Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 5
Building Story
In this chapter, we will discuss strategies for building the animated short story.
To build a short, you need the following:
• A theme or concept
• A character(s)
• A location
• A situation
• A rising confl ict
• An ending
In previous chapters we covered the concepts of theme, character(s), location, situation, and
confl ict. By now, you should have a basic working premise for your idea. A premise is one
or two sentences describing your character, situation and, confl ict. It is the basic setup for
what happens in the story.
This chapter focuses on developing the premise into a story, learning story structure, building
a rising confl ict, and understanding the function of endings.
Solving Problems
Every story is unique and has its own individual problems. Using the strategies we discuss
in this chapter, you will be able to identify the problems in your story and fi x them.
The most common pitfall in story development is that rather than identifying and solving
problems that need to be solved the storyteller either adds more—more characters, more
confl icts, more props, more stuff—or continually changes the core of the story, reinventing
it as a brand new story. This brings them back to square one, to the beginning of the process.
Every time you start a new story, even a variation on a theme, you will have new set of
problems that need to be solved.
As you solve problems, your story will change. This change means everything to a successful
product. We tend to be completion-oriented. But story development, by its defi nition, requires
