BraveStarr Presentation
Link to BraveStarr Powerpoint Presentation
Practicing my Presentation
To make sure the speech fit within the time limit, I recorded myself several times rehearsing it so I knew how to develop it into a more sufficient script.
In the video above, which lasts five minutes and twenty-nine seconds, I felt certain slides were dragging so I decided to shorten my speech as to not lose the attention of my audience.
I managed to shave off about a minute from my original script which means now I am more likely to finish the presentation within the five minute cut-off length (I gave myself twenty seconds spare in case of any mistakes). I will continue to rehearse the presentation until I am confident with it.
My (Edited Script)
Today I will be delivering a presentation on the animated series: BraveStarr.
BraveStarr was produced by Filmation from 1987 to 1988. It was the last animated series the company produced before it shut down a year later. However, this doesn't reflect the show's success! According to Lou Scheimer who was one of the original founders of the company, he considered BraveStarr to be Filmation's crowning achievement.
Scheimer founded Filmation with Hal Sutherland and Norm Prescott in 1962, and together, they produced shows and films up until 1989. Some of their shows include: He-Man, She-Ra, Ghostbusters, Flash Gordon, and more.
The animation technique used in BraveStarr was painted, 2D cel animation. Cels are transparent sheets which the characters are painted on top of. Most of the footage was rotoscoped, which is a technique involving tracing over live action footage.
Filmation wanted to remain based in the US, so this meant certain rotoscoped footage had to be reused due to financial issues. Yet, because the cels were never shipped across seas, the finished outcome was much cleaner than most animations that came out in the same time period.
Personally after watching the show, I didn't notice the clips that had been reused. The only things that stood out to me were that occasionally, the characters would go off model, or some shots seemed a little jerky. However I genuinely like the appeal of the characters and for the most part, the animation was very smooth.
So, what's the main message to take away from each episode? Every episode would have a moral lesson for the audience to learn from. While this is a children's show, the series does explore more controversial themes which means adults can also take away important messages. Overall, the episodes were rather formulaic. There would be a problem presented at the start which the heroes would have to resolve by the end.
The series is set in the future, on a planet called New Texas. It combines both western and science fiction genres which at the time, was original. In the opening sequence, the setting and story is explained so that newcomers could easily pick up the concept.
Marshall BraveStarr is the main protagonist of the series. He is a superhuman, Native American cowboy who possesses the power of four spirit animals which he calls upon in each episode to fight off outlaws and aliens. It was important to Scheimer to spotlight a Native American hero as other animated series at the time mainly centred around white protagonists.
Out of all the shows Filmation produced, BraveStarr is arguably the most relatable character as he isn't the stereotypical macho hero, but instead, more human. He exhibits emotions and this was progressive at the time as it showed kids there was more to being a hero than just physical strength.
Thirty/Thirty is BraveStarr's quick-tempered sidekick. He is an Equestroid which is a creature who is half horse and half cybrog. The design is loosely based on David Lee Roth from Van Halen which was interesting to me as out of the four main characters in the series, Thirty/Thirty is the only one based on a white man. I thought this was also progressive as usually, it's a member of a minority group that would fall under the role of "sidekick".
Judge J.B. McBride is BraveStarr's love interest and she was designed by female animator, Diane A. Keener. While her relationship with BraveStarr is an important factor of this character, it isn't her only purpose. She is also able to hold her own in dangerous situations, proving to be just as heroic as the other protagonists, rather than the stereotypical damsel in distress. In one of the first episodes I watched titled "The Witnesses", when BraveStarr orders her to take cover, she replies "Cover? Don't be silly!" and engages in the fight.
Shaman is another Native American lead with supernatural powers. He is BraveStarr's mentor and an important part of his backstory.
The depiction of Shaman wasn't considered offensive or distasteful. His character and design were both treated with respect. The show came out over thirty years ago, and I don't believe there were any ill intentions behind this character's design. However, recently there has been controversy surrounding cartoons such as the Simpsons which came out only a year after BraveStarr had ended. At the time, people didn't raise concerns about characters such as Apu but now, people find the depiction to be racist so, if BraveStarr came out today, would these characters also be considered racist stereotypes?
As well as featuring Native American and female leads, something else that made the show more original and memorable are the topics certain episodes are focused on. One episode titled "The Price" covers topics as dark as drug addiction and actually results in the death of a young character.
Bearing that last slide in mind, believe it or not the show was aimed at children!
Thanks for listening!
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