Friday, December 11, 2009

Rob Edwards, writer of THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, has an interesting post called Seven Writer's Rules for Survival in Animation at MakingOf. I liked these points:

RULE 3. THINK IN SEQUENCES
Animated features are usually divided into about 30 3-5 minute sequences. Each Story Artist is “cast” to do various sequences according to their abilities with action, comedy or dramatic moments. If you’ve followed Rule #2, you’ll quickly figure out how to write to the strength of the particular artists. If she’s great with physical comedy, take it as a challenge to create dynamic physical gags. If he’s good with drama, go for it and allow the tone of the film to change a bit. It will help give the film a variety and pace that will ultimately add to its overall entertainment.

RULE 4. REMEMBER WHY IT’S ANIMATED
The current state of special effects is so advanced that it’s become increasingly difficult to impress even the least theatrically experienced 8-year-old. But take heart, there are still things animation can do that can’t be matched by the most skilled effects wizards in the world. The key is to know what those things are and use them as tools to make your story as fun as possible.
Good animation looks for an “animation hook” – essentially a reason why the movie is being animated in the first place: Toys coming to life after you leave the room is a hook that bursts with possibilities. The ascension of a rat to the pinnacle of Parisian gastronomy would probably lose a bit of its charm in live action, but Ratatouille stands out as one of my favorite animated films of all time. The key is to squeeze as much mileage out of that hook as you can.

Good points to remember as we try to work up some animation pitches.

Labels: animation

6:50 PM

1 Comments:

Thank you for mentioning my first blog entry on your blog. I've been a fan of this blog for a long time and I'm thrilled to be mentioned here. Animation is growing by the minute and writers are quickly discovering that some of the most evocative performances in the world can be done with a computer or a pencil.

Anyway, I hope your readers enjoy my blog. It was a blast to write.

Rob Edwards, writer The Princess and the Frog

By  Rob Edwards, at 8:23 PM  

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