Simon's Cat
a) Genre
Simon's Cat is an animated series of short films/sketches with its own YouTube channel, animated and directed by Simon Tofield. It follows the antics of Simon and his cat in their everyday lives, and the films' genre is sitcom/slapstick. A sitcom follows the happenings of characters who share a common environment - in this case Simon's home - and the narrative is often humourous. Slapstick is a genre that is based on humour by exaggeration of physical activity. Simon and his cat are often exhibiting the slapstick genre in their own ways:
Feed Me - "An impatient kitty can't wait to be fed."
b) Individual Animators
Simon Tofield began work as a commercial animator, drawing other things in his spare time. When he began using digital software however, he made the first short film featuring "Simon's Cat" - Cat Man Do. The video was taken from Tofield's showreel and posted on YouTube without his knowledge and, before he knew it, Simon's Cat had become very, very popular.
From this success, he and a team launched the official Simon's Cat YouTube channel and website in 2008. He now has a small team of animators which help to animate the films under his lead as director. He speaks about his experience with Simon's Cat in his video The Simon's Cat Story (A Draw my Life).
Simon Tofield began work as a commercial animator, drawing other things in his spare time. When he began using digital software however, he made the first short film featuring "Simon's Cat" - Cat Man Do. The video was taken from Tofield's showreel and posted on YouTube without his knowledge and, before he knew it, Simon's Cat had become very, very popular.
From this success, he and a team launched the official Simon's Cat YouTube channel and website in 2008. He now has a small team of animators which help to animate the films under his lead as director. He speaks about his experience with Simon's Cat in his video The Simon's Cat Story (A Draw my Life).
Laura Nailor is a freelance animator who has been working with the Simon's Cat team since she joined in 2010. She began working in animation after she graduated in 2006. She has worked on various short films such as Speechless which was also worked on by Simon Tofield, as well as commercial animation for Kinder Bueno, Persil, Fox's Glacier Mints and more.
c) Production Process
The production of one Simon's Cat short is around three months. Pre-production involves initial ideas, storyboards and concept sketches.
The main part of production is the animation itself: Using Adobe Flash or TV Paint, each frame is drawn by hand. One second of footage generally contains between 12 and 25 separate drawings.
Post-production consists of sound effects, music and promotion.
The main part of production is the animation itself: Using Adobe Flash or TV Paint, each frame is drawn by hand. One second of footage generally contains between 12 and 25 separate drawings.
Post-production consists of sound effects, music and promotion.
d) Narrative/Storyline
Each sketch has its own independent narrative and storyline, which means they can generally be watched in any order. However, some aspects are continuous throughout the series, for example the introduction of the kitten in "Double Trouble".
Even though the kitten is featured in many films after its initial introduction, the series of films don't follow a continued story arc. Each film is designed to be understood and enjoyed whether the viewer has seen all the previous films, or none. The simplicity of the sketches make them enjoyable for any audience, which contributes to their success.
e) Target Audience
As covered in the Narrative/Storyline section, these short films are designed to have simple, standalone narratives that can be enjoyed by anyone, whether these are fans who have seen every Simon's Cat film or someone new who is only seeing a film for the first time.
These films are on YouTube - a free to use video hosting website that can be accessed from most devices, including games consoles, today. This means that they can be reached by an even wider audience, as the viewer hasn't had to pay to see the short films. The socio-economic audience of these films is very wide, covering every NRS social grade from A to E.
The slapstick comedy featured in the films caters for a young audience - the non-stop action keeps them entertained. Cat owners especially are a targeted audience - many of Simon's Cat's antics and behaviour are something a cat owner can observe in their own cat. This means that the humour denoted in the films is especially entertaining for this audience.
f) Characters/Stars
The main characters of these shorts are both named in the title: Simon, and his trouble-causing cat. There are other characters such as the kitten, who is the third most featured character in the films after Simon himself, and Simon's cat.
There are many minor characters who are featured in only one or a few shorts; the Robin, the Pug, the Squirrel and the Hedgehog are only a few of the extra characters featured in the Simon's Cat shorts.
Each sketch has its own independent narrative and storyline, which means they can generally be watched in any order. However, some aspects are continuous throughout the series, for example the introduction of the kitten in "Double Trouble".
Even though the kitten is featured in many films after its initial introduction, the series of films don't follow a continued story arc. Each film is designed to be understood and enjoyed whether the viewer has seen all the previous films, or none. The simplicity of the sketches make them enjoyable for any audience, which contributes to their success.
e) Target Audience
As covered in the Narrative/Storyline section, these short films are designed to have simple, standalone narratives that can be enjoyed by anyone, whether these are fans who have seen every Simon's Cat film or someone new who is only seeing a film for the first time.
These films are on YouTube - a free to use video hosting website that can be accessed from most devices, including games consoles, today. This means that they can be reached by an even wider audience, as the viewer hasn't had to pay to see the short films. The socio-economic audience of these films is very wide, covering every NRS social grade from A to E.
The slapstick comedy featured in the films caters for a young audience - the non-stop action keeps them entertained. Cat owners especially are a targeted audience - many of Simon's Cat's antics and behaviour are something a cat owner can observe in their own cat. This means that the humour denoted in the films is especially entertaining for this audience.
f) Characters/Stars
The main characters of these shorts are both named in the title: Simon, and his trouble-causing cat. There are other characters such as the kitten, who is the third most featured character in the films after Simon himself, and Simon's cat.
Double Trouble - "A new arrival causes chaos."
There are many minor characters who are featured in only one or a few shorts; the Robin, the Pug, the Squirrel and the Hedgehog are only a few of the extra characters featured in the Simon's Cat shorts.
