Writing about cartoons/animations? Doing a film response?

Questions to help you 
Did you like the film? What did you like? What did you least like? Why? 
What did you think to the storyline? 
Was there sound? Was it dialogue or music (or both)? 
Did you like the style? What did you think to the techniques? Did it break new ground? 
Did the work do anything that you can see in cartoons/animated films you have enjoyed? Were there some parts you liked? If so, explain – basically try to write about your feelings and thoughts about the cartoons/work created using this technique/invention.

Phase 5 - The Golden Era of Cartoons - 1930s - 1960s - Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, Fred Quimby, Looney Toons, Tom & Jerry, Hanna Barbera

TASK ONE: Investigate the following KEY ANIMATORS listed below. There are TWO main tasks: Find out about the animator, watch and review their films. 

a) Look the animators up on WIKIPEDIA and the internet and find out a bit about them, including making a note of some of the films they’ve made – see below for details - Compile BRIEF research data and info for an ‘information sheet’ on each animator. Your work should be brief (about 100 words each) and be on your blog. Try to INCLUDE the following:

1. i)  Where and when were they born (if an individual) and a brief career history – don’t go on too long but include studios they worked in and key personnel they worked with. Are they still alive?
   
2. ii)  Are there any pictures of them available? If so, download some to use
   
3. iii)  What cartoons and/or characters were they responsible for?
   
4. iv)  Name/List some of their main features/cartoons and say where they were
   working when they made them
   
5. v)  Find some on YOUTUBE (as listed below) and write up a ‘FILM RESPONSE
   SHEET’, ONE for each animator (for one animator, review several films and write it all on ONE SHEET) and include your three favourite cartoons they made from the list given. For Fred Quimby you should write about your favourite three Tom & Jerry cartoons from the list.
   

TASK TWO: On YOUTUBE, watch the examples listed of their work – see Mrs T’s Animation playlist on the channel ‘Mediamonkeymovies2’ or find them in the Teaching Resources Student Drive in the Resources Library Folder. 

Key Animators for Stage One: (5)
Tex Avery
Chuck Jones
Fred Quimby – (Tom & Jerry) 

OTHER CARTOONS
TASK 3: Hanna Barbera - for help http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanna-Barbera

1. When did Hanna Barbera first start? Give a VERY brief outline of the history of the company, showing who they were and who they were owned by up to the present day. This should be a mindmap or in note format but put it on your blog. Use Wikipedia for this question. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanna-Barbera
   
2. Look at the shows below – see how many you can find clips for on the internet (remember there are more video sites than just Youtube!). For those shows you can find clips for, watch and make some notes on characters, storylines and style – take some screen shots (CMD + SHIFT + 4) – and for those you can’t find video for you can watch, do the same without watching!
   
3. Looking at the list, some of the cartoons ARE NOT from Hanna Barbera. Find out who made them and put them into groups accordingly.
   
4. Having watched the cartoons, answer the following questions:
   a. What are the MAIN, KEY ingredients of these cartoons? Work out what
   you think the cartoon formula is. Think about
   
   1. What makes it funny?
      
   2. What usually happens?
      
   3. Why does the audience like so much if the cartoons are so
      predictable/work to such a formula?
      
      b. Organise the cartoons into a timeline and write it down–make a Bubbl’us or Mindmap to use later. 

      5. EXTENSION–only if you’re ahead! - See if you can organise the Cartoons list into which were shown on the BBC and which were ITV – this is a hard task as you will have to do the research first. Some may be shown on Cartoon Network etc now but pre-Satellite TV (when these were first shown), there were only three channels in the UK (and four after Channel 4 started in 1982). 
      
      

Homework research task – Your own Cartoon history
A. Compile a list of your favourite cartoons from when you were younger to now B. Research them on Wikipedia to answer the following questions:

1. Who made the cartoon?
   
2. Where/on which channels could you view it?
   
3. What is the usual storyline?
   
4. Who are/were the main characters?
   
5. Is the cartoon still on TV/Satellite/Cable?
   
6. Why did you like it
   

C. Put the cartoons in order to create a kind of personal cartoon history
Prepare to put this information on your blog. You have THREE weeks to complete this section. The deadline is: Weds 22nd May 2013 (last lesson before half term).

Phase 4 - Disney

TASKS:
1. Watch “Disney talks about Fantasia and early animation (short from pt3)” (ABOVE) and answer the following questions:

1. What does Walt Disney say an animation feature could do after 1938 (Clue, it’s to do with the audience)
   
2. What does he say is the primary purpose of animation?
   
3. What does he say combine to create this effect?
   
4. Explain how they made the film images using paintbrushes. What effects
   were created? (10.1.6)
   
5. He later says that the drawings and art are only half of a successful
   animation – what does he say is the other half? (right at the end!)
   
6. How many frames make up ‘The Nutcracker Suite’?
   

2. Having watched the DISNEY films from the 30s and 40s, write a brief response to the films, exploring the following on your blog: (‘Snow White’, ‘Bambi’ and ‘Dumbo’)

1. What did you like about the films?
   
2. Which was your favourite? Why?
   
3. What did you find ‘different’ about them compared to modern animation
   films?
   
4. Do you think the audience has changed for Disney–both in terms of 1. Who
   they are targeting and 2. How the audience is different from the 1930s and now (think about sophistication, more media access, changes in how we consume media and new animation techniques)
   

3. Use the internet and the following sheets to help you compile

1. A mind map(you can use electronic aids such as Bubbl’us or Glogster)of
   the overview of Disney – who do they own? What companies are included? Remember to include theme parks and other media like video games etc. Embed this on your blog when complete. You should be able to complete this from this site alone – it is a brief overview! http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about-disney/company-overview
   
2. Use the sites below to plot at least 5 main animated Disney film releases for the each of the following years:
   
   1. 1990 – 1995
      
   2. 1996 - 1999 
      iii. 2000 – 2005 
      i.v. 2006 – 2013

Add any other info you can find using imdb.com, boxofficemojo.com, the- numbers.com (and Wikipedia if necessary). Present this information on your blog. 

c. Look at the UK Disney websites aimed at young people and the games available and answer/address the following questions:
 – how do they link with Disney’s image? 
Who do you think their main audiences are? Why?  
LINK some pictures of games and other Disney media on your blog. 
Please write something about the Disney audience and who you think they are and why. 
Use media on your blog such as images and links. 
Don’t forget to comment on the sound, colours and images used as well as the layout and ease of use of the website

http://www.disney.co.uk/disney-junior/index.jsp http://www.disney.co.uk/disney-games/

4. Make sure you visit the following and write a few notes about how easy it was to use the site for research – also say what kind of research it is (primary? secondary?) - how reliable do you think the information is? Where else did you find where you can get this information (not websites listed here)?

Audience Figures/Box Office Research
www.imdb.com 
www.boxofficemojo.com 
www.the-numbers.com 
www.wikipedia.com 

Any others you have found or used

Phase Three - Early Animators - Fleischers and Reiniger

TASKS:
1. Investigate and then Complete a sheet on the KEY ANIMATORS below (10.1.11)

1. Look them up on WIKIPEDIA and find out a bit about them, including making a note of some of the films they’ve made. Post this on your blog, remembering to keep a copy in a WORD docx for safe keeping.
   
2. On YOUTUBE, watch as many examples as you can of their work – see Mrs Thrasher’s Animation playlist on the channel ‘Mediamonkeymovies2’ and on Teaching Resources>Student>Media>Resources Library>Videos>Animation and Cartoons
   
3. Complete an ‘ANIMATION HISTORY – KEY ANIMATORS FILMMAKERS’ sheet for EACH ANIMATOR you investigate – use an extra ‘FILM RESPONSE’ sheet if necessary.
   

2. Find out about the ROTOSCOPE (10.1.5) – it’s massively important for animation and it is still used in modern films.

1. Find a sketch of a ROTOSCOPE and an image showing the effects created by them (using Google image search)
   
2. What does the Rotoscope do? How does it work? Look on YOUTUBE as well as Google – there are may videos showing Rotoscopes and how they work.
   
3. Find out about some films that have used a ROTOSCOPE – add some images and information about them – a minimum of TWO films please.
   

Key Animators for Stage One: (Phase 3) 

Lotte REINIGER The FLEISCHER brothers Make sure you watch the following as a MINIMUM:
LOTTE REINIGER 
Cinderella The little chimney sweep
Hansel & Greta 
The adventures of Prince Achmed 
The three wishes

THE FLEISCHERS   
KoKo the clown 
Noah’s Lark 
Out of the inkwell 
Betty Boop

SOME OF THESE ARE ‘STARS’ OF VIDEOS AND YOU WILL FIND LOTS OF VIDEOS WITH THE CHARACTER IN so CHECK THEM OUT! Especially Betty Boop