Writing for Animation

Description

Animation is one of the fastest growing mediums in the film and television world – whether it’s Frozen or Paw Patrol, Family Guy or Rick and Morty. This book is the definitive guide to storytelling for writers, directors, storyboard artists and animators. Suitable for both the student and the professional, it provides indispensable knowledge on the entire process of writing for animated movies, TV series and short films. The reader will be provided with all the tools necessary to produce professional quality scripts that will start, or further, their career in animation. Beginning with the fundamentals of ‘why animation?’ this book will lead the reader through a series of principles that will raise the level of their storytelling. These principles are tried and tested on a daily basis by the authors who have a twenty-year track record in the animation industry. Many people are trying to break into the world of writing for animation and a lot of the people who are ‘already in’ would like to get more work. The reality is that writing for animation is a very specific craft that can be learnt like any other craft. This book will give the reader both the basic and advanced techniques that will put them ahead of the rest of the field. Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Contents Figures Preface Foreword Acknowledgments Chapter 1: Why Animation? The Business of Animation Master the Craft of Writing Tools Not Rules Why Animation? Fantasy Thinky Time #1 Hyper-reality Thinky Time #2 Money Thinky Time #3 A Brief Word about Visual Style How to Get the Most Out of This Book Bonus Material Chapter 2: Goals 1 Goals Require Desire and Action 2 Goals Are Specific 3 Goals Have a Time Frame Goals in Summary Thinky Time #4 Chapter 3: Obstacles External Obstacles Internal Obstacles Bonus Material Thinky Time #5 Chapter 4: Central Character Identifying the Central Character The Importance of One Central Character A Plots and B Plots Central Character Case Study: Family Guy “Absolutely Babulous” Thinky Time #6 Chapter 5: The Three-Act Structure The Importance of the Three-Act Structure How Does the Three-Act Structure Work? The Changes in Direction That a Story Takes That Work as a Cohesive Whole In Order for the Characters to Have Completed a Satisfying Story Journey When to Break the Rule The Three-Act Structure in Animation Chapter 6: Act Two The Functions of Act Two To Show Our Central Character Actively Pursuing Their Goal Raise the Stakes for Our Central Character To Increase the Pace of the Story by Showing Our Central Character Facing Increasingly Difficult Situations and Overcoming Them Thinky Time #7 The End of Act Two Challenges of Act Two A Word of Warning Chapter 7: Act One The Functions of Act One It Introduces Your Central Character and Most of the Other Main Characters That Will Recur throughout the Story It Sets up the World of Your Story It Reveals the Main Problems That Exist in the Character’s Life and Creates Sympathy for Him or Her It States the Main Goal of Our Character and the Specific Goal of Act Two Challenges of Act One Chapter 8: Act Three The Functions of Act Three To Be the Most Exciting or Dramatic Part of Your Story Provide a Satisfying Ending That Makes Everyone Glad They Watched Your Movie or Show Bonus Material: A Cure for Coincidence Challenges of Act Three Chapter 9: Three-Act Structure Case Studies Three-Act Structure Case Study 1: Zootopia Act One Act Two Act Three Overview Three-Act Structure Case Study 2: Paw Patrol “Pups Go for The Gold” Act One Act Two Act Three Overview Summary Thinky Time #8 Chapter 10: Emotional Connection Give Them Skills and Abilities Make Them Funny Bonus Material Get Your Character on the Screen as Soon as Possible Unwavering Resolve A Little Niceness Goes a Long Way Jeopardy, Hardship, or Adversity Bonus Material Chapter 11: The Emotional Goal Defining the Destination Establishing Where the Character Is Emotionally at the Beginning of the Story Creating the Stepping-Stones Showing Both New Behavior and Old, Negative Behavior Summary Chapter 12: Emotional Goal Case Study Shrek Bonus Material Act One Act Two Act Three Thinky Time #9 Chapter 13: Character and Archetype Commedia Dell’Arte Archetypes Today A Step Behind Bonus Material Long-Suffering Dreamer Pompous or Arrogant Uptight One-Track Mind Zanni The Villain Servants of Darkness The Trickster Thinky Time #10 Chapter 14: Anthropomorphism Centric on a Sliding Scale or How Anthro Does your Character Morph? or The Goofy/Pluto Conundrum Bonus Material Making Your Anthropomorphism Relevant Creative Variations Chapter 15: Putting Your Character Together Physicality History Speech Patterns, Mannerisms, and Catchphrases Skills and Ineptitudes Likes and Dislikes Thinky Time #11 Chapter 16: Comedy The Drop Drop in Expectation Drop in Status Drop in Normality How to Use the Drop Slipping on a Banana Skin What Type of Drop Is This? Does This Fall into More Than One Category of Drop? Who Is Being Dropped in the Scene? When the Drop Is Too Much Thinky Time #12 Chapter 17: Comedic Situations : or What We Can Learn from Sitcoms A Situation Comedy is a Comedic Situation Bonus Material Family in Sitcom Thinky Time #13 Chapter 18: The Script Directing on the Page Bonus Material Being Professional Chapter 19: Dialogue Workshop The Dialogue Exercises Dialogue Workshop # 1: Getting Down the Basics Objectives and Obstacles Dialogue Workshop # 2: Character Motivation Character Dialogue Workshop # 3: Voice and Attitude Bonus Material Action Bonus Material Dialogue Workshop # 4: Keeping it Visual, Increasing the Action Making it Brief Dialogue Workshop # 5: Making it Brief Summary Chapter 20: Writing for an Existing Show Length Target Audience Bonus Material Type of Animation Plotlines Characters Bonus Material Bonus Material Act Structure Sets Bonus Material Set Pieces How Important Is This Information? Chapter 21: Writing for an Existing Show Case study Bob’s Burgers The Premise of the Show Length Animation Style Why Is This Show Animated and Not Live Action? Plotlines Identifying the Main Protagonists of the Series Bob Belcher (Male, 46) He is well-meaning, sensible with a sunny perspective but is always struggling to make ends meet. He is patient and kind but will lose his temper if anyone demeans or harasses him, chiefly Jimmy Pesto, owner of the nearby Jimmy Pest Linda Belcher (Female, 45) Linda is Bob’s wife. She is enthusiastic and supports her husband ferociously in whatever he does. She is flamboyant and extrovert, talkative, and loves theater. Bob and Linda have a happy marriage. Although Linda does have a to Louise Belcher (Female, 9) Louise always wears bunny ears, which could trick you into thinking she is sweet and innocent. In fact, Louise is aloof, cunning, and a bit of a trickster. She has a dark sense of humor and loves to create chaos. For example in Gene Belcher (Male, 11) Gene is the middle child, and is Bob and Linda’s only boy. He loves music, can play countless instruments, and has written musicals. He is highly creative but has a short attention span and a gross sense of humor (his jokes normall Tina Belcher (Female, 13) Tina is a hopeless romantic who is obsessed with boys, which is unfortunate since she has terrible social skills (a good comedic combination). Although she is obsessed with sex, this is mostly age appropriate, and the show does n The Supporting Cast The Locations and Sets Set Pieces 1 Episode Titles Bob’s Burgers titles quite often pay homage to movie titles, songs, or well-known phrases with a slight twist. The episode we will be looking at shortly is called “The Ring (But Not Scary)”; other examples include the following: 2 The Opening Credits: The Store Next Door The opening credits always depicts Bob’s Burgers and the stores that are either side of it. We then see a FAST FORWARD MONTAGE that shows the history of Bob’s Burgers’ various catastrophic reopenings, via fallen 3 The Burger of the Day Another running gag in most Bob’s Burgers episodes is the “Burger of the Day” written on the chalkboard behind the counter. These use puns and wordplay and sometimes relate to the plot. The burger is always $5.95. Some examples are 4 Montages Bob’s Burgers uses montages quite a lot to summarize the action and compress time in the episode. 5 End Credits As the end credits play, the show usually finishes with a song that is unique to that episode. The Ring (But Not Scary) Plotlines The A plot: The children have lost an engagement ring (that Bob was going to give Linda for their anniversary) at a water park. Their goal is to find the ring and save their mom and dad’s marriage. The B plot: Linda is trying to apply eye drops to her psychotic sister, who has pink eye from letting her cat sleep on her face. Act Structure Set Pieces Bob’s Burgers: A Summary Chapter 22: Collaboration Collaboration Means Cooperation and Concessions Bonus Material: The One-Off Funny Idea Listening Diplomacy Concessions Bonus Material: It’s Not Your Fault. Chapter 23: Creating the Short Why Make a Short? Bonus Material: Making an Independent Short Finding the Right Tool Create an Emotional Connection with the Character Give Your Character a Goal Thinky Time #14 Bonus Material Short Film Case Study: “The Meaning of Life” by Don Hertzfeldt Chapter 24: Breaking the Format Case Study: Frozen (Central Character Inconsistency) Central Character Act One Act Two Act Three Case Study: Toy Story 3 (a Four-Act Structure) Act One Act Two Act Three Act Four Coda Don’t Try This at Home Master the Fundamentals Big Movies, Big Teams Chapter 25: How to Launch Your Career Bonus Material Writing Episodic Television Writing a Movie Writers’ Groups Networking What to do While You’re Trying to Get Your Big Break Chapter 26: Final Word Appendix A: Script Format Scene Headings Action Character Dialogue Parenthetical The Beat The Incomplete Sentence Directing on the Page Shots Transitions Effects The Montage Appendix B: Sample Script Bible Film and TV Program References Thinky Time Guide Index