world creation =/= fancy landscapes, aesthetics, creatures
"Is the starting point of an animated film the time when the project is given the go-ahead and production begins? Is it at that point that you, as the animator, first go over your ideas for that story? No, that isn't the starting point. Everything begins much earlier, perhaps even before you even think of becoming an animator. The stories and original works - even initial project planning - are only triggers.
Inspired by that trigger, what rushes forth from inside you is the world you have already drawn inside yourself, the many landscapes you have stored up, the thoughts and feelings that seek expression.
When people speak of a beautiful sunset, do they hurriedly riffle through a book of photographs of sunsets or go in search of a sunset? No, you speak of the sunset by drawing on the many sunsets stored inside you - feelings deeply etched in the folds of your consciousness of the sunset you saw while carried on your mother's back so long ago that the memory is nearly a dream; or the sunset-washed landscape you saw when, for the first time in your life, you were enchanted by the scene around you; or the sunsets you witnessed that were wrapped in loneliness, anguish, or warmth.
You who want to become animators already have a lot of material for the stories you want to tell, the feelings you want to express, and the imaginary worlds you want to bring alive. At times these may be borrowed from a dream someone related, a fantasy, or an embarrassingly self-involved interior life. But everyone moves forward from this stage. In order for it not to remain merely egotistical, when you tell others about your dream you must turn it into a world unto itself. As you go through the process of sharpening your powers of imagination and technique, the material takes shape. If that shape is amorphous, you can start with a vague yearning. It all begins having something that you want to express.
Say a project has been decided on and you have been inspired by something. A certain sentiment, a slight sliver of emotion - whatever it is, it must be something you feel drawn to and that you want to depict. It cannot solely be something that others might find amusing, it must be something that you yourself would like to see. It is fine if, at times, the original starting point of a full-length feature film is the image of a girl tilting her head to the side.
From within the confusion of your mind, you start to capture the hazy figure of what you want to express. And then you start to draw. It doesn't matter if the story isn't yet complete. The story will follow. Later still the characters take shape. You draw a picture that establishes the underlying tone for a specific world. Of course, what you have drawn will not be your final product. At times, your work may be rejected entirely. When I mentioned earlier that you must have the will to go to any length, this is what I meant. When you draw that first picture, it isonly the beginning of an immense journey. This is the start of the preparation stage of the film.
What kind of world, serious or comedic; what degree of distortion; what setting; what climate; what content; what period; whether there is one sun or three; what kinds of characters will appear; what is the main theme...? The answers to all of these questions gradually become clearer as you continue to draw. Don't just follow a ready-made story. Rather, consider a possible development in the story, or whether a particular kind of character can be added. Make the tree trunk thicker, spread its branches further - or go to the tips of the small branches (this could be the starting point of the idea), and on the leaves beyond as the branches grow and grow.
Draw many pictures, as many as you can. Eventually a world is created. To create one world means to discard other inconsistent or clashing worlds. If something is very important to you, you can keep it carefully stored in your heart for use at another time. Those who have experienced an outpouring of an amazing number of pictures from inside themselves can feel it. They feel that the fragment of a picture they envisioned, the other trunk of a story that was thrown out while piecing together a narrative, the memory of pining for a girl, the knowledge about a subject gained as they delved deeply into a hobby - all of these play a role and become entwined into one thick strand. The scattered material within you has found its direction and started to flow.
Eventually, the basic form of your fictional world takes shape. It becomes a shared world for the entire project staff. It becomes a world that actually exists! This is the "image board" stage of the animation production process, the period when people become most excited in anticipation. If you are part of the main staff and can devote yourself to this work it would be fine, but if you are a staffer who is also busy on another film (and there is usually some other work in the process), can you take the time to turn an idea into a whole new world? It holds no guarantees in terms of pay or time. Even so, unless you do this, you will not find that opening*!
When the original story is from a manga, the work of creating a world has already been done by the author. No matter how faithfully you turn it into animation, how much you expand on it, the essential basics of creating a world have already been done, and you cannot avoid being secondary to it. Although it may be good training, I think it is worth bearing in mind that animating an original manga is unrewarding even if the result is popular with the general public."
I feel the possibilities in embracing the philosophy of world creation as he did, it's about creating the world where the entire animation is set in, the subtle, or major differences it holds as opposed to reality...etc. And the motivation for it. It reminds me of what Brad Bird talked about an idea that is so yearning to be birthed forth that it would keep him waking up every single morning to work on it for months and for years.
Of which I looked back to my giant-fighting film... disregarding all technical downfalls it had; it was very important for me to bring it out, because it was about something that I really feel, and really wanted to say - and it really really kept me motivated. To a certain extent that can be said for the movements of Pavvie, and the performance of my salesman; but nonetheless the central theme and the "world" of the giant film had kept me motivated throughout the project.
*regarding the "opening" that he mentioned in that passage, he wisely speaks of it as:
"You may have become an animator because you wanted to build your own fictional world. But such romantic dreams are quickly destroyed. .... .... [but] it's not as if all paths towards creative animation are closed off. The work, at its core, is forged by a group - a group that is not usually dominated by a single strong personality. Should you possess a vision of a world you want to share with the public, a will to go any length, and the skill to back it up, you can move bit by bit away from being a cog and closer toward being an animator in the original spirit of the word.
Even in your daily work you can add a spark of authenticity to an unoriginal story, or breathe a bit of expression into the blank face of a character. You can also improve an ugly drawing, making it slightly better. All the while, you continue to watch for an opening when your opponent - the system itself -lets down his guard. You can only find this opening when you stop making excuses and work hard every day. When you see your chance, take it and create the world you always wanted to create. If you offer, free of charge, something that no one is expecting, and if your suggestion is compelling - and as long as the project chief is not a rigid believer in supporting vested interests - your world can be accepted. After all, it doesn't cost them anything, and they don't need to put your name in the credits. So if your creation is accepted, it is a clear advantage for the main staff. At that point, you will feel for the first time the thrill of creating animation. Always watch for that opening and be prepared to run with your idea whenever you can - that attitude gives animation its hope."
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