Creating a mini-movie…a short insider look from Art Director Jamie Judd:

Creating animation…

From the very beginning of America’s Heartland I have been privileged to not only create all the show’s graphic elements, logos and animation, but to dream up several “mini-movies” for each show.

These “mini-movies” are fun informational animations that run anywhere from 20 seconds to one minute in length, and give the viewer an entertaining look at farm facts, history, crops, cattle, machinery, locations, farming fun and just about anything you can think of related to the world of farming and how it relates to all of us.

Along with visual animation and pictures, they include narration, sound effects and themed music that all match what’s happening on screen at any given moment to make the whole piece come alive -- a small by complete movie.

My goal is to visually teach a concept or little known fact quickly and effectively so that you walk away with something new each time.

I really enjoy building these little movies each week and the many challenges I face on how make them, different, entertaining and fun; but at the same time find that interesting epiphany that will make people sit up and say “I didn’t know that!”

For example, putting a beard on a fish, creating dinosaurs that explode and bringing hand drawn machines to life are some of my favorites.

Harvesting Knowledge, Fast Facts About Food, Farm to Fork, Location Maps, and three or so “mini-movies” per show add up to a lot of animation, and so I need to plan out very carefully how much creative time, element creation, research, animation and rendering time, (the time it takes the computer to draw out each frame of animation to create a finished movie), for each segment I will need. Not to mention that full HD animation takes up a lot of space!

It all starts with a script that comes from one of our wonderful producers. From there I will read through it and highlight words and concepts that pop out at me. It can be a location like Vermont and how dairy cows are big business there, so I immediately think of a covered bridge, fall colors, and dancing cows in business suits. If I can find images from our photo library and separate those images out as separate elements to animate, all-the-better; but I often create the pieces I need from scratch or model them in 3D as I create those worlds.

That’s it for now, but stay tuned for more on “Creating a mini-movie”, as I talk about how to bring the elements together and animate them frame by frame and my recent use of more and more 3D, and how I get all these pieces to our post production editor for final inclusion in the show!

Another Update from Kentucky Farmer Ashley Reding

Hello everyone! The last couple of weeks have been crazy around here. At least farm life slowed down a bit before our personal lives sped up. Kathryn (our nine year old) was in the hospital twice last week, and I am so happy that she has recovered splendidly.

Speaking of kids, Andrew (4) said the following after our lunch prayer last week:

“Thank you, God, for the 8130 and the Kinze planter with 16 rows. And for letting us plant the corn and killing it too.** And thank you for letting us get to Grandma's house. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen."

**The “thanks for killing it” was in there because they were replanting corn damaged in the flood and he apparently didn’t know that was a BAD thing! The 8130 is a John Deere tractor.

All planting and replanting is complete. Wheat harvest is done. There is always something going on, however. This week we are focusing on applying crop protection products and praying (a lot) for rain. In some areas, the corn is becoming stressed due to lack of rain and the intense summer heat. Stressed corn = stressed farmers!

Summer is also a time when we check and repair trucks and equipment. We focus on improvements for the farm, and attend lots of meetings. This summer is actually a slow one with “only” about 14 days worth of different meetings. I work here in our farm office three days a week and spend time with the kids the other days.

To be honest, my thoughts are just not on the farm today. When I began this blog, I said it was going to be about our farm and family…and family is all that’s on my mind today. After a very rough week, my grandfather passed away today. Jimmie Franklin Shemwell was 77 years old. While I am extremely sad, I am also very proud to have known such a great man. I visited him in the hospital about a month ago. At that time, he told me that he had lived a good life and had no regrets. If this cancer is what “got him,” then that was ok. That helps me to be at peace.

So, I will end this week wishing you all a safe summer and will challenge you to be thankful for the many blessings you have. God bless America. God bless our families. And, God…please send rain!