PROBLEM AND RESOLUTION
Script writing an animation is similar to scripting a live action - you're trying to tell a story with interesting characters.
First of all find the characters. Ask yourself about them: what are they like, what do they think about the world, how do they feel about themselves.
This might sound weird if you are writing about a Teddy Bear Gangster, but no matter what your story world, the best stories are natural unfolding of interesting characters wrestling with difficult problems.
With a good character, now give them a problem.
A problem: John's wife leaves him for a dog.
A resolution: John changes who he is and his wife realises she loves him: they get back together.
That's a hero story.
A tragic version is:
Problem: John's wife leaves him for a dog.
Resolution: John, in a rage, tracks down the dog, kills it, then his wife, and in a blind rage, himself.
Not subtle by any means, but that's okay at this stage.
The point is to know the story that you're writing. Is it a tragedy, a hero's story, or somewhere in between, a tragi-comedy.
When it comes to development you often lose the cliche problem/resolution structure you started with, in favour of something more subtle, realistic and believeable. But problem/resolution is a great place to start with to get the engine going.
Some resources:
Scripts and other stuff, especially animation.
http://www.jeffreyscott.tv/
Some great stuff here on writing for animation. Real keep it simple stuff. Avoiding common mistakes. This guy did Ren and Stimpy, so he knows his stuff. There's loads of brilliant stuff on writing, continuity, all from the horses mouth.
http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2007/03/writing-for-animation-keep-it-simple.html
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
Brilliant Short Films
Here's some superbly constructed short films.
Massive and brilliant Aardman stop motion.
I have problems calling this one a STORY, cause its not. It is about surface level IMAGE. Much like aTransformers movie. No story, pretty to look at. It is a beautiful, inspiring use of stop motion.
In terms of storytelling, this is a very short tradegy.
This video shows these people have watched Stuart Blackton! Look at how similar his film in the early 20th century is to this one!
Here's his original again.
There's madness going on here. Bits of movies which you can link to further. Love the delivery.
There is a story in here somewhere, however there is probably more in spectacle than anything. Simple, interesting technique though.
Goodness me, it is hard to find good stop motion that also tells a story. Maybe animators don't care as much as script writers! This lego one is intended to sell, but there is no story.
Stay with this one. It's slow to begin with. It gets good and then something is missing towards the end. Well, it was for me. More art than story.
Wonderful stylistic deeply rooted images. Don't search for a story, its buried too deep under the gorgeous visuals.
Lovely use of stop motion with just objects a little bit of people. The colour is beautiful, every shot is treated with care and attention. Good song too.
So, how is this done, this minaturisation?
Lovely.
Massive and brilliant Aardman stop motion.
I have problems calling this one a STORY, cause its not. It is about surface level IMAGE. Much like aTransformers movie. No story, pretty to look at. It is a beautiful, inspiring use of stop motion.
In terms of storytelling, this is a very short tradegy.
This video shows these people have watched Stuart Blackton! Look at how similar his film in the early 20th century is to this one!
Here's his original again.
There's madness going on here. Bits of movies which you can link to further. Love the delivery.
There is a story in here somewhere, however there is probably more in spectacle than anything. Simple, interesting technique though.
Goodness me, it is hard to find good stop motion that also tells a story. Maybe animators don't care as much as script writers! This lego one is intended to sell, but there is no story.
Stay with this one. It's slow to begin with. It gets good and then something is missing towards the end. Well, it was for me. More art than story.
Wonderful stylistic deeply rooted images. Don't search for a story, its buried too deep under the gorgeous visuals.
Lovely use of stop motion with just objects a little bit of people. The colour is beautiful, every shot is treated with care and attention. Good song too.
So, how is this done, this minaturisation?
Lovely.
Tuesday, 18 January 2011
Making Characters: First Steps
If you're at the stage of nearly completing an animatic then you're ready to go into PRE-PRODUCTION.
Simply put, pre-production is where we get ready all the things we need to animate.
Like characters, sets, lighting, some tests around how we want the characters to move, maybe some camera tests as well.
Of course, you'll be working to a schedule, so you'll only have a certain amount of time and you need to use it wisely I guess.
First up, lets look at building characters. We've put up on blackboard a simple guide to building characters using plastercine and pipe cleaners. Take a look at it. It's a good guide to a simple step by step approach to making a character that will last.
First though, here's an Aardman Animation Director talking through some of the more important creative points to remember when you are making a character.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/stop-motion-explained-by-an-aardman-animator/10151.html
Simply put, pre-production is where we get ready all the things we need to animate.
Like characters, sets, lighting, some tests around how we want the characters to move, maybe some camera tests as well.
Of course, you'll be working to a schedule, so you'll only have a certain amount of time and you need to use it wisely I guess.
First up, lets look at building characters. We've put up on blackboard a simple guide to building characters using plastercine and pipe cleaners. Take a look at it. It's a good guide to a simple step by step approach to making a character that will last.
First though, here's an Aardman Animation Director talking through some of the more important creative points to remember when you are making a character.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/stop-motion-explained-by-an-aardman-animator/10151.html
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