Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
that they could not accurately animate an entire movie underwater unless they had experi-
enced it. It is an entirely different thing to feel the resistance of the water, see the diffusion
of the light, and actually swim with the fi shes than to read about them or look at
pictures. [8]
Experiential research is also where you act out what your character has to do. It is not
enough to think about or observe an action. You need to get on your feet and
do
that action.
Try it. Feel the force, weight, and pacing of the movement. Sometimes, you will have to
animate a character or creature that moves very differently from the way you do, that has
a very different weight, force, and attitude from yours. A great exercise is to follow people
with a very different build and attitude from your own. Try to walk in their shoes—literally.
Mirror their gait, the tilt of their head, the angle of their shoulders, the turn of their foot, the
swing of their arms, and the angle of their hips. You will learn a lot about them from how
they move as opposed to how
you
move.
Brainstorming
Most creativity texts will direct you to be uninhibited when you brainstorm. Anything goes.
Play “What if?” extensively. To some degree, this is true. But, when developing story, you
may get there faster if you work within some defi ned parameters:
Defi ne the time period and genre of your piece. Is it a horror, mystery, comedy,
action-adventure, western, sci-fi , fi lm noir, and so forth, and when does it take
place?
Cast and re-cast your characters until you fi nd the right personality.
List the attributes of your characters, what they do and where they do it. Attributes are
all of the details you need to include in your visuals. Look at this sentence: The owner
chased his dog through the crowded street. Clear enough. Until you go to draw it.
What does the owner look like? How exactly does he “chase”? Does he run, hobble,
cavort? What is the breed of dog? And who or what is populating the street? Is it a
parade? A marketplace? A mob of Wall Street traders?
Find metaphors. A metaphor is something that takes the place of something else. A
woman on the prowl becomes a lion. A child at play becomes a small monkey. A
methodical engineer becomes a robot. And they become something else because that
“something” is closer to the actual essence of the character than the default package
(human) in which you fi nd it.
Brainstorm and share your ideas with others. Your piece will make sense to you
because you made it. That doesn't mean it makes sense to others—and remember, stories
are meant to be told to other people. Kick around your ideas. More minds make for more
ideas.
