Index

A

Abyss, The 204–205

acting/actors 51–75

avoiding clichés 57

building a character 52–58, 72

exploring physicality 60–63, 72

exploring scene work 65–68, 72

generating emotion 55–56, 72

and improvisation 67–68

acting is truth 52, 72

actions 87–88

driving of by emotion 24–25

adrenaline moment 21

Altieri, Kathy 51, 104–105

anger 56, 60–61

animatic 191–192

animation storyboards 160–161

Animator and the Seat, The 78–79, 80, 88, 91, 92, 97, 142, 146, 147

anticipation 185

appeal 76–77

arc 2, 185 see also character arcs

archetypes 5 see also character archetypes

Aristotle 2

aspect ratio 198–199

audience 107, 113

B

back story 77

Bancroft, Tom 100–101

basic premise 48

basic story 106

beat sheet 164

beginnings 109–110

Besen, Ellen 230

Beware of Monster 32, 114, 115

Bird, Brad 34

Bottle 39, 40, 117

Bradbury, Ray 31

brains vs. brawn 10

brainstorming 35, 222

Briggs, Paul 192

buddy stories 10

budget 244–245

Bug’s Life, A 5

building character see character(s)/character building

building conflict see conflict

building location see location building

building a story see story

building bus stop structure 119–120

C

Cachuela, Mike 47–50

camera focus 202

camera moves 186–188

representing 187–188

trucks and zooms 187

camera placement 188–189

Campbell, Joseph 2

Canfora, Jack 74–75

Caps 13–14

Captain, The 144, 150–152

Catch 29–30, 65, 86–87, 97

categorical imperative 77

catharsis 2

Chalk 14–15

character(s)/character building 1, 52–64, 76–88

appeal 76–77

avoiding cliché 23

in conflict 111–112

creating a memorable 24

desire of 12

features of a good 76–77, 98

finding the motivation for your 232–234

journey of the 110–112

physical body 53, 59–64

physiology 232

psychological mind 53–58

psychology 233

revealing of by dialogue 145

and scene work 65–67

sociology 232

working with two or more 80

character archetypes 5–10

herald 7, 9

hero 8, 9

mentor 6, 9

shadow 7, 9

shapeshifter 9

threshold guardian 8, 9

trickster 8, 9

character arcs 13, 80–81, 112

mental 81

physical 81

spiritual 81

character attributes 10, 35, 81, 88

character design 62–63, 81–88, 98

actions, gestures and additional attributes 87–88

goals 100

model sheets 88

personality and function 86–87, 100

recognizable and relatable 84

shapes 84–86, 100

variance 101

character goals 1, 100

character profiles 77–79, 98, 108

character voices/dialects 154–156

clarity 155–156

consistency 155

contrast 154–155

characterization 79

Chomet, Sylvain 84–85

ChubbChubbs, The 142–143

cinematography 162

circular structure 118–119

clarity 189–190

clean entrance/exit 181–182

clichés 23–24, 57

climax 109, 110, 115, 232

close-up 202, 203

clothesline story structure 134

collage 179

color 93–94, 95

competition 33

composers 158

compounded conflict 110–111

concepts 23, 35

condensation 35–36

conflict(s) 1, 15, 25–26, 31

building 110–112

character in 111–112

character vs. character 1, 26, 37

character vs. environment 1, 26, 37

character vs. self 1, 26

increasing the intensity of the 111

motifs of 10

progression of 110–111

universal 10

see also rising conflict

continuity 166

continuity of content 169–171

contrast 202

of scale 202–204

Cook, Barry 159, 173

copyright 105, 149

Countin’ on Sheep 220–246

courage and survival 10

cranes 186

crisis 3, 4, 71, 109, 110

Cronkhite, Kendal 102–104

cross cutting 175

cross dissolve 180

cut away 175

cut on the action 175

cut on the look 173

cyclical story structure 133–134

D

Dancing Thief, The 52, 87

Defective Detective 76, 94, 97, 106, 107, 108–109, 110, 111, 112–113, 116

DeRuyter, Jamie 31–32

design elements 97

desire 12

dialogue 142–158

analysis of The Captain 150–152

character voice and dialects 154–156

creating subtext 146–147

driving the plot forward 145–146

driving the resolution 146

music and sound 149, 156–158

revealing the character 145

setting the mood 144–145

and storyboarding 190

tempo, pacing, rhythm, intonation and timing 149

using narration 147–148

digital storyboards 192

directing the eye 197–199

disjointed shots 170

Disney 5, 44

displacement 37

dolly 186, 188

draw and change 164–165

drawing 159–160

DreamWorks 102

Drobile, Eric 142

Duck Amuck 135

E

Early Bloomer 39

editing 160, 175, 179–180

Egri, Lajos 227

Emotion

creating of by actor 54–57

drives action 24–25

emotional arc 2, 81

emotional recall 54, 55

empathy 2, 27, 60, 72, 84

endings/resolutions 2, 26, 109–110, 234–238

driving of by dialogue 146

establishing shot 172

E.T. 11–12

ethics 77

Eureka! 26

exposition 25, 110, 148

external monologue 114

F

fade to black 179–180

fade to white 180

Fantasia Taurina 21, 22, 68

Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, The 123–127

Feature Film Plots Against the Hero’s Journey

Call to Adventure 3

Crisis 4

Happy Ending 5

Hero Has a Weakness 3

Introduce the Hero 3

Quest 4

Return 4

Showdown 4

Unexpected Event 3

Features

differences between shorts and 13–15

Feline Follies 161

film language 161

film structure, nonlinear 134–136

Finding Nemo 5, 34

fish out of water 10

flat space 206

flaw 78

Flight of Fancy 34, 120, 122

Floss, The 119

follow-through 185

Fox Cry 53

frame-in-frame 200–201

framing box 187, 188

Funnypages Productions 100

G

genre 38

gestures 87–88

Glebas, Francis 110

goals see character goals

Goldberg, Eric 236

golden mean 77, 199

golden rule 77

golden section 199, 200

Good Deed, A 210–219

good vs. evil 10

Gopher Broke 25, 80, 81–84, 89–90, 97

Gordon, Steve 166

Great Big Robot from Outer Space Ate My Homework, A 13, 59, 67, 118, 143–144

Greno, Nathan 161, 179, 191, 194–196

H

happy endings 5

hedonism 77

Help!…I’m Stranded… 139, 140

herald 7, 9

hero 8, 9

Hero’s Journey 2–5, 13

Hickner, Steve 209–215

high key lighting 96

Hitchcock, Alfred 229–230

Hooks, Ed 21

How to Train Your Dragon 11, 95, 96

Howard, Stan 119

Howl’s Moving Castle 3–5, 9

human condition 51–73

human needs 11

humor 27

I

iconic moment 68–71

ideas, finding and getting 17, 20–50, 221–225

brainstorming in groups 222

the ideal 28—30

pursuing 33–39, 41

the real 30—33

and research 223–225

seed idea 221

Iglesias, Karl 1

improvisation 67–68, 72

inciting moment 1, 13, 110

Incredibles, The 3–5, 9, 86

insert shots 174

internal monologue 112, 114, 147

intonation 149

iris in 180

Iron Giant 11–12, 34

J

Jimenez, Andrew 17–19

Johnstone, Ollie and Thomas, Frank The Illusion of Life 76

jump cut 183

Jung, Carl 5

K

Kite, The 27, 72

Kopf, Ginny 154–156

Kroyer, Bill and Sue 43–47

Kung Fu Panda 33, 96

L

La Marca, Perry 238

lens’ flare 162

light/lighting 94–96

high contrast 96

high key 96

low contrast 96

low key 96

light patterns 201

linear narrative 114–115

Little-Herrick, Dori 242–243

live action 28, 33, 160–161

local color 93

location/location building 1, 30, 89–97, 98–99

defining the mood of the piece 92–96

design elements 97

setting the stage 89–92

supporting the story 97

long shot 202, 203

love 55–56, 60

love stories 10

M

McDonald, Brian 110

Invisible Ink 11–12

McKee, Robert 12

Madagascar 102, 103–104

Magic If, The 54, 55

Martin, Demetri

Bee Sting xvi–xvii

mask 63

mask shot 200

master sketches 97

match cuts 180–181

mental needs 11

mentor 6, 9

Mercurio, James 109

Merritt, Billy 54–55

metaphors 35

mid shot 202

minimalist structure 135

Mintz, Aubr 220–246

Miyazaki 5, 7

model sheets 88

money matters 244–245

monomyth 2

Monsters, Inc. 31

montage 179, 200

mood 92–96

color 93–94

and dialogue 144–145

light 94–96

texture 92–93

Moongirl 47–50, 148

Moore, Sonia 66, 149

Morse, Deanna 139–141

motivation, character 232–234

movement

graphic representation of 184

principles of 185–186

anticipation 185

arcs 185

follow-through and overlapping action 185

multiple images 186

squash and stretch 185

and storyboarding 183–184

Mulan 3–5, 9, 11

multiple images 186

music and sound 149, 152, 238–242

creating of to support narrative 156–158

N

narration, using 147–148, 152

narrative questions 112–113

need 2

Noggin 35–36

nonlinear storytelling 128–141

core idea 130–132

definition and features 128–129

film structure 134–136

general principles 137

key points for working in 137–138

soundtracks 133

story structure 133–134

storyboards 136–137

visual content 132

nose room 205–206

O

observation 31

Oldenburg, Brandon 123–127

One Man Band 17, 18–19

180-degree rule 166–169, 172

Origin 118–119

originality in story 12

Over the Hedge 104–105

over the shoulder shot 172

overlapping action 185

P

pacing 149, 191

pan 187, 188

parallel structure 115–116

parody 32

peacemakers 10

Perry, Chris 29, 86

personality 86, 100

physical gesture 59–64

physical needs 11

physicality 38, 60, 63

pictorial space 204–206

pictorial transitions and match cuts 180–181

ping-pong structure 117–118

pitch/pitching 18, 191, 247–249

Pixar 5

play, importance of 74–75

plot 2

avoiding cliché 23

driving forward by dialogue 145–146

point of view 38, 103, 170

point of view (POV) shot 173

Poole, Bert 95–96

Poor Bogo 24, 37, 118, 147, 148

Post, Doug 237–238

premise 107–108, 227–232

preproduction 225–226

presentation boards 159–160

process boards 159

Production Schedule 243

professional storyboard artists 161

progression/story reels 191

props 89–91

psycho-physical action 53, 62, 72

psychological process 53–58

psychological mind 53–58

pursuing ideas 33–39, 41

puzzle story structure 134

Q

quests and journeys 2, 4, 10

R

rack focus 202, 203

rags to riches 10

Ran 207

Rango 3–5, 9, 12

reaction shots 173

rectangle, redesigning the 200–201

registering your work 247

research 33–35, 223–225

experiential 34–35

factual 33–34

observational 34

and staging 206

resolution see endings/resolutions

Respire, Mon Ami 26, 27, 92, 93, 144

reverse shot 172

rhythm 149

rising conflict 15, 25, 113, 149

Ritterschlag 34, 116

ritual pain 110

role reversals 10

rule of thirds 199, 200

Rules of the Playground 20–28

Cardinal Rule: Do Something You Like 28

Rule #1: Story is King 20–21

Rule #2: Keep It Simple 21–22

Rule #3: Know the Theme 22

Rule #4: Avoid Cliché 23–24

characters 23

concepts 23

plots 23

symbols 23

Rule #5: Create a Memorable Character 24

Rule #6: Emotion Drives Action 24–25

Rule #7: Show Don’t Tell 25

Rule #8: Create Conflict 25–26

Rule #9: Know Your Ending 26

Rule #10 Entertain Your Audience 26–27

Rule #11: Make Me Laugh 27

Rule #12: Answer The Question: Why Animation? 28

S

Sandage, Charley 240, 241

scale, contrast of 202–204

scene work 65–67, 72

Schumer, Gary 9

Schwartz, Zach

And Then What Happened 232–233

Scoredos, Sande 247–249

scratch track 191

seed ideas 221

shadow 7, 9

shallow space 206

shapes 84–86, 97, 100

and light patterns 201

shapeshifter 9

ship of fools 10

Shirra, Mark 143–144

short animated film, developing a 220–246

finding an ending 234–238

finding the motivation for your character 232–234

finding a premise 227–232

finding your idea 221–225

know what you are going to write about 221

making music 238–242

managing your film 242–244

money matters and budget 244–245

preproduction 225–226

short films

definition 20

differences between features and 13–15

stories that don’t work for 22

shot list 164

shots 203–204

close-up 202, 203

cross cutting 175

cut on the action 175

cut away 175

cut on the look 173

disjointed 170

establishing 172

and A Good Deed 210–219

insert 174

long 202, 203

point of view (POV) 173

reaction 173

reverse shot and over the shoulder 172

split screen 179

tracking 88

Show Don’t Tell 25

Shrek 3–5, 9, 109, 114, 119

silence 149

silhouette 201

simplicity 21–22

slice of life 120

Sony Pictures Imageworks 39, 247

sound see music and sound

soundtracks, nonlinear 133

space 92, 206

flat 206

pictorial 204–206

shallow 206

speed lines 184, 185

spiritual needs 11

split screen 179, 200

squash and stretch 185

stage setting 89–92

props 89–91

space 92

staging 197–219

camera focus 202

contrast of scale 202–204

directing the eye 197–199

pictorial space 204–206

redesigning the rectangle 200–201

redesigning with tone 201–202

and research 206

Stanislavski, Constantin 53

status 33, 80

stereotypes 10

story

arc 2

definition and elements of 1–2, 14

ending/resolution 2

inciting moment 1

location 1

need 2

originality 12

story question 1

theme 1–2

universal 2–5

story building 106–127

building conflict 110–112

endings and beginnings 109–110

journey of the audience 107

narrative questions and narrative structures 112–120

pitfalls 107

premise and theme 107–108

story is king 20–21

Story, Jim 160

story question 1

story structure 106

bus stop 119–120

circular 118–119

linear 114–115

nonlinear 133–134

clothesline 134

cyclical 133–134

puzzle 134

parallel 115–116

slice of life 120

zigzag/ping-pong 117–118

storyboarding/storyboards 136–137, 159–196, 210

180-degree rule 166–169

animatic 191–192

animation 160–161

beat sheet 164

camera moves 186–188

camera placement 188–189

checklist 207–208

clarity 189–190

continuity 166

continuity of content 169–171

and dialogue 190

digital 192

draw and change 164–166

drawing 159–160

establishing shot 172

film language and cinematography 161–162

formal elements of visual design 162–163

and A Good Deed 210–219

graphic representation of movement 184

interview with Nathan Greno 194–196

pacing 191

pitching 191

principles of movement 185–186

progression/story reels 191

shortcomings 170

shot list 164

shot types 172–179

single short to sequence of shots 162

thumbnailing 163, 225

transitions 179–183

visual imagination 160

visualizing time and movement 183–184

storytelling 106 see also nonlinear storytelling

Studio Ghibli 5

styles 97

subtext 146–147

superimposition 179

swappables 38

Bottle 39, 40

Early Bloomer 39

symbols, avoiding cliché 23

symmetry 198, 199

T

technical editing transitions 179–180

Technological Threat 43–47

Teddy 24

telling 25

tempo 149, 157

tempting fate 10

Ten Unknowns 64

texture 92–93

themes 1–2, 22, 107–108

mental needs 11

physical needs 11

spiritual needs 11

universal 10–12

three-act structure 2

threshold guardian 8, 9

thumbnailing 163, 225

time and place 38

timing 149

Tomov, Evgeni 30

tone, redesigning with 201–202

camera focus 202

contrast 202

contrast of scale 202

light and patterns 201

silhouette 201

too big of a gap 170

tracking shot 188, 205

transitions 179–183

clean entrance/exit 181–182

jump cut 183

pictorial and match cuts 180–181

technical editing 179–180

Treasure 21, 22, 120

trickster 8, 9

Triplets of Belleville, The 30–31, 84–85, 86

trucks 187

U

universal conflicts 10

universal story 2–5

universal themes 10–12

UP 11, 65–66, 69, 128

utilitarianism 77

V

vanishing point 197

variance 101

veil of ignorance 77

visual design 102–105

formal elements of 162–163

visual imagination 160

visualizing time and movement 183

Vogler, Chris

The Writer’s Journey 6

voices/dialects, character 154–156

Volker, Adam 123–127

W

Weinberg, Larry 33

Z

zigzag structure 117–118

zollys 188

zooms 187, 188