'Meeting of the Mastermind'

By Drew Litton, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published June 29, 2008 at 9:45 p.m.

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Animating a cartoon is a bit like being Dr. Frankenstein. Bit by bit the cartoon is pieced together and the animators only hope is that it doesn't terrorize the community at the end of the process. So here's the first installment of the Broncs Zoo. As the season unfolds in the months ahead the Broncs Zoo will be a regular feature here on RockyMountainNews.com. It will be a cartoon about everything that makes Broncomania so much fun including the antics of the Mastermind Mike Shanahan, quarterback Jay Cutler, defensive superstar Champ Bailey, a couple of fans named Fred and Dean and a litany of Broncos players, coaches and fans.

Animation is all new territory for me so I'm looking for your feedback and participation. Feel free to e-mail it and send it around. Mostly, I hope you'll leave your comments. They'll be a key component in helping me to create each webisode of the Broncos Zoo.

Like Frankenstein's lab the creation of this cartoon wasn't done alone. My thanks to

Rich Moyer who helped with fine-tuning the animation, and giving amazing advice on direction and film techniques like blurring and close-ups. Check out his site at richmoyer.com. Matthew Roberts then put the cartoon through after effects, a program that helps to render the cartoon better and make the sound smoother. Joe Corrao, an animator in New York sent me some helpful tutorials to help me better grasp Flash animation. He has a cool site too and you can see some of his cartoons at 4eyedanimation.com. Hope you enjoy the cartoon. For me, its back to the lab to create another one.

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Comments

June 29, 2008

10:12 p.m.

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motorcityhitman writes:

Who is that? I don't recognize that guy. Does Shanahan have ears that large? Sorry, I don't get it.
June 29, 2008

10:17 p.m.

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jlstaud writes:

Are you kidding me? You didn't get it? The beady eyes. The large ears. The arrogance. PERFECT
June 30, 2008

1:44 a.m.

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rambam1776 writes:

If I had known being an always wrong cartooning shmuck could get me a job with the News, I would have taken art in High School. Drew and Lincicome should get together and go bowling. What a deeply (yawn) clever cartoon.
June 30, 2008

5:59 a.m.

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MiamiMike writes:

Am I missing something or should there (just maybe be something of substance here) Is this paper really that short on reporters that they waste time with cartoons? I know I am being negative but hey I think I have earned the right after reading the boring uninteresting reports by this paper the last few years. For the love of God just maybe someone will take the bull by the horns and go out and get a story that might have some importance. Give us something that we would not find on ESPN or Bronco Talk.com

For those of you that have not seen Bronco Talk.com it really is a good site. They do at times get info from the News & The Post but they also give you other news and a chance to voice your opinion. It's just crazy though that a paper that is from Denver does not run more substance that involves the Broncos. I live in Orlando Florida and we at times get more. I was born in Denver and will always be a Bronco Fan I just hope someone takes over the sports department at both The Denver Post and The Rocky Mountain News.
June 30, 2008

6:23 a.m.

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jvill writes:

Oof.

The best cartoons show some kind of insight.

This is the same tired "control freak" silliness that appears on these threads day-in and day-out. What's next, calls to fire Shanny? To cut Brandon Marshall?

There is potential, but I hope you guys have more in-store than cliches; which of course is the problem with most sports writing and sports intereviews, so you've got your work cut out for you.

Good luck.
June 30, 2008

7 a.m.

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RJS07 writes:

the plot could use some work, but the art and music were wonderful! <G>
June 30, 2008

7:21 a.m.

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Jupitron writes:

....Thud.

How about a some real POSITIVE Broncos news. All the tiresome "fire Shanny" or "cut Marshall" tirades are just old. I'm sure there's something going on that would be worth reading.

By the way, that characature just doesn't look like Shanahan. Standing on it's own, no one would recognize it as him.

This experiment was just kind of lame.
June 30, 2008

7:32 a.m.

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parker805 writes:

Lame. I want my 57 seconds back.
June 30, 2008

8:31 a.m.

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DeimosJB writes:

For those of you complaining about a cartoon or clamoring for a news story/real news, Drew is a cartoonist. He draws win, lose and drew. It's not his job to write about the latest catastrophe, technology, cultural icon, etc. It's his job to draw cartoons. If you didn't want to view a cartoon, you shouldn't have hit "play".
This was a good toon Drew. You've still got a ways to go in the animating world, but this is a step up from your prior animated effort. With practice, I'm sure you'll get better and better. I'm a little disappointed that none of your readers were able to do Shanny's voice, and that you had to use the dubbed spots. Maybe someone is out there ready to step up today.
June 30, 2008

8:33 a.m.

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Vito writes:

Drew,

The overall look and feel of this started out like a Fritz Freeling cartoon - you know, old timey Warner Bros. - and then morphed into one of those Robert Smigel "Fun With Real Audio" bits from SNL. It definitely held true to your aesthetic, but I have to agree somewhat with what was said above.

I understand the joke and the commentary associated with the joke, but the message is a bit played out. "Shanahan is a control freak" surrounded by a bunch of yes-men has been said almost daily for the last several years. A new direction or twist on that basic commentary would be appreciated.

I think it's a good start however, and I look forward to future efforts. Don't let these rude jackals dissuade you. Thanks, Drew.
June 30, 2008

10 a.m.

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YourNeilness writes:

That was pretty lame, Drew. You are capable of much better than that. Are all these episodes going to be simple sound bites set to a cartoon? Will there be more substance than just regurgitating the same old cliché’s about the Broncos?
June 30, 2008

10:30 a.m.

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LingLingfor_prez writes:

Go Chargers!
June 30, 2008

10:51 a.m.

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Jupitron writes:

I disagree with the person who wrote "It's not his job to write about the latest catastrophe, technology, cultural icon, etc. It's his job to draw cartoons."

As an editorial cartoonist, it IS his job to write and visually represent a particular news item and portray it in a way that it funny or poignant. The job necessitates that the cartoonist be unbelievably creative since he or she only has one frame and a small amount of text to tell a story and make an impact.

This failed because not only is the representation of Shanahan poor, the story and message is contrived.

As a professional artist and illustrator, I've tried to give Drew the benefit of the doubt but if he's going to go this far out on a limb he better get ready to fall. Thus, thud.

Plus, I'm sick and tired of Denver papers bashing my Broncos. It's truly pissing me off. I'm glad the internet lets me read this junk for free. I surely wouldn't pay to be this irritated.
June 30, 2008

12:55 p.m.

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MarcoPolo writes:

The Broncos won 7 games last year. Is that positive enough for ya?
June 30, 2008

1:17 p.m.

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jonnyrotten writes:

I dont' see the humor. Another reason why real football fans can't take the News or Post seriously. You guys should be the go to guys for Broncos coverage and this is what you come up with. Who exactly are you trying to appeal to?

I agree with Miami Mike... check out BroncoTalk.com
June 30, 2008

2:28 p.m.

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OneCreek writes:

Fire Shannahan and cut Marshall.
June 30, 2008

6:09 p.m.

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jonnyrotten writes:

Sorry... BroncosTalk.net
June 30, 2008

6:38 p.m.

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chartguy writes:

I love Drew Litton's cartoon strips. I happen to agree with the sentiment in "Meeting of the Mastermind". I don't see that anything was gained by the animation. Adding motion and sound can help sell an idea. I don't see that they did anything here to do that. A simple, well-crafted drawing would have sufficed.

Think back to the Broncos' organizational chart. That sends the same message, and I think it did it more effectively.

What was gained by animating it? Computer programs allow us to do all sorts of things that we could not do before. That doesn't mean that most of them are good ideas.
June 30, 2008

6:42 p.m.

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Pigskin writes:

Guys like Jupitron are hilarious. They actually think the Denver media is "anti-Bronco."
To those who think the Rocky or Post come at the Broncos hard, you ought to get out a bit more. For the most part, both papers are PR extensions of the team. When someone does throw a punch, it's a cypher like Kiszla or Lincicome. In other words, someone nobody lends any credence to.
In any other NFL city, writers would be playing Hangman with Shanny every day (right or wrong). None of what you see here even begins to touch what you'd see in Philly, New York or Dallas. This stuff is as soft as a doughnut.
There is a difference, Jupitron, between a typical editorial cartoonist and one who is employed solely by the sports department. I've managed both over the years and understand this, so your opinion - which you're entitled to, of course - is irrelevant. Maybe you'll be able to straighten it out for yourself one day.
In the meantime, try denverbroncos.com for the hard-hitting reports you crave.
June 30, 2008

8:21 p.m.

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hmt3 writes:

As a journalist and graphic artist for the San Antonio Express-News, I know how difficult it is to put together a Flash presentation, especially one that incorporates sound. I've done several myself over the past eight years. So I'd say this is pretty dammed good for a first attempt.

If I was going to kvetch, I'd say that the audio levels weren't all consistent. However, it's obvious that the audio is from several different Shanahan interviews, so that's acceptable.

Drew - for an example of some guys that do a good job of creating Flash animations with spoken audio, check out http://homestarrunner.com/ I find the humor a bit juvenile, but the Flash is done very well.

And for the negative posters on here: Drew is a "sports" editorial cartoonist. His job is to provide commentary on sports, especially the Denver sports scene. And as he has said on many occasions, the Broncos make the best material, as long as "this state (Colorado) bleeds orange."

Shanahan won two Super Bowls with John Elway as his quarterback. And the man does know how to pick running backs from out of nowhere. He finally brought Denver some respect in the NFL and the sporting world.

However, he hasn't been able to create any depth in the playoffs since. His job is to win in the regular season and the playoffs. Granted, he's up against 31 other teams that have the same goals, but some of his missteps have left Bronco fans wondering if he was just lucky 10 years ago.

Like it or not, Shanahan is a public figure who has made some bombastic statements. So is our current President. So are the current candidates. So are a lot of public figures. If they're doing something that makes news, then they are subject to commentary by those of us in the Fourth Estate. (We're subject to it too, by both the public and our competition.)

So lighten up on the anger. If you don't like what Drew and others on these pages say, why are you reading them?

It's a bit harder to get Broncos news down here in the heart of Cowboys country; because that's what Texas is. I expect the Texans to eventually fold up and move to L.A. one of these days. Thank God for satellite TV/radio and the Internet. And thank you, Drew. Keep trying.
June 30, 2008

10:48 p.m.

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daRock writes:

Great first attempt, Drew!! You are a great guy and I always enjoy your work.

I look forward to seeing more of your animated work. You go guy!!

And thanks for sharing your work.
June 30, 2008

10:48 p.m.

Suggest removal

daRock writes:

Great first attempt, Drew!! You are a great guy and I always enjoy your work.

I look forward to seeing more of your animated work. You go guy!!

And thanks for sharing your work.
June 30, 2008

11:06 p.m.

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loganthegreat writes:

blasphemy
July 1, 2008

9:51 a.m.

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jibbons writes:

I have been reading the win loose or drew for years, and I typically really appreciate it, but there just wasn't anything there that warranted animation. You could have drawn a picture with the funny looking shanny and the bobble heads in the same frame with a tenth of the dialogue and it would have been funnier.

If you can't up the plot, then maybe you should stick to cartoons. However, if you can bring more to the table (dump the soundbites and do some writting) I am all for it. The animation looked great for for a noob though, so I hope you can bring more in terms of plot.
July 3, 2008

10:44 a.m.

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myerda00 writes:

Drew must be really struggling for work. And Lamcicome is flat stupid. Old redone substance. Is Shanahan a control freak YES and a damn good one.
Hey News sport writters, give us something to read. What about what the coaches thought of the OTA's or what major or minor change could get Broncos to playoff's ?
And do not just gives us some bios of the players or what the players think. They will say great and we are on schedule with the training.
Did the coaches think there were any surprises or disappointments?

Help us get to training camp when the good writers show up.

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Home › Sports › Denver Broncos

'Meeting of the Mastermind'

By Drew Litton, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published June 29, 2008 at 9:45 p.m.

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