OPEN DOOR with STUDIO 3 - Moving Images

As with last week, we began with a cuppa in the basement lounge and some lovely banana cake.
We briefly recapped on what had taken place last session and reviewed the draft printout of the blog for participant’s input.

After moving in to the studio, we began the story writing session with a game of consequences.

This is played with each member of the group starting with a blank piece of paper (A4 size is good). One person asks a series of questions. Each player writes the answer to the first question on their piece of paper, folds over the paper to hide the answer, and passes the paper to another person. The answer to the second question is written below, and the paper folded to cover it, and passed on, as before. This continues until all the questions are asked.

The questions in our game were:

Q.1) Write down the name of a character,

Q.2) Who did they meet?

Q.3) What did the first character say?

Q.4) What did the second character reply?

Q.5) What happened then?

As you can imagine, the results were often hilarious, and most even worked as a mini story!

Captain Squawk;

 Met Flump.
“Let’s go to a disco and rap”;
“No. I had treacle pudding for my breakfast!”;
They both ate all the chocolates but decided that wasn’t enough so they went off for a curry.

John;

Met Tracey;
“What are you having for lunch?”
“Brass monkeys weather, don’t you think”
So they found a really hot nightclub, and danced the night away.

This is a great exercise when thinking about writing for animation – because you really can make anything happen!

After discussing the 3-act-structure (used for creating a story) the group moved on to each writing a very brief story based on 2 characters meeting and what happened, what was said, how this was resolved or brought to an end.

These stories were developed into visual images, either as single image concept designs, as sequential storyboards or in 3D, as plasticine models.

At the end of the session the group discussed an overall theme, and chose ‘winter’.

It was agreed that there is a variety of possible ways to interpret this.

‘It’s challenging doing something in a different way to what I’m used to’

‘The ideas and direction have really progressed this week’.