We were asked to create a small animated logo intro for the guys at The Spunion, for the premiere of their ‘First of Tha Month’ series, which consists of monthly underground mixtape releases.

Here’s the video of the animation that we produced:

And here’s the full video with the sample from the first release:

If you’ve been to our YouTube page lately, then you might have already seen the short stick figure animation that’s currently our featured video. A few years ago, we had this awesome idea for an epic Star Wars themed stick figure battle. We didn’t manage to get too far with the idea (due to other projects taking priority over this), so we decided to release what we had created so far. It’s only a few seconds, but it’s an extremely AWESOME few seconds! Check it out!

Waterman Studios will be making their very first convention appearance this year at ConnectiCon! You’ll be able to check out all sorts of awesome stuff at the Waterman Studios booth, including some brand new footage from The Waterman Movie that we are VERY excited to show off! So if you’re in the New England area July 13-15, then you should definitely consider attending this event!

Conjurer of comedic ridiculousness, and creator of the Waterman series Bryan Waterman will also be joining a panel discussion with the likes of other creative masterminds, such as the comedic geniuses behind College Humor, Baman Piderman, and many more!

For more information, visit www.ConnectiCon.org

Brent Galloway (one of the masterminds behind Waterman Studio’s current website design, and many more) recently launched a new website of his own that promises to provide essential resources for freelancers of all kind. Aside from that, he also offers his incredible design services!

Be sure to check him out at: brentgalloway.me

Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coats had tweeted little nuggets of wisdom that she had picked up over the years about storytelling. Those tweets were eventually compiled and labeled as “The 22 Rules of Storytelling”. They’re definitely good to keep handy if you’re writing a story!

#1: You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.

#2: You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different.

#3: Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.

#4: Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.

#5: Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.

#6: What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?

#7: Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.

#8: Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.

#9: When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.

#10: Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.

#11: Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.

#12: Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.

#13: Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.

#14: Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.

#15: If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.

#16: What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.

#17: No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on – it’ll come back around to be useful later.

#18: You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.

#19: Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.

#20: Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?

#21: You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?

#22: What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.

It’s information like this that inspires and pushes us to do better and better with every single project. Being completely self taught, this kind of information is extremely valuable to us!