Wow, it's been a year since I posted something here. So what have I been up to?
Something I call "Animatic Theater".
About 15 years ago, I had an idea for a series based on my life in South Jersey - an odd place full of quirky, blue collar Americans. I put together a pitch, tweaking it in subsequent years when I had time. A few years ago, I decided to make an animatic as a proof of concept piece. It's a simple set up: the main character, "Old Dude", goes into his favorite deli to order the usual, but now the place has become automated. It's one more piece of his comfortable world leaving him behind and at the mercy of an apathetic young "Deli Gal", who would rather text her boyfriend than help some geezer.
This was based on real events.
I wrote a script, redesigned the characters, then reached out to voice actress Sirena Irwin, whom I had met while working at Nickelodeon. I didn't know her personally, and thought it was a long shot getting her to do it, as she is THE REAL DEAL. But after a Zoom call, she agreed to play the part of the Deli Gal. I would play the Old Dude (typecasting).
I booked time at Outloud Audio in Burbank, having the room set up so we could record our lines together. I can't fully articulate how much fun it was working with Sirena. After a couple of takes, she wandered off-script, improvising. I followed her lead the best I could without cracking up (we both failed terribly at this, giggling like an SNL cast). Her quick wit and whimsicality worked perfectly for this piece. We would go down some crazy rabbit holes and somehow wind our way back to the script. It was a wild ride and I had an absolute blast. A lot of our banter made it into the final cut - the lines where we're talking over each other is the giveaway. I love how natural it feels. I credit Sirena for making that happen. She's also a voice director, and guided me through some of my lines.
Now came the big task - story boarding it. This happened in fits and starts, between gigs, over a period of about 18 months using Storyboard Pro software. When I finished and cut it all together, I wanted a few music cues. I was originally going with needle drops from the 1970 rock classic "Mississippi Queen" by the band Mountain. But getting the rights was much more involved and much less gratifying than getting something original from my favorite composer Ian Rees. I sent him the animatic on a Sunday. On Tuesday, he returned it with something perfectly "Mountain-esque". Seriously, he is a genius.
I really wanted to animate the short, but after a computer disaster deleted the original SB Pro file, I was left with just an animatic. Not wanting to start over, I leaned into the limitation and created "Animatic Theater", a place where I can present short ideas without spending five years or more making them. And at age 62, time has become a factor. There will be more animatic shorts to come!
I hope you enjoy "The Dutch Green". There's some salty language in it, so not something to watch around the wee little ones. HR might not approve either - you've been warned!
-Steve