AnimatedStorytelling

SimpleStepsForCreatingAnimation&MotionGraphics

LIZBLAZER

AnimatedStorytellingSimpleStepsforCreatingAnimation&MotionGraphicsLizBlazerPeachpitPress

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Thisbookisdedicatedto:EvanStoryOliverandJeffOliver

AcknowledgmentsArialCosta,forsharinghisspirit,immensetalent,andartistry.Hisillustrationsonthecoverandthroughoutthisbookaretheworkofamultitalentedwizard.

NikkiMcDonald,forsupportingthisbookineveryway.Ithasbeenanhonorandprivilegetoworkwithyou.

JanSeymour,theeditoreverywriterhopesfor—supportive,sharpasawhip,andcreative.Jan,youmadetheeditingprocessfreeofstressandfullofjoy.

TothePeachpitcrew,TraceyCroom,MimiHeft,KimScott,andKimWimpsett,thankyouforyourcareandprofessionalisminhelpingmecompletethisbook.

IhumblythankandamdeeplyindebtedtoRobinLanda,ChristinePanushka,DeniseAnderson,LauraMenza,MarcGolden,BillMoore,BrianOakes,BrookeKeesling,AlanRobbins,KarinFong,KimDulaney,SterlingSheehy,GregAraya,ColinElliot,ErinElliot,MikeEnright,YorikoMurakami,USCSchoolofCinematicArts,TEDActive,TED-Ed,StephanieLo,JeremiahDickey,SarahShewey,KellyYoungStoetzel,ElizabethDaley,KathySmith,SheilaSofian,LisaMann,MarElepano,JohnAndrews,LeahShore,ElaineMontoya,BeckyPadilla,JustinCone,CarlosElAsmar,RonDiamond,BonitaBlazer,JonBlazer,andSheldonBlazer.

Thisbookcouldnothavebeenwrittenwithoutthecollaboration,editing,andlovefrommyhusband,JeffOliver.

ArtCreditsArielCosta,CodyWalzel,SiriratYoomThawilvejakul,PhilBorst,JamieCaliri,LouisMorton,MichaelWaldron,RichardBorge,SterlingSheehy,ColinElliot,NathalieRodriguez,JialiMa,KimDulaney,PassionPictures,Psyop,TheMill,VonGlitschka,IanWright,JordanBruner,MaciekJanicki,GregoryHerman,StefanBucher,HsinpingPan,JamesLancett,SeanWeston,AnNgo,RichardE.Cytowic,TED-Ed,AlbertoScirocco,leftchannel,KarinFong,SonyPlayStation,ImaginaryForces,MiguelJiron,MarshaKinder,MarkJonathanHarris,ScottMahoy,andJuliaPott

TableofContents1Pre-Production

Thedoorwaytoawell-plannedanimatedpiece

2Storytelling

Tamethelimitlessmedium

3Storyboarding

Buildyourvisualscript

4ColorSense

Enhanceyourstorywiththerightpalette

5WeirdScience

Experimentwithanimation

6SoundIdeas

Getyouraudioandstoryinsync

7DesignWonderland

Worldbuildingandenvironmentaldesign

8Technique

Marrystyleandstory

9Animate!

Big-picturethinking,framebyframe

10ShowandTell

Create,share,andnetwork

IntroductionWeliveinamagicaleraforanimatedstorytelling.Filmfestivalshavesprungupworldwidetocelebratenewanimation,televisionandthewebarepackedwithanimatedcontentforbothkidsandadults,andadvertisersarehungrilyseekingfreshtalenttoconnectwithaudiencesinameaningfulway.Skilledstorytellersspecializinginanimationareinhighdemand,andtheopportunitiestothriveinthefieldareeverexpanding.Andyet(untilnow)ithasbeendifficulttofindaresourceaimedatprovidingtheskillsnecessarytobecomeasuccessfulanimatedstoryteller.

Thisbookisastep-by-stepguideonhowtomakegreatstoriesforbothanimationandmotiongraphics.It’sbasedontheideathatwhetheryouarecreatingacharacter-basednarrativeorexperimentalfilmforfestivals,anadvertisementfortelevisionortheweb,oramotiongraphicstitlesequence,beingintentionalaboutstorytellingisthekeytosuccess.

Intensimplestepsbeginningwithpre-productionandstoryboardingthroughcolorandsoundandfinallytoanimation,thisbookwillprovideyouwiththetoolsyouneedtocreateaneffectiveanimatedstory.You’llfindconciseexplanations,usefulexamples,andshortassignmentsallowingyoutosetthetheoryyou’velearnedintoaction.You’llalsofindhintsonhowtotakefulladvantageofanimation’slimitlesspotential.

Bigconsiderationwentintotheideaofexploringanimationalongsidemotiongraphicsinthesamebook.Thetwoformsareoftentreatedasiftheycomefromdifferentworlds.Certainly,theygrewupindifferentneighborhoods.Animation(forthemostpart)hasbeenlumpedintothefilmmakingdiscipline,withitscommitmenttoexperimentalandcharacter-drivenstoriesdestinedfortelevision,movietheaters,andvideogameconsoles.Thestudyofmotiongraphics,meanwhile,hasbeenpartofthegraphicdesigndiscipline,whereitsfocusonbrandingandcontentpromotionhasmadeitessentialtoadvertisements,broadcastgraphics,andfilmtitles,tonameafew.Animationandmotiongraphicshavebeenkeptapart,andyetthesetwoformshavemuchincommonandsoverymuchtolearnfromoneanother.Theyarepresentedtogetherinthisbookbecausetheyexisthand-in-handandbecausetheirlessonsaremutuallybeneficial.

ForyouanimatedfilmmakerseagertogetyourexperimentalshortintotheOttawaInternationalAnimationFestival,you’llfindplentyinthisbookthatspeaksdirectlytoyourgoal,butIalsourgeyoutobeinfluencedbythe“commercial”cultureofmotiongraphicswhichstressesdisciplineandstrictdeadlines.ItwillhelpyougetthatshortcompletedandmailedofftoCanadaintime.Andforyoumotiongraphicsartistsworkingonanewcommercialspot,Iaddressyoudirectlyandoften,butpaycloseattentiontothelessonsofanimation’sexperimentalismandstorytellingstructures.Yourmotionworkwillthriveunderitsinfluence.

Soflipapageandstartthefun.Getreadytolearnscoresofpracticalskills,butknowyou’realsoheadedonapersonaljourney.Thisisaboutyougainingtheconfidencetotellthestoriesyou’vealwayswantedtotellandbecomingthestorytelleryouwerealwaysmeanttobe.Let’sgettoit…andmaytheanimatedstorytellingbegin!

1.Pre-Production

Thedoorwaytoawell-plannedanimatedpiece

Animationisalimitlessstorytellingmedium.Artistscancreateworlds,defygravity,flipfromfactualtofantasy,andtransportaudiencestoplacestheyneverimagined.Butjumpingrightintoanimationbeforecompletingthestagesofpre-productioniskindoflike

climbingintotheringwithaprizefighterwithouthavinghadasingleboxinglesson.Youmightgetaluckyjabinhereorthere,butafterthatit’sgoingtobeabloodbath.

Animatedstorytellingisallaboutplanning.Mostfailedprojectsreachthatlowpointbecauseadirectorbegananimatingbeforeansweringthreeessentialquestionsabouttheproject:Whatisit?Whatdoesitlooklike?andWhatisitmadeof?Inthischapteryou’llanswerthesequestionsinthreesimplesteps:ConceptDevelopment,Previsualization,andAssetBuilding.

Ifyoulearnnothingelsefromthisentirebook,learnthattheanimationmuseissecretlyananxiousplannerandyoumustlearnfromherexample.Whenshecomestovisit,sheexpectsherguestroomtobetidywithadetaileditineraryofalltheplacesyou’regoingtotakeherlaidoutonherbed,maybeevensomemintchocolatesonthepillow.Setupthemuse’sguestroomasshelikes;inotherwords,takepre-productionveryseriouslyorriskwastingweeks,evenmonths,workingonscenesthatdon’tfitor,worse,failtocompleteyourproject.Ignorethesestepsatyourownperil!

ConceptDevelopmentWhatisit?Thesinglemostannoyingquestionyoucanaskanartist:“So,what’syourpieceabout?”Themostprevalentresponse:“Um,I’mnotreadytotalkaboutit.”Well,getreadytotalkaboutit,Picasso.Clarityiskinginconceptdevelopment,whetheryou’remakingavisuallydrivenanimatedfestivalfilmoraclient-commissionedmotiongraphicspiecewitheither“somethingtotell”(suchasapublicserviceannouncement)or“somethingtosell”(likeanadvertisement).Untilyoucananswerthenaggingquestionofwhatexactlyitisyou’redoing,gonofurther.

StartwithaCreativeBriefIfyou’reworkingwithaclient,whetheritbeonahigh-budgetfilmtrailer,apublicserviceannouncement(PSA)forawebsite,oranadvertisementforTV,you’llmostlikelybegivenacreativebrief.Ifdoneright,thisdocumentshouldexplaintheclient’saimsandobjectives(whattheprojectmustbeandhowlong),audience,andmilestonedeadlinesfortheproject.Corporateculturedoesn’talwaysgetitright,butthey’reontosomethinghere.Thecreativebriefforcestheclientandcreativetogetonthesamepage(oratleastsomewhereclose).Ifyou’renotworkingwithaclient,thenIhighlyrecommendthatyouwriteyourowncreativebrief.

Weallhaveoureccentricprocessesandnothing’ssure-fire.ButIliketostepawayfromthecomputer,tapeabunchofblankpiecesofpapertothewall,andbreakoutaMagicMarker.What?Youdon’thaveanypaper?OKthen,Post-itNotes®?They’lldofine!Juststepawayfromthecomputer,grabsomekindofwritingutensil,andwritedownthefollowingbasicinformation:

Whatmustitbe?Shortfilm,PSA,advertisement,movietrailer,etc.

Whoisitfor?Filmfestivals,TVaudienceconsistingof11-to14-year-oldboys,myauntMaureen,etc.

Howlongmustitbe?Thirtyseconds,twominutes,etc.

Whatisyourobjectivewiththepiece?Toselldiapers,toraisemoneyforbreastcancer,tointroduceacomplexworldinafeaturefilm,etc.

Whenisitdue?Inamonth,insixmonths,etc.

Ihighlyrecommendcreatingacalendarthatworksbackwardsfromtheabsoluteduedatewithweeklymilestonesthatyouintendtosticktoalongtheway.SimplyGoogle“blankcalendar,”printthatbabyout,andmarkamilestoneoneachSaturdaythatmustbemetoryoudon’tgettogotoSam’s90sbashonSaturdaynight.

Done?Good.Answeringthepreviousquestionsisliketidyingupforthemuse,whichissmart,becauseshe’snearlyarrivingforherfirstvisit.

SummontheMuseYounowknowwhatyourprojectmustbe,whoit’sfor,andwhenthemilestonesaredue,butyoustilldon’tknowwhatyourprojectis.Again,stepawayfromyourcomputer;themusewillpopintohelpwhenyou’reactiveandbrainstorming.Now,approachtheblankpagesorPost-its®thatyou’vetapedtothewallandwriteyourBigIdeaupatthetop.ForapersonalprojectthatBigIdeaisuptoyou;perhapsyouwanttocreateashortfilminspiredbyarecentbreak-upandyourBigIdeatoexploreisfirstlove.Withaclient-basedassignmentyou’lllikelybegiventheBigIdea,forexample,aPSAonwaterpollutionoranairlinecommercialaboutbringingfamilytogether.Nowgrabthatmarkertight,becauseheregoes!

IwantyoutowritedowneverythingyouknowandfeelaboutyourBigIdea,whetherit’sfirstloveortheairlinecommercial.CompletelyemptyyourbrainofyourassociationswiththatBigIdeaontothepages.

Withfirstlove,explorethememories,wonders,pain,imagesthatflashinyourmind,wordsthatyouassociatewithitnomatterhowbizarre,andsoon.Foranadvertisementforanairline,writedownrecollectionsofpastflightsandimageryandemotionalconnectionsyouhavetotravel.Don’tworryifit’snegative(badairlinefoodorthesizeof

thebathroom)becauseyoucanalwaysflipthatlater.Thepointis,totalhonesty.Writethosethingsdown,fillingasmanypagesasyoucanuntilyouhavenothinglefttowrite—literallyuntilyourheadiscompletelyemptyofanythingelsetosayonthesubject.

Onceyou’vereleasedallthoughtsandfreeassociationsonthesubject,pushyourselftowritedowntwoorthreemorethings.Thiswholeprocessshouldtakebetween15and30minutes.

Thestoryisupthere!Nowthatyou’veemptiedyourbrainonthesubjectofyourBigIdea,circlethewordsandideasthatyoufindmostcompelling.Trytonarrowthelisttoyourfavorites—maybefourorfivegreatones.Sometimestherewillbeaniceconnectionbetweenthebestones.Ifit’sfirstlovethatyou’veexplored,thenyoumightcircleanidealike“It’saboutacceptingfaults”oranimagelike“Thewayhisshoelaceswerealwaysuntied.”Thesubjectofairlinetravelmightofferimagesofbeinggreetedbyalovedoneattheairport,theword“takeoff,”orevencrampedspaceincoachandthedreamofonedayhavingmorelegroomandasoftcushioninfirstclass.

Storytellingisasoldasdirt.Peoplehavebeenmakingupstoriessincecavedwellingtimes.Ourbrainsarewiredtomakeconnectionsandfindnarratives.Yes,yourbrain,too.

Foryourstoryoffirstlove,forinstance,justfocusingonthefeelingthatloveis“aboutacceptingfaults”andtheimagesof“hisuntiedshoelaces”maysparkanarrativeinyourmind.Justriffinghere,butlet’ssayit’saboutaneatandprimgirlwholovesaverymessyboywhoseshoelacesarealwaysuntied.Shekeepstryingtoneatenthemessyboyupandalwaystieshisshoelaceseventhoughheprefersthemuntied.Theygetinafightoveritandbreakup.Theneatgirlisinconsolable—shemissestheboyandevenhissloppy,untiedshoes.Sherunsouttofindhimbutthereheisatherdoor.Hehasflowersandisdressedverytidilywithhisshoelacesalllacedup.Thegirlsmilesseeingthathechangedforher.Shetakestheflowersbutthenbendsdownanduntieshisshoesandmussesuphishair.Theboysmileswidely,seeingthatshefinallyloveshimforwhoheis.

Fortheairplaneadweidentified“takeoff”andbeingcrampedincoachanddreamingofsittinginfirstclasswithmorelegroomandasoftpillow.So,maybewestartwiththatimageofaperson(Jane)stuckinacrampedseatonaflightthatwon’tleavetherunway,intotalmisery.Sheshutshereyestightandtriestovisualizeabetterairplanesituation:aspaciousseat,asoftpillow,akindandlovelysteward…butBOOM…she’swokenbyanudging.Janereluctantlyopenshereyesbutissurprisedbythelovelyfaceofaflightattendant(wearingtheuniformoftheairlineyou’retryingtosell).TheflightattendantsmilesandgentlynudgesJaneagainwiththesoftpillowsherequested.Janeacceptsitonlytonoticethatsheis(asshedreamed)nowinamuchmorespaciousandcomfortableseat.Theflightattendantsmilesagainandsays,“Timefortakeoff.”Janesnugglesintoherpillowonherspaciousseatandcloseshereyesagain,thistimewithapeacefulsmileastheplanedeparts.

I’mthefirsttoadmit,it’snotexactlyShakespeare,butyourbrainwantstomakeconnectionsbetweencharacters,anditlovestoresolveconflictinstories.Beginwiththosemeaningfulideasorimagesthatyou’vecircledandstarttodaydream.No,youcan’tdaydreamwhilescrollingthroughInstagram.Closeyoureyes,talktoyourself,pacetheroom,standundertheshower,makeyourselfabitbored,butkeepfocusedonthefourorfiveideasthatyou’vecircledinyournotes.Thestoryisalreadyupthere;youjustneedtoallowyourmindtimetoputtogetheranarrativeinawaythatworksforyou.

OnwritingDon’tworry,I’mnotgoingtogetintoawholethingaboutwriting.Thereareamillionbookswrittenbyprizewinnersonthesubject.TheonlyadviceI’mgoingtogivecomesfromErnestHemingway,whoknowsathingortwoaboutstringingwordstogether.Hesays,“Thefirstdraftofanythingis[BLEEP]!”Ifthat’strue,thenwhyworry?Asyougetintothefollowingwritingassignmentsdon’tstressout,justgetthosewordsdownonpaper;there’splentyoftimetoedit,sodon’tworryifitallsoundslikeBLEEP!

HoneYourPitchDon’tgointhewater.—TaglineforthefilmJaws(1975)

Fivewords.That’sallittooktoboildownStevenSpielberg’sblockbusterfilmaboutaman-eatinggreatwhitesharkthatterrorizesbeachgoersatasmallsummerresort.Butbelieveitornot,togetthosefivewords,thetagline’sauthorneededtoknowexactlywhattheprojectwasaboutandwhomitwasfor.

Atthispoint,sodoyou.

Mindyou,you’renotcreatingataglinetopromotesomemillion-dollarproductorsomemulti-billion–dollarfilm.Instead,you’lluseyourtaglineasameanstobetterunderstandyourownwork.Writingataglineforcesyoutoknowyourprojectintimatelyand,justasimportant,kicksoffacommitmenttoabrandingprocessforyourproject.

Beforeyoucancomeupwithatagline,however,you’llneedtocraftyourelevatorpitch.Here,you’regettingreadyforthemuse’ssecondvisit;youwanthertobeperfectlysatisfiedwithyourplanningandpreparation.First,writedownwhatyouwantthetoneofyourpiecetobe.Thatis,howwouldyouwantpeopletodescribeit?Shouldtheybesayingthatit’sheartfelt,scary,funny,dramatic,informative?Isitquirky,melancholic,outrageous,urban,loud?Throwthebesttonalwordsuponthewall.

Next,writedowntheplotofyourstoryinasentenceortwo.Plotiswhatthestoryis“about.”ForJaws,“agreatwhitesharkterrorizesasmallbeachtownuntilabravegroupofsharkhuntersgoontheoffensive.”Makeitsimpleand,really,twosentencesmax.

Underneaththeplot,you’llworkwiththeme.Themeisthedeepmessageofyourstorythatyoumaynotevenplan.Writedownvariousthemesofthestory,thatis,whatyourstoryis“reallyabout.”ForJaws,thiscouldbe“manversusnature,”“fearoftheunknown,”or“humanvulnerability.”What’scoolaboutthemeisthatitcanbeinterpretedinmanyways,soyoucanmakewhateverinterpretationsuitsyouaslongasitmakessensetoyourstory.Asimplelovestorymayendupbeingreallyaboutcowardiceoraboutgratitude.It’suptoyoutoidentifywhatyourpieceis“reallyabout”deepdown;you’regoingtoneedtofigurethatoutandputitonthewall.

Finally,writeonesentencecombiningthethreeconceptstobecometheelevatorpitch:“Jawsisaterrifyingmovie(tone)thatpitsaman-eatingsharkagainstasmallbeachtown(plot)withanunderlyingmanversusnatureidea(theme).”Okay,youhavenoworganizedyourstoryintotone,plot,andtheme.Beautiful!You’refullyorganizedandreadytomoveontoyourtagline.

Ifyou’reverylucky,thewordswillalreadybeinyourelevatorpitch.Forinstance,regardingthefirstlovestorywediscussedpreviously,youmayfocusontheuntiedshoelacesandgowithasimpletaglinelike“Love,Untied”ormaybesomethingabouttheboybeingmessylike“FirstLoveCanBeMessy.”

Thegoodthingsaboutataglineisthatyoucanuseitasaguideasyou’recreatingyourproject,andifyouusethetaglineforpromotion,theviewer’sexpectationswillprettymuchmatchthestory:Thetoneisgoingtobesweet,it’sgoingtobeaboutlove,andyougetthesensethatthingswon’tgoperfectly(butwon’tgohorriblywrong,either).

Fortheairlinead(andImustremindyouthatwe’renotlookingforataglinefortheairline,justyourpiece),youmayfocusontheword“takeoff”andJane’sdaydreamofabetterseat.Maybe“TakeoffasYouImagined”or,evenfocusingonthespaciousnessoftheseat,“DreamBigger.”Thereissomewordplaythatgoesintoit;Googledoeshelpinthisinstance,buttrynottogetcaughtupinbeingtoowitty.Again,clarityisthekey—orasbrandingfolkslovetosay(butoftenfailtoachieve):“Clarityovercleverness.”Whenthemuseshows,you’redonewithpreparations;conceptdevelopmentiscomplete.

PrevisualizationWhatdoesitlooklike?Lookatyou!You’venailedyourstorytoafewsimplewords,andthat’sessentialforyoutomoveontothenextstepofpre-production.

Previsualizationisalsoreferredtoasvisualdevelopmentorconceptart.AndFYI,folksinthebusinesscallitprevisforshort.Whateveryoucallit,thisstagehelpsdefinethelookandfeelofyourproductionbeforeitbegins.Previsualizationcanrangefromsimplesketchestofullyrenderedcharactersandbackgrounds.Previsservestobothsolidifydesigndirectionaswellasestablishanimationtechniquesandmethods.Itgivesyoutheopportunitytoexperimentwithvisualdirections,materials,andanimation.We’vediscussedtone,plot,andtheme,buthowdoyouwantyourprojecttolookandfeel?Willpeopledescribeitasgraphic,textural,clean,gritty,minimal,edgy,vintage?Willyourprojecthaveahandmadeaestheticorwillitbemoresimpleandmechanical?Gettingthelookandfeelrightisthefirststepinexpressingyourideavisually.

CodyWalzel,SketchbookArt

BeinfluencedI’dlovetotellyoujusttocloseyoureyesanddreamupalookandfeelthat’suniquelyyours.Ifyoucan,byallmeansdoso.Youmayalreadyhaveafirmgrasponhowyouwantyourpiecetolookandfeel.Butit’sokaytobeinfluenced,andthereshouldbenoshameincheckingouthowotherartistshavedonethingsinthepast.Imean,youprobablygotintoanimationbecauseyoulovedsomeoneelse’swork,sowhyshutyourselfofftothatinfluencenow?WhenItellyoutojumpontheInternetandwatchlotsofmotiongraphicsandanimatedshortsandcommercials,havefun,butrememberthatyouaredoingrealworkhere.Thisisresearch,soIdon’twanttocatchyoubingewatchingOldSpicecommercialsonYouTubeandforgettingtheplan(thoughthatTerryCrewsguyishilarious!).Thebiggestmistakeartistsmakeisnotspendingtimelookingforgoodreferences;inotherwords,don’tsetouttomakesomethingtotallyoriginalwithoutlookingforinfluences.Inordertomakesomethingtrulyfresh,youmuststudywhathasbeendonebefore,andthatmeansfindingthosereferences.

Createafileonyourcomputercalled“References”andinitcollectscreenshotsoftheimagesyoufindonlinethatyoulikeorfeelarepertinenttoyourpiece.Maybeonepiecehasacolortreatmentthatappealstoyouoravisualrhythmorstorystructurethatfeelsright.Fillthefilewithlotsofthingsyouwanttobeinfluencedby.Thinkaboutwhatexactlydrawsyoutoeachpieceandletthatguidethedirectionofyourproject.Ifyouwant,writedownthosethoughts.

ExperimentOh,muse?Weneedyouagain!You’rebusy?Shucks…

Ohwell,we’vegottodothisoneonourown.Butguesswhat?We’lldojustfinewithoutherbecausewe’relearningtobemoreorganized.Warning:Itmightgetalittlemessy!

First,stepawayfromthecomputeragain!Ifirmlybelievethatthebestexperimentationhappensinthephysicalworld.AfterallthattimeGooglingandgrabbingimagesonline,yourmindwillrespondtothetactile.AndyoushouldgetalittlebitDIYhere.Grabsomecoloredpencils,cardboard,watercolors,cottonballs,sandpaper,Play-Doh,crayons,coffeegrinds…basicallyraidakindergartenclassandthrowonamessysweatshirt.Oh,andmusic,becauseasweallknow,musichelpsspikecreativity.Soblastit—andifyourneighborsthreatentocallthecops,settleforheadphones.

Nowgetwild:Drawwithyourlefthand,spillcoffee,meltcrayons,letyourselfbeinventive.Thinkaboutsomeoftheimagesinyourpieceanddeconstructtheminanefforttoseethingsfromanotherangle.Youmaybesurprisedhowfreeingitistotreatdesignlikeascienceexperiment.

ImpactyourstorywithdesignIknowItoldyouwaybackinthebeginningofthischapterthatyourstorywasgettingsealedup,butthat’snottosayitcan’tevolve.Doingthekindofprevisualizationworkthatyou’vedonesofarwillinevitablyimpactyourstory.Animatorsandmotionartistsoftengobackandforthbetweendesigningandrefiningtheirconceptandthestorybeats(moreonthisinthenextchapter).Thishappensbecauseprevisualizationforcesyoutopointamagnifyingglassontheprimaryimagesofyourstory.Adragonthatyoucreatedforyourantacidcommercialtorepresenttummytroublesmightworkbetterwithagoofy-facedesign:Suddenlyyourealizethatthedragondoesn’thavetobethenastyfire-breathingkindandinsteadcanbenuttyandclumsy.Yourbraveknightmaydecidetoplayatrickonthesillydragoninsteadofviolentlylancinghimwithasword.That’sanexampleofstorychangingduetovisualdevelopment.Bepreparedandflexibleforthedesignprocesstoinformthisconceptdevelopment.It’sanessentialpartofthestorytellingprocess.

Ifyourstorydoeschangeasaresultofvisualconceptdevelopment,pleasegobackandchangeyourelevatorpitchand(ifyouneedto)evenyourtaglinetomatch.Sorry!

Sincerely,TheManagement.

AssetBuildingWhatisitmadeof?Assetsareallofthepiecesyou’llneedtobeginanimating.Assetscouldrangefromlogos,characterdesigns,replacementpieces,props,backgrounds,liveactionfiles,fonts,colorscripts,soundeffects,andmore.Allofthe“stuff”you’llneedtogointhereandmakethemagichappen.Whileyouwon’tbeabletofinalizeyourassetsbeforecreatingyourstoryboardandscript(whichwe’lltackleinthenextchapters),youcangetstartedonasset

buildingandcreatinganorganizationsystemwithwell-markedfiles.And,whoknows?Youmightbeluckyandalreadyhavesomeassetsthatyoumadehereinprevisualizationthatyou’llendupusinginyourfinalpiece.Guesswhat?You’vecompletedtheimportantstepsofpre-production!Prettysoonyou’llbeoffandrunning,animatingthroughthenight,headedforfame,fortune,andashelffullofawards.AndI’msureyou’veinternalizedeverythingwe’vegoneover,right?Asareminder,herearetheimportantstepsofpre-production.

Pre-ProductionRecap

1.Writeacreativebrief.

2.Identifyyourbigideaandcreateastoryline.

3.Developanelevatorpitchandtagline.

4.Determineyourproject’slookandfeelthroughinfluenceandexperimentingwithdesigndirections.

5.Makechangestoyourstorybasedondesigndecisions.

6.Beginbuildingandorganizingyourassets.

SiriratYoomThawilvejakul,MusicStudio

Assignment:CreateanadvertisementforaplaceNowlet’stryashortassignmentwhereyougettocreateyourownadvertisement.

Usingallofthestepswe’velearnedinthischapter,takeastabatpre-productiononanadvertisementforTV.Createa20-secondadforaplace(realorimagined):acity,state,country,mall,zoo,bar,bowlingalley,planet,orthelike.Thegoalistomakeitfeellikesomewherepeoplewouldactuallywanttogo.Thedemographicyou’rereachingandthe

reasonforthemwantingtogotherearecompletelyuptoyou.

Youcanfleshoutyourconceptusingtheeightframesbelowtocommunicateyourconceptwithabeginning,middle,andend.

2.Storytelling

Tamethelimitlessmedium

Therearelotsofreasonstolovetellingstoriesusinganimation.Butthebestreason?Therearenolimits.Youcanbreaktherulesofgravity,tossasidethespace-timecontinuum,inventimpossibleworlds,andtakeyouraudienceonajourneysimplywithshapes,sounds,andcolors.Wantagloriousswirlingmomentinhumanhistorytotakeplaceona

singlebladeofgrass?Goforit.Wantpeopletoliterallyweartheirheartsontheirsleeves?It’syourworld!Anythingispossibleandanythinggoes.

Withsuchpossibilitycomestheopportunitytostretchthelimitsofyourimaginationandindulgeinthemedium’sboundlessworld.Butdoyouthinkyourmindhasn’tthecapacitytocreatenever-before-seenworlds?Thinkaboutthelastdreamyouhad—likelyitbrokeallsortsoflawsofphysics,andmaybeevenmorality!Yourmindisadeepwelloftheimpossibleandisboundlesslycreative,Iassureyou.

Firstwe’llcoverastandardstorytellingmodel,followedlaterby“non-narrativestorytelling”inwhichI’llencourageyoutoseeforyourselfhowfarbeyondtheboundsyoucango:You’llbepromptedtotelltwostories,onestraightforwardandtheotherlikeajazzriff,apost-modernpoem,adreamscapethattakesaudiencesonanunpredictableandevenuncomfortablevoyage.Iwillencourageyoutogohogwild.

Butthegreatchallengeincreatingmeaningfulanimatedstoriesislessaboutlettingyourimaginationflyfree.Weknowitcandothat.Thegreatchallengeismoreaboutdiscipliningyourselftoreelitinandbeintentionalaboutyourstorytellingchoices.Becausewhatismostconsistentamongwell-craftedanimatedstoriesislesshowmind-bendingofaworldtheartistcreatedbutmorehowmuchdisciplinetheyexercisedinlimitingtheirchoices,especiallyasitpertainstostorytelling.Withthischapterwe’llfollowtwostorytellingpathsthatallowfordisciplinedcreativity.

StoryStructureInthelastchapteryousummonedthestorytellingmuseandestablishedyournarrativeidea.Youevenwhittleddownyourstoryideaintoafewchoicewords.Nowit’stimetoplotthatbabyoutandseewherethestory“beats”are.

You’veGottheBeatsBeatsareallthemomentsoractivestepsthatmoveyourstoryforward,and“plottingthemout”meanslayingdownthosebeatsintoanorderthatcreatesthemostemotionalimpact.Everywriter’sroominAmericausesgoodold-fashionedcuecardstoplotoutstoryandrecordthebeats.Cuecardshaveamagicalqualitybecausetheycanbemovedaround,thrownout,andamendedinseconds.Theyremindusthatstoriesaremalleableandthatnocardispreciousuntilthey’reallintheirfinalorder.Sopleasestepawayfromyoursparkling27-inchretinamonitor,grabapackofthree-dollarcuecards,andlet’sgettowork.

Artist’sNote

Ifsketchingoutyourbeatsonthecuecardsismoreintuitiveforyouthanwriting,thenbyallmeanssketchyourbeats.Justmakesurethatthesketchesareroughenoughthatyoudon’tmindthrowingthemoutlater.

Onyourstackofcuecards,goaheadandwritedown/sketchoutallofthemomentsthatmoveyourstoryalonguntiltheconclusion.Eachcardshouldrepresentanactivesteporbeatinthestorylineandcanbebothphysicaland/oremotional.Forexample,supposeyouhaveastoryofalionhuntingforfood.Thelionstalkingpreyisanactivestep,asisthe

lionfeelshungry.Treateachofthesebeatsasthesamelevelofimportancefornow.Anddon’tworrytoomuchifyouhaven’tfiguredoutthespecificsofhowyouwillshowthesebeatsyet.Yourcardsmightread“Lionstalksprey”and“Showthatlionishungry.”Youjotthesedownonthecard,eventhoughyoumaynotyethavefiguredouthowtoshowthehuntandifyouwantyourlion’stummytorumbleoryouwanttoexpresshishungerinanotherway.Forashortanimatedpiece,youshouldendupwithanicelittlestack,between15and30cardsintotal.

Three-ActStructure:ProblemsSolvedNowthatyou’vegotyourstackofcuecardsthatencompasseveryelementofwhathappensinyourstory,placethoseonthewallinchronologicalorderinthreeseparaterows.Thesethreerowsrepresentatraditionalthree-actstorytellingstructure,which,atitsmostdistilled,isalinearstorywiththreebasicstepsoracts(andisperfectlysuitedtoshorts):1.Acharacterhasaproblem.2.Thecharacterworkstowardsasolution.3.Thecharactersolvestheproblem,usuallyinasurprisingway(seetheThree-ActStoryStructurechartthatfollows).Next,createafourthrowof“additionalbeats.”You’llputcardsherethateitherdon’tfitintoyourstructureorthatyousimplydon’tyetknowwhattodowith(andwhichyoumayneveruse).Noteontheme:We’lltalkmoreaboutthemelater,butdokeepyourstory’sthemeinmindasyoucreatethesecuecards.Whetheryouincorporatethatthemeasyougoalongoryougobackandsupplementthecardslater,themewillplayanimportantpartinthestorytellingprocess.

Thesethreestepsformthefundamentalarcofatraditionalshortstory.Three-actstructureissoengrainedinusashumanbeingsthatitpermeateseventhemostcommonstorytellingmedium:jokes.Unlessyourbeloveduncleistellingit,youprobablylikeyourjokestogetrighttothepointandpayoffquickly.Knock-Knock.Who’sthere?Nobel?Nobelwho?Nobell,that’swhyIknocked.Isincerelyapologizeforexposingyoutothatcornyjoke,butitnicelyillustratesthethree-actstructure.Here,acharacterhassomeoneknockingontheirdoorandtheydon’tknowwhoitis(Problem,Act1).Theyaskwhoitistwice(AttempttoSolveProblem,Act2).Finally,theylearnwhoisknocking:ahorriblepunster(Resolution,Act3).

NoteforMotionGraphicsArtists

Three-actstructureworksforinformation-orientedmotiongraphics,too.Whileyoumaynotbeworkingwith“characters”thatareaimingto“solveproblems,”youwilllikelyhavea“question”that“needstobeanswered.”ForexampleinaPSA,aquestionmightbe:“BreastCanceristakingmoreandmorelives.Howdoweraisemoneyforresearch?”UsetheThree-ActStoryStructuregraphtomapoutthree-actstructureforbothanimationandmotiongraphics.

Act1:SettingupcharacterandconflictYourfirstrowofcuecards,Act1,shouldintroduceyourcharacter(s),establishwhattheywant,andalsointroduceaproblemstandinginthewayofthemgettingwhattheywant.Someexamplesare:Astorkisverylatetodeliverhisdailyquotaofbabies,buthe’ssoeasilydistractiblethathe’snevergoingtomakethedeadline.Atreewantssunlight,butit’slockedinadarkcloset.Aboywantstoeatadeliciousbowlofsoup,buthedoesn’thaveaspoon.BytheendofAct1youshouldhaveestablishedyourcharacter’sproblemandwhatstandsinthewayofthemsolvingit.Thereshouldbethesensethatsolvingtheproblemisgoingtotakesomeseriouseffort.

Act2:WorkingtowardsasolutionThenextrowofcards,Act2,iswherethecharacterattemptstoovercometheproblem.Hereyourcharacterfullycommitstosolvingtheirproblemandcomesupagainstallsortsofroadblocksthatmakesolvingitseemevenlesslikely.

Icannottellyouhowmucheasierthisstepwillbeifyoutakethetimetofleshoutyourmaincharacterwithspecifics.Inourstoryofthedistractiblestork,whatelsecanweknowabouthim?Whatifheisvainabouthismoustache…andheisalwayshopingtofindhislong-lostsister?HowaboutifourstorklovesLatinjazz?Suddenly,yourstoryhasmanypossibilitiesforAct2.WeknowfromAct1thatourstorkhasonlyalimitedamountoftimetodeliverhisbabiesandsoistryinghardtowardoffhisproclivitytowardsdistraction.Butwhatwilldistractourstork?Whatwillbetheroadblockspreventinghimfromaccomplishinghisgoal?Well,nowthatweknowhimabitbetter,wouldn’titseemfittingifhe’scontinuallydistractedbywaxinghismoustacheinmirroredbuildings?Maybehekeepsthinkingheseeshislong-lostsisterinpassingapartments,orperhapsheevencloseshiseyestoenjoysomeTitoPuenteandlosestrackoftime?Themorespecifictraitsyougiveyourcharacter,themoreopportunitiesyouwillhavetocreateorganicroadblocksfortheminAct2.Sopleaseasksomespecificquestionsofyourmain

character:Whataretheirdistinguishingphysicalattributes?Whatdotheylove?Hate?Whatistheirdrivingmotivationinlife?Theirsecret?Theirbiggestfear,andsoon?

Act3:AttainingthebigsolveOkay,soourdistractiblestorkhascommittedtosolvinghisproblem(deliveringthosebabiesontime)andisworkinghardtowardsthatgoal,buthekeepscomingupagainstroadblocksthatmakeattaininghisgoalnearlyimpossible.BythelastcardinAct2youshouldhavethefeelingthatthere’sagoodchancetheproblemwillNOTbesolved(yourcharacterhastriedalmosteverything).Butthereisstillthatoneinamillionchance…

Yourthirdrowofcards,Act3,istheresolution.ThisactusuallyhasfewercardsthanActs1and2becausethecharactershouldnowbefacingtheirproblemheadon,windingintoanunexpectedresolution.Inourstoryaboutthedistractedstork,thedeadlineisalmostup.Hehasonebabyleftbuthasaccidentallylockedhimselfintoanapartmentwherehethoughthesawhislong-lostsister.He’sdoomed!Sowhat’sgoingtohappen?Whatwillbethesatisfyingendingtoyourstory?Willhemagicallystumbleupontheparentsofthelastbabyanddeliveritintime?Willhefailtomeetthedeadlineandbefiredfromhisjob?Willacertainjazzsongontheradio(hislong-lostsister’sfavorite)remindhimoftheimportanceofunitingfamily,therebyinfusinghimwithasuddenabilitytohyper-focus?Willhepryopentheapartmentwindowandflydirectlytothebaby’shomejustintimetomakethedeliverybeforemidnightanddiscoverhislong-lostsisterplayingjazztrumpetinthebackyard?

Thechoiceofbestendingrestssquarelyonyouestablishingexactlywhatitisyou’retryingtosaywithyourstory.Creatingasatisfyingendingrequiresmoreinformationthanjustthebeatsyou’vewrittendownunderActs1,2,and3.Ontheboardiswhatyourstoryis“about,”whichistheoverallplot,thebeats,thescenes.Butinordertocreateatrulysatisfyingendingyoualsoneedtoknowwhatyourstoryis“reallyabout,”orthetheme.Wetalkedaboutthisabitinthefirstchapter,butIcan’tstressenoughhowimportantitisforyoutoestablishwhatdeepdownmessageyou’retryingtoexplorewithyourstory.

Inourstork-y…sorry…storyaboutthestork,howweendthestorydependsonthemessagewewanttogiveorpointwewanttomake.Forinstance,ifourthemeisoptimistic,like“loveconquersall,”then,indeed,it’sthemomentwhenourstorkisfocusedonhisloveforhissisterthathefinallyfindsthestrengthtodohisjob.Thisupliftingthemedrivestowardsahappyending,soyouexpecthimtobereunited.If,however,youdecidethatyourstoryhasadarkperspectiveonlife,like“lovecausespain,”thenourstorkwouldfailtoreachhisbaby-deliveringdeadline,befiredfromhisjob,endupalonelisteningtohisjazz,andforeverlongingforhissister.Notgreatforthebabiesbutstillasatisfyingendingthatisenrichedbytheme.

Butdon’tstopatagreatending.AsI’vesaidabove,themeshouldenrichyourentirenarrative.Gobacktoyourcardsandjotdownsomenotesonhowyourmessagecanenhanceeachbeatinyourstory.Ifyouhaveanoptimistictheme,“loveconquersall,”theneighborhoodmightbesunlitandcolorful,surroundedbylushparkswherecatspurrlovinglyasthestorkmakeshisdeliveriestosnappyjazz.Ifyouhaveadarkstoryandyourthemeis“lovecausespain,”theneighborhoodswherethestorkdeliversmightbemysteriouswithangrydogsinthewindows;thelightingwouldbedramatic,withmutedcolors;andyourpiecemighthavesadjazzmusic.

Three-actstructure,exampleonePhilBorst’sone-minuteshortfilmColorBlind(seeimagesfromthefilmbelow)isagreatexampleofsimpleThree-ActStorystructureinfusedwiththeme.Whenaskedwhathisstoryisabout,Mr.Borstsaid,“Theunderlyingthemeofthestoryiskindnessandhowsometimesapersoninneedcaneasilybeoverlookedbecausetheyarealittledifferent.”

Act1.BlueSquare,wholivesinaworldofhappy,rollingcircles,isunhappybecausehe’sasquareandcannotroll.Act2.PinkCirclestopsnexttotheBlueSquareandforamomentappearstohaveahelpfulidea.ThisgivesBlueSquarehope.ButjustasquicklyPinkCirclerollsoff,leavingBlueSquarealoneagainandevenmoreunhappy!Act3.ButPinkCirclereturns…withabicyclepump!ShepumpsBlueSquarewithairuntilhebecomesacirclethatcanroll.BlueSquareisdelightedandthankfulforPinkCircle’skindness.Theybothrollaway,happy.

PhilBorst,ColorBlind

Theplotiseasytopindown,butnoticehowBorst’stheme,kindness,permeatesthroughoutthepiece.TakePinkCircle’ssize,forinstance.She’snotthesmallestofthecircles;ifshewas,wemightthinkthatshe’sjustachildmotivatedmorebynaivetéthankindness.She’salsonotthebiggestofcircles,whichmightinsinuatethatshe’sactingonakindofAlphagenerosity.AlsonoticethatoncePinkCircleblowsupBlueSquare,BlueSquareisactuallyabitbiggerthanPinkCircle,notthesamesizeorsmaller.IfBlueSquareendedupbeingtheexactlythesamesize,youmightthinkthatPinkSquarewasmotivatedtocreateaperfectplaymateforherself—thatwouldbeaboutfriendshipandnotjustkindness.ThatideaisreinforcedbythefactthatPinkCircleandBlueSquaredon’trolloffinthesamedirection.Theygooffhappilyinseparatedirections.Borstwantedtogivetheimpressionofselflesskindness,withnostringsattachedorexpectations.PinkCirclesimplyseesBlueSquarestrugglingandwantstobekind.

Three-actstructure,exampletwoHeartisaUnitedAirlinescommercialdirectedbythebrilliantanimationdirectorJamieCaliri(seeimagesfromthefilmonthenextpages).Amasterofvisualstorytelling,Caliri’sstoriesalwaysfeelmoreinevitablethanpredictable.Theaudienceisalongfortheride,alwaysrootingforthecharactertoreachtheirgoal.

Act1.Twoloverssaygoodbyeattheairportandthewomangivesthemanherhearttokeepwhileshe’sgone.Herproblemisthatsheneedstogetbacktothismanwhohasherheart(literallyandfiguratively).Act2.Thewomanfliesofftoaccomplishtheworksheneedstogetdonebeforeshecanreturntotheman.It’shardworkandshefeelsempty;afterall,herheartismissing.Act3.Thewomanreturnstothemanwhogentlyhandsherbackherheart.Sheiswholeagainandtheycanbetogether.

JamieCaliri,UnitedAirlines,Heart

Therearemanythemesthatcanbeattributedtothispiece,butlet’stakeaswingatthebat:“Whenyoulovesomeoneyouaren’twholewithoutthem.”Ormaybetheinverse:“Togethernessmakesyouwhole.”It’sasweetmessagebutdoesn’thavetobeinterpretedashappy-go-lucky.YoucanseebythewaythefemalecharactergazeslonginglyouttheairplanewindowthatCaliriseessomesadnessinthenotionthatpeoplearenotquitewholewithoutbeingnexttotheonetheylove.Noticethatintheendthefemalecharacterdoesnotrunheadlongintothearmsofherlover,elatedtohaveherheartback.Sheissimplyhappytoseehimagain—morecomfortedthanecstatic.

NonlinearStoryStructureOkay,likeIpromisedearlierinthischapter,it’stimetogoabithogwild.Becausewhiletraditionalthree-actstructureprovidesadependablemethodforcreatinganimatedstories,whatifyouwantsomethingthatoffersjustalittlebitmore…?Sounddangerous?

Whatifyou’reinfluencedbystoriesthatdon’tseemtohaverecognizablearcsoreasilyinterpretedthematicintentions?Whatifyouwanttotellstoriesthatcutbetweendifferentpointsintime,arewhimsical,moody,andsymbolic,andusesound,color,andpacinginatotallyunexpectedway?

Stillinterested?Thennonlinearstorytellingmaybeforyou.It’satreasuretroveforseekersofamorepoetic,non-narrative,abstractstyleofstorytelling.Andit’sablasttomake.Butdon’tbefooled.Thoughnonlinearstorytellingmayappearchaotic,itactuallyrequiresevenmoreplanningandattentiontodetailthanlinearstorytelling.Innonlinearyounolongerhavethree-actstructuretoguideyou,andgonearethelimitsonhowyoucanusecharacter,sound,anddesign.You’recompletelywithoutanet.Totallyscary,andyettotallyinvigorating.

So,howdoyougoaboutmakinganonlinearstory?

BeginwithInspirationFirst,youmustidentifyapointofdeparture(suchasasound,animage,oranidea)thatyoufindsopowerfulthatyou’reinspiredtobuildaroundit.Itmustbesomethingthatmakessomuchsensetoyou,providesyouwithsuchaspark,thateventhewildestinterpretationofitwouldprovecompellingtoyou.Whetherit’sasongthatrepeatsinyourhead,apoemyouonceheardthatblewyourmind,animagefromadreamyou’vestowedawaysincechildhood,whateveryourinspirationis,thinkofitasapieceofartsovaluablethatyoumustbuildamuseumarounditandopendoorstothepublic.

Butthatbetterbesomegorgeousmuseum,right?Becauseunlessitmeetsthestandardofyourinspiration,thenthewholethinggetssullied.Andthereinliesthechallenge.Whileyourinspirationmaybeabeautifulthing,it’snotenoughonitsown,soit’suptoyoutocreateelementsthatworktoelevateit.Ifyourinspirationisasong,thentheimagesmustbejustassplendid;ifyouneedwordstomatch,they’dbetterbepurepoetry.Donotletyourinspirationalelementdotheheavyliftinginyourpiece.Letitleadbyinspiringtheotherelementstoriseupandmatchit.

NowBuildaStructureWait,wait,Ithoughtthiswastimetogowild—nostructure,norules,remember?

Igowild,andIwantyoutogowild,too,butnowthatyou’vefoundyourpricelesspieceofartandcreatedalloftheelementstobuildyourmuseum,let’satleastmakesurethatthere’saroof!IntheNonlinearStoryStructureschartarequickdescriptionsoffoureasy-to-follownonlinearstorystructuresthatprovideatremendousamountoffreedom…butstillprovidearoofforyourstory.

Asyoucansee,it’snotanexactscience,andyetnonlinearconsistsofthemostprevalentanimatedstorytellingoutthere:Musicvideos,titlesequences,broadcastgraphics,andtitlesequencesforTVandfilmallfollownonlinearstorytellingstructures.Whileit’softenconsideredthemost“outthere”and“artistic,”nonlinearalsoconsistsofsomeofthemostcommercial.Thatistosay,it’simportantyoubecomeasproficientanonlinearstorytellerasalinearone.Weallneedapaycheck,afterall…

Nonlinearstructuresample:TheBeadedNecklaceLet’stakethecasestudyofLouisMorton’saward-winningfilmPasserPasserasanexampleofnonlinearstorytellingdonejustright.ThefilmcompletelyblewmeawaywhenIfirstencounteredit,notthatIcoulddescribeexactlywhatitwasabout.ButwhatIcoulddescribe,quiteeffortlessly,wasthesoundtrack.It’sanurbansoundscapeofhonkingandshufflingandchurningmetalandconcrete—acacophonyofpeopleandrhythmswithgreatemotionalpower.

NoticewhenMortondescribeshisfilmhowkeyhisinspirationelementwastoitscreation:“Passerisinspiredbythecitysymphonydocumentaryfilmsofthe1920s.Mygoalwastocapturetheatmosphereofacitybyrecordingitssoundsandcreatingan

imaginedworldinspiredbythosesounds.It’saplayfullookattherelationshipbetweenpeopleandtheirbuiltenvironment.”

Andwhilethestructureinhisfilmdoesseemchaotic,listentohowintentionalMortonsoundswhenhedescribesthestructuralaspectsofthefilm:“Iwantedtheviewertopassthroughonesoundenvironmenttothenextuntilallthesoundsreturnattheend.Inmanywaysthefilmwasbasedmoreonthestructureofasongthanonatraditionalnarrativefilmstructure.”

Iencourageyoutotrackdownthisfilmonlineorinthefestivals.Itsimplymustbeexperiencedandexistsasagreatexampleofnonlinearstorytellingbornofinspirationandinfusedwithnonlinearstructure.Takeapeekatsomeoftheimagesinthefilmshownhere,whichasyoucanseeMortonelevatedtomeethisauralinspiration.

LouisMorton,PasserPasser

Nonlinearstructuresample:BookEnding

MichaelWaldron,ExquisiteCorpse

AsyoucanseeinsomeofMichaelWaldron’sExquisiteCorpseimages,thisisagreatexampleofusingthebookendingstructuretohelporganizeanonlinearstory.Hispiecebeginswithamanridinginonabikeandendswiththesamemanridingoffonabike.Aseriesoftext,graphics,andevenanewanimatedcharacterappearsinthemiddle,butthestructureworksbecausethestoryisboundtogetherbyacommonbookending.Thestructureofsimilararrival(atthetop)anddeparture(attheend)impliesthatajourneyhastakenplaceinbetween.Nomatterhowchaoticthatjourneymayappear,itjustmakesense.

StorytellingRecap

Three-ActStructure

Createthebeats

Buildthestory’sarc

Act1:Problem

Act2:Attempttosolveit

Act3:Resolution

NonlinearStructure

Identifyyourinspiration

Createthebeats

Buildyourownstructure

Useaknownstructure

BookEnding

TheCountdown

ThePuzzle

TheBeadedNecklace

Assignment:LinearandnonlinearstorytellingGrabyoursketchbookand,usingthestepswe’velearnedinthischapter,telltwostoriesaboutafavoritemodeoftransportation,oneusinglinearthree-actstorytellingandanotherusingnonlinear(thatopportunityItoldyouyou’dhaveforusinganinspirationalpointofdeparturetogohogwild).

StoryStarters

KeepaProlificStoryJournalWhenitcomestocreatinganimatedstories,quantityiskey.Withalittlepractice,you’llnolongerbeworriedifyour“perfectidea”isn’tworkingbecauseyou’llhavefivemorereadytogo.

Thefirststepistogetyourselfablankjournal.Carryitwithyouandwriteinitcompulsively.Fillitwithmeanderingthoughts,personalexperiences,snippetsyoueavesdropwaitingforthetrain,andnarrativethreads.Jotdownembarrassingquestions,oddthemes,fantasies,nonsense,andsoon.Don’tworryifyournotesaresilly,crazy,orevencliché.Onceaweek,gothroughyourjournalandcirclewhatcatchesyoureye.Lookforrepetitiveandprovocativeideasthatkeepcomingupandconnectionsthatsparknewthoughts.Animatedstoriesoftencomefrommashingtwoconceptsthatdon’tseemtofittogether,sopairthatquestionyouwroteaboutcavemanchefswithyourhaikuonJell-O—therejustmaybestorygoldthere!

Onceyou’vehonedinonsomethingthatinterestsyou,closeyoureyesandthink.Yourmindlovestocreatenarratives—tosolvenarrativepuzzles—soifyoucommittofocusingononlyyourcavedwellingchefandJell-Orhymeforlongenough,Iassureyouthatastorykernelwillappear,nomatterhowdisturbingthatstorykernelmaybe.NowtypethatmorphingideaintoadocumenttitledStoryIdeas,andmoveontothenext.Afterafewweeks,you’llbesurprisedatthenumberofstorykernelsyouhaveonyourlist.Somanythatyouprobablywon’tcareifacoupledon’tworkout.

StoryIdea…MeetClassicPlotIdeallyyourlistofstoryideasaresogroundbreakingthatnostale,oldstructurecouldpossiblycontainthem.Believeme,nothingwouldmakemehappierthanifyoudiscoveredsomenew,brilliantwaytotellstories!Butinthemeantime,experimentingwithclassicstorytellingparadigms(theonesthathumanbeingshavebeenusingsincethedawnoftime)neverhurtanyone.Youmightevenfinditliberating.

3.Storyboarding

Buildyourvisualscript

“Atourstudiowedon’twriteourstories,wedrawthem.”

—WaltDisney

WaltDisneyisknownformanyimportantinnovationsinthefieldofanimationand

motiongraphics.Butperhapshismostusefulcontributioncameinthe1930swhenhedecidedtopinupaseriesofhisroughsketchesinsequencetohelpexplainastoryideatohisteam.Likemanygreatinnovations,thedecisioncameoutofnecessity—animationisanexpensiveandtime-consumingprocessinwhichasinglemisstepcanbeverycostly.BeingabletosolidifystorybeforeanimatingcouldpotentiallysaveafledglinganimationstudiolikeDisney’smorethanafewbucks.Plus,themethodsuitedMr.Disney’snaturalshowmanship.Heusedthevisualaidofhissketchestobringthefullscopeofhisideastolife,includinghisthoughtsontiming,staging,framing,continuity,andtransitions.Hewouldusethesesketchestogetpeopleexcited—fromhisteamofartiststopotentialinvestors.TheprocessbecameessentialatDisney,andwithintenyearslive-actionstudioscaughtonaswell,makingstoryboardingasubiquitousasscriptsinHollywoodbacklots.

Storyboardingisyouropportunitytoworkoutthevisualelementsthatbestsuityourstory.Itcanhelpyoudeterminemostaspectsofyouranimatedpiecebeforemovingasinglepixel.Boardingsavestimeandmoneyandcanhelpyougetpeopleexcitedaboutyourprojectbeforeit’smade.Simplyput,thebetteryourstoryboard,themorelikelyyouaretoachievesuccesswithyourproject.

PleaseNote

Thischapterpresentstheclassic,commercialstoryboardingprocess.Manyanimatorsusethestoryboardingprocessto“write”theirstory—thischapterassumesyou’vearrivedherewithafleshed-outstory.Manymotiongraphicsartistsprefertotackletimingearlyonintheirprocessandthereforemightjumpfromthumbnailsketchesstraighttodigitalanimatic.Whilethischapterlaysoutaspecificprocess,Iencourageyoutopersonalizeyourownandfindwhatworksbestforyou!

I’llcoverthebasicstructureofstoryboardingfirstandthencontinueonwithsomeofthedetailsyou’llusethroughouttheprocessthatallowyoutomakeyourstoryboardcompleteandreadyforanimatics.Theentireprocessisorganic;letyourstoryboardingevolvegraduallyfromsimpletomorecomplex.

BuildtheStoryboardAsyoubegintheprocessofstoryboarding,you’recreatingindividualframesoftheaction.Youstartoutroughandgraduallyaddtheneededdetails.Thisprocessensuresthestoryisfirstunderstandableandthenallowsyoutoaddthenuancesthatmakethestorymorecomplexandinteresting.

ThumbnailingThumbnailsarethefirstroughsketchesofyourstoryboards.Theyhelpyouworkoutthesequencingofyour“shots”andprovideanopportunitytoestablishimportantaspectsofstaging,framing,scale,andtransitions.Yourthumbnaildrawingsshouldberough—stickfiguresarejustfine.UsePost-itNotesaswell—they’rere-positionableandpurposefullylimittheamountofdetailyoucanaddtoyourdrawing.Approachthumbnailingastheexperimentationphaseofstoryboarding,andkeepawastebasketnearby—you’regoingtobelobbingalotofhookshotsinthatgeneraldirection.

RichardBorge,StoryboardArt

ThumbnailrevisionsOnceyou’vedrawnupyourthumbnailsketches,slapthemuponthewallinsequenceandgetreadyforsomebrutalrevisions.Dotheshotsmakesense?Arethereleapsintimeorlogic?Lagsinstory?Clunkyflowfromscenetoscene?Pitchyourthumbnailstoyourselfframe-by-frameandvoiceoutanydialogueyou’vewritten,orevensingthemusicyouintendtoplayoverthefinishedpiece.Ifsomethingisn’tworking,beruthless.StickaPost-it®Noteoverproblemareasandre-drawuntilitfeelsright.Anyfixesyoumakeherewillsaveyoutimeandheartachedowntheroad.

StoryboardingIfthumbnailingwasaboutroughstickfigures,thenstoryboardingisabout…stickfigureswithbowties?What!?Somestoryboardartiststakethetimetocreatebeautifullypolishedrenditionsofeachframe,butthegoalhereisnothighart,it’sclarity.Ifyouareabletocapturetheactionandemotionofyourstorywithlittlemorethanscribbles,thengoforit,butjustmakesureyou’reabletocaptureallthedetail.Justdon’tcomecryingtomewhenyoustartanimatingandsay,“Wait,Iforgothishat!Mychefhasnohat,butthere’snoroomtoaddit!”

Onceyou’vecompletedyourdrawings,usethespaceunderneatheachframetowriteeitherdialogueorbriefexplanatorynotes(suchas,“hearsbear”or“comestolife”).Onceyou’redone,acasualobservershouldbeabletounderstandwhat’sgoingonineachframeandevenfollowtheoverallstory.

StoryboardrevisionsTimetotestoutyourstoryboardsbypresentingthemtoasmallaudienceor,atveryleast,infrontofonepersonwhoisn’tafraidtoaskyouhardquestions.Pitchingyourstoryboardtoanaudiencewillforceyoutoclarifyyourbeatsandthedecisionsyou’vemadeaboutstagingandflow.Plus,anauthentichumanreactionoffersagreatsoundingboard.Watchyouraudiences’bodylanguageasyoupitch—it’sasimportantas(andoftenmorehonestthan)theirverbalfeedback.

Onceyou’vemadechangesbasedonfeedback,reviseyourboardsandcleanthemupforpublicconsumption.Manyclientswillreactbettertoclean,elegantlyrenderedstoryboards.Ifaclientneedstobesoldonanideafromboardsalone,theybettersparkle!Ifacrewofanimatorsanddesignersareusingyourboardstogeneratetheirshotlist,thentheboardsshouldbedetailedenoughsothatnoelementisleftuptointerpretation.

NoteonStyle

Considerusingadistinctdrawingstyletoenhanceyourstoryboards.Ifyourpieceishumorous,consideralighter,cartoonystyle.Ifyourprojectisfullofdrama,blackandwhitecoloringmightworkbest.Ifit’sespeciallysophisticated,layeringinbaroquedetailmayhelptoenhanceyourvision.Choosewell—stylechoicesthatyoumakeinthestoryboardingphasecanhelpclarifyyourintentionsandbringyourstorytolife.

StoryboardinghintsOkay,nowthatyouknowthestepstosetupthebasicstructureofyourstoryboards,what’sthebestmethodforcreatingeffectivestoryboards?Orinotherwords,whatarethedetailsyouneedtoconsiderthroughoutthestoryboardprocesstoallowyoutoaddthevisualelementsthatwillbringthefullscopeofyourstorytolife?Ithasalottodowithputtingonyourdirector’shat.Youhavetocomposeyour“shots”asinamovie,notonlyforclarity(whichisthemostimportantthing)butalsoformaximumemotionalimpact.Thatmeanslearningathingoftwoaboutshotcomposition,framing,staging,andtransitions.Thesearethedetailsthatyouaddframebyframemakingeachaperfectunitastheyallowthecompletestorytounfold.

SterlingSheehy,Storyboards

ShotCompositionWanttogiveyouraudiencethefeelofamajesticlocation—say,amountainpeakatsunset?Aslow,panningextremewideshotwillevokethemountain’sbeautyandsheersize.Whatabouttheloneclimberwhofinallyreachesthesummitofthatmountain?Howbesttocapturetheirjoy?Aclose-upwillbestrevealtheexpressionontheirface(andtearsintheireyes)withmaximumintimacy.Youraudienceishungryforinformation,andshotcompositionisallaboutrevealinginformationtoyouraudience.Youcangetascloseto,orasfarawayfrom,asubjectasyouwant(asdirectoryouhavethepowerofX-rayvision,flight,andinvisibilityallatonce),sotaketheinitiativetobringyouraudiencerightuptotheaction.

Butcomposingdifferentsizedshotsisn’tonlyaboutprovidinginformationforyouraudience.Itcanalsobeusedtowithholdinformationformaximumeffect.Takeourmountainclimberwhohasreachedthepeak.Let’ssaywechooseamediumclose-uptogivetheimpressionthatshehasfinallyreachedthepeak.Weshowourclimberweepingintriumph,jumpingupanddowninvictory—shehasdefeatedthegreatmountain.Butthenwepullbacktoawideshottorevealthatinfactourclimberhasonlyhikedatinyfoothillatthebaseofthegreatmountainandisnowherenearthesummit!Withonequickchangeinshotsize,ourclimberwentfromskilledandheroicclimbingveterantohopelessamateur.Onesizechangetocomedygold.

Shotcompositiongrantsyouthepowertorevealinformationhowyouwishtoyouraudience,souseyourpowerwithgreatcare.

FramingIfsizingyourshotsisallaboutgivingyouraudiencethepertinentvisualinformationtheyneed,thenframingisallaboutkeepingthateyeinterested.Framingistheartistryofyourshots,the“cinematography,”and,inaway,thepoetry.Sure,youcouldjustplopyoursubjectinthemiddleofeachframe,hell,youcouldplopatornadointhemiddleofyourstoryboardframeand,yes,itwillstillbeatornado.Butyouwantpeopletofeelthewind,thechaos,andthemovementofthetornado.Dynamicframingisoneofthekeystoenhancingthevisualdramainyourstory.

Thefamed“ruleofthirds”providesaneasy-to-followtoolforkeepingyourframingdynamic.Simplybreakdownyoursingleframeintonineequallysizedquadrantsbydividingitbothhorizontallyandverticallyintothirds.Now,insteadofplacingyoursubjectsquatinthemiddle(whichisconsidereda“static”location),placeitinanotherbox—thetop,bottom,left,orrightthirdoftheframe.Trylayingthefocalpointofyoursubjectononeofthefour“intersectionpoints”whereyourquadrantlinesmeet.

Whydothis,right?Seemsrandom?Well,thinkofitasentertainingachildonEasterSunday.IfyouwantthemtofindanEasteregg,youwouldn’tjustputitonthetableinfrontofthem.SincethechildwillnaturallyroamaroundfortheEasteregg,theywilllikelybemoreexcitedbytheeggoncetheyfinditundertheparkbench.It’sinteractive.Samewiththesubjectinyourshot.Theeyewantstoroamandwillfeelmoregratifiedifitgoessearchingandfindsyoursubject.Placeyoursubjectinthemiddleandthere’snowheretogo—it’saboringgame.Putyoursubjectclosertotheedgesandthere’sroom

toroam.Playthegamebytherules(ofthirds)andyourshotswillfeelmorepleasurablefortheeyeandwillgiveyourstoryasenseofexcitementandsuspense.

StagingWhilethoughtfulframinghelpsyoucomposeshotsaroundasubjectinawaythatkeepstheviewer’seyeinterested,stagingisallaboutwhereyouputthatsubjectinspace(andtheotherobjectsintheshot)inthesceneinrelationtothecamera.Stagingshouldcreateavisualandconceptualhierarchyfortheobjectsandcharactersinyourframe,placingtheminawaythatreinforcesyouroverallstory.

Firstthingtoconsider(asalways)isclarity.Youwantyouraudience’seyetoclearlyseewhat’sgoingonwithyoursubject.Sothatmeansavoidcrowdingitwithunnecessaryvisualinformation.Let’ssayyourprojectisaboutananimatorwho’sbeenupallnightworkingonstoryboards.Thoughtheirstudiomayhaveabigbookshelforastereoorheavilyframedphotosthatareorganictothelocation,addingthemtoyourshotmeansthatyouraudience’seyewillroamtostorydeadzones—wherevisualinformationdoesnotenhanceyourstory.Youwanttostageonlythevisualelementsthatwillenhanceyourstory.Inthecaseofouranimatorpullinganall-nighter,youmaywanttostageawastebinfilledtothebrimwithcrumpledpagesnexttoherdesk,arowofemptycoffeecupsonthefloor,and/oranalarmclockthatsays6:00a.m.inbigredletterstotheside.Stagingitemsaroundyoursubjectshouldhelptoemphasizetheideayou’retryingtoconvey,whilenotdetractingfromtheimportanceofyourprimarysubject.

Butstaginghasadvantagesbeyondenhancingyoursubject.Itcanalsoprovidedepthtoyourshots.Inthetangiblesense,stagingyoursubjectgivesasenseofphysicaldepthto

theenvironment.Let’slookatanotherexampleforthisone.Onecharacterishandingcarkeystoanothercharacter.Placingthecharactershandsandkeyslargeintheforegroundandthecarsmallinthebackgroundwillimmediatelycreatedepthandinterest.Thisstagingallowstheaudience’seyetoroamfromthelargermainsubjecttothebackgroundwhereitcandiscoverthecar.Asmentionedearlierwiththeruleofthirds,discoveryisalotmorepleasurablefortheeyethaninstantgratification.Givingtheeyesomephysicaldepthtoexplorefornewinformationmakesforamoreinterestingvisualcomposition.

Butthereisanotherwaythatstagingaddsdepthtoyourshots:inthestorysense.Bystagingyoursubjectalongwithimportantvisualinformation,youofferyouraudienceadeeperreadofwhat’shappeninginyourstory.Inthecaseoftheanimator,thecrumpledpapersinthewastebin,ofcourse,representtheanimator’strialanderror,butadeeperanalysiscouldinterpretthattheoverflowedwastebinrepresentsherindomitablespirit.Youmustearnthisleapthroughconsistentstorytelling,butonceyouraudiencegetstointerpretingvisualinformation,youmaybesurprisedatsomeoftheconnectionstheymake.Thisisgenerallywhypeoplecallagoodstory“deep.”

TransitionsandContinuityBoldstatementalert:Animation’smostpowerfuladvantageoverotherformsoffilmmakingistheanimatedtransition.There,Isaidit,cautiontothewind!Anythingcanhappeninbetweentwoframesofanimation.Youcantransformtheblackpupilofaneyeintotheblacktextonagirl’sreportcard,afire-breathingdragonintoababy’sbathtoy,orthedoortoyourboss’officeintothegatesofhell.Aswithanimationasawhole,thepossibilitiesforanimatedtransitionsareendless,whichisexactlywhyyoumustpractice

greatdisciplineandmakethosetransitionsworkwithyourstory.Themostdependablewaytoaceyourtransitionsistopaycloseattentiontocontinuity.Continuityisthenaturalflowofvisualinformationfromoneshottoanotheremployedtosupportyourstory.Atitsmostbasicyoumustensurethatthestoryisflowingfromshottoshot.Ifacharacterisblastedwithwindinoneshot,makesurethattheirhairismessyinthenextshotandthatitstaysmessyuntiltheycombit.Ifacharacterisonthesecondfloorofabuilding,theycan’trunoutofthefrontdoorandintothestreetwithoutwalkingdownsomestairs.You’dbesurprisedhowmanyfilmsletthisstuffslipthroughthecracks.Thesimplestwaytoguardagainstcontinuityerrorsistoalwaysfollowthelogicoftheworldyou’vecreated(spatialcontinuity),thestoryyou’retelling(temporalcontinuity),andthephysicaldirectionit’sheadedin(directionalcontinuity).

ObserveSpatialContinuityMakingsurethattherulesthatyou’veestablishedinyourworldareconsistentfromshottoshotiscalledspatialcontinuity.Ifyouestablishearlyoninyourstorythatthereisforestbehindaboy’shouse,whenherunsoutofhishouseandintothebackyard,youknowwherehe’sheaded—intothewoods.Ifyouhaveestablishedthesizeofhisbedroom,whenheliesonhisbedthrowingaballagainstthewall,evenifit’s“off-screen,”theaudienceshouldknowroughlyhowfarthatballshouldtravelbeforeitbouncesback.Ornot!Becauseusingthewondersofanimation,let’ssayyouwanttotransporttheboyfromhisbedroomdirectlyintoouterspace.Onegreatwaytodothatwouldbefortheboytothrowtheballagainstthewallandforitnevertoreturn.Thankstolawsofspatialcontinuity,theaudiencewillknowthattheballshouldreturnwithinasecondorso—whenitdoesn’t,theycanguessthateithersomethingintercepteditor(suddenly)thewallisgone!Whenyoucuttotheboy’sbedsurroundedbyouterspace,itwillactuallymakesenseasatransitionsinceitfollowsthelawsofspatialcontinuity.You’dbesurprisedhowmanyprofessionalfilmsmessthisupaswell,sotakethetimetodoadummychecktoensurethatallofyourshotsfollowthephysicalworldthatyou’vecreated.

ObserveTemporalContinuityTheconsistencyoflogicinyourstoryisknownastemporalcontinuity.Animationaudienceswillgoalongwithdramaticvisualchangefromshottoshotsolongasit’sloyaltothestorythey’rebeingtold.Temporalcontinuitycanoccurchronologically,orevenwithflashbacksorflash-forwards,butitmustmakesenseandbeearnedbasedontheworkyou’vedonetosetupasolidstory.Ifyou’veestablishedalove-struckteenagersearchingatapartyfortheobjectoftheiraffections,whentheyfinallyfindtheperson,temporalcontinuitywillallowavarietyofplausibleoptions.Youmayseetheteen’seyeballstransformintohearts;youmayseeaflashbackastheteen’sentirelifeflashesbeforetheireyes;aflash-forwardfantasymayoccurthattakesyouyearsintothefutureastheteenstandsblushingatthealterfinallymarryinghiscrush.Transitionscantakewildleapsandwillbeeasyforyouraudiencetostomachsolongasthey’reconsistentwiththestoryyou’vebeentelling.Ifyourtransitiondoesn’tmakesensetotheaudience,thenyouhaven’tearnedthatleap—soheadbacktothestoryboard.

ObserveDirectionalContinuityThisfinalruleisprettysimplewithdirectionalcontinuity:Maintainthedirectionofanyactionforanobjectorcharacterinasequencefromshottoshot.Ifacarisdrivingfromtheleftsideofapaneltotheright,youmustcontinuethatsamemovementintoyournextshot.Switchingdirectionsofvehicles,characters,oranyobjectthatisheadedinaparticulardirectionisdisorientingtotheviewerandabigno-noinstoryboarding.Doaseconddummycheckhere,becausedirectionalcontinuityerrorshappenallofthetime.

IsItReallyWorking?TimingandAnimaticsThenotionoftimingmayseemabitabstractatthispoint.Imean,howcanyounailtimingonabunchofstaticcards?Allowmetoexplainandemphasizethattimingisoneofthemostimportantdetailsyou’llneedtosolidifyinyourstoryboardingprocess.Imagineyourhorrorifyoupitchaflawless30-secondmotiongraphicsadvertisementtoaclientonlytodiscoverwhenyousitdowntoanimatethatit’stwominuteslong!Thereisnoamountofcharmthatcaneaseyououtofthatpickle.Toavoidsuchaconundrum,youmustworktoestablishthetimingofyourprojectduringyourstoryboardingprocess.

Firststepindoingthisistodeterminehowlongyourwholepiecemustrun,ortheTotalRunningTime(TRT).Now,breakyourstoryintothreeactsandestablishhowmanysecondseachactmustbe.Finally,timeeachscene,usingthedialogueand/orstagedirectionasarealisticguide.Youmayfindthatyouhavesometrimmingtodo.Youmightevenhavetocutsomebeatsthatyouloveverymuch.Well,timetogetbrutalbecauseyoumusthitthosemarks.Onceyoufeelthatthetimingisworkedout,pitchyourstoryboardsagaintoanaudience,thistimewithastopwatchinhand.

TheMagicIngredients:TimeandSoundStilldon’ttrustyourtiming?Itmaybetimetotakeastepintotherealmofcomputeranimationbycreatingananimatic.Ananimaticisavideoversionofyourstoryboardslaidoutinsequenceonananimationtimelinewithasoundtrackaligned.Itallowsyoutoseeyourstoryboardscometolifeandgetatruesenseofhowyourstorywilltimeout.

Tocreateananimatic,you’llneedtouseavideo-editingprogram.Manyareaffordable,someevenfreeifyoulookaround:iMovie,WindowsMoviemaker,AdobePremiere,AdobeAfterEffects,FinalCut,andToonBoomallworkwellforcreatingananimatic.Plus,there’sawealthofYouTubevideosthatcanteachyouhowtomakeanimaticswithanyoftheseprograms.

Onceyou’vedownloadedtherightprogram,scanandimportyourstoryboardsintotheprogramandlaythemoutonatimeline.Ifyouhaverecordeddialogue,music,voiceover,orsoundeffects,importthoseaswellandaddthemtoyoursequence.It’sgoingtotakesometinkeringtogetthisright,anditwillalwaysfeelabitawkward(afterall,youare“animating”staticshots),butdoyourbesttocreateanhonesttimelineofyourentirestory.You’llneed(again)tobringoutyourmostbrutalinternaleditor.Ifabeatistoolong,shortenit.Ifabeatseemsexpendableandyouneedthetime,getridofit.Youmightevenfindthatyouhavetoomuchtimeandbeforcedtocreateanewvisualbeat.Gettoworkonthatimmediatelyandrealignyouranimaticwiththenewbeat.Timingisthetruth,andthetruthwillbecomecrystalclearwhenyousequenceitoutonyouranimatic.Thisiswheresurprisesandexcusesvanish,becausetheanimaticisyourlastandfinalchancetogetyourstoryrightbeforetakingthebigleapintoanimation.

Ifyoufeelready—Imeanreallyready—thenlet’sgoforth!

SterlingSheehy,WakefieldStoryboards

StoryboardRecap

1.VaryYourShotsResponsibly:Utilizedifferent-sizedshotstoenhancenarrativelogicanddrama.

2.Framing&TheRuleofThirds:Keepshotsinterestingbyplacingsubjectoff-center.

3.Staging:Blockelementstocreatevisualandconceptualhierarchy.

4.SpatialContinuity:Makesureframesareconsistentwiththephysicalworldyou’vecreated.

5.TemporalContinuity:Makesureframesareconsistentwiththestoryyou’vebeentelling.

6.DirectionalContinuity:Makesurethingsaremovinginaconsistentdirectionfromframetoframe.

7.Timing:Breakoutastopwatchandmakesurethatyourstoryworksinthetimeyou’vebeenallotted.

8.Animatics:Stepintotheworldofanimationbylayingoutyourstoryboardsintoadigitaltimeline.

Assignment:StoryboardasimplepremiseUsingthemethodoutlinedabove,createthumbnails,thumbnailrevisions,storyboards,andstoryboardrevisionsforthefollowingsimplepremise:Acharacterinabinddiscoversamagiccarpet.Wheredotheyfindit?Wheredotheygo?That’sallI’mtellingyou,exceptthatitmustbe30secondslong,exactly.Onceyou’vecompletedyourstoryboard,pitchittoagrouporaperson.Timeitoutasbestyoucan,andifyoucanaccessaneditingprogram,goaheadandlayitintoananimaticforfinaltiming.

4.ColorSense

Enhanceyourstorywiththerightpalette

Colorhastremendousstorytellingpower.Itcanexpressemotion,clarifymotivation,andevendictatetheentiremeaningofapiece.Afarmer’slushgreenfieldmeanssomethingtotallydifferentifinsteadit’syellow-brown;ahero’srideoffintothesunsetbecomesa

rideintothedepthsofhellwithaslighttweakinhue;ayoungboy’sfirstkisshasadifferentconnotationiftherecipientofthekissturnsgreeninsteadofblushingred.

Sowhatarethebestcolorchoicesforyourstory?Whatisjusttherightamountofcolortouse,ifanyatall?Howcanyouusecolortoenhancetheemotionalimpactofyourpiece?Thischapterwillanswerthosequestionsandgiveyousomesimpleguidelinesforhowtoplanyourpaletteandenrichyourstorywithwell-informedcolorchoices.

CodyWalzel,MakeshiftSatellite,ColorScript

ColorVocabHue,Saturation,andValueFirstlet’smakesurewe’reallonthesamepageaboutbasiccolorvocab.Asyoumayknow,therearethreestandardcharacteristicsofcolor:hue,saturation,andvalue.Whenweask,“Whatcoloristhat?”we’reaskingforthehue.Huereferstothecommoncolornameinthespectrumlikered,blue,green,blue-green,andsoon.Saturationistheintensityorpurityofacolor.Highlysaturatedcolorslookvibrantandbrightwhilelow-saturatedcolorslookdull,almostgrayish.Valueistherelativelightnessordarknessofacolor—basicallyhowmuchlightthecolorisexposedtodeterminesitsvalue.Lowvalue

meansacolorisclosertoblack.I’llusethesetermsthroughoutthechapter,sopleaserefertothehue,saturation,valuecharthereifyouneedarefresher.

CreateaColorScriptLet’spulloutthosecuecardsagain.Thistime,insteadofblankonesgrabyourcompletedstoryboards.Ifyou’vealreadyattemptedtomakeananimatic,thenyourboardslikelywillbescannedandintegratedintoaneditingprogram.Ifnot,dosonow.Scaneachcardintothesoftwareofyourchoiceandlayoutyourboardsinsequence—it’stimetostarttheprocessofcreatingacolorscript.

Acolorscriptisasequentialvisualoutlineofhowyouintendtousecolorinyouranimatedfilm.Theprocesscanbehighlyexperimental,and,asusual,Iencourageyoutofindaprocessthatworksbestforyou.Thetrickistobalancewhatyouthinklooksrightinyourindividualsceneswithwhathelpstoenrichyourstoryasawhole.Storyisalwaysfirst,soyoumayneedtoreplacecolorsthatyouabsolutelylove(aesthetically)iftheydon’tservethebigpictureofyourstory.

Tobegin,takeastepwaybackandtrytodefinewhatcoloryourentirestorywouldbeifitcouldbeonlyonecolor.Thisisakintofiguringoutthethemeofyourstory,asitwillinfluenceeachofyourcolorchoicesasyoumoveforward.We’lldiscusscolorsymbolismsoon,butIencourageyoutogowithyourgutinansweringthefollowingquestionstohelpyoudeterminethatonecolor:Howdoesyourfilmfeel?Isitapinkfilm?Agrayone?Whatistheoverarchingcentralmoodofyourfilm,andisitstrongenoughtobaseyourfilm’spalettearound?Figuringoutthedominant,thematiccolorofyourfilmwillhelpestablishthepaletteofyourothercolorsmovingforward.

Onceyouhavethatonecolor,thenextstepistocreatewhatIcallapre-colorscript(PCS).Thisisyourstoryboardrepresentedbyaseriesofsinglecolors,oneforeachboard.Eachcolorintheseriescanberepeated.Thinkofyourpre-colorscriptasagameofcharades—youhavetotellyourentirestorystarttofinishbutyoucanuseonlyonecolorperframetodoso.

Thebestwaytostartthisprocessisbyidentifyingthekeymomentsinyourstorythatwillrequirecolorforemphasis.Thesearethemomentsthathavetopopinyourstoryline—andthenthecoloryouchooseintherestofyourfilmshouldacttosupportthosemomentsasbesttheycan.

LouisMorton,NoseHairStoryboards

Takeforinstancethestoryofabearcublostinthewoods.Saythecubfacesoffagainstsomedangerouspredatorduringthenightandbydawnfinallymakesherwaybackhometoherfamilyofbears.Themomentswherecolorisimportantseemstraightforward:whenthebearcubgetslostinthewoods,whenthecubfightsoffadangerouspredator,andfinallywhenthecubarrivessafelybackhome.Ifthesekeymomentsaretoberepresentedbysolidhues,whichwouldtheybe?

Iencourageyoutogowithyourgutinansweringthatquestion,breaksomerules,andbecreative.However,iftheideasaren’tfloodingin,itdoesn’thurttostartyourcolorthinkingwithpopularsymbolismthatpermeatesWesternculture.Redrepresentsmenace,anger,ordanger,likeDarthVader’sredlightsaberorCaptainHook’sredhatandjacket.Forinstance,youmaythinktouseasplashofdramaticredwhenthebearcubisfightingagainsttheviolentpredator.

Symbolism,however,maynotalwaysbestservethescene.Whataboutwhenourbearcubgetslostinthefirstplace?Forthedisorientationandfearthatthecubmaybeexperiencing,considerchangingthevalueoftheexistinggreensothatthewholeforestgoesabitdarkerwhenthecubrealizesthatshe’slost.

Finally,forthecub’sreturnhome,itmaybeneitherhuenorvaluethatbestenhancesthemoment.Perhapsachangeinsaturationwillworkbest.Throughthecub’stravelstheforestmayhavebecomedesaturatedtoimplythesadnessofthelostbearcub,butwhenthecubfinallydiscovershometheforestcouldreturntoasaturatedgreen.Itwillinfuseyourshotwithsuddenoptimismandjoyasthecubrunsbacktowardsherfamily.

Choosingtherighthue,saturation,and/orvalueforthekeymomentsinyourstorywillhelptoamplifytheemotionthatyou’regoingforandwillalsoclarifyintent.Youcanassigntoacoloranymeaningyou’vechosen—yousimplyhavetodefineandestablishitandbeconsistentwithhowyouuseitinyourfilm.WhetheryouchooseWesternculture’ssymbolismoryouassignyourownmeanings,it’simportanttoconsidersaturationandvalueaswellashue—andmostimportantly…gowithyourgut!

SupportingColorsOnceyou’veidentifiedthehue,saturation,andvalueforthekeymomentsinyourstory,goaheadandfillintherestofyoursceneswithsolidcolorsinthesameway.Treatyourkeymomentsasthestarsandchoosecolorsthatactassupportingcharacters.Youmaywishtoavoidhue,saturation,andvaluelevelsthatcompeteforattentionwithyourstar’skeyscenes.

JialiMa,BlackBird

ColorMeAwesomeNowthatyou’vecompletedyourpre-colorscript,it’stimetomoveontothebigtimeandcompleteyourcolorscript.WithyourPCSasyourguide,pullupyouroriginalstoryboardsequenceandbegintoworkoutthecolorsforeachboard.Theprincipalcolorthatyoualreadyselectedwillhelpkeepyoufocusedonthelookyou’regoingforineachscene.TakethecolorsthatyouidentifiedinyourPCSandintegratethemintotheboard.Onceyoudothatit’stimetoselectcolorsforthesupportingcastofcharacters,backgrounds,andpropsineachshot.Again,Iurgeyoutogowithyourgutandalwaysconsiderstoryabovevisualawesomeness.Andoh…

RemembertheimportantandsimpletipsI’veoutlinedonthefollowingpageswhenorganizingcolorforyourfilms.Theyrepresentthewisdomofexperiencedartdirectorsandproductiondesignerswhosedecadesofheart-wrenchingtrialanderrorledthemtoseethelight.Takeheedoftheirtips,orelsetheirendlesssufferingwillhavebeenallfornaught!

PleaseNote

Inprint,colorsarecreatedbymixingpigmentsonpaper.Mixtoomanypigmentsandyou’llgetblack.Inmotion,lightisusedtomixcolor.Ifyoumixtoomanycoloredlightsyou’llgetwhite.Asaresult,printandmotionfunctionintwodifferent“colorsystems.”MotionusestheadditivecolorsystemcalledRGB(Red,Green,Blue).PrintusesthesubtractivecolorsystemknownasCMYK(Cyan,Magenta,Yellow,Black).Longstoryshort,ifyounoticeaweirdchangeinyourcolorswhentransitioningfromprinttomotion,yourfilesmayhavechangedfromRGBtoCMYK.Mostprogramswillcompensateforthisshift,butifthingslookodd,youmaywanttogobackandchangeyoursourcefilesfromCMYKtoRGB.

KimDulaney,Airbnb.Leadartdirectionanddesign.CharacterdesignbyLaurenIndovina.DirectedbyMarcoSpierandMarieHyon.ProducedatPsyop

Tip1:LimitYourPaletteInstillartwork,theeyehastimetoexplorecolorandinvestigatecomposition.Withanimation(andallfilm),movementandthepassageoftimecreatetheneedforacontinuousandclearfocalpoint.Youwantyourstorytoreadquicklyandconsistentlyfromscenetoscene.Distractingtheviewer’seyewithunimportantobjectsthatarecolorfulisthefirstwaytolosetheattentionofanaudience.

Simplyput,inchoosingcolor,lessismore.Toomuchcolorvarietyinashotconfusestheeye,justastoomanyflavorsonaplateoffoodwillconfusethepalate.It’sbesttotakeaminimalistapproachtocolorandstartwithasfewcolorsaspossible.Itwillbefareasiertoaddcolorslaterintheprocessthantotakethemaway.Limitingyourpalettewillallow

theviewer’seyetoquicklyprocessthemovingimagesandfocusonwhatismostimportantinyourstory.

Tip2:Support(Don’tUpstage)YourSubjectBecarefulwithaddingtoomuchcolortobackgroundsandpropswhenyouhaveacolorfulmovingsubject.Movingsubjectsareyourstarsandneedspacetobreathe—theyshouldbesupportedbytheirsurroundingcolors,notupstaged.

Onewaytopleaseyourattention-cravingstarisbydesignatinganopenareaaroundit.Thisareaiscalledawhitespace(thoughit’snotnecessarilywhite).Yoursubjectwillthankyouforthewide-openstagewheretheycanbestbeseen,andevenifyouraudience’seyedoeswander,itwillbethankfulforalittlerestinyourwhitespace.

Anotherwaytolimitthevisualcompetitionaroundyoursubjectisbyusinghigh-contrastorcomplementarycolors.Thiswillhelptosolidifyfigure/groundrelationshipsaroundyoursubjectandwillmakeyoursubjectpop.Highcontrastisespeciallyimportantforkinetictype,logos,andbroadcastgraphics,sincewordstakemoretimetocomprehendthansingularobjectsandthereforerequireclearfiguregroundrelationships.

KimDulaney,Eno.Leadartdirectionanddesign.DirectedbyLaurenIndovina.ProducedatPsyop(aboveandoppositepage)

Tip3:SelectOneThematicandOneAccentColorWewentoverthisduringyourpre-colorscript,butIcan’tstressenoughhowimportantitistochooseadominantthematiccolortounifyyourentirepiece.Doingthisgivesyouabasisonwhichtoestablishyourpaletteandoffersviewersathemethroughwhichtheycanexperienceyourpiece.Onceyou’veestablishedyourthematiccolor,youshouldfocusonselectinganaccentcolor.Therearemanywaystopickcolorpairs.Trycomplementarycolors,analogouscolors,colorsnexttoeachotheronthecolorwheel,whatever.Fromthisdominantandaccentcolorallothercolordecisionsarederived—sochoosecarefullyandchooseearly.

ArielCosta,PixelShow

VonGlitschka,TireGoblin

Tip4:UseSaturationMindfullySaturatedcolorsaresoenergeticthattheycanstealthespotlightifusedinthewrongplace.Usesaturationinimportantplacesandmomentswhenyouneedacharacterorstorypointtopop.Relyonittoooftenandtheeyewilltireout.Inotherwords,userestraintwithsaturatedcolorsandsavethemforwhentheywillhelpfocustheeyeandmovethestory.

Tip5:UseSurpriseColorforPunctuationAsurpriseorunexpectedcolorisonethatdifferssogreatlyfromyouroverallpalettethatitjarstheeye.Whenplacedatakeymomentinyourstory,asurprisecolorcanenlivenyourmotionwork,tietogetherakeyidea,andeventriggertheclimaxofthestory.Warning:Muchlikesaturation,surprisecolorsareverypowerful,sousewithgreatrestraint.

KimDulaney,LindaLoves.Leadartdirectionanddesign.DirectedbyJordanBruner.ProducedatPassionPictures

Tip6:DesignforMovementIneachofyourboards,identifywhatwillbemovingandwhatwillremainstill.Whenchoosingcolor,makesurethatthecolorsinyourbackgroundsandstillobjectsdonotcompetewiththecolorsinyourmovingsubjects.Thegoalistodrawtheeyetowardsyoursubjectandtonotallowthelessimportantstillobjectstodistractfromtheaction.Thinkaboutdesaturatingthecolorsinyourbackgroundsorstillobjects,andletyourstarhavethespotlight.

Tip7:MakeYourOwnRulesAsyou’vefiguredoutbynow,coloriscomplex.Steadfastrulestousingcolorinmotioncanbecounterproductivetofindingtherightcombinationforyourfilm.Whenitcomestocolor,uncomfortablecombinationsandnewkindsofusagemaymakeforinterestingdesign.Whenusingcolor,feelfreetomakeyourownrulesforaproject—justbeconsistentwiththemsothatyourpieceisunified.

ColorRecap

ColorVocab:Hue,Saturation,andValue

MakeColorScriptstoEmphasizeKeyMoments

Tip1:LimitYourPalette

Tip2:Support(Don’tUpstage)YourSubject

Tip3:SelectOneThematicandOneAccentColor

Tip4:UseSaturationMindfully

Tip5:UseSurpriseColorforPunctuation

Tip6:DesignforMovement

Tip7:MakeYourOwnRules

Assignment:Subvertanurseryrhyme,makeacolorscriptSubvertasimplenurseryrhymebytranslatingitintoafilmgenre,suchashorror,comedy,musical,action,sci-fi,orWestern.First,writeathree-actstructure—onesentenceperact.Next,selectadominantcolorforyourpiece.Then,makeasimplepre-colorscriptforyourstory.Ifyouwantabiggerchallenge,trystoryboardingitinfullcolor!

5.WeirdScience

Experimentwithanimation

“IcallmyprocessWeirdScience.It’samixtureofcreativeritualsandexperimentation.Wefailalotandsometimeswe’relucky.Butifyou’redoingit

rightandyou’repayingattentionyoubegintolearnyourownweirdscience.”

—RamaAllen,Director,HBO’sTrueBloodtitlesequence

Perhapsmorethananyotherfilmmedium,animationprovidesabreedinggroundforexperimentation.Notonlyareyourimage-makingoptionsinfinite,buttheprocessallowsforwildswingsatthebatthatperhapsnoothermediumprovides.Experimentationisanessentialstepingettingthemostoutoftheanimatedprocessandmayevenhelpyoutodiscoverthedefiningmomentinyourstory.Sometimesstoriesareevenbornfromtheprocessofanimationitself.Still,someskepticsfearthewordexperimentation—theyfeelitimplieswhimsy,whichtheybelieveissynonymouswithwastingtime.Ifthat’showyoufeel,thenpleasegoaheadandreplacethewordwiththemorescientificphrase“ResearchandDevelopment.”Becausethat’swhatexperimentationis.Eventheoldestandmostsacredtechniquesandmethodscanbenefitfromafreshroundofexperimentation.

TaketheUnitedStatesnationalanthemwrittenin1814byFrancisScottKey.ThemelodywasconsideredsacrosanctwhenJimiHendrixgotonstagein1969andunleashedascreechingguitarsolobeforeastunned(ifslightlystoned)crowd.Itwasblasphemy…andyetitwasinnovativegenius.Jimihadtakenatriedandtrueformulaforwater(H2O)andcomeupwithliquidgold,and“TheStarSpangledBanner”wouldneverbethesame.

FindYourWeirdScienceLikeRamaAllen(quotedpreviously),JimiHendrixmadehisownweirdsciencetocreatesomethingnew;nowit’stimeforyoutofindyourweirdscience.Sosteelupyourcourage,musterupsomeHendrix-likechutzpah,andgothere—messaround,testlimits,learnsomethingnewthat’sdifficult—orriskleavingbehindacrucialelementinyouranimatedstory.Theexperimentationofthischapterisdesignedasahiatusbetweenthetransitionfromthenitty-grittyofpreliminaryworkofearlierchaptersandthetechnicaldetailthatcomeslater.Whatkindofanimationmagiccanyouimbueintoyourproject?

WizardofinventionillustratorIanWrighttookafamiliarphotographicportraitofJimiHendrixandthroughexperimentationreinventeditwithrollingbeads(atright).

IanWright,JimiHendrix.PhotobyEdPark

TheImportanceofCreating“Bad”ArtFirststepistocreatesometrulybadart.Andsincenoelsewilldoit,I(TheAuthor)herebygiveyou(TheArtist)permissiontomakebadart.Infact,Iassignyouthetaskoftakingatleastonescenefromyourprojectandmakingitasbadasyoupossiblycan.Here’swhatImeanbybadart.Forgetaboutcarefulcolorchoices;goagainstyourinstinctswithdesignandtechnique;getinthereandmakeamess.Haverainfallupward,layeroneffectslikeicing,turnthegrassneonpink.Havefunandcommittotryingsomanythingsthatyouendupwiththewildestversionofyourscenepossible.Permityourselftoworkonanideathatismeantfornocriticaleyesevertosee,andIguaranteethatyou’lllearnaton.Youmayevendecidetoincorporatesomeofyour“badideas”intothefinalproject.Ifyoudo,youmaybestunnedtodiscoverthataudiencesreacttothosebadideasassomeofyourbest.Thereasonissimple:Whenyourelaxandstopworryingaboutwhatpeoplearegoingtothink,you’reatyourmostcreativeandinventive.Whenyou’reatyourmostinventive,youmakethemostunexpectedcreativedecisions.Andnothinghelpsenhanceastorymorethaninventivecreativedecisions.Thosemomentsarethepointsinyourstorythatpeoplecallsurprisingandmagical.And…youneverhavetoletonthatthosesurprisinglymagicalmomentscameoutofanexperimentationwithbadart.

WorkontheEdgeofYourSkillSetItwasSamuelBeckettwhocoinedthephrase“failbetter,”andI’mthinkingofgettingatattoothatsaysjustthat.Tryingtoimproveatthingsthatyougenuinelystinkat,andnotjudgingyourselfforstinking,maybethesecrettoafulfillingartisticlife.Beckettwasn’tbeingirrational.Hedidn’twantyoutoflapyourarmsinanefforttoflyorskydivewithoutaparachute.Hewastalkingaboutworkingwithinyourareaofexpertisebutjustattheedgeofyourskillsetwhereyougetuncomfortable;wherefromeitherlackofexperienceorlackofabilityinanarea,youstink.Squarelyinthatzoneofthatdiscomfort,rightwhereyourstinkingismaximus,iswhereyourcreativegeniuswillhappen.Soinyourcontinuedefforttocreateweirdscience,trygoingbeyondyourcurrentcomfortzone.

JordanBruner,BattistaandFederico

Scoresofgreatartistsanddirectorshavebecomegreatbecausetheyhadthecouragetobehonestaboutwhatskillswereneededtogettothenextlevel.Theydidn’twanderaroundtryingeverythingforthesakeofit;instead,theyweresystematicaboutlookingtheirshortcomingsintheeye,turningtheirbacksontheembarrassmentandfearofbeingseenasafraud,andfocusingonexpandingtheirskills.Soaskyourself:Wherearethegapsinmyskillset?WhatareasofyourcraftdoIfeeltheneedtoinvestigate?

Now,setforthandfillthosegaps.Mightlearningtoshootandeditvideosharpenyourtiming?Needtobrushuponcharacteranimation?Fascinatedbutperhapsterrifiedbymotioncapture?Takethetimetoexperimentwiththem—allofthem.Askfavorsoffriendswhocanshowyouthebasics,takeonthepersonaofachildlearningalanguagewhoisunafraidofbutcheringit,andgettowork.Caveat:I’mnotaskingyoutoperfectwhat’sonthatlist,justtotryit,andleanintothediscomfortofnotyetbeingproficient.It’sinthisuncomfortableprocessthatyoumayfindthekeytoyourartisticgreatnessandperhapsevencrackthesecrettofailingbetter.

PersonalExperimentationHeavenUptothispointyou’vepermittedyourselftoexperimentlikeJimiHendrix,makehorriblybadart,andlearnnewskillswiththegoalofexpandingyourset.Butdon’tgiveallthatmagictoyourboss!It’softentheunpaidpersonalprojectsthatwillfurtheryourcraft,keepthecreativefiresburning,andifyou’reluckyleadtoevenbiggerthingsinyourcareer.

MaketheWorkYouWanttoBeHiredtoDoGregoryHerman,multi-disciplinarydirectoranddesignerwhohasworkedonsuchblockbustersas21JumpStreetandTheAmazingSpider-Manbutalsoanarrayofindependentfilmprojects,knowsathingortwoaboutgettingpigeonholedinHollywood.Whenadesigneroranimatorgetsknownfordoingsomethingwell,clientscomerunningforspecificallythatthing.It’seasytogetpigeonholedintoworkingonthesamekindsofprojectsoverandover.ForHermanthatthingwasbroadcastgraphics—hecomposesthembrilliantlybutisn’ttotallysatisfieddoingonlyonething.Hewantstospendhisdaysexpandinghisskillsandworkingonavarietyofprojectsthatinspirehim.Simplyput,hewantstobepaidtodotheworkhewantstodo.

CommonsensetoldHermanthatifhisreelwasfilledwithbroadcastgraphics,thenhe’dendupgettinghiredtodojustthat.Sohemadeastrategicchoice.Hedisplayedhisbroadcastgraphicsworkandpersonal/experimentalworksidebysideonhiswebsiteandreel.Themessagetoprospectiveemployerswasclear:Hewasamulti-facetedartist,abletodomorethanjustonethingreallywell.

TheMacroStudy(ontheright)isanexampleofthepersonalworkthatHermanspotlighted.MacroStudyfeaturesfilmictitlesequenceswithdark,suspensefulsoundtracksandclose-upimagesofeverydayobjectsshotwithamacrolens.ItwastheworkHermanwantedtodo:transformingtheseeminglymundane(brokentools,insects,plants,HotWheelscars)intomysteriousandexcitingworldsthattellanewstory.

GregoryHerman,Director,MacroStudyv003a

StefanBucher,DailyMonster308

Ittooksometime,buteventuallyHermanfoundhimselfbeingofferedworktocreatefilmtitlesequencesjustliketheonesfeaturedonhissite.Notthatthegraphicsworkoffersdriedup;quitetheopposite.Butnowhewasallowedtodobothandalsochoosebetweentheworkthathehadoncebeenpigeonholedtodoandtheworkthatreallyinspiredhim.Theresultcanbeviewedonhisimpressivewebsite.

PersonalProjectsPayOffinUnexpectedWaysStefanBucherisabusyman.Ahighlysought-afterillustratoranddesignerfortopclients,Bucherdoesn’thavemuchextratimeinhisday.Andyet,heekedoutenoughtimeonthesideofhisdemandingjobtocreatewhatislikelyhismostidentifiablework.Bucher’sDailyMonsterprojectbeganwithasimpleinkspotonablankpage.Hefoundthatblowingairontheinkcreatedanunusualshape,whichcouldformthebasisofakindofmagicalmonsterdrawing.Bucherbecameenchanted(andobsessed)withhislittleink-facedmonsterandcommittedtocreatingatleastonenewoneaday.

Bucherkepthispromise,andsoonthatsingleinkspotdrawingevolvedintooverathousandmonstercreations.TheDailyMonsterprojectisnowapublishedbook,apopularanimatedWebseries,and(hopefullyverysoon)aTVshow.Buchercarvedoutpreciousminutesfromhispackeddailyscheduletofollowhisbliss,andthepayoffhasbeenhuge(ontheleft).

It’sthepersonalprojectsthatwillhelpyouidentifythestoriesthatyouwanttotellandfurthercultivateyourpointofview.Sowhetherit’skeepinganactivesketchbook,scribblingdownshortnarratives,ormakingfilmsontheside,keeptheromancealiveandfindthetimetodotheworkthatyouwanttodo.Remembertotreatyourpersonalprojectswiththesameprofessionalismastheworkyou’regettingpaidfor.Youmaybesurprisedathowquicklyitgetsyounoticed,andhired.

YourFilm’sExperimentationListTimetograbapieceofpaperandgetdowntobusinessapplyingyourweirdsciencetoyourcurrentproject.Withineachframeofyourcompletedstoryboardexistsareasthatcouldbenefitfromexperimentation.Drawupagraphwitheachscene’snumberontheleftsideandaseriesofcolumnsattoplistingareaswhereyoumightexperimentwiththosescenes.Technique,Design,Movement,Transitions,Sources,andSoundaregoodexamplesofareaswhereyoumightexperiment,butyoushouldaddyourowncolumnstobestfitthepossibilitiesavailableinyourspecificfilm.

Nowthatyourgraphismade,considerhowyourprojectasawholemightbenefitfromeachareaofexperimentation.Youmaydecidethattherearemanypossibilitiesorjustafew.Gothrougheachofyourstoryboardsonebyoneandconsiderhowyoumightexperimentwitheachofthetopicslistedinthecolumn.Ifyouthinkthere’ssomethingthere,takeyourbest,wildestshot—Iassureyouit’llbeworthwhile.

Forinspiration,pleaserememberthatsometimesthebestwaytoexperimentisnottoinventnewwaysofdoingthingsbuttobeinfluencedbysomethingyou’veseenbeforeandlove.HeadontoAWN,Motionographer,Vimeo,orYouTubeandfindsomethingthatnailsthelookyou’regoingforinyourownproject.Takecarefulnotesofwhatelementsyou’rerespondingtoandthenaddtheseexperimentstoyourlist.

Transitions,ACaseStudyYourexperimentationlistshouldmostcertainlyincludetransitions.Animationallowsforthemostmarvelousthingstohappeninbetweentwoframes.HsinpingPan’sfilmUSOCHenryCejudoillustrateshowsimpledesignchoicescanachievebeautifulanimatedtransitions,removingallclunkycuts.Noticeinparticularhowsheorchestratesaseamlessstorytransitionfromthewrestlertohisadoringmotherbymorphingthebackgroundofthewrestlingstageintohismother’sbrowneye.Weknowthatthemotheristhinkingabouthersonassoonasweseeherfacewithoutanyadditionalinformation.Thetransitionbecamethestory.

HsinpingPan,USOCHenryCejudo

Movement,ACaseStudyThewordanimationisderivedfromtheLatinword“anima,”whichmeanssoul.Howyouanimatetheelementsinyourpiecerevealsitssoul,sonowit’stimetogetalittleJamesBrownwithyourproject.Doyouwantcertainmovementtobesmoothandelegant,quirkyandcomic,orjaggedandedgy?Whatevertoneyouchooseandwhatevermediumyou’reworkingin,it’sessentialtodoanimationexperimentswithkeycharacters,assets,andcameramovestofeeloutwhichtoolsworkbesttogetthemmovingthewayyouwant.

LouisMorton’scharactermovementstudiesareanelegantexampleofexpressiveinventedcharactermovementthatcanonlybetheresultofsuchexperimentation.

LouisMorton,PasserPasser,CharacterMovementStudies

AlbertoScirocco,leftchannel,FeedYourCreativeBrain,MotionConference

WeirdScienceRecap

1.Freeyourselftomake“badart.”

2.Workontheedgeofyourskillset.

3.Maketheworkyouwanttobehiredtodo.

4.Keepworkingonyourpersonalprojects.

5.MakeaProjectExperimentationList.

6.Experimentwithtransitions.

7.Experimentwithmovement.

JamesLancettandSeanWeston,Directors,Overcast

Assignment:Experimentwithnon-digitalsourcesAnimationhastheabilitytotakeaudiencestocompletelyfabricatedworlds,butforsomecontentthereisapointatwhichtheseworldscanfeelabitairless.Anaudiencemayneedsomethingtogroundthem,withoutnecessarilyleavingtheworldyoucreatedforthem.Addingnon-digitalvisualelementsandtexturesfromthenaturalworldcanhelpmakeyourfilmmorevisuallyaccessibleandinfuseitwithakindofgrittyrelateability.And,let’sfaceit,itdoesn’thurttostepawayfromthecomputerandreconnectwiththerealworldforaminute.

Experiment:Beginanewprojectorexploreoneyou’realreadyworkingonforopportunitiesthatmightbeenhancedbytheanalogbeautyofgrittynature.Gathersomevisualelementsfromtherealworldandintegratethemintoyouranimatedfilm.Shootvideo;scanpaper,textures,orfabrics;takephotographs,etc.Beplayfulwithyourtools:Whipyourcameraaroundtocaptureweirdlights;scanyourfrecklesorarindoflemon;shootorigamiongreenscreen.Bringing“real-world”warmthandfamiliarityintoyourdigitalenvironmentscaninfuseyourimaginedworldwithamorerelatablefeelingthatcanbringawholenewinterpretationtoyourstory.

TheimageatleftshowsscreenshotsfromthefilmOvercastbyJamesLancettandSeanWeston.WhenIspoketoSeanabouthowheandJamesdecidedtomix2Dcharacteranimationwithreal-worldvideoforOvercast,hesaid:“JamesandIweretalkingaboutdifferenttechniquesofanimationduelingwitheachother.Atfirst,itwasCGversusstopmotionversus2Dhanddrawn…alllivingintherealworld.Wesoonrealizedwewereputtingabittoomuchonourplate.Sowewentalongthelinesofanout-of-work2Danimatedcharacterlivingintherealworld.Thestorylaterturnedintoadepressedcharacter,fedupwithhiscloudofdepression.”

Overcastisawondrousexampleofthevisualbeautythatcanbeattainedwhenananimatormixesdigitalandnon-digitalsources.Butperhapsmoreimportantly,itrevealsthewaydepthcanbeaddedtostorytellingbycombiningtheworlds.Giveitashot.

6.SoundIdeas

Getyouraudioandstoryinsync

Let’sbeginwithagameofFill-in-the-Blanks.Lightningstrikesandyou’llsoonhearthesoundof__________.Ababydropshispacifier;plugyourearsbecauseherecomes__________.Jay-ZstrutsonstageinBrooklynandit’sthedeafeningsoundof

__________.Theverynotionofsoundisthatit’sreactive,almostobedient,toaction.Indeed,allsoundsaretheresultofobjectsvibrating,andsoitfollowsthatwhencreatingyouranimatedfilm,soundshouldbetheresultofactionandemergeoutofexistingstory.Butthatconventionalwisdomseriouslyunderestimatestheenormouspowerofsoundnotonlytoaffectcurrentstorybutalsotopropelitforwardonitsown.YouhaveonlytocatchanepisodeofLooneyTuneswithBugsBunnytowitnesstheindeliblepowerofsound.BugsischasedintoadarkbearcavebyYosemiteSamandthescreengoescompletelyblack.Youhearscuffling,punches,andgroans.TheninthenextframeBugsstrollsoutofthecave,carrotinmouth,unscathed,andgrinningsmugly—butthefightingsoundspersist.WeviewersallknowthatYosemiteSamisstillinthatcave,verylikelyfistfightingwithanangrybear,anditain’tgonnaendwell…

It’saniceexampleofhowsoundalonecanpaintavividpictureofactionandcanpropelstoryforwardonablankscreen.Butthat’sjustawarm-up.Considerthefigurebelow.Aman’sterrifiedface—eyeswidelikesaucers.Let’saddtheeeriesoundofscreechingviolins,heavyfootsteps,thenthecreakingofadoorandcockingofahandgun—amurdererhasclearlyarrivedanddeathisonlysecondsaway.Sameimage;addmushyromanticmusic,thesoundofyoungladiesgiggling,andhigh-heeledfootstepsfollowedbythevoiceofashyyoungwoman,“Hello,Harold,youlooksoooohandsomeinyourbowtieandsuspenders.”Suddenly,ourmanisfarfrombeingmurderedbutisinsteadtotallylove-struck,onthevergeofablushingmeltdown.Finally,changethesoundtrackagaintoabuzzingalarmclock,thedistantsoundofmorningtraffic,andadogwhiningandwagginghistailagainstabedside(readyforhismorningwalk).Suddenlyouralmost-murderedlove-struckmanisnoneofthosethings—hehassimplyoversleptandislateforwork!

LetSoundLeadStoryInproduction,soundcanbeanafterthought,butwaitinguntilthemiddle(orafter)

animationtodetermineyoursoundtrackiskindoflikewaitinguntilthere’saminuteleftinthefourthquarterofapick-upgametosubinLeBronJames.Talkaboutamissedopportunity!Ichallengeyoutonotonlyconsideryoursoundtrackatthesametimeaswritinganddesigninyourproductiontimelinebuttoleadwithsound,usingitastheprimarycompassforyourstorytelling.YoumaybesurprisedatitsZeus-likestorypower(aslighteningfollowsthesoundofthunder!),andyourprojectwillglowfromthatuniquelyear-forwardapproach.

DiegeticandNon-diegeticSoundKarinFong,award-winningfounderofImaginaryForcesandacclaimedtitledesigner,isfondofsayingthatmusicandaudio“does80percentofthework.”I’mnotgoingtopromisethatthischapterwillhelpyoucomplete80percentofyourproject,butifyoufollowthestrategieslaidoutinthischapterIcanguaranteethatyourstorywillbestrongerasaresult.

Firstweneedtoclarifytheconceptof“diegetic”and“non-diegetic”sound(pronounceddaya-jet-ic).Putsimply,diegeticsoundcomesfromsourcesthatarevisibleon-screen(orimpliedbyactionoff-screen)andthatcomefromthephysicalworld:adog’sbark,acreakingdoor,mostdialogue(thatisnotintheheadofacharacter),andmusicwhosesourceyoucanseeinthescene—suchasfromamusicianoraradio.

Soundsdescribedasnon-diegeticaresoundswhosesourceneitherisvisibleonthescreennorhasbeenimpliedtobepresentintheaction.Soundeffectsthatarenotnaturaltoobjectsinthescene(asadtromboneplaying“wah-wah-wah”whenacharacterrealizesthey’vebeentricked),themusicscore(thatisnotcomingfromamusicianoraradiointhescene),andanyoff-cameranarrationordialoguethat’sgoingoninthemindofacharacter.Non-diegeticsoundissurrealtotheactionandyetaimstoenrichwhatishappeningon-screen.

Animationoffersahostofopportunitiestousebothdiegeticandnon-diegeticsoundandalsoprovidesmanyoccasionswhereonecanmorphintotheother.Forinstance,ababyiscryingloudly.Thosecriesarediegetic—youcanseethebabyandknowthatthey’reupset,evenasthecryinggrowsloudenoughtobreakaglass.Whatifyouaddasurrealemphasistothatbaby’scryandmakeitgrowlouderandmoreferociousandmorphitintothemightyroarofalionorthehowlofanambulancesiren?Nowyou’veaugmentedthestory;thebaby’scryissoloudandferociousitsoundslikealiontothosearoundit,anditonlytookasimpleswapfromdiegetictonon-diegeticsound.

Belowwe’llexplorethethreeelementsofsoundinanimationandmotiongraphics—soundeffects,music,anddialogue—withanearforbothdiegeticandnon-diegeticsound.Thechartaboveremindsyouofthechoicesyouhavewhencreatingasoundtrackforyourfilm:fromtotallynaturalisticdiegetic(baby’scry/bandplaying/dialogue)tosurrealnon-diegetic(lion’sroarfromababy’smouth/musicsoundtrack/narrationandinternalmonologue)toeverythinginbetween.Themediumofanimationcelebratescreativeflexibilitywhenitcomestosound,sotakeadvantage!

SoundEffectsAddingsoundeffectstoyourprojectcanbeablast.Whocanresistthehowlofawerewolfwhenaterrifiedcharacteriswalkingaloneinthewoodsatnight?Whatgoodisabrilliantideawithouta“ding!”foremphasis?Whateditorhasn’ttoyedwiththeplethoraofburpingcuesavailableatakeystroketoenhanceapost-sodadrinkingscene?Withsomanydeliciouspossibilitiesatyourfingertips,restraintiskey.Indeed,thefirststepinaddingsoundeffectstoyourfilmistomakealistofplaceswhereyou’dliketoaddthemandslashthatlistinhalf(attheveryleast!).Whilewell-placedsoundeffectsenhanceyourstory,theiroverusewillleaveafilmsufferingfromthelawofdiminishingreturns.Takethemuch-lovedcymbalusedtoheightendramaticmomentsin-scene.Averbalsparringbetweentwoslugscanbeclatteredwithcymbalsinanefforttoelevatethedrama,anditmightworknicelyforawhile.Butwhathappenswhenonesluggetssoangrythatitpullsoutadeadlysaltshaker?Addinganotherheightenedcymbalwillhavelostitsemphasisandwillcomeoffaslimp,whitenoise.

Aproficientuserofsoundeffectsisquitethepoet:Theyrequiregreatrestraintbutalsoaknackformetaphorandaloveofthesurreal.Afterall,whataresoundeffectsbutlyricaldipsintotheuniverseofthefantastic?Thesightofchildrenplayinginthestreettouchesagrumpyoldman,andthesoundofa“crackingiceberg”mayrepresentthemeltingofhisfrozenheart.Acorruptpoliticianiscaughtred-handedcommittingevilinfullpublicview,whilethesoundofsirensandhelicopterscirclingmayembodythefeelingthatthereisnoescape.Awomanisstruckbycupid’sarrow,andchirpingbirdsmaybestrepresentherfeelingsofromanticaffection—ormaybeherheartliterallysingsABBA?AC/DC?Pavarotti?Whateverthescenariooryourtakeonthatmetaphor,whenyouaretemptedtouseanaturalistic(diegetic)sound,firstsearchyourpoet’ssoulforasurrealsoundthatmightembodywhatyou’retryingtoexpress.Itmayjustcapturetheemotionyou’rereachingforinamoreexpressiveway,andyouraudiencewillappreciatethatpoeticreach.

MusicassoundeffectsSoyou’vegotyourtrimmedlistofsoundeffectsandtheperfectmetaphorsforthoseopportunities—youare,infact,readytoreceiveyourPulitzerPrizeforPoetry.Butbeforeyoudeliveryouracceptancespeech,considerthatsomeofyoursoundeffectsmightnothavetobe“effects”atall.Theycouldinsomecasesbemoreeffectiveasmusic,especiallymusicderivedfromthesoundtrackthatyou’vecreatedforyourfilm(whichwediscussnext).ClassicexamplesofusingsoundeffectsderivedfromsoundtrackarethefamousscreechingviolininHitchcock’sPsychoshowerscene;theominouspianodun-dunfromSpielberg’sJawswhenthemega-sharkapproaches;theplayfulsoundofapiccolointheclassiccartoonTom&Jerrywhenthemouseevadesthecatwithhisquicklittlefootsteps.Borrowingsoundeffectsfromyourmusicscoreisagreatmovesinceitcangiveyoureffectsanorganicfeel,whilealsogivingyourentiresoundtrackthefeelingofsynthesis—notaneasytaskwhenselectingsoundsforanentireanimatedfilm.

NoteonFoleySound

Scoresofsoundeffectslibrariescanbeaccessedonlineforfreeorforasmallpurchase,andthechoicesmayseemoverwhelming.ButIimploreyou:Donotdependonsomeoneelse’ssoundtoexpressyourstoryideas.Youcanmakeyourownsoundsthataremorespecifictoyourvisionwithasimplemicrophonesetup.RecordingyourownFoleysoundeffectsallowsyoutocreatetheexactsoundsthatyouhearinyourheadandnotsettleforanear-match.Foleysoundisyoursound,sowhyleavesuchanimportantaspectofyourprojectinthehandsofsomeoneelse?

MusicWeallknowhowimportantawell-thought-outmusicscoreistothesuccessofyourproject.Morethananyotheraspectoffilm,musiccandeterminetheemotionaltenorofstory,setrhythmforscenes,andguideanaudience’sjourney.Luckily,musicismalleable.Youcanorchestrateitsoelegantlywithyourstorythataudiencesmaybarelyevennoticeit’sthere.Oryoucanputitfrontandcentertoannouncethemoodchangesandexpresstheoverallattitudeofyourpiece.WhatwouldShaftbewithoutIsaacHayes’funkyanthem?WherewouldFantasia’sdancingbroomsbewithoutTchaikovsky’sSorcerer’sApprentice?WhoisDarthVaderwithoutthefamouslyominoussoundtrackthataccompanieshimintoeveryroom?

Solet’sgetdowntobrasstacksandestablishsometoolsforusingmusictoenhancestoryinyouranimatedproject.Warning:Followthesetoolsandyoumayneedaten-piecefunkbandtoblastyourthemesongwheneveryouwalkintoascreeningofyourfilm…

Scoreto“theme”HeadwaybacktoChapter1ofthisbook(“Pre-production”)whereyouidentifiedthethemeandemotionaltenorofyourproject.Now,ifyoucouldchooseonesongthatencompassesthatthemeandemotion,whatwoulditsoundlike?Atriumphantrocksong?Lonelybluesnumber?ChaoticfreejazzjamalaOrnetteColeman?Findthatsong(orcreateit)tostylethethematicbasisofyourmusicsoundtrack.Thisstageiscalledbuildingatemp(temporary)track.Bewarned,don’tgetmarriedtomusicyoucan’tgettherightsto.Thepurposehereistoestablishthefeelingyou’relookingfor.Usethattrackasaguidetodiginforothersongsthatmightrepresenttheemotionofvariousscenesinyourproject.Ifyouchoselonelybluesasyourtheme,digoutthathappyB.B.Kingsongforwhenyourcharacterisfinallycuredofhis/herloneliness.Next,lookfortracksthatbestrepresentyourmaincharacters,aswellasforsituationsthatmayberepeatedinyourstoryline.Thesesongswillhelpyoudefinethethemeandtoneyousetouttoachieve,andshouldinspireyoutocreateoracquirefinalsongsthatyoucangetrightsto.

Considerthemusicof“silence”I’mnotjusttalkingabouteliminatingmusicaltogether.Certainly,youshouldalwaysaskyourselfifasceneneedsmusicandthenleaveitbareiftheanswerisno.Lessismorewhenitcomestomusic.Butthereisakindofmusicsoundtrackthatcanfeellikenomusicatalltotheaudiencewhilestillprovidingapowerfulemotionalpushtoascene.Atmosphericmusic,sometimesrepresentedbyastripped-downhumfromyoursoundtrackorasubtlerhythmicdrone,cangiveasceneaddedpersonalitythattheaudiencemaynotevenperceive.Theprimaryadvantageofusingthisquietmusicisthatitfeelslikeabreatherfortheaudience,atimeduringwhichtheycanexperienceyourstoryontheirown,whilestillgivingthemtheslightestnudgeintoyourintendeddirection.Goodsounddesignissaidtobeundetectable,andsilentmusicprovidestheperfectopportunitytointegrateyoursoundtrackseamlesslywhilestillelevatingyouremotionalenvironment.

ScoreagainstPerhapsthemosthorrificsceneIhaveeverwitnessedisinQuentinTarantino’sclassicfilmReservoirDogs.Ahitmanisabouttocutofftheearofamanhebelievestobeapoliceinformant.It’sabrutallyviolentmoment,andanyotherfilmmakerwouldhavethrowninagruesomesoundtracktomatch.ButTarantino,inanintentionalstrokeofgeniusthatepitomizesscoringagainsttheactioninascene,hasthehitmanflipontheradiofromwherethewhimsical70spopsong“StuckintheMiddlewithYou”blastsout.Thehitmanjoyfullyskipsaroundtheinformantheplanstodisfiguretotheupbeattune,whichmakesthewholeexperiencesomuchmoredisturbing.Thiskindofcontrastingmusicchoiceplacestheaudienceinanuncomfortablespotandalertsthemthatsomethingtotallyoff-kilterishappening,sokeepyoureyeswideopen.Justmakesure,likeTarantinodid,thatyoupayoffthatpromisewhenyousignalitsarrival.Though,there’snoneedtoloseanearoverit…

DialogueTimetosummonstoryguruRobertMcKeewiththislittlegemfromhisseminalworkStory:“Thebestadviceforwritingfilmdialogueisdon’t.”Asananimator,you’recreatingaprojectinthemostvisuallydexterousartforminexistence;ifyoucan’tfindawaytoexpressathoughtvisually,thenyouhaven’ttriedhardenough.However,ifyouhaveexhaustedallelseandmustusedialogue(admittedly,I’masuckerforsomegooddialogue),hereareafewstepsyoucantaketomakesureit’sawesome.

Firststepistomatcheverylineofdialoguetothepersonalityofthecharacteryouhavespeakingit.Eachlineshouldaimtofurtherreinforcethetraitsyou’vegiventhemandclarifythosetraitsforyouraudience.Ifasuper-egotisticalwizardisaskedherprofession,“Iamawizard”seemslikeamissedopportunity.Howabout:“Googleme,”or“I’vealreadysewedtheanswertothatquestionontotheinsideofyourtrousers.”Onceyourscriptiscomplete,youshouldbeabletocoverupthecharacterheadingsandreadthroughknowingexactlywhichcharacterissayingwhichlinesinceonlytheycouldpossiblysaysomethingsovery“them.”

Secondconsiderationwhenwritingdialogueistomakeyourcharactersspeakinasnaturalisticawayaspossible.Inreallifepeopleinterrupt,veeroffintoodddirections,use

slangandmalapropismsconstantly.Rarelywhenamancomeshomeafterahardday’sworkis“Hi,Honey,I’mhome”hisfirstutterance.Nordoeshisspouse(intherealworld)say“Welcomehome,Darling,letmetakeyourcoat.”Morelikelyhesighsloudlyashekicksoffhisshoes,mutteringbitterlyaboutalatetrain,afterwhichhisannoyedspousesays,“Leftoverpizzainthefridge.Wecouldn’twait.Oh,andyourmothercalledagain.Shewantstovisit.”

Onesurefirewaytokeepdialoguenaturalisticistoindulgeinthefineartofsubtextinyourdialogue—textwithasuggested,subtlemeaning.Peopleuseitallthetime,itcanbeveryfunnyifusedright,and(moreimportantly)dialoguewithsubtextforcestheaudiencetofollowyourstorymoreattentively.Inascenewhereonespacealien(Zork)isjealouslycompetitivewithaneighbor,youdon’twanthimtosay,“MyX-5spacecruiserisfarlargerandmoreimpressivethanyours!”BetterthatZorkleansoverthehedges,eyestheotheralien’s(Gaxx)smallervehicleandgrins,“Cutespacecruiser.”Gaxx,whoisequallycompetitive,mayreply,“AlmostboughttheX-5,butit’sknownasthecruiserdivorcedmenbuytoover-compensateforsize.”Subtextisdelicioustouse,ittendstoloosenupdialoguethatfeelstooonthenose,anditgivestheaudiencefunplay-alongwheretheyhavetofigureoutwhat’sreallybeingsaid.It’samoreinteractiveandcleverwaytowrite.

Finally,usedialoguetosetthemoodofyourscenes.Inatensemoment,peopletendtospeakinshorter,clippedsentences.Saysthebouncertoacoupleofthugs,“Out.Bothofyou.Now.”Inmorelightheartedmoments,peopletendtospeakinanalmostmusicalway,oftengoingoverboardwithdetails.“Wewereoutallnight,andyouknowHenry,he’ssoloud,screaming,‘It’smybirthday,It’smybirthday,’theneighborswe’repoundingonthewallandhekeptyellingatthetopofhislungs,noneofuscouldstophim,soIjustgaveintothechaos.Mitchlaughedsohardhespitouthisbirthdaycake!”

FYI,ifyou’rewritinginternalmonologue,theseguidelinesarejustasimportant.Theinsideofyourcharacter’sbrainisacharacter,too,anditneedsallthepersonality-drivennaturalistictraitsthatallcharactersdo.

Narration/VoiceOverforMotionGraphicsWhileincharacter-basedanimationyoucanchoosewhetherornottolockyoursoundscriptbeforeanimating,inmotiongraphics,whereaclientoftenhasaspecificTRT(TotalRunningTime)foryoutohit,thereisnochoice:Youmustlockscriptandlaydownaudiobeforeanimationbegins.It’sforthatreasonthatwhenwritingamotiongraphicsscriptyourbestfriendsareclarityandbrevity.Yourscriptmustbesosimplethatthereisnoroomformisinterpretation,andbriefenough(giventhetimelimit)thatthereshouldexistnowordsexceptthoseabsolutelynecessarytogettingyourpointacross.

RichardE.Cytowic.TED-EdLessonsWorthSharing,Whatpercentofyourbraindoyouuse?

Thatmaysoundrelativelyeasy,butthere’sanadditionaljugglingacttopulloff:Whilecraftingyourwrittenmessageyoumustbesimultaneouslyconceptualizingtheimagesandthesequencesthatyouthinkwillbestmatchyourwords.Thismentalstoryboardingisthekeytowritingnarrationthatwillworkinthefinaleditofyourpiece.Sowritebriefandwriteclear,butalsowritevisual.

Afterafinal-lockeddraftiswritten,itshouldbeperformedandeditedmultipletimestogetasenseofhowit’stimingoutandwherethenaturalrhythmofthepieceisgoing.Youmayfindthatitneedstobesloweddown,andlinesneedtobemodifiedandremovedtostaywithinyourtimelength.Testingitoutwillalsoprovidecluestowhereeffectsandmusicnaturallyfall.

Onceyourscriptisrecorded(tightasabeartrapandclearasthebluestsky),youshouldmoveontodeterminewhatmusicmightbeplayingbefore,during,andafterthenarration.Perthemusicsectionofthischapter,youknowhowimportantmusicistotoneand

rhythm,andthemusicshouldcomplementnotcompetewiththenarrator’svoice.AtthelatestMotionographerF5conference,directoranddesignerPatrickClairsaidaboutinformationalmotiongraphics,“Thepaceofthevoicedrivesthings,typesitsatthecenter,anddesignisthespoonfulofsugarthathelpsthemedicinegodown….”

Finally,it’stimetomoveontodesignandanimation.Thereareinfinitewaystogoaboutdesigningyouranimationtosupportyourcopy.Askyourselfhowtypography,icons,characters,photographs,andvideomayfittobesttellyourstory.TED-Edhascreatedover120,000beautiful,fascinating,educationalshortanimatedfilmsthisway.TheTED-Edanimatedlessononthepreviouspageshowshowimportantitistokeepimagescleanandsimpletosupportscientificcontent.Asalways,thebigideaandmessagewilldeterminethemediayouchooseandhowitwilllook.Formoreinspiration,checkthemoutonlineated.ted.com.

AFinalWordonTimingAstheysayincomedy,“Timingiseverything,”andit’sjustastrueinanimation.Noneofwhatyou’vejustlearned—whetheritbeabouteffects,music,ordialogue—willworkwithoutakeeneyeontiming.Youwillquicklylearnthatplacingasoundeffectormusiccueafewframesoffcouldbethedifferencebetweenanemotionallysatisfyingsoundandonethatdistractsorworksagainstwhatyouweregoingfor.Witheachcue,soundeffect,orbitofdialogue,carefullyconsiderifitsplacementpacksthemaximumemotionalpunch.Oftenanudgeinonedirectionoranothercanprovidethatbeautifulrushofdopaminetothebrainthatreallymeans,Wow,niceuseofsound!

SoundIdeasRecap

1.Letsoundleadstory

2.Diegeticandnon-diegeticsound

3.Soundeffects

4.Musicassoundeffects

5.Music

6.Dialogue

7.Narration/Voiceover

8.Timingiseverything…

Assignment:ExperimentwithsoundSelectasignificantmomentfromasequenceinoneofyourstories,orfindascenetodownload.Storyboarditoutindetailandimportyourframestoavideo-editingprogram.Experimentwithatleastfivedifferentmusiccuesthatemphasizedistinctiveemotionaltonesforthestorybeat.Don’tforgettotryscoringagainststorywithunexpectedmusic.Nowdothesamewithsoundeffects,lookingfordifferentwaystomakethemomentinyoursceneresonate.

7.DesignWonderland

Worldbuildingandenvironmentaldesign

Improvcomedyhasagoldenrulethatcanbesummedupintwosimplewords:“Yes,and.”Yes,andmeansthatnomatterhowridiculousanideaoneplayerintroducesintoacomedicscene,theothersmustacceptitasfactandevenexpandonitsauthenticity.Soifaspasticimprovplayerpointstotheskyandsays,“Look,agiantcarrot!”theotherplayersonstage

mustimmediatelyreact.Thegiantcarrotsimplyexistsinthisworldthemomentit’sintroduced,andunlesssomeoneelseintroducestheideathatgravityworksdifferently,thenthegiantcarrotintheskyisverylikelycareeningdowntowardsthem.Ifaplayerdoesn’tjumpoutofthewaythey’llbecrushed.Ifthey’recrushedthesurvivingplayersshouldlookdownattheirdeadfriendandmourn;orrunawayworriedthatanothergiantfallingcarrotmaybeonitsway;orfeelpeckishanddecidetodineonadeliciouscarrotsnack.

Animationallowsyoutocreateanycrazychaosyouwant(includinggiantfallingcarrots),and,asyou’veseeninpreviouschapters,that’sjustpartofthemedium’smagic.Audienceswillbeeagertoexplorewhateverbizarre,newenvironmentsyoucreate.Butonceyouintroduceyourworld(andallofitsstrangerules),youmustcommittothemfullyorrisklosingthataudienceforever.YourhumancharacterhaslostherglassesinaworldofCyclops?Makesureit’sverydifficultforhertofindanewpairsincetheopticianssellonlymonocles.Createdanenvironmentthatiscompletelyupsidedown?Sleepingbatsshouldstandupright.Familiesliveinmarshmallowhouses?Thereshouldbeaslightbounceintheirstepsonthewaytothekitchen.

Committingthesinofgoingagainstthewildlogicofyourworldmeans“continuityissues,”andthatisthequickestroadtohavingyourstorylosecredibility.Saysaward-winningfilmmakerandeducatorBrookeKeesling,“Continuityissuesareamajorpitfallofcreatingnewenvironmentsinanimation,soartistshavetobeextracarefultosticktotherulestheyhavecreated.Thisisespeciallyimportantinbigstorymoments—it’scriticalthatstoryagreewiththerulesyou’vesetup.”

Theaudiencewillfollowwhateverwackinessyouthrowatthem,andthey’lltakeitveryseriouslysolongastheyfeelthatyou’redoingthesame.Butoneslip,onetinycontinuityoops…andit’sover;youraudiencewillloseinterestandvamoose.Sowhenyourgiantfallingcarrotappears,jump!

DesigningtheRulesSohowdoyoucreateaninteresting,consistent,andbelievableanimatedworld?Whatisthebestmethodformakingitfeelauthenticevenasyou’returninglogicupsidedown?First,establishtimeandplace,andthendotheworktodefinethephysical,social,andvisuallawsthatexistthere.These“laws”willprovideaconsistentfoundationforwhateverfar-flungchaosyouenvisionandwillhelpgiveyourworldasenseofauthenticityandverisimilitude.So,let’sgettowork.

SiriratYoomThawilvejakul,IntoMisterSharky’sMouth

YourWorld’sTimeandPlaceAnimatedenvironmentscanrangefromreal-worldsettingstoamixtureofrealityandfantasytofull-onfantasy.Whateverdirectionyouchoose,you’llneedtogiveyouraudienceaclearsenseoftimeandplace.Whendefiningwhaterayourworldmayexistin,thinkcarefullyabouttechnologyandotherfactorsthatmayvarygreatlyacrossthedecades.Choosethetimeandtheplacethatwillhelpcreatethebeststory,andfillyourenvironmentwithdetailsthatwillfacilitateinterestingconflictsinyourstory.

Takethestoryofaheartsickbugthat’stooshytoexpresshisfeelingstoaladybugwhoisleavingtown.Ifyourenvironmentisdesignedtobeliketheundergroundtunnelsofanantcolony(setahundredyearsinthefuture),thenyourpiningprotagonistwillhaveahardtimefindingtherighttunneltocatchtothe“super-fastflyingspacebus”thathistruelovehasjustboarded.Thedetailsoftimeandplaceworktoelevatethestory’sconflict—thelove-struckbugmustexpresshisfeelingstotheladybug—butyourworldisprovidinganorganicroadblock.

CodyWalzel,Breadheadsconceptart

Timeandplacearethefirstimportantdecisionsyou’llmakeincreatingyourstorywonderland.Choosewellsincethatdecisionprovidesthebackboneoftheworldwheretheimportantphysical,social,andvisuallawsaretobeestablished.

YourWorld’sPhysicalLawsOnEarththerearecertainindisputablephysicallawsthataresomuchapartofourdailylivesthatwetakethemforgranted.Abrickwillfallfasterthanafeather;apotofwaterwillboilat212degreesFahrenheit;thesunwillalwaysrisefromtheeast;andsoon.Iencourageyoutostudythesephysicallaws—theywillnotonlyhelpyouunderstandhowthingsworkinourenvironment,butthey’llprovideyouwithareferencetoturnEarth’sphysicallawsdirectlyontheirheadwhenyourtimecomestodoso.Sure,waterfreezesat32degreesFahrenheitonthisboringplanet,butwhatifyourworldexistsbetweenthehairfolliclesofamysticalbeast;orfloatsinadistantgalaxy;oriswedgedbetweenthecrustsofatunasandwicheatenbyancientgods?Atwhattemperaturewouldyouhavewaterfreezeinthosescenarios?And(justasimportantly)isitevenworthyouconsideringachangeinthatparticularphysicallawatall?Theanswertothatquestionrestsonwhetherornotcreatinganewphysicallawwillenhanceordetractfromyourstory.Putplainly:Don’tjustdoitbecauseitseemscool.Doitbecauseit’smeaningfultothetellingofyourstory.

WarnsBrookeKeesling,“Becarefulwithoverlybusyoroverlydescribedenvironmentsunlesstheyarecontributingtothestory.Sometimesanenvironmentisthestar,orkindofthekeycharacter,andsometimesitisjustdistracting.Eventhemostamazinglyinventiveenvironmentscanruinastoryiftheycompetewiththemaincharactersanddiffusethekeyideasofthestory.”

SterlingSheehy,ConceptArt

SterlingSheehy,DragonConceptArt

YourWorld’sSocialLawsOnEarth,abunchofmen(andsometimeswomen)gottogetherandmadeupabunchofrulesforcivilizedsocietytofollow.Alotofthelawsarebasedonreligiousvaluesandareaimedathelpingtherichratherthanthepoor(…but,that’sjustoneanimator’sopinion!).Sowhynotcreateanewsetofsociallawsandnormsforyourworld?Whynotshakethingsupsolongasitaidsinthetellingofyourstory?Maybebabieshaveallthepoliticalpower;perhapsinsteadofjailtimeallcriminalsmustbakegiantcupcakes;schoolisnowrecessandkidsrunoutsideatbreakexcitedtostudymath;dogswalkobedienthumansbeforeheadingofftowork.

MuchlikewithEarth’sphysicallaws,IencourageyoutodigintoEarth’shistory—abunchofmind-bendingsocialnormshaveexistedinvariousplacesintheworldthatmayprovideyouwithinspirationforyourinventedworld.Barringtheexistenceofthosenormsyou’dliketokeep,thesky’sthelimit!Makelifebetterorworse,orstrangereven,foritsinhabitants,andtakeadvantageofhowthosenewsocialnormscanenhanceyourstory.

Takeourlovelornbugwhohasfinallycaughtupwiththeladybugofhisdreamsandpouredhisheartout.Romanticcomediesusuallycallitadaythere—theladybugwilleitherrejecthisproposalorfallintohismanyarmsandbuzzoffintohappilyeverafter.Butwhyendthereifyourworldhasadifferentsetofsociallaws?PerhapsinyourworldaladybugonlyacceptsaproposalonceamalebugperformsanElvisimpersonationof“Don’tBeCruel.”Orlet’sflipgenderrolesandsaythatinyourworldonlyladybugscanproposeandit’sthemalebugwhohastofirstcatchthebusandthenconvincetheladybugtopropose!Sure,Elvis-onlyproposalsseemweird,butnoweirderthantheactofhumansbendingontheirkneesandpresentingapieceofjewelry.

BeinspiredbynatureIfyourequireinspiration,looknofurtherthanoursuper-freakynaturalworld.Didyouknowthatthere’sabirdcalledthered-cappedmanakinwhosematingritualincludesthemalehavingtoperformabackwardsdance(muchlikethemoonwalk)beforesheacceptshim?Andthemalehoodedsealattractsmatesbyinflatinga“nasalballoon”intoapinkbubblegum-likebulbuptothesizeofabowlingball(gross!).Fortheprayingmantis,itgetsstraightupcannibalistic:Aftermating,thefemalemantisgenerallybeginsconsumingthemalealive!

Theworldweliveinisplentyoddwhenitcomestosocialnorms,andforthemostpartwefollowalonglikesheep!Sowhynotinventyourownsetoflawsandsetyourcharactersfreetoexperiencethem?You’llbesurprisedwhatkindoflunacyyouraudiencewillfollowalongwithaslongasyouremainconsistent.Solookthataudiencestraightintheeyeandsay,“Thisishowitgoesaroundhere,sobetterbrushuponyourElvis.”

YourWorld’sVisualLawsThesuccessofyouranimatedstorydependsonthetonesetbyyourvisualworld.Space,line,shape,color,contrast,andtextureareallvisualaspectsyoucancreatelawsforasameanstoenhanceyournarrativeanddistinguishyourstoryfromothers.

Perhapsourlovesickbugsareakindoffireflythatlightsuponlywhenthey’rewiththeir

trueloveandthereforethefilmbecomesbrightandcolorfulwhenthey’retogether.Ormaybeyou’recreatingafuturisticworldrunbyevilsmartphones?Youmightdecidetousedesaturatedcolors,limittheuseofanyorganicforms,andusemostlyhardedgesandgeometricshapestoreinforcearobot-controlledenvironment.Doingamysteriousdetectivestory?Perhapslimityourpalettetoblack,white,andgrayswithsmallpopsofcolorwhencluesarerevealed.Maybetheshotsinthedetective’sofficearecomposedofonlyrightanglestoshowthedetectiveisincontrol,whileoutinthefieldtheshotsarecomposedofonlydiagonallinestocommunicatethathehaslostcontrol.Consistentandmindfulvisualchoicesmadewhendesigningyourenvironmentwillstrengthenyourstory.Somakealistofgroundrulesandstickwithyourvision.Audienceswillappreciatethefreshtakeandmayevenlaudthisuniquestyle.FeelfreetotellthemthatyouwereinspiredbythepoetryofBeaudeliereandnotthatyounerdilytapedyourvisuallawlisttoyourcomputer.Uptoyou!

OnMotionGraphicsandBrandingSincemostmotiongraphicsuseuniquelybrandedproducts,identities,orlogosinplaceofeasilyidentifiablehumanoranimalcharacters,it’sevenmoreimportanttocreatedistinctvisuallawstocaptureanaudience’sattention.Brandsareproducts,services,andofferingsthatareorganic,breathingentities.Onceyou’vestudiedthecorevaluesofthebrand,youcanbegintodesignaworldaroundit.

KimDulaney’saward-winningopeningtitlesequences(atright)fortheOFFFInternationalFestivalforthePost-DigitalCreationCultureisarichandelegantworldbuiltaroundaveryinterestingbrandandsomeveryinterestingideas.Dulaneyexplains,“Theconceptwastofindabalancebetweennatureandmachine,alongwithformsinnaturethatsymbolizedstrength.”Thevideointerestinglyexplorespeculiarspacesfusingthenaturalandartificialandfeatureshybridanimalsthataftercloseinspectionrevealwires.Intheend,theaudienceisunabletodiscernwhatisanimalormachine,naturalorsynthetic.ThiselegantlyexpressesthevaluesandideasoftheOFFForganization.

KimDulaney,Leadartdirector,designer,andillustrator.OFFFOnlineFlashFilmFestivaltitle.CreativedirectionbyJeffStevens.ProducedatTheMill

DesignWonderlandRecap

1.Designconsistentrules

2.Definetimeandplace

3.Considerphysicallaws

4.Considersociallaws

5.Definevisuallaws

6.Motiongraphics—explorebrandvalues

7.Motiongraphics—establishvisualrules

Assignment:DesignandtestyournewworldFollowingtheitemslistedinFictionalWorldBuilding(atright),establishtherulesofafictionalworld.Onceyou’vedesignedyourworld,Iencourageyoutothrowinsomeconflictthatwillactasastresstestfortherulesofyourworld.

Unleashaflyingbabyoragiantspider;makeeveryonebillionaires;throwinalunaticwithagunthatshootsbubblegumandeveryoneiscoveredinmoundsofchewinggum!Throwyourselfmultiplecurveballstotestthelawsofyourowncreation.Ifthelawsstillholdupafterthat,you’regood!

Note:Asyou’reestablishingrulesforyourworld,youmaywanttodosomesketches.Thisiswherestorytelling,scriptwriting,anddesignshouldcometogetherseamlessly.Sincethemagicandrulesofthephysicalworldareoftenwhereinterestingconflictscomefrom,youmayneedtogobackandforthbetweendesignandwritingtogetyourworldfeelingright.

8.Technique

Marrystyleandstory

Hereweareatthefinalstopbeforeanimationbegins!I’llbetyoucanalmostfeelthosepixelsdancingasyourbabyfinallycomestolife.Farbeitfrommetoslowamovingtrain,butit’smydutytoaskonelastquestionhere,onethatIurgeyoutoconsidervery

carefully:Haveyouchosenthebestanimationtechniquetotellyourstory?

Iknow,youlove3D;you’reawhizatAfterEffects(andhaveashelffullofawardstoproveit);yourhand-drawnanimationisunparalleled;andsoon.Itcanbedifficulttodeviatefromyourbest-knownandlovedtechnique,andit’seasytoconvinceyourselfthatyourmost-practicedtechniqueistheonlywaytotellyourstory.Animatorstendtogetespeciallydefensivewhenthenotionofusingatechniquetheydon’talreadyknowrearsitsuglyhead.“Afterallthatwork,youwantmetolearnWHAT?!”

NotexactlywhatI’masking.Isimplydon’twantyoutooverlookanessentialdecisionregardingacrucialelementofvisualstorytellingbecauseyoudon’tknowsomesillycomputerprogram.Selectingtherightanimationtechniquecanbethekeytoexpressingyourbigidea,canamplifytheverysoulofyourstory,andifusedinventivelycansetyourprojectapartfromtherest.Itshouldbenotedthattherearemanysuccessfulanimatorsandstorytellerswhospendtheircareermasteringandexpressingthemselveswithonetechnique.Thekeyhereisthattheychoosetotellthekindsofstoriesthatarebestsuitedforthatspecifictechnique.

ConsiderwhatApple’siPodcommercials(2003)wouldhavebeenwithoutpared-down2DmotiongraphicsorChipotle’sfilm-turned-advertisementBacktotheStart(2011)withouttheinnocentandcharming3Dstopmotion?IsitevenpossibletoimagineHayaoMiyazakimasterfulfilmsarticulatedinadifferenttechniquethanhanddrawn?

Successfuldirectorsbelaboroverwhichtechniquestheyuseineachproject,andsoshouldyou.Choosewrongandyourfilmmayfeellikeyou’redrivingwithsquarewheels;chooserightandyou’reglidingdownthefreeway.

FindingaPerfectMatchLaterinthechapterwe’llexplorehowtoadaptyourfavoriteanimationtechniquetocapturetheessenceofatechniquethatmightbettersuityourstory.Butfornowlet’stacklethebigquestionbyre-exploringyournarrativeandalsotakingalookathowcontentisviewedtoday.

ConsiderFormatFirstthingtoconsiderwhenchoosingananimationtechniqueishowitwillbeviewed.Thisusedtobeprettysimple—afilmwasenjoyedintheatersorcommercialswerewatchedonTV.Buttechnologyischangingbytheminute,makingscaleacriticalandevolvingconsideration.Certainly,moreandmorecontentisbeingviewedonsmallcomputerscreens,tablets,phones,andeven(gasp!)watches.Youshouldbereadyfortheveryrealpossibilitythatyourbig-screenmasterpiecewillbeenjoyedonasmartphone,soyou’dbetterchooseatechniquethatislegibleonthatformat.

Atthesametime,someformatsaregettingmuchbigger.Filmfestivalsandadvertisersarevideo-mappingonthesidesofbuildings,screensarebeginningtocoverbillboardsandcomplexesinurbanareaseverywhere,and“sky-screens”asbigas1,500feetarepoppingupinshoppingmallsfromVegastoBeijing.Onthesesuper-sizedformatsyou’llseefarmoretextureanddetail,soyourtechniquehadbetterstanduptoamagnifyingglass.

Intheend,youmustchooseyourtechniquetosuittheformatyoubelieveitwillbe

viewedonbymostpeople.Choosepoorlyandriskaudiencesmissingimportantelementsofyourstory,orevenspottingflawsinyourwork.Payheedtoformat,andyourprojectwillbeseenthewayyouintended:asanexpressionofyourhardworkandtalent.

PleaseNote

Forsmallerformats,“vector”graphicsand2Danimationwithhighercontrastreadwell.Theyarecleanandclearandexcellentforcommunicatinginformation.Forextra-largeformats,youcanchoosefromavarietyoftechniques,butkeepinmindthatyourdesignwillbeblownupexponentially(aneyelashcouldendupbeingseveralstorieshigh!).Souselotsofdetailandtexturetokeepallthatscreenspaceinteresting.

TranslateYourStoryThemostimportantconsiderationwhenchoosingananimationtechniqueforyourfilmisallaboutstory.Youwanttofindthetoolsthatstrikeatyourstory’smetaphoriccorebystayingtruetothemessageandthetone.Youmaywanttoheadbacktoyourcreativebrief(seeChapter1“Pre-production”)toremindyourselfofhowyouwantaudiencestodescribeyourprojectwhenallissaidanddone.Forexample,ifyou’regoingforsomethingcomedicwiththefeelofaparody,youwanttochooseatechniquethathasbuilt-inirony.Stopmotion,oritsdigitalcounterpartAfterEffects,workswellforoffbeatcomedy.Youmaywanttoavoidtechniquesthatcancomeoffasmoodyortoonaturalistic,likehand-drawnor3DCGI(computer-generatedimagery).

ThenowiconicMadMenopeningtitlesusedamixtureoftechniquesthatsonaileditstoneandmessagethatitseemsalmostinevitable.Thecreatorswantedtoexpressthecomplex,desolateworldofNewYorkCityadvertising,bothglamorousandisolating.Usingflat2Dsilhouettesofafallingman,theyachievedanominous,noirmood.Thefallingmanappearsagainstshinybuildingscoveredinperfectplasticadvertisingphotosfromthe60sandcapturesthedichotomyofDonDraper’sworld:idealizedappearancesversusstarkemotionaldespair.Thedesignisminimalistandsparse,shortondetailsothattheeyefocusesonthefallingman.Certainly,thesequencewouldhavefelttoofarremovedfromrealityifahand-drawntechniquehadbeenutilized,andtheworldwouldhavebeentoosingularlyslickwithonly3DCGI.Thecreatorspickedjusttherighttechniquestofittheirstory,andsocanyou.

Belowisalistoftechniquesandstylesyoumayconsiderforyourprojectandadescriptionofhowtheycanenhanceyourstorytelling.Feelfreetochoosemorethanone,sinceapartnership(likeinMadMen)maybethebestchoice.

Animation/MotionGraphicTechniques+Styles

HandDrawnHand-drawnanimationcanbeexecutedwithavarietyofmaterials(suchaspencil,paint,ink,andcharcoal),withstylesthatrangefromtraditionalDisneycelanimationtorotoscoping(tracinglive-action)toamorefinearthand-drawnapproach.Purposelylooserhand-drawnstylesarefrequentlyseeninindependentfilms(seeDonHertzfeldt,FrédéricBack,JuliaPott)andlendthemselvestomoreexpressive,emotionallydrivenstories.Celanimation,meanwhile,canachieveaclean,almostcommercialfeelthatworksespeciallywellforchildren’sentertainment.

StopMotionStopmotionanimationhasboth2Dand3Dversions—similarintechniquebutdifferentinhowthey’reshot.Botharecapturedwithacamera,shootingframe-by-frame,whileobjectsaremovedincrementallyinbetweentheframes.Thelimitedmotionthatresultsgivesstopmotionfilmsaquirkyandmagicalqualitythatisstillverypopulartodaydespitetheavailabilityofmoreadvancedtechnology.

2Dstopmotionisshotwithacameraheldoveraflatsurface(lightboxesareoftenusedforsand,oil,paint,orpapersilhouettes).Thistechniquegivesaflat,handmadequalitytofilmsthatisemotionallyexpressiveandveryadaptable.2Danimationwithpapercutoutscanfeelquirkyandcomedic(seeTerryGilliam’sMontyPython)butalsoelegantanddream-like(seeLotteReiniger’ssilhouettepuppets).2Dstopmotionwithsandorpaintcanfeellush,moody,andatmospheric(seeCarolineLeaf’sTheStreet).2Dstopmotiontechniquetendstohavealotofpersonalityandworkswellifyouwantyourfilmtohaveaflat,handmadequality.Pleasenote:Theprinciplesandpracticesof2Dstopmotionnaturallytranslatetoa2DCGIenvironment.

3Dstopmotionutilizesatripodtoshootincrementallymovingobjectsona“set.”There’sahugerangeofobjectsthatcanbeanimatedusing3Dstopmotion,includingpuppets,models,clay,foundmaterials,andpixilationofhumanpuppets.3Dstopmotioncanfeel

asnaturalisticasCGI(seeHenrySelick’sCoraline)butcanalsomaintainaquirky,handmadequalitydependingonthematerialused.“Foundobjects”canfeelespeciallypoeticwhenusedin3Dstopmotionandtendtohaveahumorousormetaphoricaffect(seeJanŠvankmajerandPES).Pleasenote:Theprinciplesandpracticesof3Dstopmotionnaturallytranslatetoa3DCGIenvironment.

2DCGI2DCGIisanimationthatiscreatedinaflatortwo-dimensionalsoftwareenvironment.Thistechniqueisclean,ishighlyscalable,andreadswellfortype,whichiswhymostbroadcastgraphics(print,Web,andTV)aredonewith2DCGIanimation.Fornarrativefilms,2DCGItendstofeelwarmerandmoreinnocentthan3D,anditslonghistoryofuseinchildren’sprogramminghasanemotionally“relatable”feeling.2DCGIcanbemadeinmanysoftwareprogramsthatusebothbitmapandvectorimages.

3DCGI3DCGIisanimationthatismadeinathree-dimensionalsoftwareenvironment.Elementsaremodeled,rigged,textured,puppeted,andanimatedinavirtualspace.Theprocessissimilartostopmotion,withthekeydifferencebeingthatin3DCGIthereisnogravityandvirtuallynolimitations.Becausetherearesomanyoptions,itcanbethehardesttechniquetomasterandyethassomeofthegreatestrewards.3DCGIallowsyoutocreateenvironmentsandcharactersthatarealmostindecipherablefromreallife.Theimmensepowerof3DCGItocreatehyper-realisticworldsmakesitthetechniqueofchoiceforspecialeffects,videogames,andmanycommercials.

ConformorAdaptIdeallythechartshownearlierhelpedyouchoosetherighttechniquesandstylesforyourstory,andyou’reofftotheraces.Onceyou’vechosen,headtotheWebandresearchexamplesofthattechnique/styleinaction.Seekinspirationinwhatothershavedonewell,anddecideifthereisguidanceyoucangleanfrom…WAIT,what?Youdon’tknowthattechnique?Andyou’vegotnotimetolearnit??Noworries!YousimplyneedtodotheDarwinianthing:Adapt.

Saythataftersomesoul-searchingyourecognizethatahand-drawntechnique,specificallytheancientartofChinesecalligraphy,willworkbestforyourproject.Thatfluid,blackbrushstrokewillsellyourideabeautifullyandnailyourtone.Andyetyouhavezeroexperienceinhand-letteringandcanbarelyfindAsiaonthemap!Don’tpanic,you’resimplyontheroadtofindinganadaptation.

Firstthingtodoisidentifythedefiningcharacteristicsofyourdesiredtechnique.InthecaseofChinesecalligraphy,thisisblackbrushstrokeswitha“liquid”quality.Nowheadbacktothemediumyou’remostcomfortablewith.Researchtools,plug-ins,andtutorialstoseeifthere’sanywaytoachievethedesiredeffectwithinyourfavoritemedium.Manyprogramswilloffersomekindofworkaroundthatcaptures(atveryleast)somecrucialelementofyourdesiredtechnique.Withsomeluck,you’llfindanearmatch.Ifyougetverylucky(andstayflexible),youmayevenfindahybridthatbothembodieswhatyou’relookingforandalsoalignswithyouruniqueartisticpointofview.

KarinFong’sGodofWarIIItitlesequenceisagreatexampleofanadaptedtechnique(atright).FongandheramazingteamatImaginaryForcesadapted3DCGIanimationtolookandfeellikeflatillustrationsonancientGreekpottery.Nosmalltask,solet’stakealookatherprocess.

CaseStudy:Adapt3DtoFeelLike2D

KarinFong,Director,TitleSequence,GodofWarIII.ProducedbyImaginaryForcesandSonyPlayStation

SonyPlayStation’sGodofWarIIIisapopularcomputergamethatfollowedtheleadoffeaturefilmsbycreatingastunningandcomplexmaintitlesequence.Theopeningsequencebrandsthegameasadramaticepicinformedbyancienthistory.Thechallenge

forKarinFong(director,designer,andfoundingmemberofImaginaryForces)wasinfindingabalancebetweenthegame’smodern3Dworldanditsancientbackstory.SaysFong,“Thedesignofthetitlesandthesequencesweremeanttostandasflashbacks,throughthelensofmemory,andnotbeatallconfusedwiththe‘real-time’happeningsofthecurrent(3D)game.”

FongtookinspirationfromancientGreekpotteryasawaytorelatetothestory’srootsinGreekmythology.SheusedGreekmotifsintheborders,patterns,andornaments,allowingforsomestrikinglygraphicmoments.

Buthertechniquewasevenmorestriking.Throughalongproductionpipeline,2Dand3Danimatorsworkedtogethertofindtherightbalancebetweenthetwotechniques.Theyadaptedtheoriginal3DCGImodelsfromtheGOWIIIgame,renderingandaddingtexturetoachievethegraphicsilhouettesthatweremoreorganictoGreekfriezes.SaysFong,“Wewereverydeliberateinfindingaflatandgraphic2Dinfluencetocontrastwiththelookofthe3Dgame.Itbecameaplaybetweenthisextremelyflatlanguageanddimensionalelements,withthehopethatthetensionbetweenthetwomadeforcompellingimagery.”

Theresult:animationandtransitionsthatarestartlinglyelegantandclassicbutalsomodernandimmediate.Thesequencehasastrangemixofdimensionalityandflatness,aperfectmeshof2Dand3D.Fong’sadaptationcameaboutbystretchingthelimitsofthechosentechniquetocreatethefeelthatwasembodiedinthemessageofthetitlesequence.Fong’sthoughtsguideandconfirmhowimportantitistoselectthetechniquethatbestworksforyourstory,andnottheoneyouaremostenamoredwith:“Youneedtoknowwhatmessageandemotionyouwanttoconveyfirst.Thenyoumakesurethelookisansweringthosequestions.Don’tbeseducedbythetechnique,becauseitcanreallytakeawayfromthemessageofyourproject.”

WorkaroundsIfyoudidnotfindasatisfactoryhybridmethodwithinyourprogram,thenit’stimetoseekaworkaround.ThismeansgettingalittleDIY.Still-images,live-actionfootage,and(gasp)hiringhelpareallgoodmoves.Noneoftheseoptionsshouldfeeldaunting,andcertainlyshouldnotfeellikecheating.Instead,findingagoodworkaroundisasignofflexibility—successfulindustryprofessionalsdoitallthetime,andDarwinwouldbeproud.

Workaround1:ImportstillimagesPerhapsthemostcommonworkaroundinanimationandmotiongraphicsistosimplyimportstillimagesandworkwiththeminsideyourprogram.Byusingeditingtoolslikemasking(hidingandrevealingpartsoftheimage)andcamerapanning,youcangetastillimage“moving”inawaythatalmostfeelslikefull-onanimation.IntheinstanceofourChinesecalligraphy,“unmasking”theletteringcouldevensimulatethehumanqualityofarealbrushstrokeexecutedbyahumanhand.

Workaround2:Shootlive-actionfootageIfstillphotosaren’tcuttingit,thenlive-actionfootageshotwithavideocameraisyournextbestalternative.Needtoanimatefire?Lightamatchandcapturetheimages.Movingclouds?Tiltyourlensuptotheskyandgetwhatyouneed.InthecaseofourChinesecalligraphy,you’llneedtofindsomeonetohelpoutwhocanactuallypaintthebrushstrokes.(FYI,you’dbesurprisedhowfarasocialmediapostcantakeyouinprocuringthatkindoftalent.)Onceyouhaveyourtalent,setupyourcameraundergoodlightingandshootclose-upfootageoftheartist’sbrushasitcreatesthecalligraphy.Onceyou’vecapturedthatfootage,importitintoyourchosenprogramandcompositeitintoyourproject.Theskyisthelimitforhowyouprocessandeditthatfootageonceit’sin,butthegoalistointegrateyourliveactionfootageintotheworldofanimatedstorytellinginaseamlessway.

Workaround3:StaffupLikeitornot,youaretheproducerofyourfilm,andbeingaproducermeansthatifyoucan’tgetsomethingdonebyyourself,outsourceit.Ifyoudon’thavethemoneytohiresomeone(whichisoftenthecase),favors,barter,andcajolingmightgetyouwhatyouneed.Onceyou’vesecuredtherighttalent,directthemclosely,butleavesomeroomforthemtobecreative,too.Oh,andcoffee—you’llneedtoknowtheircoffeeorderandhaveitreadywhentheirenergydrops.You’llbesurprisedathowmuchgoodworkasimplenon-fatlatteandcinnamonsconewillgetyouinapinch!

CaseStudy:LiveActionandHandDrawnSensoryOverloaddirectedbyMiguelJironisananimateddocumentarycreatedaspartofanonlinemediaresearchprojectentitled“InteractingwithAutism.”Thefilmisaboutaboywhostruggleswithautismspectrumdisorder(ASD)andhasahardtimeprocessingalotofsensorystimulationatonce.Itbeginswithsimpledocumentaryfootageofacrowdedcitystreet.Thecolorlive-actionfootagecrossdissolvesintonaturalisticallydrawnblack-and-whiteanimationoftheboyonthestreet.Withtheswitchfromonetechniquetotheother,theaudienceiscuedthatthey’reexperiencingthefilmfromtheautisticboy’spointofview.Astheboybeginstostruggle,theblack-and-whitedrawingbecomeslayeredwithringsofvibratingwatercolor.Realisticsoundsofthecitybuildslayer-by-layerintoacacophonyofpiercingagitatednoises.Theaudienceistakentotheuncomfortableplaceofexperiencingthepain,confusion,anddisorientationofsensoryoverload(atright).

Thehand-drawnanimationworkstoseparateusfromtheboyasanindividualperson,butjoinsuswithhimasacharacter,andthereforeisincrediblyeffectiveincreatingempathyforthefilm’smessage.Thesplashesofwatercolorareemotionalandfluidandalsometaphoric(theboy’semotionsarebeing“flooded”bywatercolors)andopenthedoorforaudiencestoliveintheintensityoftheboy’sperception.SensoryOverload’selegantcombinationofdocumentaryfootageanddrawnanimationtakestheaudienceonanunexpectedjourneyofunderstandingandcompassion.

MiguelJiron,SensoryOverload:InteractingwithAutism.ProducedandDirectedbyMarkJonathanHarris,MarshaKinder,andScottMahoy

CaseStudy:3DCGIDirectorMaciekJanicki’smasterfullyanimatedshortPaperCitycapturestheriseandfallofagloriouscitymadecompletelyof3DCGIpaper.Astheartistdescribesonhiswebsite:“Thenarrativeunfoldsthroughwindingroads,eruptingforestsandemergingmountains.Inonefluidtake,withskyscrapersrisingfromthepage—onlytocrumble,wrinkleandgentlycreasebackintotheground.”Whilethestorymaysoundsimple,PaperCityispackedwithmetaphors.Whilewatching,audiencesmaypondertheimpermanenceoflife,thetransienceofhumancivilization,andalsothebirthanddeathofpaperasamediumsincetheadventofdigitalmedia(atright).

Inspiredbytraditionalorigami,Janickiused3DCGItomodelmonochromaticpapertofeellikearealisticyetmagicalworld.Becausethecameramovement,lighting,andshadowaresoorganicandfamiliar,theaudienceisabletoexperiencethefilmasakindofrecognizablespace.PaperCitytakesadvantageof3DCGI’suniqueabilitytomorphrealitywithfantasyandgivesusafrontrowseattothebirthanddeathofacity.Techniqueandstoryareinperfectsync,amatchmadeinheaven.Weexperiencethefilmforitsstoryfirst,enjoyingthelayeredmeaningwhilesavoringeveryframeofelegantanimation.

TechniqueRecap

1.ConsidertheFormat

2.TranslateYourStory

3.ConsiderManyTechniques

4.ConsiderManyVisualStyles

5.AdaptYourTechnique

6.WorkaroundUsingaNewTechnique

7.ImportStillImages

8.ShootLive-ActionFootage

9.StaffUp

MaciekJanicki,PaperCity

Assignment:DesignatitlesequenceDesignaone-minutetitlesequenceinspiredbyanancientmyth,favoritebook,orpieceofmusicusingthefollowingprocess:1.Writeacreativebriefthatincludesthetitle,targetaudience,andgenre.2.Listsixwordsthatdescribethe“feeling”youwouldlikeyourpiecetohave.3.Jotdownalistofimagestotriggerthekeyideasthatwilldefineyoursequence.4.Fromthechartprovided,choosethetechnique(s)thatbestfitthewordsandimagesyou’velisted.5.Storyboardyoursequence,selectsoundand/ormusic,andtesttwotothreetechniquesthatyouthinkwillbestcapturethefeelingofyourstory.6.Animatethetitlesequence.

9.Animate!

Big-picturethinking,framebyframe

Congrats!Younowhaveallthetoolsyoucouldpossiblyneedtocreateamasterfullyanimatedstory.You’veconstructedyourstoryboards,colorscript,andsoundtrack—you’vedesignedyourworldandselectedatechniquethatexpressesyourbigidea.You’re

offtotheraces,andanimationshouldbeeasybreezy.Andyet,inmyexperience,animationisexactlythestepwhenallhellcanbreakloose.Thereasonissimple:Eachofyourcarefullyconstructedelements—magicalontheirown—canbestubbornwhenunitedandputintomotion.Thoughyoumayhaveenvisionedyourselfinanelegantconcerthallconductingadisciplinedsymphonyorchestra,youmayfindyourselfinadankbasementfilledwithferalcats,andyou’reinchargeoftrimmingtheirnails.Itcanfeeloverwhelming…

Neverfear!Yourprojectwillworkjustasplanned.Youonlyneedtofollowafewinsidertipsthatwillkeepyoucenteredandmovingforwardtowardsyourgoal.Thefollowingwisdomwasbornofgenerationsoftough-as-nailsanimatorswhoexperiencedfailure,heartbreak,andhumiliation,onlytoriseuplikethePhoenixandlivetotelltheirtale.Sopayyourrespects,andpaycloseattention.

GetStartedTheobviouswaytogoaboutanimatingyourprojectistostartatthebeginning,butthat’snotnecessarilythebestwaytogo.Youneedtobuildupyourconfidence,getusedtounitingyourelements,andbecomeaccustomedtotheunique(andsometimesinfuriating)eccentricitiesofthemedium.

StartEasy,GainConfidenceIencourageyoutostartbyanimatingyourproject’s“low-hangingfruit,”thatis,themostfun,short,andeasy-to-animatescene.Approachingyoureasiestsequencesfirstwillgetyoumovingforwardandmostimportantlywillhelpbuildupyourconfidenceatatimewhenyoumaybefeelinginsecure.Onceyou’redoneanimatingthatfirst“easy”scene,headtothenextonethatyouthinkisespeciallydo-able,evenifit’snotthenextoneinyoursequence.Donewiththat?Startonthenext.Aftercompletingafewofthosesimplersequences,you’llbefarbetterequippedtotacklethetoughones…andbythenyou’llhavenochoice!

BreakUptheToughOnesWhenyoudoarriveatyourmorechallengingscenes,don’ttrytotackletheminonego.You’renotDavidbattlingGoliath,andthisain’tBiblicaltimes.Yourbestbetinanimatingatoughsequenceistobreakitupintosmallerpiecesthatareeasiertohandle,andthenworkonthosepiecesonebyone.Notonlywillbreakingitupmakethetoughscenelessintimidating,itwillalsoreinforcetheimportantnotionthatanimatedsequencesareoftenmini-storyarcswithdistinctbeginnings,middles,andends.Takethelaunchofaspaceship:Farfromjustasimple“launch,”itincludesthegatheringupofenergy,forwardmomentumbroughtonbyfire,andfinallythelift-off.Thebiglaunch,likemanyofyouranimatedsequences,isitsownstoryarc,andworkingonitinpartsnotonlywillmakeitlessdauntingbutwillstrengthenyourstorytellingaswell.

MaciekJanicki,InterimFlight

NoShotLeftBehindItdoesn’ttakeanindustryveterantotellyouthatanimationtakesalongtime.Theprocessissolaborintensivethata12-hourdaycouldpasswithlittlemorecompletedthana3-secondshot.Thesnail’spacecanbeenoughtomakeyoupullyourhairout.Toavoidputtingyourselfthroughthetortureofanimatingwhatisnotabsolutelynecessary,youmustbecomeabrutaleditor.I’mtalkingGenghisKhan,AttilatheHunbrutal.Beforecommencingworkonasequenceofanimation,askyourselfsternlyiftheshotisabsolutelyworthitstory-wise.Ifnot,guillotine-time.Andifyou’rereluctanttoeditthesequencebecauseit’syour“coolestpart,”thendefinitelyconsidercuttingit.Becauseit’susuallythelook-what-I-can-do!shotsthatholdbackyourstoryandaddunnecessarytimetoyourproductionschedule.Wannashowoff?Tellyourfriendsyoufinishedyourprojectearlyandthatyou’reheadedtothebeach!

ArielCosta,WelcometotheAescripts+AepluginsPlayground

ProtectYa’TechThisisabookaboutstorytelling,buttherewillbenostoriestoldifyouloseitalltoacrashortechnicalerror.Saveversionsearlyandoften.Whenyou’renamingthings,thinkbestpractices:Createsimplefilenamesandfoldersthatarelogicalandorganized.You’renevergoingtofindthatversionyoucalled“need_sleep_finalfinal.pdf”nomatterhowhardyoulook.Disorganizationhasderailedmoreproductionsthancomputercrashessoheedthisadvice.Finally,getyourselfthebiggestblankharddriveyoucanaffordandbackupyourworkattheendofeveryday.Hell,triple-backitup.Don’tbethefoolwhohastolearnthislessonthehardwaywhensomanyothershavealreadylearneditforyou.

StrategicMovementSure,wespentawholechapteronstoryboardsandyoursaregoodenoughtohanginamuseum.Butintheanimatedrealmthingschange,soroughingoutyoursequencesinamoreelaboratewayisessential.

BeaPoserCalledkeyposes,thesemoreelaboratesketches(whicharebestaccomplishedinyourmediumofchoiceorprogramofchoice)provideaguidetoensurethatallofyourplannedmovementispossible,thatyouhityourintendedmarksofchoreography,andthatallofyourassetsconformtotheworldyou’vecreated.Whencreatingyourkeyposes,don’tforgettoincludeallelements—yourbackgrounds,props,andeventextandlogosthatyouintendtohaveoccupythescreen.You’dbesurprisedhowmanyexperiencedanimatorshavepainstakinglywalkedacharacteracrossaroomonlytorealizelaterthatthey’vewalkedthemthroughatable!

AnticipateandFollowThroughWhenworkingonyourkeyposes,don’tforgettopayhomagetothePatronSaintsofanimation:AnticipationandFollowThrough.These“beforeandafter”movementshelpillustratethephysicsofgravityonweightandmovement.Anticipationandfollowthroughareasimportantasyour“main”movementsandareresponsibleformakingyouranimationfeelnatural.Awomanrunningtocatchabusdoesn’tsimplystartpumpingherarmsandlegs.Herbodyfirstleansbacktogathermomentumfortherun.Andthenwhenshestopsatthebus,herhairanddressswingforwardasaresultofthegatheredforceofmotion.Everythingthatmovesinyourfilm,whetheritbeacharacter,shape,logo,orpieceoftext,requiresanticipationandfollowthough.Withoutit,yourmovementwillfeelroboticandflat,andyouraudiencewillsensethatthesameistrueofyourstory.

ComposeDirectionalMovementUnlikeintherealworld,objectsonascreenaretwo-dimensional.Eventhoughitmayseemasthoughtheyhavedepth,thetrackofon-screenmovementisalwaysflat.Asaresult,allanimatedobjectsmovealonganinvisibledirectionalpaththatfallsintofoursimplecategories:horizontal,vertical,diagonal,andcircular.It’simportanttobemindfulofthedirectionalmovementofallobjectsinyoursequencesasitcanenhance(ordetractfrom)theemotionalexperienceofyourpiece.Movementthatisdirectionallyconsistent(allverticalandhorizontal,forinstance)willfeelcalmerandsoisbestusedforscenesmeanttogivetheaudienceasenseofease.Butifyouwanttoadjusttheemotionalenvironment(sayavillainenters),thenaddingamovementthatcontraststothepredominantdirectioncancluetheaudienceintoabigstorymoment.

Twobabymicewalkpeacefullyintheforestandmoveonlyalongverticalandhorizontallinearpaths—butwhenanevilfoxenters,hemovesonadiagonalorevencircularpath.Inascenemeanttobeintenseandjarring(saythefoxpouncesonthemice),usingmultiple

directionsfromshottoshotwillintensifythevisualdramaandunsettletheaudience,alertingthemtomenace.

Beforeanimating,chartthepathofyourfilm’sdirectionalmovementbyprintingoutyourstoryboards(orkeyposesketches)anddrawingsimplelinesoneachtoshowthegeneralpaththatyourobjectsarefollowing.Considerhowyoucanenhancethestoryyou’retellingwiththedirectionsyoucompose.

DecentralizeandMixItUpSinceyou’vealreadygotyourstoryboardsout,Iwantyoutodouble-checkthatyourshotsareasinterestingastheycanbebyconcedingtoafewofthefundamentalsofvisualfilmmaking.

Fundamental1:GetoutofthecenterDon’tplopyoursubjectinthecenterofyourframe(toooften).Iknow,wetalkedaboutthisinChapter3,butthisisyourlastchancetomakegood.Takethetimetocheckthattherearen’ttoomanycompositionswiththesubject,logo,ortypeinthecenteroftheframe.Mixituporriskhavingvisuallysleep-inducingsequencesinyourfilm.Ifyoureallyneedyoursubjectdeadcenter,considerstartingwithitsomewhereelsefirstandthenmovingittowardsthecenter.Decentralizingyoursubjectwillkeepyourshotsactiveandexciting.

Fundamental2:MixupshotlengthDon’tforgettomixupyourshotlengths.Muchlikewithcentering,toomanyshotswithsimilarshotlengthswillboreyourviewer.Noticewhenyou’rewatchingwell-directedfilmshowinonesequencetheframecutsfromlongshotstomediumshotsandthentocloseups?Theeyelikestoexperienceavarietyoffocallengthsandtofollowthevisualcuessetbytheamountofinformationintheframe.

Mixingupthescaleofyoursubjectinsidetheframeandtheamountofinformationyouincludeintheframeenhancestheexperienceofyourstory.Abeetleishavingananxietyattackbutmanagestocalmherselfbeforewalkingon-stagetodeliveraspeech.Amedium-wideshotforthewholesequencewouldnotonlybeasnoozerbutamissedopportunity.Youneedtousethevisualstorytosqueezeoutalloftheemotionyoucangetfromthescene.Amomentofgreatanxiety(orclaustrophobia)canbeenrichedwithaclose-up,evenanextremeclose-up.Butyoudon’twanttostayclosetoolong.Oncethebeetlegathershercomposure,youmightshifttoamediumshot.Thenyourframemightwiden,continuingsountilfinallywideningtoalongshotwhenthebeetlewalkson-stagecompletelyself-assured.Mixingupyourshotlengthsnotonlywillkeepyoursequencesvisuallyvariedandinterestingbutmostimportantlywillhelpcommunicatethebigideasinyourstory.

Fundamental3:MixupshottimingInadditiontovaryingthesizeofyourshots,varythetimingofyourshotssothatyoursequencesmoveatdifferentpaces.Someshotsmayworkatafull15secondsbeforecutting,whileothersneedcuttingatjust2or3seconds.Varyingyourtimingwillofferalesspredictablevisualexperienceforyouraudience.Manyfilmmakersusequickershotsformorefranticscenesandlongeronesforcalmerscenes—somefilmmakersdotheopposite.Butsuccessfulfilmmakersalwaysmix‘emupforbesteffect.

ConsidertheBlurWhenshootingfilmorvideo,thecamera’slenshasalimitedabilitytofocusonobjectsatdifferentfocallengths.Theopticsoflensescreatelovelyimagesthatarebothsharpinsomeareasandblurryinothers.Lighttravelingthoughthelenscreatesaunevenexposureresultinginavignetteordarkeningaroundtheedges.Whenanimatingincomputersoftware,however,everythingisinfocusallthetimeandthe“exposure”isuniform.This“super-clean”sharpnesscanbeharshandlackfocalpoints.It’suptoyoutoaddsomevariationbyconsideringwheretoaddablureffectandothersuchshot-enhancingdevicesasgrain,grunge,orvignette.Thesecanhelpaddrealisticdepthtoshotsthatmightotherwisefeelflatanduninterestingandcanalsohelpde-emphasizeareasofyourcompositionthataren’timportanttotheemotionofthescene.Whetheryouseeksomethingrealisticormorestylized,aslightblurordarkeningofthecorners(oradditionoftheeffectslistedabove)willhelpbringyourpiecetothenextlevel.

ArielCosta,FeedYourCreativeBrain,StateDesign,MotionConference

SoundItOut

You’veprobablyfiguredoutbynowthatstorycanevolveasyourproductionmovestowardscompletion.Luckily,everythingismalleableinanimatedproduction,andsoundisnoexception.Sowhileyoumaybelievethatyoursoundtrackislockedorthatyou’vefoundtheperfectopeningsongforyourfilm,ameretweakinstorymayrequireanewsoundtreatmentthroughout.Modifyingsoundafteryouthoughtyouhaditrightmaymakeyouuneasy,especiallyonceyou’vebecomeaccustomedtothesoundyou’vepainstakinglychosen—buttheresultwillbeworthit.Stayflexibleanddon’tstoptweakinguntilsoundfitsthestoryyouwanttotell.

Theprocessoftweakingyoursoundduringproductionwillalsotrainyoutoworkonsoundandimagesimultaneouslyasthingsdevelop.Takethatlessontoheart.Itwillforceyou(again)toconsiderthegreatpowerofsoundtoaffectemotionalflowandtoelevateyourstoryuntilitmatchesyourvision.

BeFlexiblewithSoundtrackAsyourpieceevolves,themusicandeffectsthatfeltrightinpre-productionmaynotbethebestchoiceforthefinalanimation.Beopentochange,andexpecttospendsometimeexperimenting.Sometimesthisprocesswillaffirmyouroriginalsoundwastherightchoice,andsometimesitwillrevealthatyourworkcanreachanewlevel,pairedwithadifferenttoneortempo.Youcanalwayspopinmultiplesoundtracksandrendertoseehowitworks.Nothinghelpstogiveyoufreshperspectiveonaprojectmorethanashiftinmusicandeffects,soifyourcurrentsoundtrackisn’tworking,useitasanopportunityanddigdeeper.

HitYourSoundMarksNowthatyou’vechosenyour“temp”music(Icallittempbecausemusiccanalwayschange)andyouhaveyoureffectsandanydialogue,it’sessentialthatyouanimatetoyoursoundtrack.Animatorsoftenrefertothechoreographyofasequence.Thisisbecauseanimationisakindofdance,abackandforthbetweensoundandimagethatisrhythmicallypacedandelegantlytimed.Allowyoursoundtracktoinfluenceyoursequencesandaugmentstorytellingopportunities.

MuteYourSoundtrackOntheotherhand,becarefulthatyoursoundisn’tdoingallthework!Soundeffects,music,anddialogue(yoursoundtrack)canbesopowerfulthatananimatorcanunintentionallyrelyonittooheavilyandnotgiveastrongenoughanimatedperformance.Pressmutenowandagaintoseehowyourshotsareplayingwithnosoundatall.Ifyourvisualslacktheexpressivenesstobecompellingontheirown,youmaybedependingtoomuchonyoursoundtrack.Thisisespeciallyimportantforcharacteranimationwithdialogue.Agreatvoicetrackcanmakeyouthinkthatagreatperformanceiscomingfromtheanimation.Turnoffthesoundandseeifyourcharacter’sfaceandbodyaredoingtheactingorifit’sjustthevoice.

Animate!Recap

1.Easyshotsfirsttogainconfidence

2.Breakuptoughshotsintopieces

3.Planwellsonoanimationiscut

4.Backupyourdigitalfiles

5.Poseyourshotsbeforeanimating

6.Movementtip:Alwaysanticipateandfollowthrough

7.Composedirectionalmovementforwholefilm

8.Composeshotssosubjectisn’talwaysinthecenter

9.Mixupshotlengththroughoutfilm

10.Mixupshottimingthroughoutfilm

11.Addblurandvignettes

12.Beflexiblewithsoundtrack

13.Listentosoundwhileanimatingtohitsoundmarks

14.Muteyoursoundtracktocheckmovement

Assignment:CreateashortwithamessageAnimatea60second(orless)shortwithamessagethatisimportanttoyou.Yoursubjectcanhaveasocial,political,ormoralmeaningorcansimplyexpressanopinionthatyoufeelwouldmakeaninterestingfilm.Tryusingvoiceoverortexttocommunicateyouridea.Gothroughtherecapsinthisbooktoremindyourselfofthestepsyouneedtotaketocreateameaningfulanimatedstory.Youareananimatedstorytellernow,withthetoolstocreatesomethingmagical,sogetcracking!

10.ShowandTell

Create,share,andnetwork

Morethananyothertimeinhistory,younowhavetheopportunitytomakeyourworkseen.Filmfestivalshaveproliferated,theInternethasopenedcountlessforumstocelebratenewwork,andsharingcontenthasbecomesoembeddedinourculturethatyourlittleanimatedprojectcouldgofromyourlaptoptobeingaglobalsensationinminutes.

Quitesuddenly,everyanimatedstoryhasthepotentialtobecomeahit,viewednotonlybythemassesbutbyimportantindustryfolkslookingforfreshtalent.Atthesametime,themarketisfloodedwithcontent.CablenetworksarebattlingdigitalplayerssuchasNetflix,Amazon,andHulu,nottomentionmorethan500millionYouTubechannels.Sure,therearemorefilmfestivalsnow,butthehigh-profileonesaremorecompetitivethanever.Sundancealonereceivesmorethan9,000submissionsayearforroughly200spots.

GetItOutThereSohowdoesananimatedstorytellerwithacompletedproject(likeyou)findanaudience?Howcanyourworkdistinguishitselffromthecrowd?It’sallinthesefinalstepsofAnimatedStorytelling,aimedatgettingyourprojectseennotonlybythemosteyeballsbuttherighteyeballs.You’vetoldapowerfulstoryinyourfilm;nowit’stimeforyoutotellthestoryofyourfilm.

Step1:PackageYourProjectThefirststepinpackagingyourprojectisallaboutdesign.UntilveryrecentlythismeantcreatingaDVDandinformationalone-sheetandthenheadingtothepostoffice.Todayalmosteverythingissubmittedonline,soyou’llneedtocreateaworkinglink(passwordprotectedforfestivals)that’sreadytoshare.Butwhetheryou’remakingDVDsornot,you’llstillneedtocreatethefollowingphysicalassets:

TitleLogoandStill:Designaclean,quicklylegiblelogoforthetitleofyourprojectpairedwithastill“photo”fromyourfilmthatembodiesthestory.Thelogoandstillarenecessaryforpromotionalmaterialsandcanbedisplayedonyourwebsite,asacoverforDVDs,oronpostersforfilmfestivals.

Synopsis:Writeatight,cleardescriptionofyourproject,twotothreesentencestops.Thisdescriptionwillbequoted(likelyverbatim)onwebsitesandotherpublicationswellintothefuture,sogetitright.

DirectorBio:Startyourbiowithwhatyouwanttobeknownasprofessionally(suchasanimationdirectororscreenwriter),andthenfollowitupwithyouraccomplishmentsthatsupportthatrole.Ifyou’rejuststartingout,thenlistaninterestingfactaboutyourselforsomebackgroundthatpeoplemightfindinteresting.Someanimatorsliketowritequirkybios,andifyougothatwayjustmakesureitpertainsdirectlytothecontentofyourproject.Forexample,ifyou’vemadeafilmaboutbats,youmightsay,“KellyDunnisananimatorfromTexas.Atnightshesleepshangingupsidedownfromtheceiling.”

StoryoftheFilm:Finally,you’llneedtohavethestoryofyourfilm’screationwrittenoutandmemorizedforfutureinterviews.Thisstorybeginswithwhyyouwantedtomakeyourfilminthefirstplaceandwhythereissuchaneedtotellyourstory.Thiscanbehighlypersonalorrelatedtoabroadissuethatyouwantedtoexplore.Forexample,myanimateddocumentaryfilmBackseatBingoexploredtheromanticlivesofseniors.IwasinspiredbywatchingmygrandfatherSidfallinloveat84yearsold,andIwantedtoportrayseniorsinawaythatIfeltthemediawasmissing:assmart,funny,andstillsurprisinglylustful…justlikemygrandpaSid.

Step2:CreatingYourNetwork

Networking,onlineversionIfyouaren’talreadyanactiveparticipantintheplethoraofonlinecommunitiesfordesigners,filmmakers,andartistssharingtheirworkandideasonline,thengetonit.TheInternetprovidesthechancetoconnectwithamazingpeopleallovertheworld.Realrelationshipscanformandleadtobigopportunitiessolongasyoucultivatethosecontactswithprofessionalismandrespect.BetweenFacebookandVimeogroups,AWN,AnimationMagazine,Motiongrapher,CartoonBrew,ASIFA,AIGA,and,ofcourse,Tumblr,Behance,andInstagram(andwhatevernewcontainerisinventedbythetimethisbookisprinted),gogetactive.Findyourpeersandmakefriends.Seekoutgroupsoflike-mindedartistsandalsogroupsthatshareacommonthreadwiththestoryofyourfilm.ForBackseatBingo,thatmeantanimatorsanddocumentariansbutalsoseniorcitizengroupsthatIthoughtwouldbeinterestedinmywork.

Onceyoujoinanonlinecommunity,bepresentandengaged.Blog,post,sharelinksthatyoufindinteresting,andmakeconnections.Whenyou’reestablishedthereandfeelreadytoshareyourproject,donotgiveitallaway.Teaseitoutwithcharacterdesigns,sketches,articlesofinterestthatconnecttoyourfilm’stheme.Piqueyouronlinenetwork’sinterestsothattheycomeaskingtoseeyourworkinsteadofyouhavingtonudge.

JuliaPott,Triangle

Networking,humanversionLetmeguess,youfindsocializingatindustryeventstobeaspecialkindoftorture,andtheideaof“networking”makesyouwanttostickyourheadinahole?Guesswhat?You’renotalone.I’mabitofagoofandgetinsecureatconferencesandfestivals.However,whenIagreedtowritethisbookIrealizedthatI’dbettergetoverit,especiallysinceIknewIneededtomeetsomeawesomepeoplewhowouldagreetocontributeillustrations.Asmentioned,I’mkindaquirky,butinsteadoftryingtobecomesomeoneI’mnot,Ileanedintomyinnergoofandit’sworkedwonders…

ExhibitA:IattendedtheF5conferenceinNYCandtherestanding10feetaway,engagedinaconversation,wasmyhero,director/animator/illustratorJuliaPott.Inoticedotherswaitingtotalktoher,too.SoIdidsomethingstraight-uprid-onk-ulous.Istoodbehindthe

personMs.Pottwasconversingwith,putmyhandsintoaheartshape,anddancedaround,hopingthatshewouldembracemysillygestureofadmiration.Herfacelitup.Shesaid,“Hello!”Isaid,“Iloveyou.”Shesaid,“Howaboutahug?”ItoldherthatherworkwasincrediblyinspiringandmentionedthatIwaswritingthisbook.IfollowedupwithashortemailandaskedJuliatocontributeanillustrationtomybook.Theresultistotheleft,adrawingofherfriendscalledTriangle.Iadoreit,especiallysinceinmyownwackyway,Ididjustthat:Ienteredoneofmyhero’sTriangles.Andsocanyou.

ShareandRepeatThetimehascome.You’vefullypackagedyourcompletedfilmandarereadytoshareit.Whoyousendittodependssolelyonthedreaminyourheart.Onlyadvicehereistobeasprofessionalashumanlypossible.Ifyouwantyourprojectseenbyfilmfestivalaudiencesworldwide,learnaboutwhichfestivalsarethebestfitforyourfilm,readthesubmissionguidelines,andgeteverythinginontime.

Ifyou’retryingtogethired,craftyourcorrespondencesinawaythatreflectsyourcapacityasaprofessional.Employersappreciateartistictalent,butevenmoretheywanttohiresomeonewhoisdependableandarticulate—theywantsomeonewhocangettheworkdoneeasierandfaster.Attheveryleast,spell-checkeverything.

Andonemorething:Neverstop.Beinganartistisaconstantitch.Aftercompletingthisprojectyoumayneedaday’srest,butassoonasyoufeelthatitchtocreateagain,yieldtoit.Sketch,storyboard,write,animate,dream,andexperimentyourwaytonew,amazingstories.Andstayintouch.AskmequestionsorshareyourworkinmyFacebookgroupAnimatedStorytellingorfindmeatwww.lizblazer.com.Youcancountmeinaspartofyournetwork,andI’llberootingforyourstoriestocomealive.

Index

2DCGIanimation,118,119

2Dstopmotionanimation,117,118

3DCGIanimation,118,119,126,127

3Dstopmotionanimation,118,119

Aaccentcolors,66

additivecolorsystem,62

advertisements

airlineadstory,6–7,9,25–27

creatingforaplace,14–15

airlineadstory,6–7,9,25–27

Airbnb(Dulaney),63

Allen,Rama,71,72

animatics,50–51

animationprocess,129–139

roughingoutyourworkin,133–136

shortwithamessagecreation,139

soundtrackdevelopmentin,137–138

startingandmanaging,130–132

animationtechniques,113–127

assignmenton,127

casestudiesabout,124–127

conformingoradapting,120–122

formatconsiderations,114–115

overviewofstylesand,117–119

storyconsiderations,116

workaroundsand,123–124

anticipation,133

assetmanagement,13

atmosphericmusic,94

audio.Seesound

BBack,Frédérick,117

backgroundcolors,68

backingupyourwork,132

BackseatBingo(Blazer),143

“bad”art,importanceofcreating,74

BattistaandFrederico(Bruner),75

beadednecklacestructure,29,30–31

beats,18–19

Beckett,Samuel,74

BigIdea,4–5

Blackbird(Ma),61

blureffects,136

bookendingstructure,29,32–33

Borge,Richard,40

Borst,Phil,24–25

brandingprocess

motiongraphicsand,108–109

taglinesand,8

Bruner,Jordan,68,75

Bucher,Stefan,78,79

buddystories,35

CCaliri,Jamie,25–27

celanimation,117

CGIanimation

2DCGI,118,119

3DCGI,118,119,126,127

Chinesecalligraphy,120,123

cinematography,44

Clair,Patrick,98

clarity

overcleverness,9

instagingprocess,46

CMYKcolorsystem,62

Coleman,Ornette,93

collagestyle,118

color,55–69

assignmentonusing,69

creatingscriptsfor,58–62

designingformovementusing,68

hue,saturation,andvalueof,57

limitingyourpaletteof,63

makingyourownrulesfor,69

printvs.motionsystemsof,62

saturatingmindfully,67

storytellingpowerof,55

supportingsubjectsusing,64–65

surpriseorunexpecteduseof,67

symbolismrelatedto,60

thematicandaccent,66

tipsforusing,63–69

ColorBlind(Borst),24–25

colorscripts,58–62

examplesof,56,59,61

pre-colorscriptsand,58–61

principalcolorsin,60,62

processofcompleting,62

supportingcolorsin,61,62

comfortzone,goingbeyond,74–75

comingofagestories,35

complementarycolors,64

composingshots,43–44

conceptart,9

conceptdevelopment,2–9

creativebriefin,2–4

honingyourpitchin,7–9

summoningthemusein,4–7

continuity,48–49

directional,49

issueswith,102

spatial,48–49

temporal,49

contrastingmusic,94

Costa,Ariel,viii,16,36,54,66,70,86,100,112,128,132,137,140

countdownstorystructure,29

creativebrief,2–4,116

cuecards,18–19

Cytowic,RichardE.,97

DDailyMonstersProject(Bucher),78,79

deadzones,46

decentralizingsubjects,135

dialogue,95–96

diegeticsound,89–90

directionalcontinuity,49

directionalmovement,134–135

directorbio,142

Disney,Walt,37–38

drawingstyle,42

Dulaney,Kim,63,64,68,108,109

dynamicframing,44

E

editingyourwork,131–132

effectsaddedtoshots,136

elevatorpitch,8

emotionsandmusic,93

endingyourstory,22–23

Eno(Dulaney),64

environmentaldesign,102–108

assignmenton,110–111

physicallawsin,104–105

sociallawsin,106–107

timeandplacein,103–104

visuallawsin,107–108

experimentation,11–12,71–85

applyingtocurrentprojects,80–83

assignmentutilizing,85

creating“bad”artthrough,73

expandingyourskillsetwith,74–75

withmovement,82–83

withnon-digitalsources,85

withpersonalprojects,79

withsound,99

withtransitions,80–81

withworkyouwanttobehiredfor,76–79

ExquisiteCorpse(Waldron),32–33

Ffailingbetter,74,75

FeedYourCreativeBrain(Costa),137

FeedYourCreativeBrain(Scirocco),83

filemanagement,132

film&typestyle,118

“firstlove”story,5–6,8–9

fluidtransitions,80–81,118

Foleysoundeffects,92

followthrough,133

Fong,Karin,89,120–122

framingprocess,44–45,135

GGilliam,Terry,117

Glitschka,Von,67

GodofWarIIItitlesequence,120–122

goodvs.evilstories,35

Hhand-drawnanimation,117,118,124

Hayes,Isaac,93

Heartcommercial(Caliri),25–27

Hemingway,Ernest,7

Hendrix,Jimi,72,76

Herman,Gregory,76,77,79

Hertzfeldt,Don,117

high-contrastcolors,64

honingyourpitch,7–9

hue,57

IImaginaryForces,89,120,121,122

Improvcomedy,101–102

influences,10–11

inspiration,28–29,30

InterimFlight(Janicki),131

IntoMisterSharky’sMouth(Thawilvejakul),103

JJanicki,Maciek,126,127,131

Jaws(film),7,8,92

JimiHendrix(Wright),72–73

Jiron,Miguel,124–125

journalwriting,34

KKeesling,Brooke,102,105

Key,FrancisScott,72

keyposes,133

kindnesstheme,24–25

kinetictype,118

King,B.B.,93

LLancett,James,84,85

Leaf,Caroline,117

LindaLoves(Dulaney),68

live-actionfootage,123,124

lovestories,5–6,8–9,35

MMa,Jiali,61

MacroStudy(Herman),76,77

MadMenopeningtitles,116

MakeshiftSatellite(Walzel),56

McKee,Robert,95

TheMill,109

Miyazaki,Hayao,114

Morton,Louis,30–31,59,82

motiongraphics

brandingand,108–109

narration/voiceoverfor,96,98

three-actstructureand,20

movement

colorselectionand,68

composingdirectional,134–135

experimentingwith,82–83

musesummoning,4–7

music,93–94

contrasting,94

quietorsilent,94

scoringtothemes,93

assoundeffects,92

Seealsosound

MusicStudio(Thawilvejakul),14

mutingsoundtracks,138

Nnarration,96,98

naturalworld,107

networking,143–145

non-diegeticsound,89–90

non-digitalsources,85

nonlinearstorytellingstructure,28–33

chartdescribing,29

examplesofusing,30–33

importanceofproficiencyin,30

inspirationasbasisfor,28–29,30

NoseHair(Morton),59

OOFFFFilmFestival,108–109

Olympians(Pan),80–81

onlinenetworking,143

outsourcingwork,124

Overcast(LancettandWeston),84,85

Ppackagingyourproject,142–143

palettes,limitingcolor,63

Pan,Hsinping,80–81

PaperCity(Janicki),126,127

Park,Ed,72

PassionPictures,68

PasserPasser(Morton),30–31,82

personalprojects,79

PES,119

physicallaws,104–105

PixelShow(Costa),66

places

adcreationfor,14–15

creatingtimesand,103–104

planningyourproject,1–2

plots,8,35

Pott,Julia,117,144,145

pre-colorscript(PCS),58–61

pre-production,1–15

assetmanagementin,13

assignmenton,14

conceptdevelopmentin,2–9

previsualizationin,9–12

previsualization,9–12

beinginfluencedin,10–11

designprocessin,12

experimentationin,11–12

Psycho(film),92

Psyop,63,64

puzzlestorystructure,29

Qquest/journey/voyagestories,35

quietmusic,94

Rragstorichesstories,35

rebelstories,35

rebirthandredemptionstories,35

Referencesfile,10

Reiniger,Lotte,117

ReservoirDogs(film),94

resolutioninstories,22

RGBcolorsystem,62

rolereversalstories,35

ruleofthirds,44–45

Ssaturation,color,57,67

scalingsubjects,135–136

Scirocco,Alberto,83

Selick,Henry,119

SensoryOverload(Jiron),124–125

sharingyourproject,145

Sheehy,Sterling,43,52,105,106

shipoffoolsplot,35

silentmusic,94

skillset,74–75

sociallaws,106–107

SonyPlayStation,121,122

Sorcerer’sApprentice(Tchaikovsky),93

sound,87–99

assignmenton,99

dialogueas,95–96

diegeticvs.non-diegetic,89–90

editingormodifying,137–138

experimentingwith,99

Foleyeffectsas,92

leadingwith,89–96

motiongraphicsand,96,98

musicas,93–94

powerof,87–88

soundeffectsas,91–92

timingand,50–51,99,138

Seealsomusic

soundeffects,91–92

spatialcontinuity,48–49

Spielberg,Steven,7

stagingprocess,46–47

stillimages,123

stopmotionanimation,117,118,119

storyideas,34–35

storykernels,34

Story(McKee),95

storystructure,18–27

beatsin,18–19

three-act,19–27

storyboarding,37–53

assignmenton,53

continuityin,48–49

detailsrequiredin,42–47

drawingstylefor,42

examplesof,40,43,52

framingprocessin,44–45

originsof,37–38

revisionsprocessin,41–42

shotcompositionin,43–44

stagingprocessin,46–47

thumbnailingand,39–41

timingandanimaticsin,50–51

transitionsin,48

storytelling,17–35

aboutyourfilm,143

assignmenton,33

brainaswiredfor,5

classicplotsfor,35

journalwritingfor,34

limitlesspossibilitiesin,17–18

nonlinearstructurefor,28–33

storystructureand,18–27

subtextindialogue,95–96

subtractivecolorsystem,62

summoningthemuse,4–7

supportingcolors,61

surprisecolors,67

Švankmajer,Jan,119

symbolism,color,60

synopsisofproject,142

Ttaglines,7–9

Tarantino,Quentin,94

techniques.Seeanimationtechniques

TED-Edanimatedfilms,97,98

temptracks,93

temporalcontinuity,49

Thawilvejakul,SiriratYoom,14,103

thematiccolors,66

themes,8

enrichingnarrativesusing,23

examplesofintegrating,24–25,27

scoringmusicto,93

storyendingsrelatedto,22–23

three-actstructureand,19

three-actstorystructure,19–27

chartillustrating,21

descriptionofactsin,20–23

examplesofusing,24–27

motiongraphicsand,20

thumbnailing,39–41

time/placecreation,103–104

timing

mixingforshots,136

soundand,50–51,99,138

TireGoblin(Glitschka),67

titles

logoandstillof,142

sequencedesignfor,120–122,127

Tom&Jerrycartoon,92

tone,8,9,107,116

TotalRunningTime(TRT),50

transitions,48,80–81,118

Triangle(Pott),144,145

UUnitedAirlinescommercial,25–27

universalconflicts,35

Vvalue,color,57

video-editingprograms,50

visualdevelopment,9

visuallaws,107–108

voiceover,96,98

WWaldron,Michael,32–33

Walzel,Cody,10,56,104

websiteofauthor,145

weirdscience.Seeexperimentation

WelcometotheAescripts+AepluginsPlayground(Costa),132

Weston,Sean,84,85

whitespace,64

worldbuilding.Seeenvironmentaldesign

Wright,Ian,72

writing,7