Exerpt from the Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler

"We writers, poets, painters and musicians face difficult, contradictory Calls. We must fully immerse ourselves in the world to find the material for our art. Beut we must also at times withdraw from the world, going alone to actaually make the art. Like many heroes of story, we receive conflicting Calls, one from the outer world,, one from our own insides, and we must choose or make compromises. To answer a higher Call to express ourselves, we artists may have to refuse the Call of what Joseph Campbell terms 'the blandishment of the world.'"
(The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler, pages 109-110)

Collaboration and Story vs. Plot

I have just returned from a meeting with fellow colleague and possible collaborator, Max Cannon. Many may know Max through his syndicated strip, Red Meat. He is truly a gifted storyteller, and one I wanted to help me develop my idea(s), and further strengthen my storytelling skills.

Without a good solid story, animation is just fluff. I had Max read over my treatment, and he challenged me quite a bit. He said that I had a lot of great plot points and grandiose ideas for entertainment-sake, but the core story was lacking. After the challenge, I found that he was right. I need to find a core story or element that is emotionally resonant for me and a possible audience for my animation.

If there is no underlying story or focus, the rest of it is just filler. There has to be a reason for an audience or an individual reader/viewer to stay connected to the story line. There has to be some reason for someone to want to stay emotionally invested. 

I have been an avid follower of Joseph Campbell's Heroes Journey. I have figured that this is all I need to create my "opus" or animation, and now I am challenged to think on a more simple level. 

I took some great notes, and I am going to meet with Max on a consistent basis, to help me improve my idea(s). I also will research story and other basic ideas. One such individual who has explored this concept is Doug TenNapel, graphic novel professional, creator of Earthworm Jim, and experienced storyteller. His advice on storytelling is a fantastic reference for those who want to develop a meaningful story.

Check out Doug's work, as well as Max's strip called Red Meat. You will be glad you did!!!

In the meantime, I have homework to do.

Cyborg Tortoise- - Nuff said!

Character Development

The main character actually started out as a human being, living among desert creatures, but I couldn't make it work. I was not as excited about it. When I thought to change the human into another desert creature, a jack rabbit, it was like adding the missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle. Here are some initial sketches.

Tumbleweed: The story

Although I won't go into detail about the story, I can say that it has elements of the Wild West, with a futuristic twist. As I kept thinking about the story, I decided to do one different thing. The characters in the story would be animals, not human beings. Not actual animals, but "animorphs" or animals walking on two legs and acting human-like. I love how characters like Daffy Duck or Mickey Mouse were animals with human pathos and emotion. I wanted to do something similar.

The title of Tumbleweed is the name of one of the characters. The story line will revolve around this character, but he is not necessarily the main character.

The Beginning!

This blog is to help me chronicle my journey to put my imagination to good use. My wife challenged me recently to focus on one hobby and stick with it for 1 full year. Due to my imagination and my profession, I decided to put my passions to good use:
On my way home from work, I was in my usual focused mode, and began to imagine a story that I found fun, exciting, and entertaining. When I got home I wrote it down in treatment form, and wondered what I could do with it. As I continued to tool with the characters, the treatment, and the story itself, it dawned on me that I could create this in animated form (Flash-possibly). I grew excited, but before I draw the cart before the horse, I realized as a family man and full time instructor of an art college, I should take this one step at a time. I will start this by first working in pre-production by making an animation bible. I will test our own curriculum and fabricate a treatment, a shot list, storyboards, character designs, overhead diagrams (for the camera angles), and find lots of reference material. Then I will proceed with production and worry about assistance and such, as I may need. Who knows? Maybe I will develop this further.