Short films,
drawn by hand.
Samia Kids is making short animated films: flat and bright, drawn and voiced by people, with one plain lesson and no lecture. The first is a pilot. It is in development, there is no release date, and this page will say so until there is a finished film to show.
The pilot
One film,
made first.
The first film is a pilot: made first so we learn how to make the rest, and watched by a second person and a child before it goes anywhere. Here is what is settled about it, and what is not.
What is settled, and what is not.
Settled: a short animated film in the world of Samia Kids, drawn by a person frame by frame, voiced by people, with one plain lesson and no lecture, and no ads before, during or after it.
Not announced: the title, the length, the story and the date. Working names change while a film is being made, so none is printed here. When there is a finished film, this page will say so first.
In development. No release date, and we will not invent one. When the film is finished it will play on this page and the letter will say so.
A sample storyboard, drawn for this page to show how a film is planned. These are not frames from the pilot.
How a film gets made
Six steps,
in this order.
The pilot is on this list somewhere. We will not say exactly where, because the honest answer changes every week and a promise is worth more than a progress bar.
The story
Written in words first, and read aloud until it sounds like a person talking.
The storyboard
Every shot drawn small, like the sample frames above, so the whole film fits on a wall.
The drawings
The characters, the hills, the sun, drawn clean with an ink line and flat colour.
The voices
People read the lines, slowly, more than once, until the star sounds like the star.
The sound
Music and quiet. Birds, wind, a door. Nothing loud on purpose.
The film
Moved, cut, checked by a second person, and watched with a child before it goes anywhere.
After the pilot
One lesson
a film.
The films after the pilot are meant to take one each of the six lessons. None is written, titled or dated, and this page will not say otherwise until one is.
How every film is made
Short. One plain lesson, never a lecture. Drawn by a person, voiced by people, quiet enough for bedtime, and never an ad in sight.
The rules above, and the three rules for parents.
Titles, order and dates
Which lesson comes next, what each film is called and when it is ready. When any of that is settled it will be on this page and in the letter, not before.
Where to watch
Nothing to watch yet.
When the pilot is finished it will play here, free, with no ads before it and nothing after it. It will also be offered to Samia Broadcast, the house's film and video channel, with the same no-ads rule attached.
Get updates
Hear when the pilot
is ready.
One letter when a film is released and one when a new book goes on sale. Nothing else, and nothing to children. Unsubscribe any time by replying to a letter.