says “lets go to see Granny” and on the next shot
they appear there, you do not see them travel and there is no walk
sequence. The music is really fun and the sound effects add to the animation
and the humour. It’s well made and there is something really enjoyable
about it. Although aimed at the same age range as Peppa Pig I think it would
also be more enjoyable for older people to watch too, who may be watching
with the younger children. Maybe it’s just the fact the characters are so
chilled and I relate to the humour and the silly things they say remind me of
my cousins. I would love to make something like this but I’m not sure if it is
best suited for this project. The movement is so simple and minimal I don‘t
think I would be able to use it effectively. I think it would be more effective
and easier for people to understnd if I create more detailed movement. It
would also beeasier for me to portray what I mean through the visuals.

7. The two animation methods of Hey Duggee and FTPD are very different and both suited for the different audiences and
humour of each series. The Hey Duggee animation is very subtle whereas the FTPD animation is more exaggerated. In my
animation I want to include as many of the 12 principles of animation as possible, giving me the most experience including
them in work. Both animated styles include a range of the principles, I think possibly the style from Hey Duggee would be the
most suitable for this project as it is more simple and would be more manageable for my first animated project. But this may
also depend upon the target audience.
People often assume that animation is a fun thing and is aimed at children and referred to as cartoons. However, animation
covers a wide range of genres and can be very serious, emotional, fun and also scary. I would like to make an animation that is
accessible to a wide ranging audience and has a fun element to it as this is more my style. The audience for this project can be
very wide as the rhyme is so well known and even if people don’t know the original rhyme it will still be an enjoyably story to
watch and will hopefully make them smile. The audience really depends on what type of twist I am going to make. If I have a
dark twist it would be aimed at teenagers or young adults who would find it more entertaining but I think my twist is going to
be fun. Some aspects younger audience may not get/understand too well but it is appropriate for everyone. Based on my
previous research it won’t be unsuitable for the younger ages and won’t be too childish for the older ages. I wouldn’t say it is
aimed at a particular audience it is just for anyone who enjoys it. It’s main purpose is entertainment so it would probably be
aimed for family's to watch at home. If this was a series like the FTPD kids could watch it on a CBeebies channel like a story time
or something.
It could also possibly be used in a history context a bit like the Horrible Histories style where the programme makes history fun.
I could add an animation based on the original versions of the nursery rhyme, which we learn as children but don’t always think
about what it is saying and then discuss the issues of infant mortality, workhouses and lack of opportunity and then compare to
what it is like now so children can grow up and have a career, whatever their gender and express themselves and the old
woman can take a break and have a holiday. Potentially a whole series could be developed on these old rhymes and the origins
and meanings behind them giving the animation an educational as well as entertaining purpose. Whilst I am aiming for people
watching this at home, the format of my work would be able to be viewed on TV or online via a range of devices.

8. The rhyme I know goes:
There was an old woman who lived in a shoe,
She had so many children she didn't know what to do,
She gave them some broth without any bread,
Then whipped them all soundly and sent them to bed.
There is a lot of speculation about the origins and meaning of this rhyme but after doing some research there is a lot of evidence directing it to
being a Tudor rhyme (between 1485 and 1603). It is believed that this rhyme is heavily related to fertility shown by the many children and the
shoe. It was thought that throwing a shoe after the bride before she left for her honeymoon or tying shoes to the couples car before leaving or
would bring good fertility to the bride. These are Tudor traditions which imply ‘there was an old woman who lived in a shoe’ is a Tudor rhyme.
Fertility is also touched upon in Doug Larche’s modern version of the rhyme (1985)
There was an old couple who lived in a shoe,
They had so many children they didn’t know what to do.
So they gave them some broth and some good whole bread,
And kissed them all sweetly and sent them to bed.
There’s only one issue I don’t understand.
If they didn’t want so many why didn’t they plan?
This comes across as more of a humorous warning to women to manage their fertility
Theories about the meaning of the rhyme mostly revolved around the old woman and comparing her to historical figures, usually linked through
nothing but the size of the family. Some theories relate the poem to King George II and his inability to control parliament and his wife Queen
Caroline, who had many children. However early versions of the rhyme end in:
Then out went th’ old woman to bespeak ’em a coffin,
And when she came back, she found ’em all a-loffeing.
A-loffeing is believed to be a Shakespearian word ‘Laughing’ which indicated that the rhyme goes back further than its first printed copy and was
well within Tudor times (Shakespeare was born 1564 whereas Queen Caroline was born in 1683). In this rhyme the children play a prank and
pretend to be dead so the woman goes out and buys coffins and comes back to find them laughing because they tricked her.

9. A Scottish version of the rhyme (1842) goes:
There was a wee bit wifey
Who lived in a shoe;
She had so many bairns,
She kenn’d na what to do.
She gaed to the market
To buy a sheep-head;
When she came back
They were a’lying dead.
She went to the wright
To get them a coffin;
When she came back
They were a’lying laughing.
She gaed up the stair,
To ring the bell;
The bell-rope broke,
And down she fell.
Maybe having a dark twist would be more loyal to the original versions? But that reflects a grimmer time when child
mortality was high and many families would have multiple children that didn’t make it to adulthood. Birth control was not
used and women had very little control over the size of their families. Also that’s not my style. I should make a fun version
reflecting on a modern big family and the possibilities that children have now as they grow up.
I also like the idea of fertility and the fact that today 100 years after the suffragettes got votes for women the old woman
would also have other choices available to her today. I will try to link as many of these elements in the rhyme and bring out
that today when the children grow up they have choice and opportunities.

10. Story telling: Summary of a website storysci.com: Story Science by James Gilmore “Top 10 storytelling basics”.
First is to look at the most basic element of story telling. Beginning middle and end. The beginning sets up a story and is a path to the
rest of the plot. In a good story it won’t be obvious. The middle develops the story from the setup to the climax and shows how the
events that happen at the beginning affect the world of the story. The end is a conclusion of the story, answering all of the questions
raised. Usually it is where the protagonist confronts the antagonist and wins in some way, concluding the story to a happy end.
Show don’t tell. Instead of telling the audience something is happening you need to show the events, this gives the audience the chance
to experience what the characters are experiencing, figuring out what is happening for themselves and creating a stronger bond with
story and characters.
Conflict. There are generally four different types of conflict. Interpersonal conflict which is the conflict between two individuals,
Intrapersonal conflict which is the conflict within an individual, in the individuals mind. Intragroup conflict which is the conflict among
individuals in a team, and Intergroup conflict which is the conflict between two different teams of groups. Without conflict you won’t
have a story because nothing in the plot would be worth talking about. It drives the story forward and keeps the audience interested,
without conflict it becomes a summary, not a story.
Make the protagonist proactive not reactive. A proactive protagonist is a protagonist who initiates events that advance the plot. A
reactive protagonist is one who responds to events forced on him/her by the plot. The more proactive the protagonist is the more
invested the audience will be.
Have a central core to your story. Basically your story needs to be about something. A central ‘spine’ which everything in your story will
revolve around.
Know what your story is about. On all levels, not just the core. all the characters, all the relationships, all the development, all the
deeper connotations and meanings. everything.
Simple and clear. It is better to be simple and clear then complicated and ambitious. Give maximum information using minimal text.
This means the use of subtext, what is not said, rather then text, what is said.
Get in late, get out early. Basically, focus on where the action is happening. start the scene as late as possible to give best possible
conflict and end the scene as soon as the conflict is over.
Characters. Interesting or relatable characters are memorable and will help the audience bond with them. create character bios for
them, create distinction, depth, and history. This rhyme is a little different than a story so not all of these apply but it is very helpful to look at.

11. Production:
I’m not going to be using real people in my short film, it is going to be an animation. Stop motion would be very risky in
college where every room is shared and my work will probably be fiddled with and ruined so I don’t think this is a good
option. I think making a 2D animation is probably my best option and I think I would enjoy doing it as it gives me a
chance to really explore the 12 principles of animation. I am familiar with working in photoshop but I’m not sure how
well this would work for such a large amount of moving images. It is possible to move your image on one slide and it will
stay the same on the others, this is really useful. If I do this method I will need to plan well and draw everything out
before I start to animate. This is because if I add another layer when I am mid-animation it would appear on every slide
and the only way to get rid of it on the slides is to delete it from all slides where it is not needed. Or delete it from all
slides and go back individually to add it to the slides I want. The approach taken would depend on the amount of time
needed. Therefore, if I use Photoshop I would do it in small sections so if I make a mistake the whole thing isn't ruined
and it will be easier to fix. I also need to plan the sound effects or if I am going to have any at all. At the moment I think
this photoshop method is the most likely I will use but there are other options which I can try, for example I could use
After Effects to insert the images and move using puppet pins and other effects. To find out more about alternative
methods I will need to experiment with the different software before production to see what the best method is and
what their strengths and their limitations are so I am prepared for production.
The kit I will need to complete this project would be a sound recorder and a graphics tablet. I am worried about the
sound, on my previous work it wasn’t very clear and there was a lot of background noise. To solve this I am going to do
all of my recordings in a quiet place like a car. It is very important not to forget about the sound and leave it to the end of
production and plan around the availability of the people I am recording to get the sounds early on. To start I am going
to experiment with a range of peoples voices and decide which is best suitable for this project.