- Hey there!
Sorry, I'm on a huge deadline.
I'm finishing my cartoon!
It just doesn't feel finished though.
I have the drawings,
the voices,
but I'm missing something.
Oh, duh, it's not moving!
I gotta find out how you actually animate the thing!
Someone around here can probably teach me
how to animate in about five minutes.
(upbeat music)
Hey, Daisy! I wrote the script,
I've created the characters and I've recorded my voice.
But how do I make it move?
- That's awesome!
Well you need to learn how to make some storyboards.
You need to talk to Josh Taback,
he's our Supervising Director.
- Cool, thanks!
(horses neighing)
- Hi, I'm Izzy.
- Hey, Izzy, how you doing?
- Good. So what is a storyboard?
- A storyboard is our show done in pictures.
One idea at a time.
- So why do we do storyboards?
- We do story boards
so we can plan everything that happens visually
so someone watching can tell happens
and it all makes sense.
And then when that's given to the animators
they have a guide to know what they're supposed to be doing
so all they have to worry about is animating.
And something like this where our designs are given to us
with various angles, so where we can see everything
and then what we do is, we have,
once we have our script
we start deciding what the cameras get to see.
Now there's not an actual camera
because everything's either drawn or in the computer
so the camera's in our head.
And when we draw Lucky's hair for the storyboards
we can be kinda general with things.
It doesn't have to be exact when you're doing
especially a computer animated show.
You just have to get close enough
that all the shapes
are close to what the final animation's gonna look like.
- So the animator can interpret and understand
what you drew.
So they do what you did and then enhance it,
as opposed to changing what you did.
So with all the classes
and all the art school that I took
I think about all things I leaned there
And I kind of,
as quickly as I can
I go in
and I don't make it too clean.
We always say make it clear, not clean.
And this is from where the PALs meet the BUDs.
(horse neighing) - I'm Prue.
This is Chica Linda.
- And I'm, who am I again?
- This is Abigail.
(horse neighing)
And Boomerang.
Come on PALs, let's unpack.
- PALs?
- It's a nickname we call ourselves
because those are our initials
and because we're friends.
- What a coincidence.
We also have a nickname made of our initials.
- Let me guess! You call yourselves the DUBs
because those are your initials
and DUBs is short for W
which is the first letter in the word wonderful!
- No.
But interesting guess.
- We call ourselves the BUDs.
- All right.
So I think you're ready to try your first storyboard.
- Thank you so much!
- [Josh] You're very welcome.
- Hey, Daisy!
- Oh! Hi Izzy.
- I've learned all about storyboards
but how do I animate it?
- That's super cool!
Lets go talk to Jack Kasprzak.
He's our CG Animation Director.
- Thanks!
(upbeat music)
- Hi! I'm Izzy.
- Hi, I'm Jack.
- Nice to meet you.
- So what do you do on Sprit Riding Free?
- I am the CG Animation Supervisor.
- Okay. What is that exactly?
- Well, traditionally the way cartoons used to be made
is they were drawn in by hand.
Frame by frame.
But now a lot of shows are what's called CG.
And that's a 3D version where we build a digital puppets.
And so I supervise that process.
- Cool! So I'm actually making my own cartoon
and I've already made my storyboard
but how do I animate it?
- Perfect. Yes, that's right where we pick up.
So the first thing you need to do
is go from the design phase
where you have a design of your characters
and then we do what we call a 3D model.
It's sort of a digital puppet.
And then we give it a
what's called a rig
and that's the actual system
that allows the character to move.
And so in this case we have Pru
who's been modeled in 3D
and allows us to move her around and pose her.
So you'll do everything
from the individual poses,
to the mouth shapes, to the blinking.
So one of the shots we have here is
we have Abigail and Pru have just fallen down a mountain
in a mudslide.
So then we go into a compositing program.
So we'll have out set layer here
and you have your set lighting.
And then when you combine them you have
a color that also has true to life light.
And to make our world feel more expansive
we have background paintings like skies,
we have this background mountain,
and as you combine them
you slowly build this depth of this scene.
- Oh cool!
- And then when you layer it all together
we do some final touch up, add some dust
and there's the final shot.
A lot of work! (laughs)
- (laughs) Okay, it sounds like I need an animator.
- I think Dreamworks TV
was gonna hook you up with an animator.
- Oh that's great!
(horse neighing) (horse galloping)
(theatrical music) And now the premier
of my cartoon!
The Day My Family Became Horses.
By Me! Izzy Newman.
Doo-de-doo. (birds chirping)
Just a normal day in the life of Izzy.
(alarm clock ringing)
Smash!
(sink shattering)
What the? Those don't look like my hands!
(dramatic music)
Aaah!
(hooves clattering)
Mom! Dad! I woke up and I'm a horse!
Oh no! (horses chewing)
(horse neighing) Well, good luck with that.
I've gotta get to school!
(bus brakes squealing)
(bus doors squeaking)
- No horse allowed on the bus!
Get lost!
- But how am I gonna get to school?
(bell dinging)
Wait a sec.
I have horse power!
(William Tell Overture)
(horse hooves clattering)
- [Children] Oh Cool!
(school bell ringing)
- I'm almost at class!
Outta the way! Outta the way!
I can't slow down!
(horse hooves skidding)
Uh, sorry!
(teacher wailing)
Well, my teacher took a sick day
but at least I got to school on time!
Thanks for watching!
So whatcha think?
- Greaty job, Izzy!
- Thanks.
So, are you guys like, hiring?
- Why don't you give a call,
maybe when you've graduated high school.
- Deal!
- Sweet.
- Well, I hope you like my cartoon.
And now that you know how to make a cartoon
you should make on too.
Or just watch cartoons.
I mean, watching is the best part.
Actually that's what I'm gonna go do now.
Okay! Bye!