Lab 7: Story Development
IDS252: 3D Animation, Spring 2012

Goals

• Develop a story idea for a 1 minute animation.
• Draw the storyboards.
• Pitch the story and revise.
• Entire Class: Choose stories and groups for final project.

Links

Here is a summary of the links given below in the directions:

• Resources for Story Creation.
• Story Development Check List
• Storyboard Check List
• Directions for Converting Your Storyboards into a Storyreel

Files and Folders

• In this lab you may work along or with one partner. On cs-render, in folder \IDS252Sp12\Lab7, create a folder with your login name (if you are working alone), or with the name of both you and your partner. Any files you create or use will go in this folder.

Directions

During Lab (Wed, Feb 29)

• You may work alone or with one other person (you are encouraged to work with a partner!).
• In class, we will go over ways to help you develop a story and make the storyboards. See resources here.
• Discuss your various story ideas with your partner.
• Aim for a story that is 1 minute long. Remember, modeling and animation is hard so keep it simple!
• Once you decide on a story, write it down in text/paragraph form. It does not need to be more than a few paragraphs long. Be certain to think about the following:
  • This is a visual story - your words must show, not tell, e.g. see p.3 of WT text.
  • Identify the emotion, intention, and thoughts of the characters. How will these be visually conveyed to the audience? Don't rely on subtlety.
  • Your animation will have music but no dialog. What role does the music play? What, if anything, will you want to convey to the musicians?
  • See questions in CheckList.
• Homework (due Fri, Mar 2):: Complete a first draft of your story. It should be typed (e.g. in Word). Place this file in your Lab 7 folder on cs-render.

During Lecture (Fri, Mar 2)

• During class, we will go over all of the stories.
• Homework (due Mon, Mar 5):
  1. Make changes to the story based on class feedback. Place your revised story in your Lab 7 folder on cs-render. Include brief written answers to each of the questions in the CheckList.
  2. Begin to sketch out rough story boards. Use small storyboards, e.g. see here, so that they are quick to draw and don't have many details. Keep in mind issues listed in storyboard check list (you will need to carefully follow this list when you do the final storyboards. Right now, just keep them in mind.) Try different ideas and don't be afraid to throw out boards and insert new ones. You may even want to start by using the whiteboard or Photoshop (with tablet).

During Lecture and Lab (Mon, Mar 5)

• We will go over your revised story and rough storyboards.
• Make changes to your rough storyboards based on instructor/class feedback. Once you feel the rough storyboards are satisfactory, redraw them more carefully on 8.5x11 sheets of paper. Now is the time to be careful to follow the storyboard check list.
• Homework (due Fri, Mar 9):: Be prepared to pitch your storyboards to the class. Your pitch will be timed and should last around 1 minute.

During Lecture and Lab (Fri, Mar 9)

Warning: This is the day when you will vote on which story you want to do - if absent, you will be assigned a story.

• All the stories will be pitched, edited, and pitched again.
• Students will vote on which story they want to do. Based on the vote, the stories will be chosen and groups will be formed.

Evaluation

This lab will be graded based on these questions

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