Freeform: Just Wondering

Freeform: Just Wondering
Type	Series of bumpers
Aired	2001
Block	Daytime block

Freeform: Just Wondering was a series of bumpers that Noggin aired in summer 2001. Each one was centered around figuring out the answer to a random summer-related question. For example, one measured whether a snail or a worm would be faster in a race. In another, three types of ice cream were left out in the sun to see which one lasted the longest. These bumpers were part of Noggin's "lazy summer" promos.

Production

The bumpers were filmed and directed by David Chartier at his studio, Loop Filmworks. Each bumper features footage of an outdoor experiment. The concept behind them was that each bumper was "told from the perspective of a precocious kid who uses his parents' video camera to capture things he's curious about." Loop Filmworks' design team added a graphic interface to each bumper with icons that explained and introduced each experiment. In August 2001, the magazine Animation World Network published an interview with Loop Filmworks about the bumpers (archived here):

David Chartier: "We came up with about 10-12 clever kid-like experiments, without resorting to burning ants, and shot them on location using a digital camera in a verite style. This is a unique style for us. We're primarily known as an animation house, but we have had a lot of experience with live-action - both short-form and long-form. This project allowed us to show all of our capabilities by shooting the live-action, designing 3D animated graphics and posting it completely in-house. In every phase the project was very conceptual and we were able to pull it off quite well." (source)

Segments

The questions asked and answered were:

• Which ice cream lasts longest? Shortcake, mocha chip, or twin pop?
• What does a dive look like from the other side?
• What kind of paper boat floats best? A motorboat, a canoe, or the classic style?
• Which is faster - worm or snail?
• What do fish like best? A gummy worm, a worm, or another fish?
• How many ants can you fit on a lollipop?

Gallery