STORYBOARD NOTES for EP 109A “The Sledhouse”

Overall note: Clear staging, cinematography, meaningful camera moves, sharp facial expressions are key requirements for this show. Avoid complicated moves/camera moves, our action must be readable by a young audience. Avoid things that are hard to animate in 3D, wisely use film language to get around laborious actions. Feel welcome to infuse little visual funny jokes/pantomimes as long as they don’t add extra time to episode’s duration. Don’t feel obligated to follow my sketches, they are rather ideas. Don’t hesitate to ask for a reference/design as they are constantly updated, but may not be included in a handout.

1

We start from an establishing wide shot on the house, then either truck in or cut to the plastic pail (outside Henry’s window), and then we move into Henry’s room. We can linger a little on the plastic pail to see it getting “last straw of snow” and moving down (falling sharply?). Do we need a hole in the window? Can we keep the window half or third open, to let the contraption out, and that also would allow us to move into the room?

Once inside we may pan w/a along the Rube Goldberg contraption to every sequential motion to the very end – the monster bird, who roars right above Henry’s head (almost into his ear may be?). Henry of course is not startled, but wakes up at once.

3

Beautiful, wide shot from the window, starting from the backyard, and by tilting camera up, finishing on the horizon – all in snow.

5

Actually, we should establish Henry’s sled here. Let’s have it among the equipment that tumbles from the closet. It remains there until Henry comes back from his room – line 16.

8

Please find a way not to animate the scarf wrapping Henry’s neck – use cuts.22

10

Picture depicts Daddo doing a cool move Henry is trying to emulate later on. As Henry holds the picture in his hand, Daddo sneezes (o.s., in his bedroom) – the picture shakes in Henry’s hand.

12

Please don’t show the rags land on the floor here. The rags can be flying off screen (in different directions), and if needed we can cut to them a little later as they lay on the floor without movement.

13

Cobby throws the underwear off screen.

16 -18

Henry is back (from his bedroom) ….

… to his sled (piling on top of the sport equipment) jumps on it, and slides down to the top step of the stairway. …

…Then he grabs his sled, runs down the stairs (we can pan with him running)….

…and tries to do Daddo’s cool move in front of the family: “First you turn,

then you spin….”

…but he loses control, ….

… and lands on his bottom.

. But I’m getting better!” Then Summer says “Finally”, then Ivor: “Henweeeee”

21

Beckett is not running upstairs here, he is staying downstairs – it’s clearer that way.

28

Daddo sneezes first (shaking the house), then says his line (28)

I’d like to have Daddo grab a table cloth to cover his mouth as he sneezes here. The small table (this is the second floor – boys’ bedrooms) will have a cloth for this episode. The lamp on the table makes a pirouette and safely lands back in place. Then we cut to a wide shot on the house here to see it shake from the sneeze.

Daddo continues to use that cloth to the end of the episode.

31-43

A lot of talking here without walking around. Please keep a clear geography of the characters’ locations in the room as you cut from one to another.

47

We see Henry in shot as Daddo sneezes – think of Henry’s reaction to the sneeze. He may cringe for a moment, but overall reaction is sadness.

As we cut to the backyard: we see beautiful moguls for a second, then Beckett pops up from one of the moguls – just his head first (covered with a snow), then, after a quick pose, he jumps out…

48

Think of a funny visual action here for Beckett.

51

Summer can be just standing on her sled, as her legs are too short for crossing.

53

Summer has a very graceful choreography throughout the song.

56

Henry can shake his horns here – on “JANGLES”

59-63

Once we cut away from the house to the backyard (covered with snow moguls) we can cheat scale/distances ( to some degree) if needed to make that space visually bigger.

63

Henry is on the top of the biggest mogul when he loses control.

64-67

Henry remains on the ground (not standing up yet) throughout these lines.

68

We hear Daddo sneeze first, then we cut to his head, sticking out of his bedroom window

72

Summer is laying on her back, doing a “snow angel” here.

74

Summer stands up here – we see the “snow angel” in the snow.

75

Henry’s horns are jingling here for a moment.

79

Cobby will not use his notebook here…

80-81

…because Henry draws on the snow – actually he makes four holes on the snow with his finger marking the sleds’ layout

82-85

We need to find a moment to cut to Cobby here – drawing in his notebook.

90-91

Eduardo holds the notebook in his hand – it looks awfully small in his hand.

93

Eduardo lifts the house, then we have a series of quick cuts on the Hugglewugs arranging the four sleds right under the house – use a film language to avoid complicated for animating scenes, and to make clear what is happening. Possible shots for that action below:

96

The quick montage gives an idea of how the house’s gear will operate. I don’t think we need a sled in the center, because it would be the fifth sled (as the design suggests) whereas we use only four. We wisely cheat here by showing wide shots of the house with all the gears, and showing only parts of the gear inside – mainly the steering wheel with the ropes extending sideways from it. The steering wheel can have a flexible stem going up (always off screen).

98-99

The family gathers behind Daddo’s bed, and gently pushes it toward the steering wheel (toward the windows)

103

Beams of sunlight are crossing Daddo’s face when the house starts to move. His horns are fluttering by the air (the windows are open already). He is mumbling his 103 line….

104

… and jumps on his bed – quick hold, and then:“HORNS!”

… from his POV we see sky …

…and terrain alternatively as they go up and down the hills. Make sure the windows are wide open here. The curtains don’t have to move here.

105

Then Henry pops up for his line, steering.

106-107

They can all (except for Henry) hug here, and move apart when Daddo sneezes. The ends of the curtains may come in screen from time to time (fluttering in cycle) – we can only animate small portions of them.

110

Atmospheric moment here: the snow comes in, light/shadows are crossing their faces…

…on a wide shot we see the bed sliding back and forth as they go up and down the hills. Furniture on FG moves too.

112

One of possible shots for Summer’s song - long flat pan with the house going up/down hills, but then driving around the next one, inside, disappearing behind the next one, etc. This is neutral location (outside the city limits), so don’t worry about orientation here.

114

Around line 114 we’d like to find a place for a quick traffic light joke. The house stops on the red light (on top of the hill), and resumes on the green. But since the house moves without engine (by inertia/magic), and real control (brakes) it is a pure coincidence with the traffic light: The house happens to slow down (almost stops) on the top on the Red, then wiggles, before tipping it’s balance, and slides down on the Green – all in one scene, no cuts inside the house. The traffic light design is needed.

116

One of possible shots around line 116.

117

The house is in the center of the city now, by the fountain (the end of Main street). The fountain can be frozen all over, retaining the look of a banging water. We need to establish Oscar’s snow monster here with it’s hands extended and bent a little to accommodate Officer Higgins jumping into his hands later on.

Make sure you have an updated map of the city with proper Main st. indication – a curly street, ending in the center of the town.

120

Good angles on the frozen fountain, and the snowman as they make a U turn.

126-127

Henry can reflectively poke his feet through the bed’s bars trying to push the brakes – shot on his feet.

130-131

Let’s move lines/action 130-131 to right after line 135 so that Henry’s line: “This is getting hairy” follows a picture of S.Roartonio with spaghetti wig on his head.

136

We see the house making somewhat dangerous move(s) here.

137

Henry turns the house to avoid Officer Higgins. Officer Higgins, failing to stop Henry, jumps on the snowman, dodging the house. He can be whistling from there too.

138-142

The most crazy interior moves here. As Henry slaloms the house around we cut inside to see Daddo’s bed sliding in all directions. Some characters can slide across the room sitting on different pieces of furniture. Ivor can slide into the cupboard and out (laughing), Momma can be in the cradle (Ivor’s bed), rolling around too. I see it in series of quick cuts with some pans. It all stops on the line 143, when Henry takes control of the wheel.

147-154

Use dramatic cinematography here: angles, light, acting poses, cuts from inside out and back - build up the tension. Show the contrast between Henry’s uncertainty and Daddo’s belief in Henry. Too much, but wouldn’t that be funny if on line 154 (all:you can do it, Henry) everyone tries to hide behind Daddo’s back while encouraging Henry? At least they should be clinging to the bed here.

155

Summer says it very dry with her arms folded. Then right after 156 (“Summer…”) she changes the tone in a moment – she looks fake, make it funny through her body language/acting.

159-160

The biggest snow bank has a slightly different shape. The house pivots in the air (around it’s axis) ….

…and lands back on the same side of the snow bank.

164

As they come back (cheering), we see the tracks on the snow.

165-170

Everyone is very excited here, Henry is literally beaming – express through body language.

171

We don’t want to animate the bed sheets. Let’s have Daddo try to pick up (and put back) the lampshades, some props from Momma’s table, may be one of the pillow (they can be laying on the bed/floor), and then accidentally send it flying. And that leads to juggling. Of course we finish it with a massive hug.

172

Right after Henry’s last line we cut outside to the wide shot of the house (can there be a nice evening already?) to hear one more Daddo’s sneeze before the “END”.