Opening animation for "Astronomy 101" ...

[wedgeeguy]

Hello Everyone ...

I thought I would share a new animation that I have created. It is for an educational project in development called "Astronomy 101" and is geared towards ages 8-11. The movie clip is called "The Introduction" and ...well ... "introduces" most of the cast as well as the background story . Please visit and take a look if you can. I am especially interested in some feedback from those of you with kids in that age catagory (8-11). Please excuse some of the "cheesy" graphics and special effects ... but I think it is still watchable.

 

EDIT: Opps ... I had the wrong ages in the original post. Ages 8-11 are the target.

 

Thanks to everyone for your time ...

 

website: http://www.pencilwedgees.com/movies.html

movie name: "Astronomy 101 ... The Introduction"

movie size: 48 Mb

running time: 13 minutes

codec: Sorenson 3

email: astronomy101@clearwire.net

 

Bruce Monahan

the "wedgeeguy"

[Drakkheim]

Hey that was educational! (ok so i speedwatched a couple parts)

 

Nicely done, how long did this take you?

Oh, and kudos on the sound quality everything was nice and understandable.

 

man 14 minutes would take me like a decade to animate....

[NancyGormezano]

It has a great look, great sound quality, very nice animation, overall very well done. Love the simplicity of the characters & their readability.

 

BUT pace is pretty painful for an old person. It felt to me like there was way too much time spent on set up of the characters - but I'm guessing that was done to draw the kids in without them realizing what they were getting into. I like very much using the door to introduce characters (things start to pick up in interest there)

 

I am definitely not the right person to critique how this would be received by 3rd & 4th graders - hopefully the teachers in this community can give better feedback with respect to that.

 

Very impressive effort.

[Rodney]

Bruce,

'Astromony 101' is nothing short of amazing work.

 

I agree that the intros seem to drag a little but it does take time to introduce all the characters.

I'm sure that the episodes can really move right along as they concentrate on historical figures and the facts.

I know it may be out of your control but to capture more kids attention I think you should leave the ages and grades out of the intros... better to let each kid imagine the characters are their age.

 

The quality of visuals and sound are top notch.

This is on par with and I'd say even better than a lot of the programs I see on TV right now.

...and educational too!

 

You should definitely be proud of your work.

I had seen some of your historical characters in A:M Stills and in the image folder on the Hash Inc FTP.

I always wondered what they were being used for... now I know!

 

Great stuff.

 

Let me close with an apology.

In chat last Wednesday I got so focused on your 'Wedgeeguy' moniker that I didn't realize you were the same Bruce Monahan that created such shorts as 'Them Cows is Stupid', 'Everything's Just Beachy', '[sigh]' etc.

When I think of Toon animation... those ALWAYS spring to mind.

After you left chat and I browsed over your site... my memory returned.

 

Best of everything in your efforts with 'Astronomy 101'.

I hope it gets seen by lots and lots of kids and adults too!

 

Now gimme the answers to those Astronomy questions!!!

 

Rodney

 

Edit: I see this was made for upcoming Astronomy software. Is that cool or what?

[Chad_Hunt]

I loved it, very nice. I think the youg kids will love it!

[aaver]

Bruce,

 

I think you and Dick have a winner. It's great and important!

/Anders

[wedgeeguy]

First let me thank everyone who has commented on my animation. I know that sometimes the large file sizes turn people off so I am especially grateful for those of you who took the time to view it.

 

Drakkheim:

Thanks for leaving your comment. It took about 6 months to complete the animation although it did feel at times like it was a decade. I agree that the voice talent we are working with are the best! They did make my job a lot easier.

 

Nancy:

Comments coming from such a visually talented artist like yourself is an honor. Thank you! The timing and pace of a story is at times just as hard as creating the animation itself. Plus it is just as important. I know that I need to work on that. Hopefully I will get better with practice. Thanks again for taking a look.

 

Rodney:

Thank you for taking a look and for your insight. I think your suggestion of not mentioning the ages of the characters is a great idea! Let the kids imagine that they are the ones they are seeing on the screen. I never thought of that. Again the quality of the voices was just pure luck on my part. The voice actors are from all over the United States and Canada. Everything was done through e-mail and none of the actors really had any idea what the other actor's lines sounded like. So I think it is pretty amazing that everything blended together so well ... who knew that something like that would actually work. Also Rodney no apology is necessary. I wouldn't expect anyone to link the animations that I have done with my strange moniker. Like I mentioned to you before, the name comes from my old cartoon strip called "Pencil Wedgees". I guess I should set the record straight that I do not tour the country giving random people "wedgies" ... well there was that one time but learned my lesson after having to complete my community service. Thanks again Rodney for your help.

 

Chad:

Thank you. I too hope that the kids will love it as well as the educators. There still is a long way to go but it looks like we may be on the right track. Thanks!

 

Anders:

I appreciate your comments. I must admit that I had to do a little brushing up on my knowledge of Astronomy. Although Dick (the mastermind) kept me on track with the details. I too hope that this is a winner.

[gschumsky]

Well, I know my 9 year old son would like it. The animation kind of reminds me of Jimmy Neutron (that's good), and my son likes science (and animation).

 

I think you did a great job. As far as the pacing, that seems pretty typical in educational videos, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

Greg

[wedgeeguy]

Greg thanks for the comments. I'm also a fan of Jimmy Neutron so I consider that a compliment.

[Fuchur]

Very very nice!

 

I like the feel of it and the ideas...

*Fuchur*

[Kurrykid]

Was this all done using A:M?

[wedgeeguy]

Fuchur:

Thanks for taking a look. I appreciate your comments.

 

KurryKid:

The models, rendering, special effects, and of course the actual animation was done with Animation Master(version 11.1). I did use Paint Shop Pro for some of the static graphics ... a music program ... and editing was all done separately. Thanks for taking a look!

 

Bruce

the "wedgeeguy"