The Music Man

I'm constantly amazed at how much a show is changed by music. It can make or break a great experience. I was incredibly fortunate that Neil found us, or that we found Neil. So incredibly gifted (with a collection of cat t-shirts that is unmatched). His music was the final piece of the puzzle that helped pull the show together into a greatly unique experience. I hope I get to work with him again in the not so distant future.
Thanks Neil.

Neil Parfitt

Home stretch

1 Week, 3 days left until The Remarkable Mr. King production is complete. We have 2 more shows to online with any retakes due by Monday of next week. I have faith that we'll make that deadline. It is my understanding that this was one of the lowest budgets with the smallest crews, with one of the smallest schedules in recent memory.  One of the goals at the very beginning was to prove that a reduced schedule and budget could be attained without sacrificing quality and more importantly, without killing anyone. Picking the right show, with the right look that would work with a smaller budget was key.
 By the end of next week we will have 39, 7 minute episodes ready for air. Remarkable!

Nearing the end

Over the last couple of weeks I've seen the end of certain production processes on Mr. King.
Boards, Leica were a while back but now both design and background/colour styling have ended as well.
On one hand I'm grateful for a bit of breathing room, no longer having to review designs or backgrounds for approval, but on the other hand I'm going to miss the crew who were instrumental in pulling off the "look."

Design supervisor: Ben Hu
Designers: Bora Nah and Nick Watson

Art Director: Don Gauthier
Background painters: Laura Bennet and Zoey Zoric

Colour stylist, Storyboard revisionist: Eliana Clemente

Rigger/Breaker: Mandy Wu

Thankfully they're still around the studio, working on other projects which obviously won't be as remarkable as Mr. King. It was an absolute pleasure working with each and every one of them. Hopefully season 2 of Mr. King will be just around the corner and that I will be able to have them all back on the team.

Art Director Part 2: Incognito

So a while ago I mentioned the challenge in having my art director be whisked away onto another production. Technically I believe I'm still able to rely on Don to provide the colour keys for our few remaining episodes. I have been told to limit my interaction with him during the day as his other show is having challenges of its own. Although frustrating and less than ideal Don has assured me, on the down low, that he will continue to help out on Mr. King in any way possible because...he believes in the show! I've said it before and I'll say it again...this show wouldn't be what it is without him.
THANKS DON!!!

Inspiration

Genevieve Cote

Author...Illustrator...teacher...

An incredible human being.
My first introduction to Genevieve was through her book, Mr. King's Things. I did not know the woman at that moment but I was captivated by the books cover. Its pure white background juxtaposed with a sketchy black charcoal line and mediated by a gentle yellow wash of watercolour fill. I instantly wanted to dive into the book and see more. Doing so did not disappoint. Each page had more of the same appeal but then I met MR. King. His character so different. A slightly selfish little lion whose action resulted in an unexpected outcome. Mr. King meant well but was a little short sighted. However, in the end he realized his mistake and found a uniquely creative way to fix his mistake.
 The story was so full yet so simple.
 I turned to the back flap to see who had created such a wonderful story and who was responsible for the lovely illustrations.

And that was my first introduction to Genevieve Cote.

The first time we met in person was when I pitched the idea of the show/series to her. We sat in one of the board rooms, she was instantly recognizable. We had several questions for her regarding the origin of Mr. King and some thoughts she had for him and his world. I then launched into my pitch, which couldn't have gone better. I believe she thought she was witnessing a magic trick as everything she had described about Mr. King was in the pitch. The main strategy being to maintain the "Look". I know she was prepared to sacrifice the "Look" in favour of production. I smiled  and grew increasingly excited/relieved having one more trick up my sleeve. The animated promo. We brought her to one of the editing suites which had it ready and waiting. A minute long the promo brought her creations to life right before her eyes. The sketchy lines. The watercolour texture fill. But the part that sealed the deal I believe, was the spirit and message presented. She turned to me and said something in french, the only phrase I recognized was "Mon Dieu". But she was very happy which obviously made me very happy. Whether she understood the significance of it or not I told her I was hopeful that we would have a similar relationship as Charles Shultz and Bill Melendez had. (Charlie Brown Christmas, etc.)
We have met many times since then and though we live very far apart, Montreal/Toronto, we seem to pick up exactly where we left off from her previous visits. Mutual admiration and, I believe, inspiration.

Nissae Isen AKA Mr. King and
Genevieve Cote

Season 2?

So a few weeks ago The Remarkable Mr. King was brought to MIPCOM, a bi-annual trade show for animation and children's entertainment. Apparently MR. King was the 'sleeper hit' for Nelvana. I hear a few sales were made...Finland, South Africa, Middle East, Israel... and am told many more to come.
As a result I have been given the go ahead to start thinking about and writing 6 scripts for another season. Posted below is my first Springboard/premise for Season 2 of The Remarkable Mr. King.

The Remarkable cast of The Remarkable Mr. King

I couldn't have asked for a more amazing cast of actors to work with. And with us in all of the photos is the incredible Kim Hurdon, voice director extraordinaire. I can't think of one record session where our stomachs didn't hurt from laughing so much. A remarkable experience for all of us.

The Art of Mr. King

If there ever were to be an Art of Mr. King it would start with these...

A full colour opening

Animated by the very talented Brian Grzech.
Music by Erica Procunier

Art Director vs No Art Director

The short story...

Don Gauthier is my Art Director. He helped expand/create the visual world of Mr. King from Genevieve Cote's original illustrations in her books. Currently Don has been pulled away to work on establishing a style for another production. This is a problem. I still need my Art Director.

Long story...

Genevieve's illustrations were what drew me to Mr. King right from the beginning. However, moving from book to series meant we needed to expand her world while staying true to her style. Although I had a pretty good idea of what this world would look like I needed an experienced Art Director to help bring it out. This is where Don came in. We were able to work back and forth, honing what I refer to as the stylistic language of the series. Moving into production Don has been able to provide Keys for settings indicated within the scripts. Keys providing our background artists a guide to ensure the locations indicated in the storyboard are on style and adhering to this stylistic language. 

However... Due to studio requirements, and perhaps an assumption that he had created enough momentum for our BG artists to continue on by themselves, Don was moved off Mr. King and on to another production. In my opinion, this has been too early and his guidance is still required. 

You see my opinion is that an Art Director is a full time job on a production. It is an immense responsibility to oversee all BG artists interpretations of the Art Directors keys. A mentor to facilitate the language and to interpret how the Director may be reacting to their work in order to keep the production on style. Since he has been gone I find 90% of my time looking at designs for approvals has been spent on backgrounds. Not very efficient from a production point of view. I have voiced my concerns with my producer and am hopeful that I will have my Art Director back, at least in a 50% capacity, in the near future.

But lesson learned...Do Not underestimate the value of a good Art Director.