Webinar & Chill

I’m only slightly embarrassed to say that no television show has influenced my sense of humor and creative work as much as SpongeBob SquarePants. Whether SpongeBob was eating his arms like movie popcorn, skating down Sand Mountain on his tongue or singing a musical number with his frenemy, he showed me that animation as a medium allows for truly limitless story potential - especially when it comes to comedy. SpongeBob prompted my later love of Big Mouth, Rick and Morty, and Bojack Horseman - which all use the medium of animation to heighten the comedy with visual jokes (that are impossible to tell in live-action).

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a Netflix Webinar on Writing for Adult Animation that featured two writers for Big Mouth, L.E. Correia (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3862834/) and Mitra Jouhari (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7434525/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1).

I was particularly interested by their conversation on the dynamics of the “room.” Mitra stressed the importance of good listening and vulnerability. Writing for Big Mouth in particular, she said, demands an openness and willingness to share embarrassing stories. I would love to tell you about my period blood @NickKroll!!

L.E. and Mitra explained that their stories start as outlines, which are vetted by the writer’s room. Then, the writers are given a week to go to script! Both myself and the other attendees were shocked by the turnaround time! L.E. and Mitra confirmed it’s terrifying, but that they’re never alone in the process; their scripts go through multiple drafts and joke pitches. The room won’t let the script fail!

Key takeaways also included: the importance of barfing out the first draft (“it will feel bad and that’s okay!”), having a clear voice & style, and bringing the emotional truth/characters to the forefront (especially in animation).