Story: 1930s Cartoon "Script" Discovered

The family of animator Ray Patterson brought some artwork by the Archive the other day for us to digitize. Included among the material was this "script" for a Charles Mintz Barney Google/Snuffy Smith cartoon. It's actually not a script- it's a premise, but this is as close to a script as cartoon gag men got in the golden age. It fits perfectly into the first of my articles on writing for cartoons, so I added it. If you haven't seen this series of posts, check them out...

Writing Cartoons Pt 1- The Gag Session

Writing Cartoons Pt 2- A Continuity Emerges

Writing Cartoons Pt 3- Structure

Writing Cartoons Pt 4- The Rough Board

I promise that I'll pick up these posts again and continue through the process later this Fall.

We will have more exciting treasures to share with you soon courtesy of the family of Ray Patterson.

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
.

Stumble It!

Education: John K and Preston Blair's Drawing Course

From Tim Rudder's Blog
Just a reminder that folks are still studying John Kricfalusi's notes on Preston Blair's Animation. If you want to sharpen your chops and you're looking for a project to keep you busy this Summer, check it out...

Animation Drawing Course based on the rare first edition of Preston Blair's book Animation

John Kricfalusi's Blog, John K Stuff
.

Stumble It!

Pop Cultural Literacy 101: Summer Screening Series At Woodbury

Spike Jones and Doodles Weaver
Spike Jones: Clink, Clink Another Drink
Spike Jones: Pass The Biscuits Mirandy
Doodles Weaver: A Day With Doodles
I've written before about the creative explosion in the arts that occurred around the first half of the 20th century. It always surprises me when I meet a college student who is studying animation who doesn't know anything about the music that came before the Beatles or movies before Star Wars. This Summer, thanks to Woodbury University and the Walter Lantz Foundation, I have a chance to share the work of some of the most amazing entertainers who ever lived with a new generation of artists.


Maria Callas
Maria Callas: Habanera From Bizet's Carmen
The Golden Age animators knew and loved these performers. They studied them and incorporated elements of their style and caricatures of them into their cartoons. There is a lot to learn from this old stuff. The first thing you will learn is that it is surprisingly skillful and entertaining. Isn't that something you want your animation to be?


Buck Owens
Buck Owens: I've Got A Tiger By The Tail
Buck Owens: Foolin' Around
Another thing you'll discover is that the music of the 20th century is unbelievably diverse. Today, we have a million names to describe basically the same type of music. Back then, the names defined a myriad of sounds... country, opera, jazz, folk, blues, rock and roll... more kinds of music than existed in any other time period. We'll sample a little bit of this ocean of great stuff in a series of screenings this Summer at Woodbury.


Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway: The Reefer Man
Cab Calloway: Minnie the Moocher
In this post, I've given you an idea of the musical performers you'll discover at these screenings, but there's much more... rare examples of dance, comedy, drama... all kinds of entertainment that directly applies to your work as an animator... up on the big screen the way they were intended to be seen. I'll tell you more as the time gets nearer. Mark these dates down on your calendar, and plan to attend. It's FREE to students, the animation community and the general public courtesy of the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive, Woodbury University and the Walter Lantz Foundation.


Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters: Hoochie Coochie Man
Muddy Waters: I Can't Be Satisfied
Pop Cultural Literacy 101
A Series of Summer Screenings
Friday, July 10th, 2009
Friday, August 14th, 2009
September Date To Be Announced
Short Subjects Start At 7pm, The Feature Film Starts At 8:30.
Admission FREE to the animation community
Woodbury University
School of Business / Fletcher Jones Foundation Theater
7500 Glenoaks Bl
Burbank, CA 91510
(Click for printable map)


Dave Brubeck
Dave Brubeck: Take The A Train
Dave Brubeck: It's A Raggy Waltz

See you at Woodbury this Summer!

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
.

Stumble It!