Building Better Content - Ideas for the Animated Short - page 47

is made over time and with investigation. Try to defer judgment until you play out your ideas
a little bit.
Because we are people, and stories are about people, and we draw from our own experi-
ences, dreams, and observations, frequently our fi rst ideas have characters that are people
and situations that initially are better for live action than animation. You have to play with
these ideas and fi nd exaggeration, metaphor, analogies that push the idea outside the
boundaries of live action or communicate what you want to say in another form.
There are some tools we use to do this: research, brainstorming, condensation, and displace-
ment. These are not isolated tools, but you move back and forth between them as you
develop story.
Research
We use research to gather information. And there are three forms of research that you can
employ to learn more about the content you need to produce.
1. Factual Research
Once you have your characters, confl ict, and location, there will be many things that you
just don't know. What do you know about medieval dragons or being lost at sea? This kind
of research includes the mechanics of how something works, the architecture, costuming, or
products of a particular era (what did a Coke bottle look like in 1962?); the cultural infl u-
ences on your character or even what fi lm, photography, advertising, and art look like in
the time period or genre of your fi lm. When Brad Bird made Iron Giant , he fi lmed it in Cin-
emaScope because that was the fi lm ratio that was used in the 1950s, the time period of
the story. He believed that using a fi lm ratio from the time period of the story helped support
the story itself. [7] Factual research can be an incredibly inspiring tool that can lead you to
all types of potential for confl ict and change. Change may lead to more research. Under-
standing the parameters of your content is important because out there, in your audience,
someone knows your topic really well, and if you pass this off as “just animation,” you will
break the suspension of disbelief for someone in your audience.
2. Observational Research
We have already covered the fact that observation is one of an animator's greatest tools.
You can learn a lot by watching. If you need to animate a lizard, get one. Watch it. Time
the pacing of its movements. Record how it shifts weight when it walks, climbs, or twitches
its tail. What else can you learn about it? How does it eat, sleep, and socialize? Observa-
tion can help you discover the essence of your character, location, or situation.
3. Experiential Research
This type of research is the most fun because you get to do things. When Pixar was making
Finding Nemo , John Lasseter had all of the animators go scuba diving. It was his belief