Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Defi ning the Animated Short
Animations are completed constructed fi lms that tell stories through movement and time,
through memorable characters living the exaggeration of life in a re-presentation of the world
with the ability to make the invisible visible and the impossible possible.
The
short
in fi lm is defi ned as anything that is 24 minutes or less. In animation, commercial
shorts that run 6-11 minutes are created by teams of employees with bigger budgets and
resources. For our purposes, we are defi ning the short as what is feasible for the individual
animator. This is a running time of 1-3 minutes following a linear narrative structure.
However, the size of the short is ultimately determined by the story you need to tell. It depends
on whether you are working alone or in a group, the amount of time you have, and the
amount of time you are willing to spend until you send your product into the world. It depends
on your resources. In addition, it depends on how much information and complexity you
can handle, both conceptually and technically, and still move an audience emotionally.
The Rules of the Playground
Rule #1: Story Is King
In animation, story will infuse all the work that you do. As a shorts producer, you may well
wear all the hats of production: writer, director, concept artist, storyboard artist, modeler,
rigger, animator, lighting and texturing technician, sound director, and editor. In industry,
you may wear only one. What ties all of these positions together is the story.
Every production element in a fi lm is purposefully designed for the good of the story. The
model needs to support the story in both style and function. The rig must allow the model
to hit the exaggeration of pose or action required by the story. It is your job to understand
the content you are working on and heighten it in terms of story.
It is through story that your character is revealed and that you communicate with your audi-
ence. Without story, all you have is technique.
That is not to say that technique and skill are not important. They are crucial. However,
there are times when an audience (not an employer) will forgive poor technique, but they
will never forgive a poor story.
Rule #2: Keep It Simple
Remember, one concept or theme, one confl ict, two characters, two locations, and only the
props that are needed to tell the story.
What types of stories work for the short?
Simple single situations
One confl ict that intensifi es
