CLOSE ON MOUNTAIN PETE

CLOSE ON FALLING ROCKS

A few rocks fall into the shot.

CLOSE ON CLUELESS CHUCK

One rock hits Clueless Chuck on the head.

In this low-budget version of an avalanche, little animation is needed. But our imaginations supply what we don't see.

Even with regularly soiled smocks and scuffed shoes, the Powerpuff Girls manage to look good and stay under budget on wardrobe. © AOL Time Warner.

Be Practical! Keep Up the Pace!
Set the stage well first. Know the room. Make the most of your props. The action must work for the layout people and the animators that follow. Break up the action and increase the pace with cuts. They keep the story moving. Individual scenes should be very short, especially for TV. Action. Reaction. Try to add only the kind of effects that show uses. Ask! Add sound effects, special wipes, special music, etc. as needed. Most studios want all sound effects written in caps for the sound editor. This is your first big use of dialogue. Every line should work to build the story. Use the essence. Keep sentences short. Use strong verbs. Make it flow, but don't make your sentences so smooth that they lull you to sleep. If there's a sign, be sure that one of the characters reads it out loud. Young kids can't read, and international viewers may not be able to read English. Follow the gag ratio of that series, or ask if you can write more. Exaggerate! Visual, not audio, gags work best in animation, especially in an international marketplace. Or is this a series with lots of smart dialogue? Build your gags, milk them, and top them. Did you set up expectations...then spring a surprise? Repeat a gag only if you can do a twist. Timing is everything! Friz Freleng, one of the Bugs Bunny directors, is reported to have timed his gags to a beat. He'd get a rhythm going and then break it for the surprise. End with a bang and a gag!

Your Final Draft
Are your characters true to who they are? Are they likeable? Is your villain really bad? Are relationships true to the series? Is there plenty of action and suspense? Is everything crystal clear? Smooth transitions. Be sure that nothing is too subtle to animate or see on a small television screen. If something bothers you, then respect your instincts and cut it. Cut the extraneous. Cut the philosophy, then the adjectives. Tighten. If you still have too much, try cutting off the beginning or the end of a scene. Check spelling and grammar. No typos? Nothing that standards and practices will cut? Then you're done!

Jean Ann Wright has been teaching animation writing and development since 1996 and currently teaches for Women In Animation and The Animation Academy. Recently, she started her own consulting business. She's sold her writing to DIC, Filmation and Hanna-Barbera. She enjoys serving on the Los Angeles board of Women In Animation and judging for the Emmys and the Annies.