Its important to grasp the workflow of a story idea from conceptualisation to finsihed product.

Here’s Pixar’s Production Process for Monsters Inc, Toy Story

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  • Script, Conceptual Design and Storyboard. In Animation, these three activities happen simultaneously. Unlike in live action film where you need to have a script before you can start storyboarding, with animation the storyboarding and conceptual design happen alongside script development as equal parts of the story creation process.
  • Animatic. Once the storyboards begin to give shape to scenes, the Editorial Department begins to put them together in a story reel, or Animatic.
  • Modeling. After the story has evolved to the point where the company feels committed to actually making it into a movie, the modeling department begins creating all the characters and sets that have been developed by the Art Department in the conceptual designs.
  • Voice. Voice actors are cast and the voice lines are recorded
  • Set Dressing. The Set Dressing Department is responsible for taking all the props and putting them together to form the sets in which each scene takes place
  • Layout The is the stage at which each shot that was planned in the storyboards is finally put together in the 3D world with the characters and sets provided by the modeling department.
  • Animation
  • Lighting
  • Rendering
  • FX

 

 

define: MONTAGE

1) the juxtaposition of seemingly unrelated shots or scenes which, when combined, achieve meaning (as in, shot A and shot B together give rise to an third idea, which is then supported by shot C, and so on), or 2) a series of related shots which lead the viewer to a desired conclusion (as in, shot A leads to shot B leads to shot C… leads to shot X; shot X being the outcome of the sequence).

Shot 1: MASTER of young woman drying the dishes

Shot 2: CU of the phone ringing as she picks it up

Shot 3: MS of floor as plate comes crashing down 

In isolation, each of these shots has limited meaning, but when assembled in montage a new meaning is created, generating an emotional response from the audience.

This is VISUAL NARRATIVE.