You can find Part 1 of Matthew’s interview here. And Part 2 here.

Hope you dig it. I know I did.

Do you have your own kind of process of how you think through a sequence?

FEAR.

But I’ve gotten better at it. When I get my script, I pretty much just let it sink in a little bit. Just kind of think about it. It’s really an 80% thinking and 20% drawing kind of thing. I don’t want to just sit there and hope that my doodles might turn into a sequence.

Lately what I like to do is, from the sequence I just start thinking of those ‘key moments‘. I kind of think of them like ‘beat boards’ and I develop thumbnails from those shots or those moments in that sequence that I know that I want to be there.

I sometimes find that when I just start at the very beginning and go straight ahead, I start wasting time doing A’s and B’s and getting into the details. Because I know when I get to the end I’ll go, “Oh great. Everything else I did at the beginning, I’ve changed my mind on.” Then I have to go and change it.

So if I just get those key moments down, I kind of use those at the ‘tent poles’ to putting up the circus tent sort of thing. Then I can start putting in those little in-between moments to string it all together.

What’s your favorite kind of sequence to work on?

Probably comedy and character based stuff. That’s what I usually get too. I’ll get the ‘idea-guy-comedy-problem-solving’ stuff.

I’ve gotten better at where I’ve told myself that I want to keep versatile, so I’ll take on action based sequences once in a while. But my heart really is with the funny stuff. And they know that.

What’s your best piece of advice for people who dream of being story artists in feature animation?

I would say if you’re in high school and you’re young, I know that you’re passionate about getting right into story but to just remember that those basic life drawing, draftsmanship kind of classes are really good for you.

And they will pay off even if they may seem boring at first. Being able to do that and being able to transfer those images inside your head onto paper as best you can.

I would also say doing improv helps out a lot with idea development. Being able to come up with ideas with limitations.

And then the other thing I would say is the more you actually storyboard, the better you’re going to get at it. The easiest thing to do to get better is to just go on the internet and go to one of those free scripts websites and print out just a couple of pages of a movie script and board it out.

Don’t just copy what was already done in the movie. Do your own version. You’ll learn a lot from that.

Watch movies and freeze frame through shots and sketch them up on paper. Listen to the commentary of why the DP made the decisions they did with the shots. That’ll help out.

And also the biggest thing is just being in an environment with other story artists, especially ones that have more experience than you do. You will learn from them.

There’s only so much you can do sitting in a room by yourself storyboarding. You need to be around other people who know what they’re doing and who do it well. That’s where you really learn.

That’s why it’s great when you’re able to take a class at university or college and have someone who’s experienced at storyboarding as your teacher. Cause you’re going to learn.

What should you have in place before applying to a big studio? Do you think you should start with television and work up to feature? Or do you think people can get right in?

Well, I’ve seen people get pulled in, even in the last couple of years, right out of college.

But I think that every different studio has a different type of ‘sensibility’ of how they make movies. During the time those great Disney movies were being made, there was also the Warner Bros. Studio. And they were making these irreverent, offensive cartoons for their time compared to the happy fairy tale Disney stuff. It was just a different kind of sensibility.

When you’re applying to studios, different studios may like your type of storytelling sensibility better. Some people may go right into a studio off the bat because they may just have liked how you do story and how you draw. In other places you may not fit with their sensibility.

In my experience, I found it was easier to get a job at a commercial animation place first before getting a job at a movie company. It’s good to get experience working at those smaller places first.

And education? You feel that’s important?

Oh yeah.

And I think there’s no way of getting around it, there are certain schools that certain movie studios tend to gravitate to. So it’s kind of like if you were playing baseball for a college or whatever and when the baseball teams scout out the players, they go to certain schools.

It’s the same thing is with these animation studios.

Fortunately there’s more animation programs at universities now so the animation studios are going to a lot of these. But you want to be someplace where your stuff is going to get seen. Like my mom used to say, “It’s just not going to fall into your lap.”

You have to put yourself out there.

How would your advice differ for someone with more experience as opposed to a student?

If you’re young and you’re going to school, focus on learning how to draw, taking your classes and where you can make that student film and get seen.

For someone who is older, I think it’s a matter of being able to show examples that clearly demonstrate you know how to storyboard.

I don’t want to say ‘a portfolio’ because anything can go in a portfolio. But if you’re applying for a storyboard job, you just want to show storyboards, character design stuff and gag development stuff.

That’s a big mistake people make when they apply for jobs. They show it all. Just show what you want to get a job in. Don’t confuse people.

So what is your all time favorite PIXAR movie as a *viewer* and why?

It’s got to be Toy Story.

Toy Story was the one that gave me ‘the tingles‘. That’s when I know a movie is good. When I’ve forgotten I’m sitting in a movie theatre and that moment in Toy Story with Woody and the match blows out and he realized Buzz’s helmet to light the fuse…that’s when I got the tingles.

I was like, “YES! They’re gonna make it, it’s gonna work out alright!” And even though I knew the story, watching it in the theatre I was all “Wow, this really worked! This is a great movie.”

And I don’t always get that kind of feeling for any movie I watch, let alone all PIXAR movies. Even though you may look at it now and some of the CG may be a little more out of date, Toy Story is still a great story that’s just so moving.

And what’s your favorite PIXAR short?

I would have to say I really like Presto. It’s a really funny one. It’s like a Bugs Bunny cartoon.

But the one to make me happy is Bounding. I think it’s partly because I’m really good friends with the guy who directed it, sang it and designed it. But it’s a very heartfelt “Life’s gonna be okay!” type of thing.

So those are my two favorites.

And finally, what was your favorite PIXAR film to work on?

I think it was Toy Story 2. Because that was my first role as a storyboard artist and I really got to experience the good and the bad of working on a story and how hard it is.

And wondering “Is this is going to work out?!”

After you work on a couple of movies you’re like “Oh, this is going to work out because it’s always worked out. It‘s going be okay.” But when it’s your ‘maiden voyage‘, you’re like, “Oh craaaaap! Is this gonna turn out okay everyone?”

But you learn to trust the process.

We’re going to follow all the steps we always do with creating the story. And if we do that, we’re going to be okay. And in trusting the process, it also means the good ideas will always come back.

You come up with the ideas, you pitch them, they get shot down. Don’t worry, the good ideas will come back.

That was my first time working with Joe Ranft on story and he and I had offices right next to each other. When you work with people on a film you just become friends with everybody.

And Joe and I spent many hours working on stuff together.

We were both working on sequences together in the story room and he was working on the moment when Woody is having his nightmare dream and Andy is saying, “I don’t want to play with you anymore” and Woody and all the playing cards are falling and he falls in the garbage can. I was in there when Joe was boarding that, totally using sharpie pens and prismacolor pencils.

I was working on ‘the Evil Dr. Porkchop’ moment. Where Andy is like “five more minutes” and they do their little playtime.

We both had gotten those sequences unscripted and it was our job to create a fun moment out of those, so I created that whole scenario of Evil Dr. Porkchop and the crazy monkeys which ended up going into Toy Story 3 in the opening with the big space-pig and everything.

It was just an awesome experience working on that movie.

Thanks so much Matthew! We really appreciate you taking the time for this.

Part 1 is here: http://karenjlloyd.com/blog/2010/09/19/pixar-matthew-luhn-1/

Part 2 is here: http://karenjlloyd.com/blog/2010/09/27/pixar-matthew-luhn-2/

– — – — –

Sign-up for the Storyboard Club Mailing List and get a Free Storyboard Template Pack!

Read the Storyboard Blog by RSS Feed or by email to catch the rest of this great interview.

© 2007-2012 Karen J Lloyds Storyboard Blog - All Rights Reserved.

Some related posts other readers have enjoyed:

1. A Story Artist Story: Interview With Pixar Story Artist Matthew Luhn (Part 1)
2. A Story Artist Story: Interview With Matthew Luhn (Part 2)

Here’s Part 2 of the interview I did with Pixar Story Artist Matthew Luhn.

You can find Part 1 of Matthew’s interview here.

Enjoy.

So I animated a couple of the army men shots on Toy Story and it was very difficult. But the great thing about the experience was that in the room right next door was the story department. It was made up of only 5 storyboard artists and their Head of Story, the late Joe Ranft.

That was the very first time I saw people actually drawing and creating story at a studio. At The Simpsons as a character layout animator, you just get a storyboard handed to you at your desk. Then you’d get a cassette tape with the audio of the actors so you get their inflections into your acting. But I never saw people sitting down and figuring out the story.

Even at The Simpsons, they have a script first and then the storyboard artists (like most TV shows) just go directly from the script to drawing the storyboards.

But what I was seeing at PIXAR was that there was no script. It was like an improv show with cartoons. Basically people were coming up with ideas, drawing them up as gags and that was inspiring sequence ideas. Then the sequence ideas would end up inspiring and making the decisions of what the story structure was going to be.

I totally remember the very first pitch I saw which was the opening for Toy Story in storyboards with Joe Ranft pitching it. And I was just like, “I really want to do this.”

At the same time when I’m doing animation and learning how to animate on the computer, the Head of Animation was Pete Doctor. We became good friends.

Then John Lasseter was the other guy teaching us how to animate Luxo, because you had to do a Luxo the Lamp jumping animation test. John would totally step you through it, showing you how to animate it.

This was a different time. This was when John drove a beat up Honda and he would sleep at the studio a lot.

So I became friends with all these guys and not just at work, but after work. Then one day I confronted Joe and said, “I really want to do story. Can you give me any things to do, any advice?”

Joe was always a very nice, big uncle or older brother type who always wanted to help you out, kind of personality. So he started giving me little gag assignments and little sequence scenarios to work on when I had free time. I’d show him and he’d tell me what he thought and help me out. As I started to fall more and more in love with story, I was not so interested in the animation part anymore.

Then what happened was, Disney decided this ‘crazy CG animated film‘…who was gonna watch this? The story’s not a fairy tale, there’s no musical, there’s no “I want” song, it’s CG, so we’re going to have to rethink this.

So I remember getting called into John’s office, and John saying “Matthew I’m really sorry, but we’re having to let the animators go because we don’t really know if we’re going to be making this movie.”

I could sense from John that he was really sad, that this was possibly not going to get made. He said he would call us all back in four months to let us know. I knew that this was pretty normal at animation companies and things like this happen.

So I meandered over to ILM for a little bit and worked as an animator to pay off some bills. Then after that I was like, “You know, I really want to do story.” My options for working in animation companies were ILM and PIXAR, and that’s it.

But I started figuring out there were a few little commercial animation studios like Wild Brain and Colossal Pictures. And I started working as a freelance artist for these places.

I went in and said I want to do storyboards and gag development. They thought I’d been doing this for a long time, but I hadn’t. So the first couple of freelance jobs I did for them, they didn’t even pay me for because they said I “did them wrong“.

But the great thing is there was this great guy who was a director and he said, “Let me show you what we’re looking for in gags. Let me show you a good way to come up with this stuff.”

And I found that it was very similar to when you do improv. The way you come up with ideas is just a matter of giving yourself a little structure, some limitations and to allow yourself to be spontaneous. At that time and still today, I do a lot of improv.

For about two years, I did freelance story stuff for these companies.

Then PIXAR called me back in that four month time to hire me back as animator. I said, “I really want to be a story guy.” So they said,  “Okay, if a storyboard job opening becomes available we’ll let you know.”

Well, it took about two years then something did come up and it was working as a storyboard artist on Toy Story 2.

So since that time of Toy Story 2, I’ve been working here as a Story Artist. The job entails storyboarding, character development and story development. We do a little bit of writing, a little bit of drawing and character design.

Usually on a film there are five to eight story artists, and we are the ones who help create the story with the director and the writers.

It’s pretty awesome.

Do feel being an animator made you better prepared as a story artist?

Well, the process of storyboarding is ‘throwing things away’ to be able to get to the good stuff. Storyboarding is the process of elimination, figuring out the best and quickest way to get to the ‘right story‘.

If you throw things away in animation, that means you’re moving backwards. If you animate an entire scene and say that you’ve done it wrong and throw it out, you’ve wasted your time.

In storyboarding, if you done something and say it’s wrong and throw it out, that’s GOOD. It means you’ve eliminated that bad version.

In animation, you have to pose out your characters and you do the same thing in story. You do need to know animation to do story because you’re doing basically character layout posing along with the composition and story and all that.

While I’m doing a storyboard, I don’t worry about how the effects department is going to make fire or water or fur. But I do know the storyboards are going to be a the blueprint for the entire movie. I also know my drawings should look appealing and I want them to look good and all that stuff, but I also know that it’s serving a bigger purpose.

It’s not about my drawings looking pretty in an ‘art of’ book or hanging on a wall in a museum. These storyboard drawings are not supposed to be seen by regular people. They’re just supposed to be about figuring out what the movie is going to be about.

And I’ll say that’s one big thing that’s happened in storyboarding now. It affects how some storyboard artists think while they draw. Now that these ‘art of’ books are so popular and with the extras on DVDs, I think more storyboard artists think, “Is my drawing beautiful?” instead of, “Is the story part of it working? Is it entertaining?”

What’s the best part about doing storyboards for you? And what’s the worst?

Well, my favorite part is the beginning part. Getting no script and being handed an idea and having to turn that idea into a situation and flushing out the sequence all the way from the beginning.

I like coming up with the gags. I like thinking about story structure.

I think the part that doesn’t interest me as much is beautifying the drawings. Doing the clean-up, the shading. Because sometimes that’s just not needed. The visual storytelling is important. You have to make sure the story panels read and your storyboards read. THAT’S important.

But when you’re going in just to make it look like ‘an illustration‘, that’s when I’m like, “Uhh…this isn‘t storyboarding you guys. We‘re not making this a gallery piece for the MOMA…”

What do you think are the three most important skills a story artist should have?

That’s funny you ask because I know the exact answer to it.

The first is you have to have good ideas. You have to be able to brainstorm in meetings, be able to get your brain in a place where you feel comfortable with just being able to come up with ideas.

The second one is the draftsmanship. Being able to execute your ideas and communicate them visually.

And then the last one, is you have to be able to ‘play well with others‘. A big thing I see with people who end up getting asked to leave is not because they’re not good artists or have good ideas. It’s because we’re making movies that are a collaborative team effort and as an artist, sometimes there’s that thing of just wanting to ‘do it all on your own‘.

You have to be able to tell yourself that we’re making a movie with a group of people and we have to share the fun. That’s something you have to make sure you just don’t forget.

Those are my three things. That’s what I always tell my students.

Back in the Toy Story days, did you have any inkling of how successful the studio would become?

Oh, heck no.

When I was in high school, I used to go to these animation festivals up in San Francisco, like the Spike & Mike ones. They would show those little PIXAR animated shorts like “Knick Knack” and “Luxo Jr.” and I remember seeing those and they really stood out. Not so much because they were CG but because the story was endearing and moving.

When I heard of PIXAR, I thought, “Yeah, that’s a cool place.” I was so young I really didn’t think about how things was going to pan out. You don’t think of that long term stuff when you’re 21 years old. The main thing for me was it was in a place I wanted to live.

But yeah, I don’t know. Nowadays when I read something in a magazine or the paper with some big article on PIXAR and I’m like, “How do they know about us? I don‘t understand this.” Then I think, “Everybody knows about us? This is crazy.”

I’m just thankful that good story still counts for something, you know?

What’s the usual pre-production process at PIXAR? How long does the storyboard stage usually last on a film?

Well, there’s not really a sure answer for that. Because I’ve seen films that the story has been done in one year and I’ve seen some take three years.

It’s a weird thing with this studio. I mean, they would love for it to be figured out really quickly. We’re just those kind of perfectionists that if it‘s not working, we’re going to keep figuring it out until we absolutely run out of time.

But I would say for most films the storyboarding lasts for one and a half to two years.

What’s a typical day for you in production?

Well, my hours will be nine to six. And for a sequence, that is 3 or 4 pages long, I will get about a week and a half to turn it around. That is kind of quick.

So I’ll do a really rough version to show the directors and see what they like. From there the director can see it a little fleshed out and they can say, “Well that is or isn’t what I’m looking for” and then I can get some clear direction from them.

Then I go back and put another day or two into it and try to get something cleaned up to go to editorial.

But the first part of the film is really the brainstorming stage. Then it turns into actually storyboarding out the sequences and stuff.

(To be continued…)

UPDATE:

Part 1 is here: http://karenjlloyd.com/blog/2010/09/19/pixar-matthew-luhn-1/

Part 3 is here: http://karenjlloyd.com/blog/2010/10/04/pixar-matthew-luhn-3/

– — – — –

Sign-up for the Storyboard Club Mailing List and get a Free Storyboard Template Pack!

Read the Storyboard Blog by RSS Feed or by email to catch the rest of this great interview.

© 2007-2012 Karen J Lloyds Storyboard Blog - All Rights Reserved.

Some related posts other readers have enjoyed:

1. A Story Artist Story: Interview With Pixar Story Artist Matthew Luhn (Part 1)
2. A Story Artist Story: Interview With Matthew Luhn (Part 3)

Trust me, it was worth the wait.

Because I have one awesome interview for you. Remember the (sold out) Masterclass coming up in Vancouver with Pixar artists Matthew Luhn and Andrew Gordon?

Well, I got to talk to Matthew Luhn (yes, I feel your envy) and here’s the first part of that interview.

Now grab a beverage of your choice and enjoy!

Before we get started, what would you like to tell us about the VanArts Masterclass in Vancouver?

Well it’s really fun for me to be able to do these classes. I love inspiring people about story and how to come up with ideas.

Some people wonder, “How in the world can you talk for that long and keep people entertained and stuff?” I do a lot of hands on stuff when I teach these classes. I do a lot of exercises like story development and idea development exercises where I give people assignments in class to do.

Basically I go over why we tell stories, how we tell stories, how to create characters for stories, character art and all that stuff. And how to start from the very beginning if you have an idea for a movie.

Then we move into how you develop that idea into a script. Then how you take that script and turn it into visual storytelling and storyboarding.

It’s a very full day of  “if you want to make a movie, this is how you do it.”

It’s also for people who do storyboarding for a living. Or for people who are in college and doing storyboarding. Or even if you’re not a storyboard artist, because everyone uses story in some form or another.

So whether you want to create better video games with story and character, whether you want to create better toys that have a story behind them and have good character development, this is who my class pertains to. People who want to create good stories and characters.

I basically share my experiences of working as an animator/storyboard/story artist on 9  PIXAR films, an animator on the The Simpsons, and my other experiences working in the animation industry.

Awesome. So let’s start with some background information. How did you get started in the animation business and how did you end up at PIXAR?

I was really lucky to have a dad who was totally into animation and drawing cartoons and loved everything Disney. A total artist. But he did not get to do animation for a living. He ended up working and later taking over the family toy stores ‘Jeffrey’s Toys’, in San Francisco. That’s our family business. Which is still pretty awesome.

My dad owned toy stores, my granddad owned toy stores, my great-granddad owned toy stores so it’s been going on for a while. And my plan was that I was just going to work in the toy store because everyone in our family worked in the them. It was like being part of ‘the mob’.

Like many artists, I started getting hooked on cartoons and drawing in kindergarten. It was in high school when I was like, “I really want to do animation”. I didn’t know what job or how l would do it, but I really wanted to do it.

Then I found out about Cal Arts through my art teacher who had a nephew working in the animation industry. He suggested to me, this naïve 16 year old kid, that I should call up Cal Arts, ask for a brochure and get a tour to check the place out.

I did that and fortunately I was smart enough to realize that okay, I’m only 6 hours away from this school so this is my best option. In 1989, it was really the only option to attend an animation program in California. Every university has an animation program now, but back then it wasn’t that way.

But I did know that it was super hard to get accepted into this school. So I pretty much spent my junior and senior year of high school just focused on putting together a good portfolio. Also my art teacher had an 8mm camera which you could shoot animation on. He let me borrow it for two years and I was able to shoot flip books, do claymation and stop motion stuff.

So by the time I applied at Cal Arts, I had about five minutes of different animation samples to show. That’s what really got me accepted into the school. I think they saw that I was very ambitious. I mean, I showed up in a shirt and tie in a school where everyone had purple dyed hair. I had never been to an art school before and didn’t know what to expect.

I ended up going to that school for one year. This is during the time when Roger Rabbit came out 3 years earlier, The Little Mermaid came out the year I was a senior and The Simpsons was on the air. So all of a sudden the animation industry is booming and they need people and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

In that first year at Cal Arts, I made a student film that was a minute long like everybody does. It was seen by people on The Simpsons and they asked me if I wanted a job as an animator. And I was like, “Hmm, go back to school another year or work in Hollywood drawing cartoons? Hmm…”

So I didn’t go back to school and I ended up, at nineteen years old, working on The Simpsons as an animator. They called it ‘character layout’. I got an apartment in Burbank, and that was the beginning of me working in the animation field.

I worked there a year, and after that I decided it would be smart for me to head back to Cal Arts for a second year to continue my education. During my second year at Cal Arts I really focused on learning more about animating and life drawing.

So I went back to Cal Arts for another year and made another film. This time I got a couple of different job offers at the end of the year. The reason why I picked PIXAR was because my whole family, that whole ‘toy store family’ is from the Bay area.

When I lived in LA I was just very separated from my family, which is very important to me. Also the LA climate is different than the Northern California climate. The Northern California climate is trees and peaceful walks along the ocean and LA is kind of seedy and polluted. And I was like, “Nehh, I don’t want to do that again.”

So PIXAR offered me a job to work as an animator on Toy Story. I was going to be one of the very first twelve animators trained to work on this “crazy film” that was going to be the first CG animated feature film that everybody was like, “This is not going to work”.

The funny thing is when they hired me, they didn’t tell me I was going to be an animator. And already in my second year at Cal Arts I was getting passionate about story. So when I got hired at PIXAR I actually thought I was getting hired as a Story Artist.

It wasn’t until the first day I was working there, when they sat us down in front of the ‘black glowing box’ and they said I was going to animate on this thing, I was like, “Ohhh sh*t…what did I get myself into?”

Then I thought, “I’ll just go along with this.”

(To be continued…)

Thanks so much Matthew! Stay tuned for Part 2 coming up soon(ish).

UPDATE:

Part 2 is here: http://karenjlloyd.com/blog/2010/09/27/pixar-matthew-luhn-2/

Part 3 is here: http://karenjlloyd.com/blog/2010/10/04/pixar-matthew-luhn-3/

– — – — –

Sign-up for the Storyboard Club Mailing List and get a Free Storyboard Template Pack!

Read the Storyboard Blog by RSS Feed or by email to catch the rest of this great interview.

© 2007-2012 Karen J Lloyds Storyboard Blog - All Rights Reserved.

Some related posts other readers have enjoyed:

1. A Story Artist Story: Interview With Matthew Luhn (Part 2)
2. A Story Artist Story: Interview With Matthew Luhn (Part 3)

Wee! The first official post of 2010!

(Finally.)

And what better way to kick it off than the second part of my interview with Paul Briggs? You can find the first part of my interview with the ‘The Princess and The Frog’ story artist, here.

Enjoy Part 2 and don’t forget to click on the illustrations to get a better view of Paul’s awesome work!

What’s a ‘typical day’ for you as (current) Head of Story when you’re in production?

A typical day as a Head of Story is managing a team of Story Artists to help the Director get their vision up on screen.

That doesn’t mean I completely buy into it. In fact, I feel the biggest part of my job is always being honest and open in questioning and confirming what the Director wants. Together as the story team, we work really hard in supporting or challenging the idea that is being presented on the screen.

There’s also the scheduling side of it all, but that’s no fun!

Is there a process for assigning certain story artists a particular sequence to work on? Do you go with their strengths or is it the ‘luck of the draw’ for them?

We have some pretty incredible board artists at the studio that can do a wide range of scenes but most tend to gravitate to sequences that appeal to them more. So you want to assign sequences that people will have the most fun boarding.

You know you’re going to get incredible work from them but I always like to try and push people out of their comfort zone for a sequence or two. It really challenges them and forces them to keep their skills sharp and grow as a story artist.

The best artists are the ones that you can hand any sequence to and know you’re going to get something special back.

Are feature boards still done with paper and pencil and set up in a story room? Or have things gone completely digital? What are your typical working tools?

You know it all depends on the artist. Some guys here still work on paper but a lot of us work digital now. Whatever makes you comfortable but also allows you the freedom to quickly sketch your ideas down and not become precious with them.

I normally work in Photoshop on a Cintiq and use another program to pitch in. When I’m boarding I actually limit myself to 2 custom brushes, 3 to 4 levels and only 4 different gray values (no color unless absolutely necessary to make a story point.) This limited palette forces me not to get caught up in all the bells and whistles.

I concentrate more on the just getting the idea down rather than a pretty drawing. We pitch all digital on screens that our boards are projected onto.

What is your process for working?

Whether I’m issued script pages or not I always start by breaking the sequence down. I’ll ask myself – “What’s the point of the sequence ? Why is it in the movie? Where is the character at in this point of the journey?”

Once I’ve established all of that then I’ll thumbnail – I usually do 2 – 3 thumbnail passes. I try and get all of my thinking out in these rough thumbnail stages. My first pass is usually really, really rough like jotting notes and scribbles down on a legal pad. Then I’ll do a second pass of thumbnails on a long story pad.

I’m not so much concerned with staging and cinematics – I’m more focused on character at this point. I do a third pass of thumbnails and in this pass I refine a lot of things. Finally, I pin my third pass up on a story panel and redraw it all digitally. That sounds like a lot of work but it’s really not. I work really rough and I never get precious with my early drawings.

After that, I pitch to the directors and the story crew and get notes!

How was it to go back to traditional animation for this film? Is there really much difference for the story team as opposed to working on a 3D film? If so, in what way?

The biggest difference in boarding for traditional versus CG animation is the camera moves. You’re limited in how much you can do with the camera because it’s a painted set and not virtual environment. However, that can be a blessing more than a curse – I think a lot of times camera moves are obnoxious and unmotivated in a lot of CG films.

Any thoughts on the subject of 2D vs 3D? (Not that it’s a war or anything…)

As long as it’s an emotional and entertaining story I’ll watch/work on it whether it’s hand drawn, CG, stop motion or paper cut outs!

Do you think hand-drawn animation is back for good? Are there more hand-drawn films in the works at Disney now?

I sure hope so. I love the art form so much. It was so exciting when The Princess and The Frog was starting up and hearing that ‘paper being flipped’ sound again. There’s nothing like taking a stack of animation paper and rolling a scene.

I remember the first scene I saw was of Dr. Facilier by Bruce Smith and I couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. It was like seeing an old good friend return again.

I believe we have more hand-drawn films in the works… but I’m not sure I can say what!

What’s your best piece of advice for people who dream of working as Story Artists in feature animation? How important is education? Experience? What should they have in place before applying? Who has the best shot? (I gotta ask…the people want to know.)

This is a great question!

It’s difficult to be a Story Artist because you have to be skilled at two things.

Being a storyteller and an artist! Hence the name.

The artist part of it is difficult enough and people struggle with just this for a long time. It doesn’t matter where you get your education, but your drawings should convey entertainment, staging/composition, cinematics, mood, acting, gesture, anatomy, perspective, strong silhouettes, energy and tone.

That’s a lot and even once you’ve got it down, you never stop practicing and improving upon these things.

Never stop learning.

When you’re confident with your drawings you can focus on visually telling the story. This is the most difficult thing to learn and practice because you’re basically writing with drawings.

It’s about communicating an idea through your drawings. The people that have the best shot at working in Feature Animation as a Story Artist are able to submit a portfolio of entertaining fresh ideas that read clearly in drawings.

Here’s my biggest teaching advice: It’s okay to eavesdrop! The greatest education I always get is in listening to people talk about their lives. Engage them and ask questions. Old people are always the best to listen to!

People make some very important decisions in their lives – some good, some bad, but it defines character and that choice in my opinion is what makes a great story.

What’s your all-time favorite animated Disney film as a *viewer* and why? What was your favorite one to work on and why? (Besides ‘The Princess and The Frog’, of course!)

My favorite animated film is Pinocchio. It’s a story that’s perfect for animation and it’s a beautiful film. There are so many great moments and messages in the film. Dumbo is a close second with The Incredibles coming in third.

I’ve worked on some amazing films but… I think my favorite is still to come!

~Thanks so much Paul!~

Visit Paul Briggs’ Blog at:
www.pbcbstudios.blogspot.com

For more information on submitting a portfolio to Disney Animation please visit: www.disneyanimation.com

Read the Storyboard Blog by RSS Feed or by email to catch more cool interviews in the future!

© 2007-2012 Karen J Lloyds Storyboard Blog - All Rights Reserved.

Some related posts other readers have enjoyed:

1. Behind The Storyboards of The Princess And The Frog

Well, well, well. Look at me.

I’m writing a post! No lazy-ass video this time! Because I have one awesome interview for you!

I bring you Paul Briggs, Story Artist on Walt Disney’s ‘The Princess and The Frog’.

(UPDATE & CLARIFICATION: Oops, my bad! Paul was not, in fact, the Head of Story on ‘The Princess and The Frog’. He was a Story Artist. But he *is* Head of Story on a current, untitled project at Disney at this time. Sorry everybody! I’ve made corrections to this post since publishing it.)

How cool is THAT?

I feel all special and stuff.

And there are original thumbnail and storyboard drawings from him! Feel free to drool on your screen.

But before we get to it, I want to wish all of you a very HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON! Whatever that holiday may be for you.

If it’s nothing…well have a great weekend or something.

This interview is a juicy one, so I’ll be splitting it up into two parts. You get this one now to read at your leisure till 2009 is over. Then you’ll get the rest sometime in January 2010. (2010? My word, where does the time go?)

And the way I’ve been posting in my ‘Kid vs Kat’ haze, this could be the last thing your hear from me till June or something.

I kid, I kid! (Maybe.)

So without further ado, I bring you Paul Briggs, current Head of Story at Disney and proud new Daddy.

Enjoy!

What is your background, education and how did you get started in the animation business?

In 1984 I was 10 years old and I was in a mall at a Walden’s Bookstore and came across ‘The Illusion of Life’ by Frank and Ollie. Even though there was no way we could afford it, my Mom bought it for me and I spent the rest of the day slamming into people, benches and planters because I couldn’t take my face out of that massive book.

That was the day I fell in love with wanting to do animation.

I went to college at the Kansas City Art Institute in Kansas City, Missouri but I wasn’t focused on animation at the time (even though I found out later that Walt himself as well as the great Marc Davis both went to KCAI!) I was focused on doing sculpture, ceramics, painting, and really solid drawing.

I was busy experimenting, having fun, and making a million mistakes and learning from them. A lot of my classmates were talented draftsmen so I was constantly focused on learning and trying to better myself as an artist. We had some amazing drawing classes –including one where we went to a medical university and drew from cadavers for a week!

One of my instructors pressured me to submit a portfolio to the Disney Internship but I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do. He pestered me enough that at the last minute I threw a drawing portfolio together in a week and mailed it off. To my surprise and disbelief they called me a couple of weeks later to tell me I was accepted! I was 20 and packed everything in my Jeep and moved to Orlando to work at the Florida Animation Studio.

I trained under Pres Romanillos (supervising animator Shan Yu for Mulan) and David Tidgwell (Head of Effects.) At the end of the program they were hiring in special effects to work on Mulan and I was brought on as an inbetweener!

How did you end up as a story artist? Was that your original plan?

It was great being in special effects animation but I always wanted to do story. I always loved the development of characters and journeys to another world. In effects I saw how a sequence traveled from beginning to end through the animation pipeline and I was constantly examining why those sequences were in the film.

There were some sequences that I was really frustrated with and thought – “This isn’t working at all! I could do better than this .” So I decided “that’s it, either get into story or shut up!” So I really started to focus my learning. I started analyzing film, reading books, and showing my story tests to people I respected and admired.

It’s important to get advice from people who are constructive but aren’t afraid to be honest with you. Dean Deblois is an amazing story artist and a good friend and he gave me great honest feedback.

Story was a LOT more difficult than I expected. I failed over and over and over again but I never gave up and eventually with the right guidance things began to click. In 2001, I was accepted into a story training program and have been boarding ever since! Everyday is a challenge and it constantly keeps all my creative skills in check and I love it.

Can you give us a quick synopsis of ‘The Princess and The Frog’ without giving much away?

The Princess and The Frog is a really tender love story between two people that aren’t looking to fall in love with one another but the more they’re together they discover they were meant for each another.

How does a new film idea get to the production stage at Disney? Are ideas usually pitched from the directors? Do other artists ever get to pitch ideas?

The way films are developed at Disney now is filmmakers pitch 3 ideas to John Lasseter and he guides projects into development. He has filmmakers pitch 3 ideas because he believes the problem with creative people is that they often focus their whole attention on one idea.

So right at the beginning of a project, you unnecessarily limit your options. John is really sharp and he is amazing at finding the world in which a movie is made. I think if you have three really strong ideas John will listen to them whether you’ve directed before or not. He loves being entertained by great ideas.

When an idea is decided upon, do they move right to some preliminary story sketches and storyboarding? Or will a writer get hired first to write (or in this case, the director start writing) the script? What’s the usual process?

Once a project is moved into Development, the Director is surrounded with all the tools necessary to flesh out the world. He’s normally working in broad visual beats supported by Story Artists and Visual Development Artists drawing imagery and ideas and doing tons of research.

Lasseter is constantly checking in on the process and when he feels it’s at a stage that’s ready, a writer is brought in and starts to write the script. After John is satisfied with the script, we board! We normally screen 3 passes of the film before it ever goes into production.

It’s exhausting! But we do this because it’s never going to be right the first time – but we tear it down and figure out what does work and rebuild. There’s something about seeing the visual images that reveals all of the story problems but also starts to reveal the true entertainment of the film. Every time we rebuild it, we rebuild stronger and better.

The story is the base on which everything will be supported on. If it’s not right, everything will crumble around it in down the line.

What was the biggest difference between working with Ron Clements and John Musker compared to directors you’ve worked with in the past? Do they do anything in a unique fashion?

Working with John Musker and Ron Clements is an amazing experience.

First of all, these guys love animation. It’s in their blood and it’s inspiring to sit in the story room and hear them talk about animated films and their personal experiences working in the animation industry.

The next biggest reward to working with them is they have a very strong vision and the experience to carry it out. They’re strong leaders that really know how to craft a film. I learned an incredible amount by watching how they would shape a sequence for The Princess and The Frog through story, editorial and into animation.

The one thing about John Musker is you have to be careful what you’re doing. He’s known for his caricatures and you never want to give him material to draw from! There have been times I’ve looked up to see his keen gaze on me and I know something is being put to paper that I’ll regret later.

~End of Part 1~

Thanks Paul! I’ll have the second part of this interview with many more drawings from Paul in January.

Stay tuned and Happy Holidays!

Visit Paul Briggs’ Blog at:
www.pbcbstudios.blogspot.com

For more information on submitting a portfolio to Disney Animation please visit: www.disneyanimation.com

Read the Storyboard Blog by RSS Feed or by email to catch the second part of this great interview!

© 2007-2012 Karen J Lloyds Storyboard Blog - All Rights Reserved.

Some related posts other readers have enjoyed:

1. Behind The Storyboards of The Princess And The Frog – Part 2

As a child, I was not a ‘Barbie girl’.

Clothes and high heels? Eeesh.

And baby dolls?

Ack. Gag. What the hell was I supposed to do with one of those? Blech.

Interestingly enough, I currently don’t own a dress and don’t have kids. Hmmm.

I mainly played with stuffed animals, plastic creatures (I loved rubber snakes and dinosaurs) and male action figures (anyone remember ‘Big Jim’ and ‘Big Josh’?).

Yeah. I was a real little princess, I was.

Now, any self-respecting animation artist knows that if you don’t have some kind of toy collection, you are not that serious about animation.

It’s some kind of unwritten law or something.

So I thought it might be fun to share a few of mine. Some are actually from my childhood. But a lot of my collection accumulated while in animation school and beyond. Most of which you can see above.

Let’s take a look shall we? (My apologies for the crappy photos.)

Fonzie.

This one is from my childhood. I loved Happy Days and had a crush on Henry Winkler. I had the Fonzie Happy Days album for goodness sakes (and really wish I still did).

This toy is friggin’ pristine (except for the dust). It looks like it came right out of the box. I didn’t play with it so much as just admired it. The thumbs are pose-able and there’s a lever in the back to make his hands go up and down.

I challenge you to do this and not say, “Ayyyyyyyyy!”

I love him. And he lives on the top of my toy shelf.

Because he’s cool.

This Dog and Cat

Don’t ask me what they’re from. I only know there was a family they belonged to and I didn’t give a damn about getting them. I just wanted the dog and cat.

They had this cute double decker house they lived in (and my hamster used to sleep in). And little food dishes and everything. I played with them for hours.

They’re just the kind of thing that brings back fuzzy memories and I still love them.

C3P0 and R2D2

These are the real deal, my friends! From my child hood. From 1977 (yes, I’ve already told you I’m old).

The first edition of Star Wars toys.

They’re also in pretty damn good shape. What can I say? I was anal and organized as a kid too.

My only regret is that these are the only Star Wars toys I ever bought. I loved the movies, but I wasn’t all geeked-out over them (like some friends I know).

Snoopy!

I have two of these guys. There was a whole collection of these Peanuts figures, but again, I only wanted the ‘animal’. He came with a little Woodstock too.

You could buy lots of different outfits for him (hence the shoes). My Dad made me this great wooden dog house with a platform on top so he could sleep up there like in the comic strip.

Many hours of childhood fun is living inside my beloved Snoopy dogs.

Simba Figure

Okay, he’s not really a toy. Or maybe he is.

Just a really expensive one!

I love, love, love this thing.

He sits proudly on top of a bookshelf that has pictures and of my deceased kitties. And their urns.

Yes. Their urns.

But we won’t talk about that.

And that is an X-files figure in the background, but I was too lazy to take it down from the bookshelf to take a picture.

I have a Scully and a Mulder still in their packages.

Because I am an X-Files geek.

Crabby Cartman

Even though he was bought by an ex-boyfriend, I still love this guy.

But the thing is, I always forget he’s crabby.

Because he lives on the television with a straw hat.

See? Not so crabby.

But at night, it sometimes feels like someone is watching me in the shadows.

My television just would look totally weird without my stuffed Cartman staring back at me.

What about you?

What’s your toy story?

Do you still have any from your childhood? Any really cools ones you love now?

Gosh, I really hope so.

_._._._._._._

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Read the Storyboard Blog by RSS Feed or by email for more ‘stories from the toy shelf’.

© 2007-2012 Karen J Lloyds Storyboard Blog - All Rights Reserved.

No related posts this time.

Before I begin, is it just me or…?

If you’ve seen ‘Bolt’ and watch ‘Lost’, you might find that uncanny like I do.

Anyhoo.

Back to analyzing some Bolt sequences. You can find the first Bolt post here.

I’m just going to pick apart one sequence this week.

Like with the first post, I’m sticking to the opening of the movie when it’s really the ‘Bolt’ TV show we’re watching.

Because it’s full of action movie cliches and fun to watch.

Which bring us to:

The Face Off

Or ‘stand off’. Or ‘playing chicken’.

Either one, it’s when two parties are at either end of what usually turns out to be an alley.

Because there is no escape from an alley, hence the heightened drama.

So it starts.

The dark, black car pulls into the alley blocking off the only exit Penny and Bolt have. (They are at the other end.)

The camera is low, making the car more menacing.

Cut inside. The creepy bad guy gives our driver-thug his orders. “Just the girl.”

Because creepy bad guys never do their own dirty work. They call ‘Thugs-R-Us’ or something.

The peel-out. You have to get your camera very low for a good peel-out.

Note the horizon line. Low. This allows for the car’s tire to screech right past us. A higher camera angle wouldn’t cut it.

On our heroes. Penny, concerned.

Pan from her down to Bolt, ready for action.

Now for a good face off, you have to show each party back and forth and back and forth. And as the action and suspense builds, you will probably cut faster and faster.

So we go wide on the creepy black car. Betcha he’s going to drive right at us.

Wee! It drives right over us. This gets us really involved with the action. Again, this kind of shot will only work with low camera angles.

Picture an actual cameraman. He’d have to be lying on his stomach to get this shot without getting hit by the car.

Low, baby.

So if the car is going to charge, our hero is going to charge.

The camera follows Bolt as he runs down the long alley towards the charging car.

Oooo, ‘over the wheel’ shot. Much like an ‘over the shoulder’ shot, but with…you know…a wheel.

Again, camera is low, low, low.

Ah. Now to switch it up and get away from those necessary low angles, we go high. Very high.

A real ‘where are we?’ shot to get the audience re-oriented to the surroundings. Bolt and the car race towards each other.

Back on ground level, now with Bolt racing right to camera.

And I mean, right to camera.

Is he going to head-butt that car? Is he??

I believe he is.

Pow! To give more effect to these two shots, it’s actually a jump cut. And it works here.

Bolt stops cold as the car lifts straight up. We go into slow-motion mode now, like any self respecting action flick would.

Into the full shot to see Bolt watching the car fly over him.

It’s good to bring the character closer and back into the mix. It keeps us connected to them. And we stay in the slo-mo.

Don’t forget about Penny. There’s a big, black car flying in slow motion right over her ‘à la Matrix’ style.

Could be cause for concern.

This is a very cool shot. Penny is reflected in the car as it soars over her in very slow motion.

Nice touch.

The car continues away from her. We see it now turned over, preparing us for…

Smash! The landing of the car on it’s roof, back in full speed.

This face off is over.

Let us all scratch our ears and rejoice.

Remember the cup tipping over at the end of the my last post? Yeah, Bolt calmly scratching his ear unperturbed, is the same deal.

It gives us the feeling all is well again and this little action sequence is over.

But fear not, because there is more to come!

Tune in next time for more Bolt action goodness.

_._._._._._._

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Read the Storyboard Blog by RSS Feed or by email for more ‘Bolt’…cause this is fun.

© 2007-2012 Karen J Lloyds Storyboard Blog - All Rights Reserved.

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1. Getting Some Action with ‘Bolt’

Wee! Back to writing about cartoons.

This is not a movie review.

But in case you were wondering: I liked Bolt. No complaints really.

Well, except that I was forced to wear glasses on top of my glasses so I could watch it in craptastic ‘Real 3D’.

The 3D thing was totally useless for this movie. Useless, I say! There was no reason for it but to gauge me an extra $3 for a ticket.

And the fact Disney gave away all the funny hamster bits in the trailers leading up to the movie release. (Yeah, thanks guys.)

But I digress.

I thought it would be a good movie to learn some lessons in action sequences.

Ahh, the action sequence.

Some board artists love ‘em. Some hate ‘em.

In a script they sit as cute little paragraphs. Seemingly harmless.

Then you start to thumbnail them out. And that cute little three-line paragraph suddenly morphs into a beast of pages upon pages of storyboarding hell.

I am not all that fond of them. I’m more of an ‘acting and dialogue’ kind of gal.

But they can be fun sometimes.

The opening sequences of Bolt have some really great ones. Because they are kind of spoofing action movies, there is a lot of cliched fun going on.

So let’s take a look at a few.

The Quick-Cut Mini Montage

I actually really like doing these. They are dynamic, fast and cut to the chase.

And are awesome ‘cheats’ to tell a lot of information without worrying too much about hook-ups.

Penny and Bolt are about to be chased by the bad guys. So Penny needs to get out her super-scooter thing.

How exciting would it be to storyboard this on a wide shot?

Bor-ing.

So with a series of quick little cuts from different angles, we get all the information we need.

Up shot on Penny lifting the scooter into shot.

Zing! The wheel comes to camera.

Cut to the front wheel on the ground. The camera is low.

Whoosh! The back wheel zips back to us as the camera pulls back with it fast.

The extreme close-up of Penny putting on her helmet.

Where was the helmet? In her backpack? Do we care? Do we really want to see her take it out and all that?

NO! We get the information without worrying about silly details like that. We just need to get the thing on her head.

They’re in a hurry, dammit!

Close-up of her thumb on the handle bar. She presses a button.

Very fast truck-out to reveal both of her hands on the handle bars, revving the scooter.

And it’s done.

The shot goes wide and off they scoot. Like I said, they are nice little cheats and a fast, interesting way to get that scooter scooting.

Plus it tells the audience the scooter has a few extra gizmos on it. Good information that comes into play later.

The Multi-Angle Slow Motion Series

Here’s some action flick goodness for you.

Bolt is about to get shot at from another helicopter that is off screen.

Slow that camera down so we see our hero missing those helicopter blades and soaring over it.

Change the camera angle and shot size so we see it continue. (Soarrrrrrrrrr)

One more time! From the top.

But notice they are cutting with continuity here. Where he ends up at the end of one shot, he continues along on the next one.

Then we get to the back of the helicopter and Bolt is off screen. It starts in slow motion, then speeds up to real time.

Just in time for his landing. And off he runs.

You can breathe now.

But it’s not over!

No, now we get the joys of:

The Multi-Angle Repeat-Action Series

How many times have you seen this one? Pure cliched fun here.

The up shot on the helicopter Bolt just jumped over.

Boom! The other helicopter blasts that sucker.

Let’s see it again. Higher and wider.

Boom! Oh yeah, baby. More! More!

Wee! One more from the side.

Boom! This one fills the screen with all it’s fiery awesomeness.

And now, just for good measure after all that pumping adrenaline, we need a little comic relief.

Extreme wide shot on the city with the explosion way off in the distance. And an empty soda cup in the foreground.

And it ever so gently blows over. Tap!

Nice touch. It’s smart to put that little pause in there.

It makes the audience smile.

It gives them a little break from all the fast action and gets them ready for more.

All that was missing was Penny and Bolt walking in slow motion away from a huge fiery blast in the background.

Or diving to camera with a huge fiery blast in the background.

None of this makes you roll your eyes because they are doing it on purpose.

This is all for the Bolt TV show in the movie. It’s supposed to be over the top and full of those action movie cliches.

Like I said, fun stuff.

I’ll probably continue with this little series. There are some great uses of up shots and down shots in the movie. Something I’ve been wanting to touch on for a while.

So tune in next week for the exciting continuation!!!

_._._._._._._

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© 2007-2012 Karen J Lloyds Storyboard Blog - All Rights Reserved.

Some related posts other readers have enjoyed:

1. Facing Off With ‘Bolt’
2. The Live-Action Go-to-Guy’s P.O.V. on Training

First off, a technical note: If the site is looking a little wonky, clear your cache and reload it. Hopefully that does it. I’ve been making a few tweaks.

Yes. The South Park movie is one of my favorite animated feature films.

Why?

Well, first off, it’s funny as all hell. Second, I’ve been a fan of the show since it first came on the air (like I said before…it brings out the 20 year old frat boy in me). And third, it proves the point I made in the Toy Story post.

That point being, the technology doesn’t matter. You can tell a good story with stick men.

Or in this case, with paper cut-out, potty-mouthed little kids.

And yes, I’m fully aware of the irony that it’s not made with paper cut-outs but with a super-powerful computer program called Maya. It’s still meant to look like paper cut-outs, so that’s really the point. It’s still simplistic in style and execution.

In other words: Crappy.

And I love it.

My personal opinion is the best seasons of South Park are 4 to 8. The movie came out after Season 3, so I think this is where it really took off. They found their voice. The characters were solid. It was ready to evolve. And it did.

This movie isn’t for everyone. If you already love South Park and haven’t seen it, what are you waiting for? If you only kind of like South Park, watch it to see them at their best. If you hate South Park, you’ll either become a convert or hate it more.

I’m not here to convert you. But I will explain why it’s on my top five list of animated features.

And I’ll do my best to talk about a profanity-heavy movie without using any. Maybe.

So here’s why I love South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.

The title. When I saw South Park Live in Montreal, the guys said the movie was going to be called ‘South Park: All Hell Breaks Loose’. But the MPAA (the dudes who rate the movies) didn’t want the word ‘hell’ in the title.

So they came up with this title and it was approved. Only much later on, did they realize, “Heyyyy…that’s about wee-wees isn’t it?” (I’d use the real word, but don’t need the spam.) Too awesome.

It’s a musical. Trey Parker loves his musical numbers. There’s something so charming and hilarious about a movie like this going the Disney route. The songs are catchy and funny and they work.

“The animation’s all crappy.” – Cartman.  In regards to Terrance and Phillip. The boys then proceed to be animated all crappy themselves. The self-awareness isn’t annoying, it’s funny.

The Terrance and Phillip movie. This is what the whole story revolves around. The potty-mouths of these characters is what sets the story in motion. Now the big question: cartoon characters or people? Cartman just said “the animation’s all crappy”, yet later on in the film they are referred to as ‘actors’.

I believe it was during this movie the confusion about these flapping-headed Canadians was born. Hooray for Canadians! We’re just happy to be part of the fun.

“I hate you Kenny” – Cartman. Pretty much for no reason at all. I still cracks me up.

When Carman’s mother explains a certain ‘activity’. I won’t write it. It involves licking. And it’s nasty. Anytime we see Cartman’s mom for what she really is, it’s gold. It’s her ‘proper-ness’ that makes it so funny.

All the kids wearing profanity on their shirts. I won’t write it, but I can show it!

The ‘It’s Easy MMMKay’ song. Anything with Mr. Mackey is always fun, m’kay? The song tries to give the kids alternative phrases to the naughty words they’ve been exposed to. Just say, “you’re a buns-hole”.

When Kenny bursts into flames. Because he lights his fart on fire. I usually hate fart jokes. But I like this one. Don’t try this at home, kids.

The gore of the operating room scene. Not because it’s a gory operating room scene, but because of the point Matt and Trey were making. Nothing from these sequences were cut by the MPAA. All they mostly went after (in real life) was the profanity. Gore is fine. Naughty words aren’t.

In South Park, everyone goes to Hell. Except Mormons. We learn that in Season 4.

The whole ‘Blame Canada’ thing. I’m Canadian. And no, I’m not offended. Because this is the point that so many people miss: they’re not making fun of Canadians, they’re making fun of (some) Americans.

You know why it doesn’t bother me? Because the whole concept of starting a war with Canada over profanity is so out-of this-world-ridiculous. I mean, come on! The song is making fun of over-reactive parents that like to blame everything and everyone else for their kids’ actions.

So we Canadians aren’t offended by the ‘Blame Canada’ song because we get the joke. We’re funny like that.

Actual footage of the Canadian Air Force. (See? We make fun of ourselves for goodness sakes).

The ‘Kyle’s Mom’s A Bitch’ song. Best. Song. Ever. Never get tired of it. Everybody sing along!

Eric Idle does a voice! How cool is that? Plus, it’s the introduction to Cartman’s V-chip. Which really comes into play for the climax of the story.

When the General shoots Bill Gates. Yes, it’s immature of me to find this funny. But it is. And it was yet another violent scene that was left untouched by the MPAA. It also got a huge cheer when I saw it in the theatre.

The relationship between Satan and Saddam Hussein. I mean Satan is like, Satan, and all he wants is a functional relationship with Saddam. The whole thing works really well.

It’s also completely insane that they got away with showing ‘that certain part of the male anatomy’ in this scene. Just because they said “it wasn’t real”, it was OK.

The un-cut violent battle scenes. Yet more footage of bloody violence that passed the censors without a blink of the eye. The whole movie is a statement inside a statement.

Cartman saving the day with his filthy mouth. The concept just wraps up the story so beautifully. The whole profanity thing comes full circle.

Seeing Kenny’s face for the first time ever. How ridiculous is this? We’re excited to see his usually covered, hooded face. And all the kids have the same face! We’re basically thrilled to see a new overlay of hair. But we’re excited nonetheless.

Kenny going to Heaven. After three seasons of Kenny dying a horrible, violent death each and every episode, he gets a break (even though he’s still dead).

In all the craziness, profanity, violence and offensiveness, the movie wraps up with nice feel-good moment. It’s perfect.

So this movie may not be on the same level as my other feature favorites artistic-wise (or maturity-wise). But so what? It has what many other animated features lack.

• A solid story.
• Strong, memorable characters.
• A message.
• And very, very funny.

What more can you ask for?

So that wraps up my feature favorite series. It was lots of fun. I’ll do more of these in the future and will even throw in some not-so-good ones occasionally. We can learn from those too.

Hey, and I made it through the whole post without much profanity.

F*ck, yeah!

Read the Storyboard Blog by RSS Feed or by email to see if I ever actually use the F-word. It could happen.

© 2007-2012 Karen J Lloyds Storyboard Blog - All Rights Reserved.

Some related posts other readers have enjoyed:

1. The ‘South Park Live’ Scoop And A Few Tidbits
2. My Feature Favorites: The Lion King
3. My Feature Favorites: Finding Nemo

Simplicity of story.

If anyone ever questions why I love Pixar’s Finding Nemo so damn much, this is my answer.

The basic story is so simple. And they do so much with it.

When planning their short films, I used to tell students there are two ways to tell a story. You can ‘enjoy the journey’ or you can ‘lead up to a great finale’.

Finding Nemo is a terrific example of enjoying the journey. Do we really think it won’t be a happy ending? Of course not. In a story like this we can pretty much assume everything will turn out just fine.

That’s not the point

It’s what happens along the way that makes it so great.

So if you are planning your own short (or long) story, remember that. If you don’t have a super satisfying ending that will knock the socks off your audience, you can always make the journey one heck of a great ride.

I’m over-simplifying things a bit, but I hope you get what I mean.

Same deal as my other feature favorites. No story summary or anything, I’m just digging in to my favorite bits of Finding Nemo.

Let’s Roll.

It’s gorgeous. Look at the image up top. The whole underwater world is so beautiful and believable. Makes you want to take up scuba diving (if I didn’t have such a nasty fear of suffocation).

Starting the film with a mass murder. Basically. Marlin’s wife and all but one of his little kid-eggs are eaten by a nasty barracuda within the first 5 minutes of the film. Horrible. And risky. But it worked…you now have our attention Finding Nemo.

Nice use of transitions. There are different kinds of transitions to get you from one scene to another. One of these is the cross-dissolve. One cool way of using a cross-dissolve is to dissolve between similar shot compositions.

We are on the close shot of Marlin holding the little cracked egg, which is the end of a very powerful sequence. We need a little time to absorb what has happened before continuing the story. It dissolves to the moon as seen from underwater, the circles are in the same position in the frame. Then it has the opening credits and touching music.

When it transitions yet again (to the sun) and a young Nemo waking up his father for school, we’re ready to be cheered up. Once you know about these techniques, you start to see them everywhere. Keep an eye out.

The introduction of ‘the mask’. The mask turns into a very important part of the story and we really need to see it. Not to mention we feel how scary this must look to little Nemo. Show the audience what it needs to see. Always.

When Marlin meets Dory. The whole sequence is a fun introduction to Dory and her short term memory loss. The line “Hmm…where are they?” still cracks me up. Great use of silence and pauses in this scene.

Our first look at Bruce the shark. Too awesome. Fantastic character design and detail on him.

When Dory says “Es-cap-eh”. (I’d type a accent but I don’t know how). This is our first glimpse that she can read. Very important to the story. Of course there’s no logical explanation of how she learned to read, but why get into all that crap? Spoils the fun.

Longest.

Truck-out.

Ever.

Do not attempt this in 2D.

Creepiest. Alien-like-fish. Ever. To think things like this exist is real life, is too wild.

This double reflection shot. So real (and I assume a challenge to duplicate). Plus the aquarium scenes aren’t getting much attention. (Sorry about that Gill and company).

When Dory ‘speaks whale’. I saw this movie three or four times in the theatre and laughed out loud every single time at this sequence.

I think this single-handedly revived Ellen DeGeneres’ career. Not to mention the fantastic character animation and acting. Bravo.

The ‘trapped inside the whale’ sequence. For two great life lessons it teaches. When Marlin says he promised he wouldn’t let anything happen to Nemo. Dory (in her infinite wisdom) says that was a funny thing to promise because, “You can’t never let anything happen to him. Then nothing would ever happen to him. Not much fun for little Harpo.” Love that.

Then when they are hanging from the whale’s tongue and Dory says they have to let go. Marlin says, “How do you know something bad isn’t going to happen?”

Dory pauses and says, “I don’t!” This is where Marlin learns to ‘let go’ by letting go. Big moment in the story. And for us. What are you not doing because you’re afraid of what might happen?

Darla’s entrance. So perfect with the lighting and ‘Psycho’ music.

The seagull chase. Fun action sequence here.

Mine! Mine! Mine!

Darla’s maniacal laugh. Can’t quite capture it in a still shot, but oh-so-funny.

The dentist patient reaction shot. All the Darla screaming and chaos is going on in the office. Then this shot of them all leaning in, is great. How do you add comedy/action to a sequence that may not be written in the script? This is how.

When Dory says, “When I look at you…I’m home.” Makes me choke up every time. Great animation and voice acting. One of my favorite moments in the whole film.

NEMO!!! When Dory finally realizes she’s with Nemo and it goes into that fast, flashback clip sequence. It really drives it home (visually) that she remembers everything again.

When Dory kicks ass. And she holds the uncooperative crab out of the water to the hungry seagulls. Great scene and a turning point for Dory. No more Ms. Nice Fish!

The ‘keep swimming’ sequence. For the sole fact that in the commentary they said it was based on some old fisherman story this actually happened. I love that (and hope it’s true)!

The final shot. Movie is over. A few credits. Then the sequence of the aquarium fish finally escaping. It ends here with them all in bags and one of them says, “Now what?” Perfect. End credits.

Simplicity of story and being taken on a wonderful journey.

That is why I love Finding Nemo.

Thanks again, Pixar.

Read the Storyboard Blog by RSS Feed or by email to catch my take on South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut. Yes, you read that right.

© 2007-2012 Karen J Lloyds Storyboard Blog - All Rights Reserved.

Some related posts other readers have enjoyed:

1. My Feature Favorites: The Lion King
2. My Feature Favorites: Toy Story
3. My Feature Favorites: The Iron Giant