Chandra
From mediaartiststudio
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[edit] COOLYMPIA
[edit] AN OVERVIEW
Coolympia will be spending the next two quarters re-imagining itself. After producing one episode per month for contract purposes with TCTV, Coolympia has chosen to take a hiatus from public access in order to refine and retool its approach to children's media. Many elements from the original Coolympia will continue to exist, such as experimental animation, green screen, and music, while new elements will be introduced, such as hand puppets, and more dynamic characters. We will continue to approach our work with the same focus on both collaborative creation and independent production. These two quarters will allow for total immersion in various stages of production, with time left over for revision, workshops, and critique (a luxury not known for this group since last Spring in Mediaworks). At year's end, Coolympia will have reached the following goals:
1. A completed 30 min. "pilot" episode
2. A 5 min. demo or pitch reel
3. Individual demos (to highlight individual contributions to the show)
4. A grant application and budget (to be used for future funding)
5. A pitch book
[edit] SYNOPSIS
A sailboat with a colorful crew of puppets and humans deliver packages to islands all over the world. The boat is guided by a captain, who is human, while the rest of the crew can be made up of either puppets or more humans (or a blend of both). The Captain relies heavily on the "brain", which navigates the ship and offers technical support, appearing exclusively on monitors which are built in to every room of the sailboat. There are colorful supporting characters, too. Among them are the Sea Witch, a mythical siren who guides the crew through dangerous waters, and the comical Crows, who quite appropriately live in the crow's nest of the boat, and notify the crew when land approaches.
For the purposes of the pilot episode, the basic outline is that the Captain and his crew will come across a castaway character, who joins the crew on their voyage. The new castaway soon proves valuable, as we learn he is fluent nearly every language, and that he is a seasoned seaman himself. Problems arise when some crew are concerned about having to share rations with a new crew member, but are resolved when he helps the crew out of a tough spot. The crew gets lost on their way to the first island, and call on the Sea Witch for help, who guides them there through a storm. Upon reaching land, the goods are delivered, a small cultural misunderstanding ensues but is soon resolved, and the crew embarks on their next destination. This basic outline will be evolving over the next quarter into something more dynamic and concrete.
Many elements of the show will be put in place to support our mission: to show children their place as a part of the global community. They are as follows:
[edit] Islands
The sailboat will deliver goods and provisions to at least one island per episode, during which a cultural conflict will arise between the crew and the islanders. These conflicts can be based on physical appearances, cultural traditions, and language barriers. In order to treat real island communities with the respect they deserve, Coolympia will create fictitious islands with fictitious inhabitants, so children will be asked to see the root of the issue rather than the specific qualities of any given culture. A fictitious approach to the island theme will also prevent stories and characters from being inhibited by the laws of reality, allowing us to devise anything we need to facilitate any message we want to get across.
[edit] Postcards
Every episode will include the delivery of a postcard, which the Captain will read to viewers. Postcards will come from islands that actually exist on Earth, and can incorporate facts about those cultures, within the context of a "thank you for my package" letter. The postcard element can incorporate location stills, stock footage, or animation, and will serve to educate children about foreign culture and geography.
[edit] The Crew Dynamic
Scenes aboard the sailboat will generally involve the interaction of the Captain and his crew, which will be made up at least in part by puppets. The fact that the crew are puppets allows for a diverse range of characters, both physically and in terms of personality, which means ample opportunity for conflict and resolution. The ultimate goal of every episode, being to deliver packages on time, will create a demand for teamwork amongst the crew. The crew will be tested in every episode through their interaction, as we see the need for tolerance, empathy, compromise, and compassion surface through every journey. Where the island themes deal with conflicts in the macrocosm, the crew stories address the microcosm of interpersonal communication. The fact that these balances are being struck between characters who appear so physically different will resonate with kids, promoting the notion that we can choose to be divided by our differences or connected by our sameness.
There will also be recurring moments in each episode, such as portholes on the ship that reveal animated action beneath the waves. The island destinations of the crew are undiscovered, so the crew must add them to a blank map every time they reach one, resulting in a complete map at the end of a season. Another possible theme is to introduce a new crew member every episode, who can join by a variety of means (castaway, stowaway, islander who wants in on the fun). The sailboat itself will reveal new rooms, too -- as it is a fantastical sailboat, it contains many magical rooms to keep the crew occupied while on long voyages (ex. -- anti-gravity room, disco, observation deck, library, "voluntary zoo").
It should be mentioned that in the interest of more diverse representation, Coolympia will be holding auditions for live talent and puppeteers for the pilot episode.
[edit] PRODUCTION ROLES
Below is the production roster for the next two quarters. Note the unfilled roles, and feel free to notify me if you're interested in a position!
Co-Producers: Chandra, Sorrelle
Director: Chandra
Asst. Director: Hammer
Director of Photography: Freddy
Artistic Director: McKayla
Puppet Design: McKayla, Sorrelle
Post-Production Supervisor: Sean
Writers: Chandra, Hammer
Editors: Chandra, Hammer, Sean
Animators: Chandra, McKayla, Sean, Sorrelle
Composer: Sean
Sound:
Camera Operators:
Live Talent:
Puppeteers:
[edit] GROUP GAMEPLAN
Coolympia has created department / production deadlines that we are expected to adhere to as a group. Within this gameplan, crew will be creating their own individual schedules to govern themselves independently throughout the year (which can be found on their WiKis). Below is an overview of how we plan to devote our collective time / energies for the next two quarters:
[edit] Deadlines
Jan. 9: Script Outline Complete
Jan. 23: Pilot Script Complete
Jan. 30: Pitch Book Complete
Feb. 20: Foundation Activity Grant Application Deadline
Feb. 27: Fred Rogers Memorial Scholarship Application Deadline, Puppets Complete
Mar. 5: Auditions
Mar. 6: Call Backs
Mar. 20: Songs, Storyboard Complete
Mar. 27: Sets, Props, Costumes Complete
Mar. 30 - Apr. 4: Live Segment Shoot
May 15: Animation, Sound, Additional Scoring Complete
May 29: Pilot Final Cut Complete
June 4: Demos Complete
Additionally, there will be production meetings and rehearsals scheduled on a weekly basis. This calendar is still undergoing changes, but will be posted soon (with a possibility of revision once the show is cast).
[edit] CHANDRA'S GAMEPLAN
For these next two quarters, I will be serving as co-producer, director, writer, animator, and editor. Below are descriptions of the tasks I will undertake for these positions:
Co-Producer:
I will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of production, along with Sorrelle. My area of focus may be the pre-production phase, where Sorrelle's energies may be devoted more to post-production. We will maintain the production budget, coordinate segment shoots, enforce department deadlines, and oversee the final edit of the pilot with Sean. All creative decisions will go through us as well. This position will be ongoing through Winter / Spring.
Director:
I will be directing the live action and puppet segments of the episode. I will be holding auditions for both live actors and puppeteers in order to diversify the cast, and will subsequently schedule weekly rehearsals leading up to the week we shoot. During these rehearsals, I plan to workshop scenes with Sally, and possibly consult Ariel Goldberger for puppetry critique. I will oversee weekly production meetings, ensure department deadlines are met, outline specific production needs, post weekly group notes and updates, and work closely with the art director, D.P., and composer through the pre-production process. This position will be ongoing through Winter / Spring.
Writer:
I will be writing the pilot episode script along with the fabulous Matthew P. Hammer, known for his work on Matlock and Mama's Family. We will be working on an outline, followed by several drafts of the script before finalizing it. This will be completed both independently and collaboratively, with consultation from the production team along the way. We will work with the D.P. on establishing a teleplay format as well. This position will be for Winter quarter only.
Animator:
I will be animating one 2-4 minute segment for the episode. I will be using the 2D cut out technique, though the story has yet to be determined (as I plan to tie it in specifically with the episode's theme, which should be clearer in the coming weeks). This position will be ongoing through Winter / Spring.
Editor:
I will be editing various scenes, along with (and independently of) Sean and Hammer. For this, I will be using Final Cut Pro. This position will be for Spring quarter only.
[edit] INDIVIDUAL CALENDAR
With department deadlines in place, I have outlined how I plan to use my independent time for the next two quarters.
Winter Quarter -
Week 1-4: Script and Pitch Book Writing
Week 5: Foundation Activity Grant App., Pre-production for Live Segments
Week 6: Fred Rogers Memorial App., Pre-production for Live Segments
Week 7: Auditions and Call Backs
Week 8-10: Rehearsal, Animation
Spring Quarter -
Week 1: Shoot Live Segments
Week 2-6: Animation, Editing
Week 7-9: Final Editing, Production Workbook, Individual Demo
Week 10: Post Mortem
Throughout this time, there will be weekly production meetings. Those notes will be posted on a production blog, and will allow for anyone to track our process along the way.
