RMIT Concept and Character Development For Animation Lecturer: Simon Norton Email: simon.norton@rmit.edu.au Website: www.myballoonhead.

com

CHARACTER IN ANIMATION
DISCLAIMER: Opinions contained within these course notes are those of the author only, and are to be taken as advice only. In other words, if you have a great idea that contradicts the advice herein, go ahead with it. Take the ideas you can use from these notes and adapt them to your own purposes. END DISCLAIMER

ANIMATION is used in animated films and television shows, but also on websites, in computer games, and in educational software. Animation is created in a variety of specific forms; Drawn, Clay, Puppet, Stop-Motion, 3D Computer Generated, and other less widely known techniques, such as Sand, Paint, and Cut-Out animation. However,whatever the animation style, the same general principle applies; Interesting Character = Interesting Story = Interesting Animation Boring Character = Boring Story = Boring Animation (Note: There are obvious exceptions; Some animation is purely visual abstraction and does not include any characters or story; this kind of animation is usually called Motion Graphics or Special Effects.)

So - what is the difference between an interesting character and a boring character? Essentially, and as a general rule, interesting characters ACT, rather than being simply acted upon. Interesting characters have distinct drives, wants, needs and preferences which drive the story and affect the way they behave. Interesting characters are doers. Interesting characters are active rather than passive, even if that action might be in a cowardly or avoidance-based direction.

RMIT Concept and Character Development For Animation Lecturer: Simon Norton Email: simon.norton@rmit.edu.au Website: www.myballoonhead.com

Good characters write their own stories Chuck Jones

(creator: Road Runner, Coyote, Pepe Le Pew, Claude Cat, Frisky Puppy, Marvin the Martian)

By this, Jones means that with a good character, the writer can place that character in absolutely any story situation, and the nature of the character will tell the writer how this particular character will react in this particular situation. What would Bugs Bunny do if he was in Aladdins cave? What would Daffy Duck do? The answers to these questions created Jones Ali Baba Bunny

What would Homer do if he was minding Mr Burns house? Is it different to what Lisa would do? Or what Bart would do? Obviously it is; they are distinctly different characters.

RMIT Concept and Character Development For Animation Lecturer: Simon Norton Email: simon.norton@rmit.edu.au Website: www.myballoonhead.com

EXERCISE 1 WRITING YOUR CHARACTERS BIOGRAPHY

BIOGRAPHY:

AGE: GENDER: HEIGHT: WEIGHT: BODY TYPE: FACE TYPE: COMPLEXION: EYES: HAIR: CLOTHING STYLE: SPEAKING STYLE: GENERAL DEMEANOR: CAREER: PREJUDICES:

BEST QUALITIES:

WORST QUALITIES:

WEAKNESSES:

HOBBIES:

TALENTS:

RMIT Concept and Character Development For Animation Lecturer: Simon Norton Email: simon.norton@rmit.edu.au Website: www.myballoonhead.com CULTURAL/ETHNIC BACKGROUND: IQ SOCIAL STATUS

FAMILY (parents, siblings, spouse, children)

FRIENDS AND OR ENEMIES

FEARS

STRONGEST MEMORY

HOPES AND DREAMS

NAME:

Note: Its very rare for a good character to have all these traits completely worked out straight away - Good characters often develop over time as dimensions are added for example the early Homer Simpson was more of a one-dimensional goofy buffoon, early Bugs Bunny more of a zany trickster.

RMIT Concept and Character Development For Animation Lecturer: Simon Norton Email: simon.norton@rmit.edu.au Website: www.myballoonhead.com

The importance of sketchbook doodles

Its important to realise that many great characters come out of a lot of time spent doodling, playing around with very rough and simple shapes and proportions. For example, below is a series of 1969 sketches by Jim Henson.

from the book Jim Hensons Designs and Doodles

And here is how the characters he was designing turned out;

RMIT Concept and Character Development For Animation Lecturer: Simon Norton Email: simon.norton@rmit.edu.au Website: www.myballoonhead.com

Like the character traits; its very rare to get a good characters visual design exactly right straight away its a process like sculpting, with gradual smoothing and adjusting, trying out different things. Even then, after the design is supposedly finished, a long-lasting character will often still develop over time.

The Simpsons now (left) and in 1987 (right)

Bugs Bunny in the 1930s (left) and in the 1950s (right)

RMIT Concept and Character Development For Animation Lecturer: Simon Norton Email: simon.norton@rmit.edu.au Website: www.myballoonhead.com

EXERCISE 2 DOODLING (in a spirit of experimentation) multiple variations of your character. Doodling means trying out all kinds of shapes and proportions and not simply copying the finished designs of other animators. This is where you try out all kinds of things, just to see if anything interesting results. Its important not to lock yourself in to a specific design right away deciding on an exact look comes later. Dont forget about trying out all the subtly different effects you can get out of the same material, simply by changing the positions and proportions of the same features.

RMIT Concept and Character Development For Animation Lecturer: Simon Norton Email: simon.norton@rmit.edu.au Website: www.myballoonhead.com

So - Which should go first, developing the character traits conceptually in writing, or the doodling? Should image follow concept, or concept follow image? Theres no one answer to this. Many independent animators prefer to intuitively doodle until they have a character who intrigues them, and then develop a personality, character traits, and story to suit the doodle. However, an animator does not always get to choose the type of character he or she must work with. Often the animator will be given a character type, like a nice little girl, or a cowardly dragon. In which case, the animator must create doodles of character designs to fit the given characters personality; ideally continuing to develop those personality traits in the process. Its best to be able to work both ways, because the animation production process can vary.

TYPICAL ANIMATION PROCESS TIMELINE (with variations indented) (Voice Recording for improvised scripts eg. Aardmans Creature Comforts) (Character Doodles?) CHARACTER IDEA AND DEVELOPMENT CHARACTER DOODLES STORY IDEA SCRIPT (but some animators eg John K, prefer to write in storyboard form) VOICE RECORDING & EDITING (but can also be done after character design, or as late as animatic) CHARACTER DESIGN (Voice recording?) STORYBOARDING ANIMATIC - rough version of animation featuring only key drawings ANIMATION PENCIL TESTS (if budget and timeline permit) ANIMATION (Voice recording? Usually only Japan or Cheapo) CLEANUP / COLORING / SOUND EFFECTS / SOUND MIX MASTERING