Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Starting somewhere
Where to start with a i lm? Perhaps 'what's the point? ' is a good question, followed by 'can this
i lm be made with actors? ' Others are 'do I care enough to spend a year with these characters?,
'do I know enough about it all? , 'have I got the energy and focus to go through with all this?,
'this may be my one chance with this theme, is it right? ' and 'have I thought it all through?'
Much soul searching happens before anything moves; well, it should. Then there are the
technical questions about how long will the i lm be, what sort of scale, what sort of puppets,
what about the budget, what about the technique, what sort of style, who is it for, and many
similar questions. No animation can be done without such preparation. The main thought has
to be the story or the perspective. I have been guilty of having great visuals in my head, but
then have struggled to i nd a reason for them. Others have fallen in love with an innovative
technique, but have not had the story to support it. Others start with a puppet then try to i nd
a story for it. Puppets may not be the most appropriate way to go at all, and I have given up
on good ideas before now, because another technique might validate the subject better. But
'puppets' is a vague word, probably dei ned as something loosely i gurative that is used to
express character and emotion; something that is given life and controlled by another, perhaps;
something eighty feet high operated by dozens of technicians, or pieces of felt on a i nger.
Often a piece of music starts an idea going, or a topic, or an overheard conversation or a
painting, but the desire to tell a story, or at least to communicate something, does need to
kickstart a i lm. All animators can be indulgent, cursed and excited by so many ideas. It's
structuring them, focusing them and making them mean something that's often the hard
but essential part. Shortcuts are invariably disastrous. This is not a job to be approached
half-heartedly.
How did you approach your fi rst fi lm? Did you fi nd it hard to focus all the
ideas? Was it somewhat indulgent?
JD - My fi rst fi lms I made were live action, 'winged' without a script. More ambitions live-action/effects
productions were done with two chums. Carl was a would-be writer, so he wrote the prose and dialogue
based on our discussions. Didn't experience the 'took longer than expected' problem on those fi lms, but
sure encountered it as my expectations and skills increased.
TB - My fi rst script, in high school, was about the life of Jesus in thirty minutes! Well, what can I say? It
was ambitious, with many puppets, sets, lots of dialogue, and music inspired by Fauré's Requiem , for key
sequences, such as the resurrection of Lazarus, as well as the crucifi xion, the resurrection and the ascension.
KD - I was so excited about storyboarding. I still have those early boards! Making the set and the
armature, it was amazing. I was hooked.
RC . It was mostly tests …. I hadn't learned to machine armatures yet, so I was limited. Yes, I was always
ready to move on. Even today, I want the next challenge.
SB - We had no story. We started animating Plasticine people in a band. We soon got bored and the
characters fell apart. We then pushed yoghurt pots around. It was hard to focus on what we were trying
 
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