Story Write your self or buy ?

[tbenefi33]

For somebody like me who can't write worth a hoooohaahaahaaa where can you find story to animate I got a couple of I deals other then that I have no I deal where to start.

[Darkwing]

There was this forum I found once, indietalk http://www.indietalk.com/ and I'm pretty sure they had stories that people could use. You could always try writing a story and having us look it over or perhaps even one of us (assuming somebody wants to and has time) write one for you.

 

Sometimes a simple Google search works too, just look up free stories in the genre or subject you want

[robcat2075]

There's also the entire history of literature before 1923 that's public domain and free.

[MikePett]

Hey guys, long time no see!

I just want to encourage tbenefi33 to take the "write it yourself" approach. And I will tell you why.

 

I work in the animation industry and for many years I was married to a story artist who worked on a LOT of animated films at major studios and also taught the freshman and upper level story classes at California Institute of the Arts, (CalArts). This is a school that is known for turning out many of the animation professionals in the industry here in Los Angeles and I just tell you that so that you know that she has chops.

She would love it when people like you were in class. They would let her help them avoid mistakes, take on challenges but not overwhelm themselves and, most importantly, finish the films that they started.

 

The fact that you don't think that you can write will save you from getting attached to something weird, too hard or just plain awful.

 

You are likely to listen when people say things like, "Are you sure that you want to set your piece at the superbowl? Won't those crowd shots be hard?" or "You really want to do a 30 min piece with a cast of twenty who are on screen 80% of the time?"

 

I bet that you will listen when people say things like, "Even if your character is just putting a stamp on an envelope we will care if we have some idea of who she is."

 

Also I don't think anyone here would let you get started without knowing your beginning, middle and end; the major downfall of many student films.

 

I think that you have the right attitude to write, of course if you just don't want to, more power to you. Keep in mind that much of the "writing" that goes on in animation is in the form of ridiculously simple drawings about the size of your thumbnail called, you guessed it, "thumbnails". These little comic strips guide most of the work and serve as the visual script. It is much better to draw a movie, even a short one, that makes sense without dialogue and then stick the chatty stuff in where ever you really want to hear what the characters are thinking or saying to each other. It makes you show the story, the whole point of this fine medium and gets you away from having characters standing around telling us everything. (ZZZZZZZZZ) Plus you can work out dynamic camera angles that help tell the story while keeping things clear WAY before you get distracted by all those mouth shapes.

 

I am sure if you brainstormed ideas here right in front of everyone you could come up with something that inspires you and makes you jump out of bed in the morning to check your renders and start tweaking those curves!

 

Good luck and no matter how you choose to proceed, awesome!!!!

 

MikePett

[John Bigboote]

Even if you use a public domain story or pay someone to write or buy something already written- chances are you will end-up doing a rewrite to it anyways to put your 'spin' on it... so may as well start from scratch!

[dblhelix]

i read the attic-story you posted here, and reading this thread i felt puzzled, "why is he asking that? he can write."

 

thing is, i'm quite curious, have you received mistrust when showing your scripts to others?

if yes, so i think the problem is that you are an exclusively intuitive storyteller. (and a very promising director.)

you've learned the film language so well you're not aware you're speaking it.

 

after reading your attic-story and already liking it, i was stunned to see your camera moves and lighting, they were so good.

but those things, the things that also tell the story (when you're good), are not usually written down. (and they're left out for a reason.)

in your case, that is like leaving out an entire character roll.

something crucial will be missing from your script, at all times.

 

you should become aware of this, and prepare a short statement of your camera philosophy, and light philosophy,

and boost that with a finished example if you're pitching your story. especially if you're applying for a grant etc.

this probably means that you need to learn some film lingo.

 

just don't give up. alright?

[tbenefi33]

Hi thanks for the feed back think I'm going to try what MikePett said and write it my self I've been toying around with this Ideal for a while is Animate Escape from Alcatraz

but actually animate the main character's like Frank Morris and Clarence Anglin John Anglin and the Warden Olin Blackwell and etc. himmmm just thinking out loud.