If there is one thing that I struggle with, it is organizing my ideas. Many of my creative endeavors tend to be off-the-cuff and incomplete because revisions are time-consuming and honestly, boring. I like instant results, but much of chapters 3&4 dealt with the aspects of storytelling and planning, so there was much for me to learn here.
Chapter Two dove into linear and non-linear storytelling. Linear consists of the basic three-part arch – the introduction of a problem, the path towards a solution, and finally, the solution itself. However, non-linear is a more creative track that may center around a thought, or memory, or sound. When thinking about the linear story-telling method, I immediately thought of a number of Pixar shorts that came to mind – notably, Paperman which is able to tell a beautifully crafted love story in under seven minutes. I tried to think of a non-linear piece of work that had stuck with me in the way Paperman did, I honestly, couldn’t come up with one easily. I did, however, look up and watch the examples the book gave, Passer Passer, and really enjoyed how the animation compliments the montage of sounds, and how the piece is far more like a work of art that is meant to be enjoyed “as-is”, rather than placing an expectation on the viewer to try to “get it” at the end.
Chapter Three discussed the storyboarding process and broke the steps from thumbnailing, all the way to adding sound and timing to create an animatic, to make sure that your story idea is actually working as it is intended. The process of creating an animatic is what appealed to me the most in this chapter because I really like the idea of putting it all together and having something to show for all the work, even if it doesn’t result in a completed piece of work. I can also recognize that this is my impatience speaking…
I took a peek at the next chapter and am psyched that it has much to do with color! Looking forward to what is in store in the coming pages.