MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO SEMINAR SERIES, THE: CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF NICKELODEON: VOICES AND VISIONS: THE MAKING OF NICKTOONS {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in this series of seminars conducted by The Museum of Television & Radio. This seminar, held in New York and moderated by television curator David Bushman, is part of the Museum's celebration of Nickelodeon's twentieth anniversary. The seminar includes a panel discussion with four cartoon creators and executive producers, who explain the process of creating a cartoon. After introducing the seminar, Bushman presents a clip reel featuring musical excerpts from the following Nicktoons: "Spongebob, Squarepants," "Rugrats: You Make Me Like You," "Kablam!: Hocky Monkey," "Catdog: Cat-Diggety Dog," "The Wild Thornberrys," "ChalkZone: Amazin' River," "The Angry Beavers: Beaver Fever," "Rocket Power," and "Hey Arnold!" Bushman then introduces panelists Craig Barlett, Steve Hillenburg, Larry Huber, and Robert Mittenthal, who recall the way they became involved with animation and list artists who have influenced them. Bartlett then presents two clips concerning the cartoon, "Hey Arnold!": one clip features the original claymation Arnold, and another examines cartoon character and story development. Bartlett describes Arnold's evolution from a silent claymation character in a short film into a cell animation character with a cast of supporting characters and a complex environment in a series. Next, Hubert presents a clip about the "Oh Yeah!" cartoon "ChalkZone," after which the panel discusses the process of creating a storyboard -- including the original concept, script writing, storyboarding and collaboration with animation artists. After presenting a clip from "Spongebob, Squarepants," Hillenburg explains how his background in marine biology and his love of animation resulted in "Spongebob." He describes technical methods used to evoke a watery feeling in the cartoon and recalls the process of pitching his cartoon to Nickelodeon. Next, Mittenthal presents two examples of "Kablam!" cartoons, "Action League Now!" and "Sniz & Fondue," and describes the concept for the first short film that led to the "Kablam!" anthology cartoon series. The panelists then discuss voice casting, and Bushman presents a segment in which Mitch Schauer, creator and executive producer of "The Angry Beavers," narrates a day in the voice studios of his series. The panelists then discuss the use of music and sound to evoke mood in their cartoon series. Next is a clip in which Peter Hannan, creator and executive producer of "Catdog," sings the theme song and provides an example of an episode that uses music effectively. After remarks on character development, Bartlett does a drawing demonstration to illustrate the process of character design. Bushman then takes audience questions, leading to discussion of the following topics: Arnold's first appearance on "Sesame Street"; Bartlett's experience writing for "Rugrats"; an outline of the characters and setting on "Spongebob"; and the many voiceover actors who work in animation.
Details
- NETWORK: Paley
- DATE: June 15, 1999 6:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:36:27
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:57325
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- David Bushman … Moderator
- Craig Bartlett … Panelist
- Steve Hillenburg … Panelist
- Larry Huber … Panelist
- Robert Mittenthal … Panelist
- Peter Hannan
- Mitch Schauer