TV Shows, Web Series, and Other Narrative Programs

Let Me Draw You a Tale

3/25/2019

#3 - Animated Tales of the World
2001, Ages 6 and Up
Gather round and I’ll tell you the tale of a series of short films that combine stories with animation styles from all over in order to both educate and entertain. (9/1/15)

The following recording is edited from its original 15-minute version due to copyright restrictions. To hear the full version, tune in or stream at the scheduled times on ktwh.org, or download on AudioPort.

Now here is a show that I often had a hard time catching, mainly because of the fact that it was on HBO, and so it had highly unpredictable airtimes. Plus, I could only watch it on the living room TV, and even then, only when I was alone and had the TV to myself. When I did get the chance to watch, however, it was nothing short of a dream for me as a connoisseur of both animation and storytelling. Plus, you can imagine the ecstasy I felt when I finally found it on DVD.

Animated Tales of the World consists of thirty-nine fifteen-minute shorts in total: two of these would be featured together to make a half-hour long TV episode. As I said, while I didn’t see much of these on TV, I’m not entirely sure that many of these shorts were actually put on the air, as I realized after researching the show. It’s too bad really, because I think the sheer variety it offers means that it could appeal to just about anybody.

I expect that when most people (at least in North America) think of the old stories today, they often think about those of the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson: "Cinderella", "Little Red Riding Hood", "The Ugly Duckling" and the like. Not that there is anything wrong with those stories; they are most certainly classics and they have a great deal to teach us, whether we are one or one hundred. But what I enjoy most about this series is that every episode features stories that are not as well known in this part of the world. And those that are essentially the same stories we’ve been told since infancy, or that at least have elements and tropes that we may be very familiar with, are presented in ways different enough to keep interest fresh for both younger and older viewers.

One example of this is the German tale, “The Enchanted Lion”, which contain story patterns seen in “Beauty and the Beast” and various tales featuring a maiden traveling for years in search of her lost true love. Here, a maiden is forced to live with a lion after her father steals one of his roses, but the lion later explains to her that he is a prince cursed by a witch to be a lion during the day, and also, later, to fly nonstop for seven years as a dove:

GRETTA: (With increasing anger.) Gentle as a dove one minute, but wild as a lion the next. How dare you refuse me! I curse you to spend the hours of daylight as a lion!
HANS: (Harshly.) Well, it sounds better than marrying you!
GRETTA: And I’ll give you a sound to remember! If you should ever hear that tune--
MINSTRAL: (Abruptly stops playing his violin and stares, mystified.)
GRETTA: Your favorite, again, then you will turn into a dove, flying round the earth for seven long years! (Grabs Hans by the face.) Unless, of course, you agree to marry me.
HANS: Never! (Suddenly cries out in pain; his snarl turns into a roar as he transforms into a lion.)
GRETTA: (Cackles with evil glee and disappears in a whirlwind.)

Another tale, “King Solomon and the Bee” from Israel, is a lot like “The Lion and the Mouse”. When a baby bee mistakes King Solomon’s nose for a flower and stings it, the king is rightly furious. The bee feels terrible and promises to make it up to King Solomon by helping him somehow. The king thinks this hilariously unlikely but releases the bee anyway. But then, when the Queen of Sheba presents Solomon with a challenge to test his legendary wisdom, the bee comes to his rescue when he gets stumped:

BEE: (Earnestly.) I promise the king, that if he will forgive me, one day I’ll pay him back. Yes, yes, one day, I will help you in return.
SOLOMON: (Bursts out laughing.) You! Ha, ha! You, pay me back! You, you miserable little creature! You help me? (To his human and animal servants.) Did you hear that? This insect is going to save King Solomon! (Laughs even harder before re-addressing the bee.) No one has ever made me laugh as much as you just did. And because of that, I forgive you. (Releasing the bee, who flies away.) Yes. Fly away, funny bee.

Those tales (and their respective places of origin for that matter) that I personally hadn’t heard of prior to watching Animated Tales of the World include “The Shoemaker’s Son” from Armenia (located in Western Asia), in which a clueless king keeps trying to learn why the titular character and his friends are always so happy despite being so poor, while the king’s royal gatherings are always boring and miserable:

(Aram and his friends laugh together as they enjoy their humble meal.)
KING: (Gruffly.) This banquet’s no good.
COUNCILOR: We have the best of everything.
KING: (Looking out the window and hearing the group’s merriment.) Not everything. They have something that we don’t have. Shut the window! (Furiously.) Find out their secret!

And in “The Manairons”, from Catalonia, Spain, a farmer foolishly gambles away what portions of his field he can’t plow within a day. But his resourceful daughter may (or may not) have found the solution in the Manairons, tiny, hyperactive bug-like creatures that cause uncontrolled mayhem if not given a task of any kind to channel their overloaded energy:

MANAIRONS: (Chanting simultaneously and single-mindedly.) What shall we do, what shall we say? What shall we do, what shall we say? What shall we do, what shall we say? What shall we do, what shall we say? What shall we do, what shall we say?
GRANDMOTHER: (In panic.) The manairons!
BETH: The what?
GRANDMOTHER: (As the annoying creatures mess up her hair and unravel her knitting.) The manairons! Oh, out!
BETH: (Flustered.) Manairons? What are they?
GRANDMOTHER: (In angry irritation.) Nitwits! Stop them, Beth, for goodness sake!
BETH: But, but how?

What’s especially unique about this show is its diverse animation. Here are just a few examples. “Omuninyan”, a Cinderella-esque tale from Namibia, a country in Southern Africa, is done in CGI with the characters looking as though they were modeled out of numerous coils of copper wire. The 2D style of “Raven Steals the Daylight”, which suggests that the reason why the sky now has the sun is thanks to Raven the trickster, is based on the totem-like art of its native Alaska, with its fluid curves, symmetrical shaping, and juxtaposing of bright and dark colors. “The Loch Ness Kelpie”—a Scottish story in which a boy battles the legendary water monster by stealing its magical bridle— has its backgrounds done in watercolors, while the human characters and most objects are solidly colored, almost completely unshaded and unseparated by dark lines except for on the faces for purposes of expression. And in “The Story of Flax”, a tale from Poland which describes how the material flax was accidently created by a greedy king, the animation is 2D but actually looks like stop-motion, as if construction paper cut-outs have been layered on top of one another, with the forming lines long, jagged, and very broad.

Music also serves as a teaching tool for young viewers in this series. Some episodes feature songs whose sounds and lyrics both enhance the plot and reflect the story’s respective culture. These include the American tall tale, “John Henry: Steel-Driving Man”, featuring the African American hero who saved the jobs of the railroad workers by defeating a giant drill in a mining challenge:

Two hammers in my hand
Two hammers in my hand
Two hammers in my hand
Two hammers in my hand

Knock holes in the rock
Knock holes in the rock

Ya’ll women cook our beans
Ya’ll children bring us water
Ya’ll men lift your hammer, ya’ll
Oh, there’s work

Two hammers in my hand
Two hammers in my hand

I see a brand new world comin’ . . .

The Irish tale, “The Boy Who Had No Story”, in which an unwanted series of strange events befalls timid Rory after an old crone turns him away for being unable to recite a tale for her in exchange for shelter:

‘Twasn’t lemons, ‘twas locks!
‘Twasn’t cuckoos, ‘twas clocks!
‘Twasn’t salmon, ‘twas socks!

I came into a house
that wasn’t a house at all
Silent as a mouse,
woman against the wall
Terrible ugly crone,
wouldn’t let me alone
Asked me for a story
Said my name was Rory

Rory, Rory
What’s the story?
Come back and talk to me, boy!
Come back and talk to me
when you’ve a story to tell!

Wandrin’ in the night
I got a terrible fright
I bumped into a guard
travlin’ down the yard
Guard gave me a letter,
things were getting’ better
from the sheriff of Cork
to the mayor of Dublin
‘Twasn’t salmon, ‘twas socks
I was goin’ a-peddlin’

Rory, Rory
What’s the story?

The story from the Caribbean, “The Chief and the Carpenter”, about a crazy chief who forces his people to build a tower out of their furniture, houses, and trees, so that he can touch the moon and make himself famous:

The chief wants to touch the moon
The chief wants to touch it
The chief wants to touch the moon
The chief wants to touch it

The moon is shining brightly
The chief is trying to climb
The moon shines for all of us
Said the wise man Zanzin

The chief wants to touch the moon
The chief wants to touch it
The chief wants to touch the moon
The chief wants to touch it

And “The Magic Paintbrush” from China, in which a boy who wants to be a great artist is given an enchanted brush that can bring anything painted with it to life, and which he uses to outwit an evil emperor:

This magic brush,
a gift for me
A stroke of luck

Then the spirit warned,
“You must be wise,
use it carefully”

Even when it rains
and the thunders crash
or the cold wind blows,
I will practice every day,
honor what I know

Painting cranes that fly away
I’ll make a dragon come alive
I’ll draw a thousand silver boats
That sail a crimson tide

What will be especially beneficial to parents and teachers is the “Discussion Topics” feature included on the DVD of each episode. These are questions and suggestions for children to get them thinking about the story and its characters and plot. These topics are all specific to their respective story, but in general, they include but are not limited to:

- Compare/Contrast the two main characters (usually the protagonist and the villain).
- Sketch or list the sequence of events that lead up to the main accomplishment or the climax of the story.
- Describe how the protagonist uses trickery or other means to accomplish his/her goal.
- List the ways in which another character aids the protagonist.
- List other tales you’ve read or heard that also include similar themes to the one(s) seen in this story.
- Write a caption for a given image and describe how you would capture the emotion with just a brief statement.
- Explain the meaning behind, or describe the emotion of, a given image.
- Explain your reaction to an event from a given story.
- Answer a question using the given video clip for review.

There is also a “Teacher’s Guide” booklet included in each DVD case, with a list of basic definitions of multiple types of stories as well as suggested related projects and activities for teachers to try out with students.

If there was ever a TV show that provides a fantastic introduction on the rich diversity of world culture and art for children, media students, and story-lovers at large, Animated Tales of the World is it, opening viewers up to a realm of imagination in the context of real-life people, places, and history.

CREDITS:
Special thanks to KTWH 99.5 Two Harbors Community Radio. All images, audio, and links belong to their respective owners; no copyright infringement is intended.

MAIN THEME:
“The Call” – Briand Morrison and Roxann Berglund

https://www.briandmorrison.com/
https://www.facebook.com/BriandMorrisonGuitar/
https://www.youtube.com/user/briandmorrison

EPISODE SONG:
“Once Upon a Time” - The Curellis

https://www.facebook.com/JakeSearlMusic

All other music and sound clips are from Animated Tales of the World (created by Cristopher Grace; production by Children’s Television Trust International; distributed Christmas Films and HBO)

OST SONG:
“Animated Tales of the World Opening Theme” (Extended)

EPISODES:
- “Germany: The Enchanted Lion”
- “Israel: King Solomon and the Bee”
- “Armenia: The Shoemaker’s Son”
- “Catalonia: The Manairons”
- “U.S.A.: John Henry: Steel-Driving Man”
- “Ireland: The Boy Who Had No Story”
- “Caribbean: The Chief and the Carpenter”
- “China: The Magic Paintbrush”

Download the full 15-minute episode here!

Animated Tales of the World on Wikipedia

Animated Tales of the World on IMDb

Animated Tales of the World on Common Sense Media

Animated Tales of the World on Tv Tropes

Animated Tales of the World on eBay

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In Defense of Video Games

3/25/2019

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#1 - Extra Credits
2008-Present, Ages 16 and Up
Gather round and I’ll tell you the tale of a group of artists and animators who promote the positive, artistic qualities of video games.
(7/28/15)

The following recording is edited from its original 15-minute version due to copyright restrictions. To hear the full version, tune in or stream at the scheduled times on ktwh.org, or download on AudioPort.

NOTE: Information on Extra Credits has changed greatly since this episode/blog entry was written. Check the links below for more details.

In July 2014, my YA novella, Allie’s Adventure on the Wonder became an ebook! On a similar note, the month of July is also the anniversary of a web series that, despite its primary focus on video games, encourages creative thinking for anyone pursuing an interest or even career in any kind of artistic media.

Extra Credits is a web series that was conceived while creator and animator Daniel Floyd was a student at Savannah College of Art and Design, making lecture videos for his courses in Respective Art History and Media Theory. He later began making more videos—then unofficially called “Video Games and . . .”—with the help of game designer James Portnow, who’s “worked on everything from Call of Duty to Farmville.” Initially featured on the online magazine, The Escapist, as well as on the Penny Arcade distribution channel, PATV, as of 2014 the official series has begun airing on its own YouTube channel on a weekly basis.

Episodes typically run 4:30-10 minutes, and the visual style of the show, according to Floyd, is “loosely based” on that of Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw’s YouTube series of video game reviews, Zero Punctuation. Floyd himself hosts and narrates each episode, standing behind a podium like a professor before a class of students, and addressing the viewers in a voice that has been altered to an amusingly higher pitch than normal. Adding to the entertainment value of the presentation, he, Portnow, and the rest of the show’s staff are presented as cute cartoon stick-figure-like “doodles,” and video games when described generally are personified as green squares (because of how many games today come in green cases, i.e. XBOX) with faces, hands and feet, all engaging in exploits that, along with random internet images, become visual puns when coupled with whatever statement Floyd is giving at the moment. For example, in the episode, “Mailbag #1”, in response to a fan question as to what the show’s staff does in the game industry, Floyd describes Portnow thus: “. . . and James . . . well, as he would put it, he gallivants”; here viewers are shown an image of the cartoon Portnow in a running position, smiling with a rose in his mouth dashing hero. In “Symbolism 101”, while Floyd is describing the psychological horror concept of “The Uncanny”, at one point he says, “So even though nothing frightening is happening, the viewer is left disturbed, unsettled, perhaps even shaken.” During these last three words, there is a picture of Pierce Brosnan as “007” enjoying a martini. (Get it? “Shaken, not stirred”?) And in “Sharing Our Medium”, in Floyd’s introduction on how people like to introduce their loved ones to video games, there is an image of a cartoon man appearing to propose to a cartoon woman on bended knee with a tiny box in his hands, only instead of a ring, inside it is a copy of Pokemon. To me, one of the funniest running gags of the series is when the artist for a given episode (there have been both official show artists and guest artists who may do the art for just an episode or two throughout its seven plus seasons) is depicted as being the one that is the craziest of the bunch and the one whose antics are among the quirkiest. For instance, the show’s original main artist, Allison Theis, often drew her cartoon form with claws and fangs, or with a giant pencil, the eraser end of which she would carry threateningly; “she” would then chase and attack the panicked cartoon forms of Floyd and Portnow or others figures for comedic affect. Another tradition of theirs I enjoy is when, for their Halloween episodes, the cartoon staff dress up as famous video game characters.

Juxtaposing this entertaining style is the show’s didactic premise: Extra Credits means not only to educate future video game designers on how to create engaging, high-quality games and how to market and sell them to both publishers and players, but to promote video games as a legitimate and respectable form of art, just like literature, film, and music. There are numerous topics related to games that each episode covers. According to their Youtube channel playlists, some of these include:

- Game Narrative – how to tell memorable stories effectively in games though mechanics and gameplay as well as visuals.
- Game Community – how players treat non-players and each other both inside and outside of video games, especially with regards to politics, controversy, and social issues like racial and sexual diversity.
- Game Industry – essentially the business end of video game creation, presentation, and distribution.

And my personal favorite,

- Game Analysis – exploring games, both individual and in general, and how they can—and do—impact the real lives of people and what these games teach us as players, designers, and most importantly, human beings.

It was one of these videos that I found first and was thus introduced to Extra Credits. While I was searching for videos of Journey, an exquisite video game from the developer, thatgamecompany, I discovered the two-part episodes, “The Hero’s Journey,” in which Floyd discusses the narrative concept of “The Hero’s Journey”, as first coined by famed mythologist Joseph Campbell in his book, The Hero With A Thousand Faces, using examples from Journey to illustrate how this concept can be used more effectively in video games.

The Extra Credits Youtube channel also features some other shows created and hosted by the same staff and shown with their signature animation style. These include:

- Extra Remix – in which Floyd talks about musicians specializing in remixing video game tunes with their own unique styles.
- Design Club – in which Floyd discusses a specific game level, item, or mechanic and how it serves to enhance its respective game and the experience of the gameplay.
- James Recommends – a sort of expansion of the “Games You Might Not Have Heard Of or Tried” episodes, this one exception to the animation rule features Portnow—in live action—as he chooses a game that may not have gotten a lot of attention upon release and talks about what’s interesting about it and why it deserves to be played.
- Extra History – in which Floyd, rather than talking about video games, instead focuses on lesser known events in real-world history, such as the Seminal Tragedy that led to WWI; the Second Punic War; and the history of the Zulu Empire in Africa, just to name a few.
Side Quest – similar to the “Let’s Play” videos seen all over YouTube, this spin-off features Dan playing Dark Souls with James coaching him along, and both of them discussing the game throughout.

New episodes of Extra Remix and Design Club have been temporarily postponed, but new episodes of the main Extra Credits series, James Recommends, and Extra History are uploaded to the EC Youtube channel every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, respectively. Side Quest is uploaded to YouTube every Monday and Thursday with the Dark Souls portion having a planned running time of about six weeks as of June 1st. Whether this series will continue with other games is unknown at this time.

In Floyd’s own words, the EC team has called themselves “gaming’s evangelists”, trying to disprove all of the negative stereotypes of video games and all who enjoy them, namely “the Cheetos-eating, basement-dwelling, troglodyte that lives with their parents, or never leaves the dorm room; the ultra-hard-core, gay-bashing, noob-hating shooter fan and the eight-year-old tea-bagger.” This is especially important as games are so often used as scapegoats whenever senseless and tragic acts of violence—like public shootings—occur, among other reasons. It’s not only that they want to show that games aren’t bad; it’s that they want to show how and why games can be and are good and that they have redeeming value and potential to be educational and therapeutic as well as entertaining. Extra Credits is fun, informative, and a must-see for game enthusiasts, media students, and creative thinkers as a whole.

CREDITS:
Special thanks to KTWH 99.5 Two Harbors Community Radio. All images, audio, and links belong to their respective owners; no copyright infringement is intended.

MAIN THEME:
“The Call” – Briand Morrison and Roxann Berglund

https://www.briandmorrison.com/
https://www.facebook.com/BriandMorrisonGuitar/
https://www.youtube.com/user/briandmorrison

EPISODE SONG:
“Bonus Level” - Andrew Lipke

https://www.facebook.com/andrew.lipke.2025

All other music and sound clips are from the web series, Extra Credits (created by Daniel Floyd and James Portnow; produced and distributed by Extra Credits LLC)

OST SONG:
“Penguin Cap” – CarboHydroM (Extra Credits Opening Theme)

- EC - Season 1, Ep. 8: “Gamer”
- EC - Season 1, Ep. 10: “Project Ten Dollar”
- EC - Season 1, Ep. 13: “Mailbag #1”
- EC - Season 1, Ep. 14: “Symbolism 101”
- EC - Season 3, Ep. 14: “Zombies”
- EC - Season 4, Ep. 20: “The Hero’s Journey (Part 1)”
- Extra Remix, Ep. 1: “CarboHydroM - Rock and Chiptune Video Game Music”
- Design Club, Ep. 1: “Super Mario Bros: Level 1-1 - How Super Mario Mastered Level Design”
- James Recommends, Ep. 1: “The Swapper - Dark, Atmospheric Puzzle Platformer”
- Extra History, Ep. 1: “Rome: The Punic Wars - I: The First Punic War - Extra History”
- Side Quest, Ep. 1: “Dark Souls - 1: Character Creation and Introduction - Side Quest”

Download the full 15-minute episode here!

Extra Credits on Wikipedia

Extra Credits' Official Website

Extra Credits' Official YouTube Channel

Daniel Floyd' Official YouTube Channel

Extra Credits' Facebook Page

Extra Credits' Twitter Page

Extra Credits' Patreon Page

Extra Credits' Steam Page

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