The Fundamentals Of Animation, Paul Wells

Key Principles and Processes

I found this reading hit a chord with me, as I studied it at a time when I was very uncertain of what direction to take in the development of my story ideas. The first thing Wells discusses in this chapter is 'finding an idea that has genuine potential for an original film.' He then goes on to offer some techniques for idea generation, which in my confused state I was grateful for. He is assisted by comments from Paul Driessen, a master animator. The following is the useful information I learned from Wells' piece.

-How one records one's brainstorming is important. Some people sketch or some make notes, but it is essential that you write down your musings.

-Use your personal background as a resource. This echoes what my tutor said in our last workshop. many creative works have an autobiographical tendency. You already have a wealth of knowledge stored up that you can take from. Recalling sense memories can be helpful.

-Iconic images of contemporary culture give us a subject to interpret and develop upon.

-Take your own fantasies of how you would like the world to be and use this as a landscape or scene for your work. Normal rules of reality do not govern here, and you have creative control.

-Try to recall key ideas from narratives that you remember or that have stuck with you, and try to develop them further.

-Practising drawing can stimulate ideas for certain visuals and scenes, as well as a mood. It also helps in recall of senses and situations.

To create better animations, Wells and Barry Purves give a few tips for when you do your designs. One is to engage with other art forms (like dance or opera) for ideas. Focus on body language and physical gesture as the tools of expression, and study them in yourself. Use silences and pauses in motion to your advantage. capture the 'essence' of your character in their design, and build them a specific vocabulary of movement.

The structure and process of storyboarding are delved into in greater detail than I had read about before. There are 3 forms distinguished: Thumbnail, used to develop sequences; Reference, which has a provisional but agreed structure; and Fixed, which is the final version used in the animatic or story reel, and is correspondent to the soundtrack. Pixar studios spend up to 18 months on the storyboarding process for each film.