Creating a Story for Animation
Though writing a successful story is not easy, there are certain formats that can make the process more successful. Look at the following and think about what similarities make these films successful:
Story 1: Erin Brockovich: Erin is a broke, unemployed single mother who can't find a job, gets hit by a car, and loses her lawsuit.
Story 2: Gladiator: Maximus, Romes most powerful, and most popular, general, leads his troops to victory in their final battle.
Film stories portray hereos who face seemingly insurmountable obstacles as they pursue their objectives. Three basic components can be used to create a compelling story: Character, Desire, and Conflict.
Watch the following video on Screenplays: (take NOTES if necessary to help with preparing for the quiz at the end of the lesson)
Story 1: Erin Brockovich: Erin is a broke, unemployed single mother who can't find a job, gets hit by a car, and loses her lawsuit.
Story 2: Gladiator: Maximus, Romes most powerful, and most popular, general, leads his troops to victory in their final battle.
Film stories portray hereos who face seemingly insurmountable obstacles as they pursue their objectives. Three basic components can be used to create a compelling story: Character, Desire, and Conflict.
Watch the following video on Screenplays: (take NOTES if necessary to help with preparing for the quiz at the end of the lesson)
Screenplay Crash Course
Writing a Story for Video
Creating a Basic Plot Structure for Animation
Stage I: The Setup
1. The opening must get the audiences attention and must establish a relationship with the hero by making them sympathetic, threatened, likable, funny and/or powerful.
Cinderella, by Walt Disney, is an adorned, young girl who has a fondness for animals of all sizes and she is held captive by her unloving step mother (Likable, Sympathetic)
Stage II: The New Situation
2. The second component of a basic plot structure will be how your hero reacts to a new situation that results in opportunity. Very often the story structure follows geography, as the opportunity takes the hero to a new location.
Incredibles 2: The family has to relocate to a new house as Helen takes on a new job opportunity as Elastigirl. Helen is excited, along with the new opportunities for her children Dash, Jack Jack and Violet.
Usually, the hero enters the new situation with enthusiasm, often believing all their problems will be solved. But as conflict starts to build the hero faces even more conflict, realizing that they are up against more than they can control, leading the view to the Turning Point.
Stage III: Turning Point: Change of Plans
3. A basic plot requires an obstacle that the hero must overcome to succeed. The hero must have a specific desire, visible goal with a clearly defined plan.
The best example from an animation point of view is the short film Knick Knack. Watch the video and pay attention to the simple plot structure.
Stage I: The Setup
1. The opening must get the audiences attention and must establish a relationship with the hero by making them sympathetic, threatened, likable, funny and/or powerful.
Cinderella, by Walt Disney, is an adorned, young girl who has a fondness for animals of all sizes and she is held captive by her unloving step mother (Likable, Sympathetic)
Stage II: The New Situation
2. The second component of a basic plot structure will be how your hero reacts to a new situation that results in opportunity. Very often the story structure follows geography, as the opportunity takes the hero to a new location.
Incredibles 2: The family has to relocate to a new house as Helen takes on a new job opportunity as Elastigirl. Helen is excited, along with the new opportunities for her children Dash, Jack Jack and Violet.
Usually, the hero enters the new situation with enthusiasm, often believing all their problems will be solved. But as conflict starts to build the hero faces even more conflict, realizing that they are up against more than they can control, leading the view to the Turning Point.
Stage III: Turning Point: Change of Plans
3. A basic plot requires an obstacle that the hero must overcome to succeed. The hero must have a specific desire, visible goal with a clearly defined plan.
The best example from an animation point of view is the short film Knick Knack. Watch the video and pay attention to the simple plot structure.
Knick Knack portrays a wonderful example of Stage I through Stage III. Through the progression of a simple plot the audience must connect with the hero and this can be accomplished through outer motivation. For a story to progress the hero's plan must seem to be working as they take action to achieve their final goal. Although, a hero's success does not need to come without additional conflict. But whatever obstacles your hero faces, they are able to overcome them as they approach the Turning Point of No Return.
Stage IV: Complications and Higher Stakes
For the remainder of the plot, the visible goal becomes far more difficult, and the hero has much more to lose if they fail. This conflict continues to build until something must give and lead to the conflict being overcome.
Cinderella: The Prince searching every household for the owner of the slipper, leads to Cinderella being trapped in the attic, until the Prince attends our hero's home and finds one last suitor. But it takes great effort to achieve this final step, in Cinderella our hero is unable to get the attention of the Royal party and almost escape the torment of living beneath the rule of her wicked Step-Mother.
This conflict continues to build until, just as it seems that success is within your hero's grasp, they suffer a Major Setback.
The Major Setback & The Climax
All stories must come to an end: The Climax. The hero must face the biggest obstacle of the entire story, they must determine their own fate, and the outer motivation must be resolved. No story ends precisely with the resolution of the hero's objective. You have to reveal the new life of that the hero is living now that they have completed their journey.
Frozen, by Disney, has a final conclusion that has all of the main characters find a resolution and a continued story of their new lives after all of the major setbacks.
Stage IV: Complications and Higher Stakes
For the remainder of the plot, the visible goal becomes far more difficult, and the hero has much more to lose if they fail. This conflict continues to build until something must give and lead to the conflict being overcome.
Cinderella: The Prince searching every household for the owner of the slipper, leads to Cinderella being trapped in the attic, until the Prince attends our hero's home and finds one last suitor. But it takes great effort to achieve this final step, in Cinderella our hero is unable to get the attention of the Royal party and almost escape the torment of living beneath the rule of her wicked Step-Mother.
This conflict continues to build until, just as it seems that success is within your hero's grasp, they suffer a Major Setback.
The Major Setback & The Climax
All stories must come to an end: The Climax. The hero must face the biggest obstacle of the entire story, they must determine their own fate, and the outer motivation must be resolved. No story ends precisely with the resolution of the hero's objective. You have to reveal the new life of that the hero is living now that they have completed their journey.
Frozen, by Disney, has a final conclusion that has all of the main characters find a resolution and a continued story of their new lives after all of the major setbacks.
Understanding these stages can help develop a better story. Stages and turning points provide a powerful tool for developing your writing. Is your story concept defined as the quarter mark? Is your hero's goal truly visible, with a clearly implied outcome and not just an inner desire for success, acceptance or self worth? Have you fully introduced your hero before presenting her with an opportunity? Does the hero suffer a major setback and then a climax? These are fundamental parts of story development. But not all stories follow this type of structure, and many successful stories use some of these steps to capture an audiences attention.
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ASSIGNMENT - Brainstorm & Write a Story
1) Download a copy of the "Part I: Brainstorming and Theme Development". 2) Complete Part A using the supplied Word document. Share this with your teacher before completing Part II: Story Writing. 3) Complete Part B: Story Development. Use the information from the Brainstorming activity to create a short script/story. The script/story will be developed into a storyboard for your next activity. Before you begin writing a story/script you should become familiar with storyboards. To become familiar with storyboards, check out the link "Toy Story -STORYBOARDING" 4) Upload a copy of the completed story to the Google Classroom for the teacher to mark. 5) Wow, you are making progress. Next up....Animation Tech Talk! |
Further Examples of Conflict and Hero/ Storyboards:
Frozen (4:23) The Purpose of Storyboarding (13:23) Story School Monsters U Pixar (8:52) |
| day.2.Part.A.Brainstorm.docx |
| day.2.Part.B.Story.docx |