Why Animators Always Start With a Story

Storytelling animation by Sunny Asadi

Animators are story tellers; animation should always have an idea behind it, one that tells a story.

Junior animators focus on learning technique - and technique is important. But it is also important to think carefully about the story behind your shot.

Who is your character, and why are they doing what they are doing?  What is the scene about? What do they want, and what do they fear?  These things are important because if your shots forms part of an interesting story, it will be much more interesting to watch.

Start With an Idea

Animators: start with an idea

Every Shot Needs an Idea.  Animators are actors, with a pencil, or a mouse.  Like stage or screen actors, animators must always think carefully about what their character is thinking about.  Who is the character talking to, and what is the scene about? What do they want, and what do they fear?

These things are important because unless these questions are asked, and answered, the scene will tend to feel empty of meaning.

What is the character thinking and feeling?
Animators working on a movie don't wrestle with these problems; someone else writes the script, and figures out what each shot is about. But when we are working alone, without a script, just relying on our own imagination, we have to find the meaning in our work ourselves. 

Storytelling Animation by Akasha Devlin

Back Story Matters
This means figuring out the back story to the scenes we are animating. Crucial questions we should always ask ourselves include:

• Who is the character talking to?
• What is the context of the scene - what specifically is going on?
• What do the characters want? What do they fear? 
• What are they feeling? What is their primary emotion?

Write Down Your Story

Write the story down

Write down the story of your shot in a line or two.  Give your character a name, and write down what they are doing - and why.  If you are animating a character throwing a ball, why not give it some character and personality? Make it into a little story.

Even Short Shots Need a Story
For example, rather than "a man throws a ball", why not "Fred - who is 10 years old - throws an old tennis ball ball at his neighbour's greenhouse window. He doesn't think anyone is looking....".  This way you've already got some material to work with, beyond the basic mechanics of the shot.  Fred is a person now, not just a mannequin.

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