Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Time and Place
Many beginning short ideas start out in a contemporary time period and setting with char-
acters that are very much like the author. This is because stories are about us—and we have
been repeatedly told to write (or draw) what we know. However, a change in time or place
sometimes raises the appeal of the story. What if Sarah is competing on U.S. boys' teams
in the early 1950s? What if she is competing in ancient Greece?
What if the story takes place during prehistoric time and Sarah becomes Noggin, taunted
by Bellyfaces because she has a head?
Noggin
, directed by Alex Cannon, Brigham Young University
Point of View
Whose story is it? Right now, it is Sarah's. Would it be a better story, or would we learn
a better lesson, if it was told through the eyes of the friend? What if the story was told from
the viewpoint of a teacher, mother, the playground, or the body parts? What do you think
will resonate most with an audience?
Early Bloomer
Sony Pictures Imageworks told this story through the eyes of a tadpole that begins its trans-
formation just ahead of its peers. It works well because:
• It displaces a common and overused theme to something fresh and new.
• It is told from the
point of view
of a tadpole.
• It takes us to a new
place
, underwater, where we are not sure exactly what we will
fi nd.
• Tadpole metamorphosis follows a visual pattern over a relatively short amount of time.
The feet and arms can “pop” from the body adding surprise and entertainment.
