Grasshorse Character Animation Studio is throwing down the gavel

WINFIELD - Artists at Grasshorse Studios are throwing down the gavel and preparing opening statements for filming on their new series, 'Puppet Justice.”

The animation studio has been in Winfield for over 10 years and has focused mainly on commercials, public service announcements and character animation. Owner, Steve Jennings, has been involved in the animation business all over the United States before deciding to make Winfield his home base.

His journey

Originally, Jennings wanted to be a cartoonist and thought a degree in graphic design was the best way to accomplish this dream. In high school, he excelled in computers and video production, which supported his decision to pursue a degree in graphic design. 'I made the decision early on to compete in something I was good at rather than compete in something I wasn't,” he said.

He attended four schools, bouncing around to seek the best opportunity, before getting accepted to the California Institute of the Arts, a premier school for character animation. After completing his degree, he stayed in the visual-effects industry for five years before deciding he wanted to work on a smaller scale and switched to animation. 'My whole career, I've tried to respond to positive reinforcement of what people say I'm good at,” he said.

Home to Winfield

Shortly after, Jennings, originally from Ames, began looking for a permanent space for a studio of his own. In 2007, the state of Iowa presented tax incentives that appealed to Jennings and he purchased the building next to the Winfield City Hall for Grasshorse Animation Studios. 'It's been 11 years and we've been here ever since,” he said.

The studio employs freelance artists based on project needs and has had upward of 17 in the studio at one time. Fifteen of those animators were graduates of a program they foster through Southeastern Community College. 'We work hard to try and develop the talent so we can get more and more ambitious projects,” he said.

Animation program

The animation program at Southeastern was born from a workshop the studio hosted. Forty people from around the area came in, including Carlene Woodside, Graphics Communications Program Coordinator at Southeastern. She spoke with Jennings about turning the workshop into a full animation program for the school. The two-year program has been running for seven years and those enrolled are eligible to serve an internship at Grasshorse.

Jennings is on the advisory board for the class and the instructor is a former lead artist at Grasshorse. The school has recently built a new wing for the program and is in the process of upgrading the technology to best suit the students. Once students graduate with their associate degree in applied technology, students have the option of working freelance for Grasshorse or continuing with their education to seek a four-year degree.

Puppet Justice

Although the studio has produced many projects in the past, they have yet to tackle something of this scale. Their show, 'Puppet Justice,” is described by Jennings as 'Judge Judy meets the Muppets for a Saturday Night Live audience.” The show is based on syndicated judge shows, such as 'Judge Joe Brown” or 'Judge Judy,” and will operate much in the same way. Jennings has worked on several scripts himself and says the show is nearly ready to begin production.

The show will consist of a plaintiff, a defendant, a gallery of characters and a judge. The idea came to him one day when he was watching Judge Mathis and thought it would be fun to turn the characters into puppets. The puppets themselves have been drafted and drawn up completely from scratch and most are puns, such as Judge Gavel and Phil A. Sock, a sock who is a former university professor of philosophy.

Creating the show

After the puppets were drawn up, they were either made on plywood or 3D printed. When filming begins, a team member will hold the puppet up and move it accordingly to create the scene. Animators will then go back and animate the movements, making the show digital.

Work on the show has been a four-year-long process. Jennings says this has always been an idea, but due to high demand for product, there was limited time to progress. Within the last six-months, progress has picked up and the project is now on its way to completion. They are using a non-traditional approach of building a fan base first and producing the show second.

Jennings said that by getting people excited about the show, he hopes the support and fan base will follow. 'As soon as I feel that we are at that space where we have enough people that are liking our work, it will make me feel comfortable to say ‘OK, let's take the next step.'”

No release date has been set but Jennings is hoping to begin filming by next fall. Puppet Justice will consist of 22 11-minute-long episodes and will be available for viewing on their YouTube channel.

To support Grasshorse Studios or to learn more, follow them on Instagram at: @puppetjustice or @grasshorse or on YouTube at youtube.com/user/grasshorse.