Jill Williamson is a chocolate loving, daydreaming, creator of kingdoms. She writes weird books for teens in lots of weird genres like, fantasy (Blood of Kings trilogy), science fiction (Replication), and dystopian (The Safe Lands trilogy). Find Jill on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or on her author website.
It was at the Museum of Science and Industry where we saw the special exhibit on the life of Walt Disney and the studio he created. My husband is a huge Walt Disney buff, so he was so excited. The event was called Treasures of Walt Disney Archives, and there was lots to see. If you live near Chicago and love Disney history, it might be worth the visit.
I greatly enjoyed a section of the exhibit which showed 11 key steps in animation. I instantly knew I wanted to share them with you all, as they have much in common with the steps one might take to create a novel.
 |
| A picture of the section of the exhibit I’m talking about. |
1. Visual Development
This is the initial period in a film’s development. Long before any characters are drawn or scripts are written. In this stage, the film’s director and production team determine the look and feel of the story, the mood, relationships between the characters, costumes, layout, architecture, and the film’s overall visual style. Hundreds of concept images are created as the team seeks answers to these questions. If I were to try and compare this to writing a novel, this would be my storyworld building stage. I’d draw my map here and do a lot of research on things for my book as I’m seeking to define the story I want to tell.
2. Story Development
Walt Disney loved storyboarding. This is where the concept images are arranged into a plot and analyzed. Sequences are changed, key scenes might be acted out, and the plot and storyline are chosen. I storyboard my books. It helps me see the story all at once. And it’s easy to rearrange scenes or see holes in the plot.
3. Character Development
Here Disney set out to create memorable characters in both design and personality. Walt always sought to put lifelike movement into all his characters. He hired actors to model and act out movement for the animators to capture realistic attributes in each character.
4. Character Voice Recording
The right voice can make an animated character come to life. Disney searched hard to find the perfect voice actor for each character. Once an actor was chosen, he or she would record several pages of dialogue for the animators to listen to as they drew the characters. I have a period in my brainstorming where I seek to learn who my characters are, find out about their past and their dreams for the future. This is usually where I find their voice.
5. Animation Maquettes
A maquette is a miniature three dimensional model of a character. Maquettes are given to animators so that they can see their subjects in three dimensions. The only 3D things I’ve made of my characters have been clothing. I did make a necklace once too. But I almost always find pictures of actors or people I know to model my characters after.
6. Action Analysis
In the 1930s, animation was done frame by frame. But Disney was a pioneer for putting cutting edge technology into everything he created. Action analysis is animation in motion. It involves timing, spacing, staging, and depth. Actors were brought in to show how movement really looked so that the characters would be even more realistic. Have you ever recruited a friend into acting out a scene from your book to help you be able to describe it? I have. Lots of times. My kids get very hyper helping me too.
 |
| The cover of the book from Snow White is carved wood. The inside is thick pages with hand-printed text and color illustrations. I wanted it! |
7. Photographic Pencil Tests
In order to see how well the character was coming along, Disney had pencil drawings filmed in what is now known as a “pencil test” that he would watch with his team. The animators called these screenings “sweatbox sessions” due to the heat the projector made in the small room and to the fact that Walt was reviewing and critiquing their work. This sounds to me like getting edits on the first draft of a book.
8. Backgrounds and Layouts
Animated backgrounds provide the backdrop on which a story unfolds. The setting. They create a time and place for the character to live in. Disney backgrounds vary per picture from the simple and fun brightness of Dumbo to the gorgeous medieval setting in Sleeping Beauty. It’s kind of fun to think about your own setting as an animated background to give mood and scope to your story. Give it a try.
9. Inking, Painting, and Checking
The Ink and Paint Department added color to the animators cells. Once they were done, they were placed with their corresponding background. Soon after, a checker went through, looked for missing details, and added them when necessary before they were filmed. Sounds like proofreading to me.
10. Animation and Multiplane Cameras
Walt Disney knew that for audiences to enjoy an animated movie-length feature, he would need to create the kind of depth and realism that live-action pictures offered. So he had his staff build a multiplane camera. This kind of camera takes pictures of a collection of images at various depths. And each layer can be moved or not to create the appearance of movement and perspective. Here’s a link to a video where Walt explains how it works. It’s fascinating.
11. Music Scoring
Once the rough cut of the film was complete it would be sent to the scoring stage where the musical score and sound effects would be recorded. This has always been a dimension that books lack. However, with ebooks and tablet technology, some have released books with sound effects. I’m intrigued by this new type of storytelling, though I will always like holding a physical book in my hand as well.
So what do you think? See some similarities in the animation process and writing novels? Some differences? Did anything here spark an idea of something you might try and add to your own storytelling?