When creating my own brand, Pop Scene Media, there were a lot of factors I had to consider. I needed to think about the target demographic, the brand’s core values, and how it would differ from competitors. While this may seem overwhelming, the process came naturally to me because I have always wanted to create a teen media brand. My personal experiences growing up with teen entertainment outlets helped guide the direction and voice of Pop Scene Media, allowing me to envision a platform that is both engaging and relatable for young girls today.
Developing the Logo
A brand’s logo is one of the most important elements because it is the first way people identify and connect with the brand. I wanted the Pop Scene Media logo to communicate both entertainment and a fun, digital-first personality. When selecting colors, I focused on what would resonate with tween and teen girls, the primary audience for the brand. This led me to choose bright pinks, purples, and blues, which are playful, eye-catching, and age-appropriate. Additionally, because the brand includes lifestyle and beauty content, I wanted a slightly “girly” aesthetic. One of the logo mockups features pink lips paired with sunglasses surrounded by lights—symbolizing both style and the entertainment focus of Pop Scene Media.
Also when choosing this I thought of how my brand could singlehandedly be identified. by showing the glasses if people saw this enough they would know that that is the Pop Scene Brand. I also tried to come up with something that match well with the font style like the microphone being connected to the text.
Defining Brand Values
Developing the brand values for Pop Scene Media was an essential part of the process. I reflected on what I personally looked for in a media outlet when I was a tween and teen, and used those insights to shape the foundation of the brand. I wanted Pop Scene Media to serve as a go-to destination for entertainment content, covering everything from movies and television to celebrity interviews and lifestyle features in a way that feels both engaging and relatable.
Incorporating content centered around platforms like Disney Channel and Nickelodeon was especially important, as these networks play a major role in shaping youth entertainment culture. Franchises such as Descendants and Zombies not only provide entertainment but also promote themes of individuality, acceptance, and overcoming challenges—messages that are particularly meaningful for young audiences.
Ultimately, the values of Pop Scene Media center around positivity, creativity, empowerment, and excitement. The brand aims to create a space where young girls feel inspired, included, and connected to the entertainment they love. These values guide both the content and overall identity of the brand, ensuring that it remains uplifting, engaging, and relevant to its audience.
Understanding Your Audience:
When developing a brand, it is essential to understand the target audience through both primary and secondary research. This process ensures that the brand’s content, tone, and platform align with how the audience prefers to engage with media.
For primary research, I gathered insights directly from my target audience through my TikTok platform, @emilieacktv. During TikTok Live sessions, I asked viewers how they prefer to consume entertainment content. The majority of respondents shared that they prefer short-form, engaging content and primarily consume media through social platforms. They also expressed a strong preference for digital content over traditional print articles.
In addition to primary research, I conducted secondary research to better understand broader industry trends. As the media landscape has continued to evolve—especially following the COVID-19 pandemic—studies have shown that tweens and teens are increasingly consuming content online rather than through traditional media. Social media platforms and short-form video have become the dominant ways this demographic engages with entertainment.
Overall, both primary and secondary research reinforced the importance of a digital-first strategy. These insights directly informed the development of Pop Scene Media, ensuring that the brand focuses on short-form, interactive, and visually engaging content tailored to the habits and preferences of its audience.
Defining What Makes Pop Scene Media Stand Out:
One of the most important aspects of building a successful brand is ensuring that it stands out within a competitive market. To better understand this, I analyzed potential competitors such as Seventeen, Teen Vogue, and Girls’ Life Magazine. By comparing their audiences, content focus, and overall brand positioning, I was able to identify a clear gap in the market and better define the purpose of Pop Scene Media.
While all three outlets cover aspects of entertainment, none are fully dedicated to delivering timely, digital-first entertainment content specifically for tweens and younger teens. Seventeen and Teen Vogue primarily target older teens and young adults, often featuring more mature content related to fashion, lifestyle, and social issues. Their tone and subject matter are not always tailored to a younger audience.
Girls’ Life Magazine aligns more closely in terms of age range, as it targets tween and teen girls. However, its content is largely focused on lifestyle, advice, and print-based articles, with less emphasis on real-time entertainment coverage or access to celebrity press and events.
Pop Scene Media differentiates itself by focusing specifically on tween and early teen entertainment in a digital-first and interactive format. It prioritizes timely pop culture coverage, including movies, television, and celebrity content, while also creating an engaging and accessible experience through social media. By combining entertainment coverage with a fun, interactive approach, Pop Scene Media fills a gap that existing platforms do not fully address.
This chapter in Animated Storytelling focused on how to get your story seen by the right audience. To do this, filmmakers need to package their film in a professional way, which involves strong design, clear communication, and carefully following submission guidelines. When sharing a film online for a festival, it is important to include the password so festival organizers can access it. For festival submission assets, creators should have a logo for the title of their project along with a still image from the film that represents the story. These materials can also be used for promotional purposes, such as on websites or posters. It is also important to include a strong synopsis that explains what the film is about while keeping the audience intrigued without needing follow-up questions. A director’s bio should be short and start with how the filmmaker wants to be known professionally. Additionally, filmmakers need to carefully choose where their film will be shown by submitting to festivals that match the audience they want to reach. Finally, maintaining a strong and engaged online presence is important, as it helps filmmakers share their work, connect with peers, and build professional networks.
Reflection On Course:
Going into this course, I did not know how to use After Effects at all, and now I can confidently say that I know how to create animations. Out of any class I have taken for my Interactive Media Master’s program, this is definitely the one where I learned the most. At the start, I thought I was going to feel very intimidated, but the experience ended up being much smoother than I expected. Following the video tutorials you posted on Canvas was extremely helpful because I was able to follow along and learn at my own pace. The things that stood out to me the most were learning how to work with scale, opacity, rotation, and anchor point position. With these new After Effects skills, I plan to use them for my social media and professional work, especially with Girls’ Life Magazine, where I currently work. Thank you for everything in this course, Professor Golden! 🙂
An example of advanced motion would be playing the Pizzatron game from Club Penguin. In this game, grabbing the toppings for the pizza was animated to feel like you are actually making a pizza when you are playing Club Penguin. Without the animation of those elements, you would not be able to play.
Another example of advanced motion is this logo commercial for Dunkin’. They animated the letters for personality and to follow their “America runs on Dunkin’ motto,” they animated a person running.
In Chapter 10 of Animated Storytelling, I learned the important steps to take when putting an animation together and how to ensure that the animation tells the story effectively. Before starting the animation process, it is essential to create a production calendar. The best way to do this is to print out a blank calendar and fill it in backwards—from the final delivery date all the way through pre-production. This helps create a linear list of attainable deadlines and keeps the project organized and manageable. It is also important to make sure the technology being used is up to date and functioning properly. Saving work early and often, as well as organizing folders clearly, helps prevent technical issues and lost progress.
When animating a project, it is helpful to start with the easiest elements first and work toward the more difficult sequences later. This approach helps build confidence and momentum. Even when working on more complex sequences, breaking them into smaller parts makes the process less overwhelming and ultimately strengthens the storytelling.
Another important consideration is continuously evaluating whether each shot contributes to the story. If you find yourself reluctant to edit or remove a sequence simply because it is your “coolest part,” it may be a sign that it is not serving the story effectively. Removing unnecessary elements can improve clarity and reduce production time.
Character movement is also a critical component of storytelling in animation. It is important to sketch out the choreography of your characters’ positions and movements in advance. These sketches should include all visual elements, such as backgrounds, props, text, and logos. Additionally, all animated objects move along invisible directional paths—horizontal, vertical, diagonal, or circular. Being mindful of these motion paths can enhance the emotional impact of the animation and help communicate the story more clearly.
Research:
My Interface Animation:
For my interface animation, I chose to recreate the experience of interacting on TikTok by animating the heart button, the tapping motion, and the comment button — including the screen that appears after clicking into the comments. As a content creator on TikTok, I felt inspired to animate something that reflects a platform I actively use and understand. This allowed me to focus on realistic interaction and user behavior within a familiar interface.
To build the animation, I first created the heart animation in a separate After Effects file. I animated the tap interaction and designed the heart motion so it would feel responsive and dynamic. After completing that sequence, I exported it with a transparent background so I could layer it into a larger composition.
Next, I created a phone mockup with an image of a dog displayed on the screen to simulate a TikTok post. I then animated the rest of the interface elements — including the tap interaction and the comments screen sliding up — directly within that composition. Designing the animation in stages allowed me to focus on each interaction individually before combining everything.
Overall, this project helped me better understand UI timing, layering, and how small motion details can make an interface feel realistic and engaging.
In this chapter of Animated Storytelling, I learned that choosing the right technique is essential to bringing your story to life. The right technique can express your big idea, amplify the soul of your story, and set your project apart—but finding it may require some experimentation. It’s important to remember that the technique you choose should ultimately support the message and emotion you want your audience to experience.
When selecting a technique, considering the format and where your animation will be viewed is crucial. The platform can influence how audiences perceive your story, and an unsuitable format might cause them to miss important elements or notice flaws in your work. Another important factor is how you want viewers to describe your project after seeing it. Revisiting your creative brief can help ensure that your story remains true to its intended message.
There are several types of animation techniques to consider. Hand-drawn animation, which can be created with pencil, paint, ink, or charcoal, often works well for kids’ television shows or films. Other techniques include stop motion (both 2D and 3D) and CGI animation (2D and 3D), each offering different visual styles and effects. Sometimes, if you’re unsure between two techniques, it can be helpful to test both to find the right balance for your story.
Ultimately, the most important thing is to be clear on the message and emotion you want to convey. Once you know that, your animation’s look and technique should serve to reinforce and communicate those ideas effectively, making your project resonate with audiences.
In this video of Tom from Tom and Jerry it shows an example of exaggeration animation when he is mad. The exaggeration is done by making his face red and having smoke come out of his ears.
Anticipatory animation is used in the episode “Double Dipper” in Gravity Falls where Dipper’s clones are all fighting each other. The Dipper with the number 5 on his hat has his arm up looking like he is getting to punch the other Dipper that is on the ground. We can assume his actions based on the way he is positioned.
In Phineas and Ferb, exaggeration is shown when verb is flying a spaceship to space. Because he is going so fast it shows his skin coming off his head to exaggerate how fast he is going.
Staging animation is shown in this clip in Star Vs. The Forces of Evil when the spotlight is on Star and Marco when they’re at a show and they end up talking about their relationship.
My Logo Animation:
For my logo animation, I did it for my personal brand EmilieackvTV, where I talk things all young entertainment. I have had this logo for a while but it was really cool and fun to animate it!
In this chapter of Animated Storytelling, I learned how important sound is in any video project. Sound is deeply connected to action because it helps paint a clearer picture of what is happening on screen. For example, upbeat music can indicate that a character is in a happy mood, while slower, emotional music can signal sadness or reflection. Sound effects also enhance storytelling by giving weight and realism to actions within a scene.
I also learned that sound can actually lead a story. It can serve as the primary compass for storytelling by setting the rhythm of scenes and guiding the audience’s emotional journey. In many cases, sound shapes how we interpret what we see.
Another key concept discussed was non-diegetic sound, which refers to sound that does not originate from within the world of the story — meaning the source is not visible or present in the action. This includes background music or narration that only the audience can hear.
When adding sound effects to a project, it’s helpful to create a list of moments where sound can enhance the story. Planning ahead ensures that sound choices feel intentional rather than random. Similarly, when selecting background music, it’s useful to choose one word that captures the overall tone of the video. That guiding word can help determine which type of music best supports the story.
I also learned that silence and narration can be just as powerful as music or sound effects. Timing is everything — when sound is used thoughtfully and placed at the right moment, it can make the story emotionally satisfying for the viewer.
Chapter 8 — Design Wonderland
When it comes to building a world for your story, there is no better approach than “yes, and.” This principle encourages you to build upon your ideas instead of shutting them down. By accepting and expanding on possibilities, you can develop richer concepts and even discover ideas you hadn’t originally considered.
However, once you establish the logic of your world, you must remain consistent. Going against the internal rules you’ve created can lead to continuity issues, which quickly cause a story to lose credibility. Even in animated or fantastical worlds, the audience expects consistency within the rules you’ve set.
To create an engaging animated world, it’s important to establish the foundational elements first — time and place. From there, you must define the physical, social, and visual laws that govern that world. The time period can elevate your main conflict and make it more compelling. For example, the challenges a character faces will differ greatly depending on whether the story takes place in the past, present, or future.
Providing meaningful obstacles is also essential. The more barriers a character encounters while trying to achieve their goal, the more engaging and dynamic the story becomes.
Additionally, creating clear social laws and norms helps make the world feel believable. These rules shape how characters interact and behave. Visually, elements such as space, line, shape, color, contrast, and texture can further enhance the narrative. Thoughtful visual design not only supports the emotional tone of the story but also distinguishes it from others.
I thought this Apple iPhone SE commercial was a great example of animated text because it added that energetic feel to the text and it looked clean which is what Apple is going for when trying to sell their products. It also gives the text some character!
I think this Burger King commercial uses text animation really effectively because it adds character to the words. For example, when the ad says their food will make you “drool,” the letters stretch downward to visually mimic dripping, helping the viewer imagine how good the food tastes. The clean design and thoughtful font choices make the text part of the storytelling, which strengthens the marketing message.
This Descendants Told by Emojis (Animated) video uses audio really effectively to help tell the story. The background music matches the fantasy vibe of the movie, making it feel magical and dramatic. The sound effects also add clarity—like when Evie puts blush on Mal, you actually hear the brush sound, which makes the action feel real and easier to understand. When Mal and Ben go on their first motorcycle date, the engine sound immediately signals what’s happening. Without those audio details, the emojis alone wouldn’t communicate the story as clearly.
In the Disney ZOMBIES As Told By Chibis video, the sound design really makes everything feel more alive. Even though it’s basically a music video, the added sound effects help tell the story in a way that feels fun and real. When Willa drags her nails across the lockers at Seabrook High, you actually hear that sharp scratching sound, which makes the moment feel real instead of just animated. And when Addison touches Zed’s Z-Band, there’s that little techy whirring noise. Those small details might seem simple, but they make a big difference and help pull you into the world of ZOMBIES instead of just watching cute animation.
“Becoming Raccoon” Stop Motion Project: In the pre-production stage of my project, I originally planned for this stop-motion to simply show a raccoon coming together piece by piece. However, once I began production, I started thinking about how I could make the raccoon feel more alive. Instead of just assembling the body parts, I focused on giving him emotion. As his tail gained its stripes, he looked back at it curiously. He watched his arms attach to his body, and when he finally received a mouth, he reacted with shock—almost as if realizing he could now speak.
Although the structure of the piece is somewhat non-linear, like a puzzle assembling itself, it developed a mini narrative arc. The raccoon goes from being nothing on the table to having a full body and a sense of awareness. There’s a subtle story of discovery—almost like he’s thinking, “I finally have a body.”
This project taught me that even when you carefully plan something in pre-production, the creative process can evolve. Production opened the door to new ideas that made the piece more expressive and emotionally engaging than I originally intended.
In this chapter of animated storytelling, I learned about how color can really communicate the mood of your story, express emotion, and enhance the entire meaning of your piece. It is also all about using the right amount of color as it can enhance or take away from the emotional impact of your piece.
While I have always known things about color like the color wheel, warm tones, and cool tones, I also learned from this chapter how important hue, saturation and value are (the three standard characteristics of color). Value is the lightness or darkness of a color, hue refers to the common color name in the spectrum, and saturation is the intensity or purity of a color. Another important element is tone which reflects the overall brightness or darkness of an entire shot or scene, regardless of the colors used. It also heavily influences the emotional tenor and meaning of a scene.
In this module, we are working on the pre-production of our stop motions so learning about color scripts was very helpful in me thinking how to go about the planning. A color script is a sequential outline of how you intend to use color in your animated film. The first thing to consider is how many colors you are using and question if you are using too many. I particularly learned that it is important to limit your color palette and to figure out what color your story would be if it was only one color. This helps you figure out the theme of your story.
The next step would be to create a pre-color script (PCS). This is a storyboard represented by a series of rectangular color bars that match your essential story beats. The best way to start this process is by identifying the key moments in your story that will require color for emphasis. The color choices you make in the rest of your story should act to those moments as best they can.
Once you have done this, I learned how important it is to use the principal color you already selected for your story. This keeps you focused on the look you are going for in each scene. After you know this, selecting the colors for the supporting cast of characters, backgrounds and props in each shot is important to know as well as movement, which identifies what will move and what will stay still as the goal is to draw the eye towards your subject.
To add emphasis to my motion work, I also learned how you can use a surprise color to tie together a key idea and trigger the climax of my story. A common way people do this is by using black and black and white and a pop of color at the end.
I will definitely use these tips I learned in this chapter to help plan the pre-production of my stop motion project!
Chapter 6 – Weird Science:
In this chapter of Animated Storytelling, I learned how important experimentation is as a part of the animation process. Experimentation helps you discover the defining moment in your story. In this process you should mess around, test limits, and learn something new that’s difficult– you are supposed to make bad art. You should also try so many things that you come up with the wildest version of your scene possible.
One line that really stood out to me in this chapter about this process is “when you relax and stop worrying about what people are going to think, you are at your most creative and inventive” as I am someone who is a huge over thinker. This made me realize that I should “enjoy” the discomfort of the process and that is okay for my animation to not be perfect in the beginning.
Also to push your creative skills I also learned how important it is to use unfamiliar techniques and story structures because when you do this, you can stretch your skill base and make your animations or films even more interesting. To experiment with my project, I learned I could draw up a table with each of the scenes numbers from my storyboard listing areas where I could experiment with those scenes– this could be design, movement, transitions, sources, and sounds. The best way to experiment is to invent new ways of doing things but by something you’ve seen that you love and feel inspired by or something that you are going for in your project.
As for movement in animation, it is important to do animation experiments with key characters, assets, and camera moves to feel out which tools work the best to get them moving the way you want.
After reading about all of these techniques, I will for sure use them when it comes to making my own stop motion animation. This chapter also made me truly understand how important the pre-production process is.
This first animation that stood out to me was the stop motion of this clay figure going from a slab of clay turning into a cute little purple guy. This stop motion was definitely made by capturing a lot pictures and putting them all together into a video. I can tell even by the small movements of the clay that this process was very tedious. This one tells the story of how this little guy came to life.
Another one that stood out to me was this tinfoil animation. I thought it was interesting how they made a material like tinfoil come to life and how they got them to move holding the objects. Also in one part of the video there was a human hand in the video telling them what to do. I was curious on how they got a human hand and tinfoil to animate at the same time. With the pictures snapped, did the person move their hand with each movement or was it done in an animation software?
I thought this pancake animation was so fascinating. It showed the process of making pancakes but with Legos. Watching this animation got me wondering in the video when they were mixing the ingredients how they got the animation to be so smooth. Same thing for when they poured the syrup on the pancakes. Also at one part it showed the pancakes bubbling which I thought was incredible detail! I never thought the process of cooking a pancake with Legos could be done this well!
In this hungry clay animation, I thought it was so interesting how when the clay figure wanted to eat the Cheerios how he smoothly morphed into another figure to eat them more easily. The animation was incredibly smooth and I thought the story was very cute!
This stop motion animation based on the Disney Descendants 3 music video for “One Kiss” really amazed me. As someone who has seen the live-action version many times, the choreography with the doll was so on point and even the props in the background matched the scene exactly.
I had a lot of fun experimenting with stop motion animation! I filmed the project using my iPhone 17 Pro and a tripod to keep my phone steady while shooting in the 16:9 ratio typically used for stop motion. I used a stop motion app from the App Store and took a series of photos of my crochet raccoon, adjusting him slightly between each frame to create the illusion of movement. Throughout the process, I was very careful to make sure the camera didn’t shift and that the raccoon only moved a small amount at a time, which helped create a smoother and more realistic motion effect.
Chapter Three really got me thinking about how important it is to show conflict early in a story. Putting conflict front and center makes the audience care about what happens next—and honestly, it makes the story way more exciting. The book suggests laying out all your cue cards from the three acts and cutting anything that isn’t essential while keeping the necessary backstory. I like this idea because it forces you to focus on what really matters, instead of letting your story get messy or overcomplicated.
The chapter also encouraged me to dig deeper into my characters by asking questions like: What’s their biggest fear? What can they not live without? Who is their best friend—or worst enemy? Thinking about these things helped me realize how much a character’s motivations can shape the story. Even for my intro project, imagining these “behind-the-scenes” details about myself made it easier to plan what to show and how to present it.
Another cool part was mapping stories on graphs and dramatic timelines. I’ve never thought about stories this way, but seeing conflict and action as peaks and valleys made it easier to understand how tension builds and how a character reacts along the way.
Finally, the chapter introduced some experimental storytelling forms. One idea is syncing music perfectly with the animation. Another is pure poetry—haikus, limericks, or iambic patterns. There’s also “repetition evolution,” where cycles repeat but slowly change, and “continuity and diversity,” which keeps one thing constant while other elements evolve. I didn’t use these techniques in my intro, but I’m excited to experiment with them in future projects.
Chapter 3 – Unlocking Your Story:
Chapter Three really made me think about how important it is to show conflict right from the start. Introducing conflict early makes the story more engaging and gives the audience a reason to care about what happens next. The book suggests laying out all your cue cards from the three acts and cutting anything that isn’t essential while keeping the important backstory. I like this approach because it helps you focus on what really matters and makes the story feel stronger and more focused.
The chapter also encouraged me to ask questions about my characters, like: What’s their biggest fear? What can they not live without? Who is their best friend—or worst enemy? Answering these questions helped me think more deeply about character motivations and how they drive the story. Even for my intro project, thinking about these “behind-the-scenes” details made it easier to plan what to include and how to present it.
Another interesting idea was mapping stories using graphs and dramatic timelines. Seeing conflict and action as peaks and valleys helped me understand how tension builds and how characters react along the way—it’s a totally different way of looking at storytelling.
Finally, the chapter explored some experimental storytelling techniques. One uses music that perfectly matches the animation, another is pure poetry, like haikus or limericks. There’s also “repetition evolution,” where cycles repeat while slowly changing, and “continuity and diversity,” which keeps one element constant while other parts evolve. I didn’t use these techniques in my intro, but I’m excited to experiment with them in future projects.
Chapter 4 – Storyboarding:
Storyboarding is such an important step in turning ideas into a visual plan. It makes you think about continuity, timing, staging, transitions, and framing—all the little details that make a story feel complete. I got to apply a lot of these concepts while creating my own intro project, and it really helped me visualize how everything would come together.
When I first planned my intro, I wrote down the key elements I wanted to include: my name, what I do, and my interests. Then I searched for graphics, picked background colors for each slide, and thought carefully about how the text and images should move. For the part about my work at Girls’ Life Magazine, I wanted my writing samples to have a newspaper-style effect to reflect my role in entertainment journalism. I storyboarded how each article would rotate counterclockwise on the screen to achieve that look.
Although the chapter talks a lot about sketching thumbnails to visualize ideas, I ended up taking a more digital approach. I gathered graphics, organized them into folders in After Effects, and experimented with placement, movement, and music. For this project, that became my version of storyboarding. That said, if I were making a narrative film or planning cinematography, I think I’d rely more on traditional sketching to work out the visuals.
The chapter also introduced different types of shots, like extreme wide shots, close-ups, and external shots, and how they can reveal information to the audience. Framing is another key concept—it helps guide the viewer’s attention and keeps them engaged in the story. Working with these ideas made me realize just how much thought goes into planning every single frame of a project.
Emilie Ackerman After Effects Intro:
For this project, I used After Effects to create an intro about myself. A huge part of the process was getting comfortable with the tools in the program. At first, I followed tutorials closely, but the more I practiced, the more confident I became.
I learned how to use keyframing, adjust opacity, scale, position elements, and apply effects to text. Experimenting with these tools helped me see how small changes can completely transform a part of my intro. Another important part of the process was making sure my voiceover lined up with the music and that the graphics appeared at the right moment—it really made me think about timing and pacing in a new way.
When selecting graphics, I chose images that best represented me while making sure everything was either my own work or properly licensed for creative use.
Overall, this project was a great way to get familiar with After Effects and understand the different challenges that can come up while editing. Staying organized with folders and files was key, since it’s easy for projects to get messy. I’m excited to keep exploring After Effects and improving my animations over time. Enjoy my intro animation below!
The beginning of Animated Storytelling got me thinking how any creative project has a whole process. Since I studied Television Digital Media Production and Marketing for my undergraduate degree, I already had a great understanding of this but it made me think of different techniques I could use to come up with ideas– like the yes, and… rule.
From reading about pre-production for animation, I learned about the specific steps of the process. The first step is writing a creative brief, which explains the client’s aims and objectives, target audience, and milestone deadlines for the project. In this part of the process, I also learned how important it is to step away from a project if you are not sure where it is going because otherwise it can get messy later.
Coming up with the big idea is also important. To do this I learned how it is helpful to brainstorm different words– even if it is the craziest thing– and to circle the words you find the most interesting. The yes, and… rule can also help with this, forcing your brain to expand on the idea of the story that you came up with. This is definitely a technique I’ll use in the future– especially when it comes to creating my animations!
Besides the creative brief and big idea, I learned how important it is to have something to sell your story. In the creative world, you never know when you might run into someone important, so it’s always good to be prepared with an elevator pitch. This involves identifying the tone of your piece and summarizing the plot in one sentence. For audiences, the tagline is especially important, as it encourages people to watch your film.
I definitely learned a lot from this chapter and I am excited to learn more about animation from this book!
I picked this GIF because I love birds and thought it was interesting how the animator made the wings move. This one gives me the vibe of the day in a life of a bird.
This GIF immediately caught my eye as I am a big Gravity Falls and Disney Channel fan. The one thing that caught my eye about this one is how they are two motions happening at once– Dipper and Mabel exercising and blinking. I would love to learn how to do two motions at once!
I picked this Duolingo GIF one because I think the owl Is so cute and I also found it interesting how there is a shadow at the bottom. It makes his movement look more realistic!
I really liked this raccoon GIF because I love raccoons and I liked the movement of the raccoon. Also I think the color choice was smart for this GIF as it gives off mischievous raccoon hunting for food in the night.
I love this Jake from Adventure Time GIF because of not only the cool rainbow colors but it also conveys his emotions of excitement or fascination. I think it is cool how just from this one GIF you can read his emotions!
I really like this animated cat GIF because of the color changing of the sunglasses– I thought this was a cool touch! Also I feel like not too many GIFS I have seen have text on them so I thought that was something unique about this one!
GIFS I Made:
To create this GIF, I first thought about objects that could appear and disappear in a jumpy, playful fashion, which immediately made me think of a battery. I used the cut-out tool in Photoshop to separate the low, medium, and full battery images, then animated them frame by frame to show the charging progression. After animating, I realized the GIF has a nostalgic feel, reminiscent of older devices being charged!
One of my dreams is to work in marketing for Disney Channel, which is why I chose to create this GIF! To make it, I first found an image of the Disney Channel logo online and adjusted the colors in Canva. Then, I imported it into Photoshop and placed the logos on a timeline, moving them downward one after the other to create a domino effect. I also added a light pink, sparkly background to help the logos pop and give the GIF a fun, eye-catching look.
For this beating heart GIF, I created it entirely by hand in Adobe Animate using the onion-skin technique. I started with a small pink heart, then gradually increased its size while changing the color from pink to orange and then yellow. After reaching the largest size, I animated the heart shrinking back to pink, creating a continuous “beating” effect. This animation definitely mimics a heartbeat!
Do you ever wonder how we become attached to the movies and TV shows we love? Why do new trailer releases or merchandise drops feel so exciting? While we think of ourselves as fans of these things, our attachment to these fandoms we love is a lot deeper than we think. Our attachment is shaped largely by emotional design– the ways media use music, visuals, and interactive experiences to entertain audiences and foster loyalty. While we mainly see these emotional designs when movies and shows are being promoted, its branding sticks with us in our memory and helps us distinguish it wherever and whenever we see it. Through the deliberate use of color, typography, logos, and other design elements, media creators cultivate emotional attachment, strengthen fan loyalty, and build fandom communities.
Plutchik’s Wheel of Color:
An important element in entertainment marketing that draws us to the movies and shows we love is color. While color is mainly used to help convey emotions in a movie, it also hugely helps with a film’s branding. To make an emotional connection with fans, marketing teams use Robert Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions. This was specifically designed to help people understand the nuances of emotion and how emotions contrast with one another. Within this wheel there are eight primary emotions: joy, sadness, disgust, anger, surprise, anticipation, and trust. He also uses different colors to represent each primary emotion, making it easier to distinguish and visualize feelings. In all of this, color psychology is very important to note since certain colors can elicit a physical or emotional reaction and, in doing so, shape human behavior (Keane 2025). Color is probably the biggest element to entertainment branding as it is applied with a movie or shows typography, costumes, lighting, architecture and more. Using color within these things adds to what we feel when we see promotions of our favorite movies and shows.
How CostumesHave an Emotional Connection With Fans:
Costumes function as a form of sartorial fandom, allowing fans to translate emotional attachment into embodied identity. By wearing character-inspired designs, fans participate in the narrative world (Affuso & Scott).
Not only are costumes represent the character’s identity but it also allows audiences to show their emotional connection to movies and shows. These sartorial practices help fans express their identity, signal belonging, and help them get more involved in their fandom communities.
For example, this summer when the Descendants and Zombies Tour happened, fans of Disney’s Descendants and Zombies movies dressed up as their favorite characters. transforming the concert as a space where fans could express themselves and feel in tune with their favorite characters. One might dress as Addison with her white hair and alien outfit as they feel the connection to her story about finding where they belong or dress as Evie as a way to connect with her feminine and fashionable energy.
Colors are also a very important part of cosplay as specific color palettes help make characters more recognizable while reinforcing their emotional traits and narratives.
Experience Economy / Norman’s Three Levels of Emotional Response:
In order to understand how emotional design fosters fandom attachment, it is important to understand the psychology behind it. A huge part of this is experience economy. Experience economy proves that not only does entertainment sell movies, shows or merchandise- it also sells immersive experiences that create emotional and memorable connections with audiences. These immersive experiences align closely with Norman’s three levels of emotional response: the visceral level, the behavioral level and the reflective level. The visceral level of design is when the viewer of the design reacts to such features based on only what they see in front of them and there is no further interpretation involved. Behavioral level of design is when designers attend to the function and use of product, such as interacting with a fan app, exploring a website, or engaging with merchandise, where the design enhances the user experience (Norman 2004). Reflective level is the highest and refers to the user’s reflections about a product. This can be before, during, and after use.
An example of how immersive experiences activate all three levels of emotional response is the ride Avatar: Flight of Passage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom as it activates all three levels of emotional response while strengthening franchise attachment. Viscerally, people on the ride are emotionally connected as they feel the breathing of the banshee between their legs and the sensation of flying through the world of Pandora. Behaviorally, they “steer” through the air currents and respond physically to the stimulation’s world. Reflectively, people who have been on the ride leave feeling emotionally moved and really feeling like they were a part of the Avatar universe.
Typography:
While we might not realize it, typography is another way we are emotionally connected with shows and movies. When people see the titles to their favorite movies on posters, they might think that it is just the title when in reality it is a lot more than that. The typography in a movie poster is just as important as the typography you would see on a milk carton in a grocery store. The typography is its branding. By selecting fonts that align with the intended emotional experience, marketers create a powerful connection between the audience and the media. As busy creatures we want information that is relevant, quick, and easy to digest. An image invites our imagination to participate Without it, we would not foster any type of emotional connection with it. Not only is the appearance of a text an important consideration for brands, but the appearance of different fonts can also have psychological effects on the viewer (Brumberger). By choosing a particular font, brands can communicate one or more emotional moods.
While typography is important, that combined with the logo branding of a show or a movie is a great way to emotionally connect with audiences. One good example of this is for the movie Coraline (2008). If you know this movie it is all about a 10 year-old girl named Coraline who discovers a secret door in her house to the other world. At first, she does not know it but this “perfect world” she is exposed to is full of danger. When audiences look at the font of this movie you can clearly predict and feel the uneasiness, mystery and tension that is in this movie. You can note what is important in the movie as the “o” in Coraline represents the button eyes of the other parents in the movie. Also with the “l” having a shining door, it attracts viewers to think about what could be behind the door. The cat is also important as he is the one that warns Coraline and follows her in her adventure in the other world. While typography can help us predict and feel emotions that we can feel in a film, it also gives us hints on what it can be about.
Another example is the Netflix show Stranger Things which uses the ITC Benguiat font. As the show takes place in the 1980s, this font helps evoke a sense of nostalgia, while its curved details reinforce the mysterious and supernatural atmosphere of the series (Newsbreak). It also combines elements of Art Nouveau and Gothic lettering that evokes a sense of mystery and adventure that aligns perfectly with the show’s homage to 1980s pop culture and its blend of supernatural horror with coming-of-age drama (Newsbreak). By including this in their design you know what to expect in the show.
When it comes to sci-fi or futuristic films, a common font is used for those kinds of movies in Bank Gothic. This font conveys emotions and themes related to strengths, technology, seriousness and futurism. Movies that use this font include The Hunger Games, Iron Man, and XMen Origins: Wolverine. By knowing what types of fonts evoke certain kinds of emotions, entertainment companies can promote things to their audience the right way. While typography plays a huge role in connecting with fans so does merchandise, which we are about to get into.
Connecting with audiences and fandoms through merchandise:
When it comes to creating emotional connections in merchandise, a study on the Disney Store discovered something important when it comes to merchandise in entertainment. This is something very important to note as Disney is one of the biggest media companies in the world. A study specifically found that gender stereotypes are often made with the toys and merchandise they sell. Bold-colored toys, predominantly red, black, gray and brown ones and those that were action figures, building toys, weapons, or small vehicles were mainly for boys. Pastel-colored toys were predominantly pink or purple toys and those that were dolls, beauty, cosmetics, and jewelry were typified toys for girls (Mansbach).
This is important to note as this signifies how important it is to do research on the audience you are trying to draw in. For example, in the marketing of the first Descendants movie it was critical that Disney thinks about what colors girls will like as they will want to dress up as some of the characters from the movie for Halloween. This is why design decisions—such as color palettes, character silhouettes, or packaging typography—determine not only what sells, but which fan communities form around a franchise. Even before the toys and merchandise are made these are important decisions to make as it can affect their overall sales and the success of the movie. This also applies to Star Wars for boys and other franchises as well.
Music:
Music through trailers, movies and shows can also create a deep emotional connection with viewers. Because music can make us feel different emotions, it communicates meaning just like language and images. Since music can also shape emotional interpretation in film it can reinforce, expand or contradict meanings created by visual, dialogue and narration. In terms of how music can create emotion, studies have shown that the major key represents happiness and the minor key represents sadness. Just as a fast tempo can show excitement and a slow tempo shows melancholy or tension.
Music can also resonate with visuals that match the movie or show and allows them to make a recognizable identity with the sound. For example, the dark synth patterns that you hear in the intro to Stranger Things closely associate to the show as it is sci-fi and has a dark twist to it and the triumphant brass that is in the Marvel logo sequence give viewers a feeling of excitement. These musical signatures become part of a franchise’s branding allowing fans to identify a movie or show before any character appears on the screen (Tagg 2012).
Another way audiences get attached to the fandoms they love is through their websites. In order to make the websites memorable, they use the five senses — smell, touch, taste, sight, and sound. This is how we experience the world and make memories of it (Evanto). For most website visitors, the visual impact of design is the first aspect that will engage them. This is no surprise to neuroscientists, as ninety percent of information processed by the brain is visual. Research shows that the ability to recall information is much higher when there is a visual involved, when compared to an auditory-only experience.
One good example of a multi-sensory website is the Wicked movie website. When you first go onto it you are on an air balloon in the world of Wicked. In front of you the world appears as a map having Munchkinland, the Emerald City, Shiz University, Elphaba’s Retreat, and more. It also includes details of the yellow brick road. On the website, they also include the fantastical typography that you would se with the branding of the movie. The movie’s colors are also incorporated into it using green, black, gold, and pink.
When you click on one of the places, it allows the user to move around 360 degrees making them feel immersed in the world of Wicked. They also include music that goes with the setting which taps more into the users emotions when they use the site. By including all of this, it effectively taps into the emotions of their website’s user, making them feel that they are a part of the Wicked movie universe.
Conclusion:
Next time you think about your favorite movie or television show and wonder why you feel so emotionally connected to it, it becomes clear that this attachment is not accidental. Emotional design is intentional, carefully constructed through elements such as color, costuming, music, merchandise, and interactive websites. Together, these design choices work to create a sense of identity and belonging, allowing audiences to move beyond passive viewership and become emotionally invested members of a fandom. As entertainment franchises continue to expand across social media, live events, and interactive platforms, emotional design will play an even greater role in shaping how future fandoms are formed and sustained.
Citations:
Affuso, E., & Scott, S. (2023). Introduction: Fandom, But Make It Fashion. In E. Affuso & S. Scott (Eds.), Sartorial Fandom: Fashion, Beauty Culture, and Identity (pp. 1–16). University of Michigan Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3998/mpub.12315327.5
Auster, C., & Mansbach, C. (2012). The Gender Marketing of Toys: An Analysis of Color and Type of Toy on the Disney Store Website. Sex Roles, 67(7–8), 375–388. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-012-0177-8
Noad, B., & Barton, G. (2020). Emotion Resonance and Divergence: a semiotic analysis of music and sound in “The Lost Thing” an animated short film and “Elizabeth” a film trailer. Social Semiotics, 30(2), 206–224. https://doi.org/10.1080/10350330.2018.1543115
Right now, I am working on my Medium.com article “How Disney Channel and Nickelodeon Create Lifelong Fans” and I am thinking about different ways to promote it. Since social media is the most popular way people consume content nowadays, I created different social media ads across LinkedIn, Instagram, and X to encourage readers to click on it.
Instagram:
Usually when I am on Instagram, I do not like to read too much and I like to look at graphics so I created a graphic on Canva that I think would catch the viewer’s eye. Not only that, I thought of the demographic of the people who would see this post would be and knew it would mainly people in their twenties. Because younger people have shorter attention spans, I knew color would be very important in trying to capture this audience’s attention. I also made the “Disney Channel” and “Nickelodeon” texts bigger to capture the viewer’s eye of what the post was about and included purple and yellow backgrounds. I also put a question at the top of the graphic to encourage users to engage with the post.
Caption:
As for the caption, a lot of my followers are either around my age and younger so I want sound more like a friend than being too formal. To do this I write in the first person and even include some emojis to make it a more personal and fun.
LinkedIn:
LinkedIn, usually it is more news oriented so I felt that I needed to clearly show in the graphic that my piece is from Medium.com. Because of this, I put the Medium.com logo in the bottom right corner so people can clearly see that it is a link to a full article. In the graphic, I also included a collage of Disney and Nick shows so to immediately catch the audience’s eye. Since most people on LinkedIn are very busy with their lives, I knew it was important to immediately capture their attention as for any other social media platform. To do this, I also made sure my post encouraged conversation and interactivity since the LinkedIn algorithm favors this. By including a question in the graphics as well as the caption, I know this helps increase the chances of people responding to the post to help maximize reach to people in the media and marketing industries.
Within my caption, I also encouraged more interactivity by making the post inclusive to people of all ages in the entertainment marketing industry, even if they are not Millennials or Gen Z. I do this by making my caption general to the whole audience asking “what show defined your childhood?”
Twitter / X:
For X, I made a short, punchy post as people are always scrolling fast through their feed on social media. To stop my audience from passing my post, I started with the question “Remember your favorite Disney Channel and Nickelodeon shows?” This draws the person’s attention and immediately sparks nostalgia and engagement. The post also uses some emojis and hashtags to reach the target audience (Millennials and Gen Z).
I also attached an eye catching image of the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon logos so the audience knows immediately what the article is about without even the caption. By keeping the post concise, interactive and visually interesting, I optimized it for engagement on X.
Making these posts for my article made me aware of how there can be different audiences for each social media platform so it is important to put the right graphics and effective captions for each platform. Keeping all of this in mind can encourage and result in higher engagement rates for posts.
