April 17, 2013
March 11, 2013
THE 22 RULES OF STORYTELLING, ACCORDING TO PIXAR
1.) You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
2.) You gotta keep in mind what's interesting to you as an audience, not what's fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different.
3.) Trying for theme is important, but you won't see what the story is actually about til you're at the end of it. Now rewrite.
4.) Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
5.) Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You'll feel like you're losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.
6.) What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
7.) Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.
8.) Finish your story, let go even if it's not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.
9.) When you're stuck, make a list of what WOULDN'T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.
10.) Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you've got to recognize it before you can use it.
11.) Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you'll never share it with anyone.
12.) Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
13.) Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it's poison to the audience.
14.) Why must you tell THIS story? What's the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That's the heart of it.
15.) If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
16.) What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don't succeed? Stack the odds against.
17.) No work is ever wasted. If it's not working, let go and move on - it'll come back around to be useful later.
18.) You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
19.) Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
20.) Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d'you rearrange them into what you DO like?
21.) You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can't just write ‘cool'. What would make YOU act that way?
22.) What's the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.
2.) You gotta keep in mind what's interesting to you as an audience, not what's fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different.
3.) Trying for theme is important, but you won't see what the story is actually about til you're at the end of it. Now rewrite.
4.) Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
5.) Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You'll feel like you're losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.
6.) What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
7.) Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.
8.) Finish your story, let go even if it's not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.
9.) When you're stuck, make a list of what WOULDN'T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.
10.) Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you've got to recognize it before you can use it.
11.) Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you'll never share it with anyone.
12.) Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
13.) Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it's poison to the audience.
14.) Why must you tell THIS story? What's the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That's the heart of it.
15.) If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
16.) What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don't succeed? Stack the odds against.
17.) No work is ever wasted. If it's not working, let go and move on - it'll come back around to be useful later.
18.) You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
19.) Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
20.) Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d'you rearrange them into what you DO like?
21.) You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can't just write ‘cool'. What would make YOU act that way?
22.) What's the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.
December 12, 2012
MAN OF STEEL
I am so excited for this. Can't wait for June 14, 2013!
Official synopsis: Next summer, “Man of Steel” is coming to the big screen. The film is from director Zack Snyder and producers Charles Roven, Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas and Deborah Snyder. The screenplay was written by David S. Goyer from a story by Goyer & Nolan, based upon Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster and published by DC Comics.
Official synopsis: Next summer, “Man of Steel” is coming to the big screen. The film is from director Zack Snyder and producers Charles Roven, Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas and Deborah Snyder. The screenplay was written by David S. Goyer from a story by Goyer & Nolan, based upon Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster and published by DC Comics.
November 20, 2012
AMAZIN'
It's a shame baseball isn't this exciting. It used to be for me when I was a kid. Well... maybe not THIS exciting!
Most summers of my childhood were spent down at the ball field. I wasn't really that great, but I have fond memories of being with my friends, collecting baseball cards, watching and going to the games, and rooting for Darryl Strawberry and the New York Mets. For that reason alone, there is a certain nostalgia motivating me to post these clips. That 7 year old kid inside me is jumping up and down imagining what the future of baseball might be like rooting for the Amazin' Mets combined with my love for animation. This succeeds in getting me excited for the Mets and the MLB in general... which hasn't happened for a very, very long time.
'Directed by Marc Dominic Rienzo, he and his team at the recently closed Digital Domain Media Group, first crafted the original film “Amazin’.” The Mets loved it so much, they asked Marc and the team to make two more vfx-induced shorts targeting a younger audience, hence the birth of "The Ball Unleashed" and “Heads Up Display.”'
November 3, 2012
LIVING LINES LIBRARY COLLECTION OF ANIMATED LINES
Living Lines Library Collection of Animated Lines has got to be one of the TOP 5 greatest animation resources EVER! What an unbelievable treasure trove of information and inspiration. Go there now. What are you waiting for? Stop reading! GO!!!
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