Graphics Reference
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process: the generation of options, the exploration of possibilities, and the ruthlessness to
be able to take out the trash or cut the things you love for the good of the piece. Working
through it again and again is part of the process.
All stories begin with anticipation and passion that at some point meet with hesitation or
frustration before breaking through to fi nd the inspiration that makes the story work. Know
that it is worth the work. Pursue your story.
So You Think You Have a Story Idea: Developing
the Premise
Once you have a basic premise, the tendency is to rush forward and immediately
begin to develop confl ict and plot points. Before you do this, pause and make sure
your premise is the best execution for your idea. What does that mean? When working
on a short, you have one idea to communicate. You want to fi nd the most entertaining
way to reach your audience. You also want to make sure it is feasible to produce. Finally,
you unequivocally need to be able to say that animation is the best medium for this
piece.
A good short idea has one or two characters, limited locations, and ONE confl ict that
becomes worse. If you have multiple characters, multiple locations, or multiple confl icts, take
time now, not later, to simplify, clarify, and revise.
Example:
Premise: On the school playground, Sarah Jenkins, a developing adolescent, is taunted by
her slightly younger friends as she hits puberty.
Theme or concept: Some of us grow faster than others, but it is going to happen to
everyone.
The premise has some problems:
• It has multiple human characters—Sarah and her peer(s). Humans are still hard to
animate well.
• The location, a playground, has multiple items to model.
• The confl ict—taunting—while singular is not yet very visual and seems to require the
use of dialogue.
• Sarah's development would probably include hips, breasts, pimples, and greasy hair.
How do you make the physicality of adolescence appealing?
All of this has the making of a live-action after school special, but it's too complex, and
lacks a compelling reason to animate. Since this is the premise you want to develop, and
you're passionate about it, the question becomes how do we improve it?
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