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INFO: The Making of the Kranky Kids® Theater 2007 Documentary

A very slow making, indeed. This will get done.

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This page will change and be added to for the next few months while the documentary for Kranky Kids Theater 2007 is made. Each step of the making will be posted and explained as it's completed (or attempted).

Step 1: Review all footage and make notes. (not shown)
Step 2: Write the narration script.
Step 3: Record the narration script. (not shown)
Step 4: Severely edit the narration.
Step 5: Begin animating very basic visual ideas (storyboard) to the narration using Flip Boom and Final Cut Pro.

Go to Storyboard 1
Go to Storyboard 2

Step 2

This is the original narration script showing all the cuts and changes. You have to be ruthless when you write and edit. Cut and then cut some more.
download narration script pdf

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Step 4

Below is the almost final audio with the script below so you can read along:

P1 - 1
Before starting Kranky Kids Theater 2007, Lishka knew she would need at least eighty-two digital video tapes for the documentary, and eight binders to hold the scripts.

P1 - 3
She hired three camera operators and one audio engineer.

P1 - 5
All costs were coming out of her pocket.

P1 - 6
The initial plan was for the theater program to be the usual twelve sessions, consisting of an hour and a half each, twice a week, for six weeks.

P1 - 7
The sessions would take place outside, on school grounds, with the school library being used for rehearsal space in case of bad weather.

P1 - 8
The final show would take place in the school’s multi-purpose room on the evening of the last session.

P1 - 9
Seven students were signed up.

P2 - 1
Due to their other after-school activities, two of the students would be attending the program part-time.

P2 - 2
This meant Lishka would have a core acting group of five full-time students who might possibly have to carry the entire show.

P2 - 3
However, the day before the first session, Lishka learned that one of that five would also not be able to participate full-time.

P2 - 4
Now, she would have a core group of only four students but, oh well, theater is always an adventure.

P2 - 5
Session One: In the library at three o’clock.

P2 - 6
Present are Thomas, Chloé, David, Mark and Jacqueline.

P2 - 9
A song erupts over the mention of Sacramento.

P2 - 10
And eventually, Lishka has the students improvise fairy tales.

P3 - 1
At five after four, Callan and Haley arrive, and the improvisation of fairy tales continues.

P3 - 2
The session ends with the students knowing each other better, and Lishka having a feel for what they can accomplish.

P3 - 4
Session Two: Outside at three.

P3 - 6
The students are told to each select a fairy tale which they will narrate while the other students act out the story.

P3 - 7
They choose:

P3 - 8
Rumpelstiltskin

P3 - 9
Snow White

P4 - 2
Rapunzel

P4 - 1
Hansel and Gretel

P3 - 10
Jack and The Beanstalk

P4 - 4
Goldilocks and The Three Bears

P4 - 3
and Little Red-Cap.

P7 - 3
Little Red-Cap is the original title of the story now known as Little Red Riding Hood.

P4 - 6
For the last ten minutes, they play tag and the session ends with the students exploding with energy.

P4 - 7
Realizing that the weather will just keep getting nicer and no one will be able to focus, Lishka decides to spend as little time as possible outside for the rest of the program.

P4 - 8
Plus, she now realizes that all rehearsals should ideally be in the multi-purpose room where the performance will take place.

P4 - 9
Unfortunately, she discovers that the multi-purpose room is available only three times before performance day.

P4 - 10
Session Three: Back in the library at three.

P5 - 3
The students are told to find a book with their chosen story and then read it.

P5 - 5
After they finish reading, Lishka has each student repeat what they’ve read to see if they’ve retained the story.

P5 - 6
Did you know that Snow White was only seven years old when she kept falling for the evil Queen’s attempts to kill her?

P5 - 7
This is probably why the original story in the Brothers Grimm Collection is entitled Little Snow White.

P5 - 8
Lishka then explains that there is a difference between Aesop’s Fables, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, and fairy tales in general.

P5 - 9
She explains this because she has decided that their choices should be in line with the Kranky Kids’ series Grimmly Speaking, which consists only of tales from the Brothers Grimm Collection.

P6 - 1
Jack and the Beanstalk is an old English fairy tale, not a Brothers Grimm tale.

P6 - 2
Goldilocks and The Three Bears also does not belong in the Grimm collection.

P6 - 3
They are replaced with The Louse and The Flea and The Golden Goose.

P6 - 4
Session Four: Outside for thirty minutes, then into the multi-purpose room for an hour.

P6 - 5
All seven students are present, but they must wait outside for another after-school program to finish using the multi-purpose room.

P6 - 6
Once inside, the crew sets-up and the students ask questions.

P6 - 11
Finally, work on Rapunzel begins.

P7 - 1
But they must stop for the day after only twenty minutes.

P7 - 4
Session Five: Back in the library at three.

P7 - 6
Scripts are handed out and parts are assigned.

P7 - 7
Everyone whines about how much they have to memorize.

P7 - 8
Lishka tells them twice that the long narrator parts do not have to be memorized.

P7 - 11
Haley and Callan arrive at four-fifteen to pick-up their scripts, and then proceed to whine about how much they have to memorize.

P8 - 1
Lishka again tells everyone that the long narrator parts do not have to be memorized.

P8 - 2
As they leave, the students are reminded to read and practice at home.

P8 - 3
So far, out of a running total of seven and a half hours into the program, all of 75 minutes has been used as rehearsal time, but all seven students were present for only twenty of those minutes.

P8 - 5
Session Six: Outside again for thirty minutes, then into the multi-purpose room for an hour.

P8 - 7
Inside, the crew sets-up the stage and lighting for the first time.

P8 - 8
Outside, the new scripts are handed out.

P8 - 6
All students are present except Mark, who is sick, and Thomas has to leave.

P9 - 1
Only five students are left to rehearse, and they immediately start whining about memorizing their lines.

P9 - 2
Yet again, they are told that the long narrator parts do not have to be memorized.

P9 - 3
But they only stop whining after Rumpelstiltskin is rehearsed, because BINGO! – it finally sinks in that most of the lines are narrator lines which don’t have to be memorized.

P9 - 4
At four-twenty, the fire alarm goes off.

P9 - 6
And the session ends with only forty minutes of actual rehearsal time accomplished.

P9 - 8
Session Seven: Back in the library at three.

P9 - 10
Mark is still sick, and this is beginning to worry Lishka because he is the most experienced of the students for live performances.

P10 - 1
And Chloé, although not sick, will not arrive until five minutes before the end of the session.

P10 - 2
So rehearsal again begins with only five students, but this is a different combination than the last session.

P10 - 3
Lishka assigns final parts based on participation and the previous amount of individual whining.

P10 - 4
The students start counting their lines and immediately commence a new variety of whining about who gets to say what in the show, and how much they get to say in general.

P10 - 5
Fifty-five minutes later, Hansel and Gretel, Little Red-Cap and The Louse and The Flea have been read through and the day ends.

P10 - 6
Lishka cuts the scripts by fifty percent, adds stage directions, and color-codes all the parts to avoid having the students waste any more time highlighting their roles during rehearsal.

P10 - 7
She also draws up a stage set-up page for everyone to reference.

P10 - 8
Session Eight: In the library at three-fifteen.

P10 - 9
Mark is still sick, and now Lishka is really getting worried, even though he has a copy of the new script via email.

P11 - 1
Jacqueline is also absent due to a school field trip, so rehearsal is yet again down two players.

P11 - 2
Lishka measures the students for costumes and the new color-coded scripts are given out.

P11 - 4
Stage set-up is reviewed and stage directions are explained.

P11 - 7
They rehearse with Lishka reading the lines of the absent students.

P11 - 8
Four weeks, and eight sessions, totaling twelve hours have passed, and only three and half of those hours have been spent rehearsing.

P11 - 9
However, not once have all seven students been present to rehearse together with any script in hand.

P11 - 10
And, while Lishka is making the costumes at home, her sewing machine breaks and has to be taken in for repair.

P12 - 1
Because she now has to sew by hand, most of the props remain un-made.

P11 - 2
Session Nine: In the library, yet again, at three.

P11 - 3
Mark returns, but Haley and Callan will not arrive until four on this day.

P11 - 4
Everyone gets fitted for belts for their costumes and hemlines are marked.

P11 - 5
The few props that are ready are explained.

P11 - 6
The session ends with all seven students having now spent a total of twenty minutes together rehearsing with the final script.

P11 - 7
No one has yet memorized any lines for the show.

P14 - 1
Session Ten

P14 - 2
All seven students are finally present.

P14 - 3
They study and practice their lines while waiting to get into the multi-purpose room.

P14 - 4
Once inside, the new props are explained.

P14 - 6
During rehearsal, projection is worked on.

P14 - 8
When the session ends, Hansel and Gretel is cut from the show - due to time.

P14 - 9
They have now spent a total of one hour and fifteen minutes together rehearsing and the show is one week away.

P15 - 11
Session Eleven: Back in the library at three.

P16 - 1
The students watch the animated titles for Grimmly Speaking and Little Red-Cap on Lishka’s powerbook.

P16 - 2
Then everyone learns the new props and they rehearse for seventy minutes.

P16 - 3
This is the first time they have gone through the entire show from start to finish.

P16 - 5
Session Twelve: In the multi-purpose room at three, and this is the last session.

P16 - 6
They run through the show once while still getting stage directions.

P16 - 7
Everyone breaks for dinner.

P16 - 8
Then, they run straight through the show again.

P16 - 9
And now, with a whopping total of four hours and five minutes of actual rehearsal time together, over the course of six weeks, they arrive at –

P16 - 10
SHOW TIME!

P17 - 1
Can I have a drink of water?

©2008-2014 Lishka DeVoss/Kranky Kids®

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Step 5

Below is the first storyboard animation.

Storyboard 1

©2008-2014 Lishka DeVoss/Kranky Kids®

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Below is the second storyboard animation.

Storyboard 2

©2008-2014 Lishka DeVoss/Kranky Kids®

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