Homework for Wednesday August 22, 2016

Your homework for Wednesday is this:

1. Purchase a pack of 4x6 blank index cards! You can find these at any store!
2. Using 12 of those index cards, draw a very simple story that you would like to animate this semester as your big project! (Treat it like storyboarding!)
• keep your drawings simple! We will throw them away very soon!
• for now, your story can only have one or two characters!
3. Bring your idea and index cards to class! I will use them to teach you writing and story development!
4. Bring the rest of your unused blank index cards to class! We will revise in-class that day! 

---------

BELOW ARE NOTES FROM THE CLASS:
---------

Purpose of class = Efficient and Creative animation production.

Goal of class: Produce a FULLY COMPLETE 45 second film.

• Give yourself MORE TIME THAN NEEDED!
• I have given you plenty of time in the class schedule!

When writing your story, focus on character performance!

• you want character-driven stories more than plot-driven stories!

QUESTIONS ABOUT CLASS:

• Are we going to be doing mini-exercises
• yes!
• How would you start thinking about a story?
• METHODS:
• Method 1:  The single sentence approach.
• You use a simple sentence with a single action or goal as your focus.
• My example:  “A kid drops an ice cream cone on the floor by accident.”
• Start super simple, and ask a single question:
• What can I add to it to make it ______ (more funny? make it more sad? add drama? etc.)
• Method 2: A character acting sequence that you can use in your portfolio. (Use contrasting actions!)
• Example: A character likes to hug people… and hugs someone who does not like hugs.