University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2017 Design and Production of an Episodic Online Animation: Cairns of Apeiron Andrew Cadieux University of Central Florida Part of the Film Production Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Cadieux, Andrew, "Design and Production of an Episodic Online Animation: Cairns of Apeiron" (2017). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 5649. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/5649 DESIGN AND PRODUCTION OF AN EPISODIC ONLINE ANIMATION: CAIRNS OF APEIRON by ANDREW RICHARD CADIEUX B.F.A. University of Central Florida, 2011 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Entrepreneurial Digital Cinema in the School of Visual Arts and Design in the Department of Film in the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Fall Term 2017 © 2017 Andrew R. Cadieux ii ABSTRACT This paper describes the development of a feature length script and an independent episodic animation to be distributed online. The goal is to show that appealing animation can be achieved using digital tools, a limited animation workflow, few artists and a strict micro-production budget. I will detail the methods of animation used for the project and describe plans for its distribution to an online audience, including a market analysis and business plan. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................................. vii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER ONE: FILMMAKER’S STATEMENT ........................................................................... 1 CHAPTER TWO: EVIDENCE OF AESTHETIC LITERACY .................................................... 3 Industrial Animation ..................................................................................................................................... 3 The Sum of All Parts .................................................................................................................................... 4 Limited Animation ........................................................................................................................................ 6 Inspiration and Influences for Cairns ......................................................................................................... 9 Post-Modern Japanese Animation and New Technology .................................................................... 9 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................... 13 CHAPTER THREE: EVIDENCE OF PRODUCTION LITERACY ...................................... 15 Script Production ........................................................................................................................................ 15 Animation ..................................................................................................................................................... 15 Character Animation ................................................................................................................................. 16 Rendering “Locations” ............................................................................................................................... 18 Sound ............................................................................................................................................................. 20 Music .............................................................................................................................................................. 20 Voice .............................................................................................................................................................. 20 Influence ........................................................................................................................................................ 21 CHAPTER FOUR: EVIDENCE OF FINANCIAL LITERACY AND BUSINESS PLAN ..... 23 Information and Risk Statement .............................................................................................................. 23 For Information Only ............................................................................................................................ 23 iv Risk Factors ............................................................................................................................................. 24 Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................... 25 Introductory Statement ........................................................................................................................ 25 Management Team ................................................................................................................................. 26 Product Description .............................................................................................................................. 26 Industry Overview ................................................................................................................................. 26 Market Analysis and Marketing Strategy ........................................................................................... 27 Funding ..................................................................................................................................................... 27 Company Description ................................................................................................................................ 27 Company Details .................................................................................................................................... 27 Product Description ................................................................................................................................... 28 Synopsis .................................................................................................................................................... 28 Project Details ........................................................................................................................................ 29 Industry Overview ...................................................................................................................................... 30 Successful Business Model ................................................................................................................... 31 Why Cairns of Apeiron Is Different ...................................................................................................... 32 Market Analysis and Market Strategy ..................................................................................................... 33 Internet Distribution ............................................................................................................................. 33 General Marketing Strategy ................................................................................................................. 36 Target Audience ..................................................................................................................................... 37 Distribution of Web Content ............................................................................................................. 39 Financing ........................................................................................................................................................ 41 Method of Financing .............................................................................................................................. 41 Donations ................................................................................................................................................ 42 Financing Through Website and Distributed Episodes ................................................................. 42 Copyleft and Sita Sings the blues .......................................................................................................... 45 v CHAPTER FIVE: RETROSPECTIVE AND CONCLUSION ................................................... 50 Early Development of Cairns of Apeiron ................................................................................................. 50 APPENDIX A: SCRIPT .................................................................................................................... 56 APPENDIX B: EPISODE BREAKDOWNS AND SUMMARIES ........................................... 128 Episode 1 ................................................................................................................................................ 129 Episode 2 ...............................................................................................................................................