Filmmaking Tips From the Disney Masters!

#1. Find a Hook for Your Character - Andreas Deja Use your life experience when making artistic choices Draw on your memories to add depth to characters Always ask: what is this character thinking and why is he thinking that way? #2. Don’t Animate Drawings, Animate Feelings - Ollie Johnson Crawl into your character's head and animate from the inside Lighting and camera placement should match your character's emotional state Easier to add technique to something emotionally true than to add emotion to sterile technique #3. Animate the More Aggressive Character First - Andreas Deja For a doc, interview your most aggressive character first For narrative, light and block your most aggressive character first Use less aggressive characters to add shading to your piece #4. Observation, Observation, Observation! - Eric Larson True whether you are capturing reality with a pencil, a camera or a computer Go out and just watch. Then draw. (Or film.) Learn your subject so well that you don't need the reference anymore #5. Observe and then Plus Reality - Andreas Deja Mission statement for any filmmaker in any genre or discipline Choose what to leave in and select what to add or take out Difference between going to the zoo and watching Animal Planet #6. Explore ALL Possibilities In Your Thumbnails - Milt Kahl Or in your script, or in your notes You can't succeed if you're afraid to fail Never throw away bad work - worst case, you can later see that you’ve grown as an artist #7. Break Things Up – Everything Moving At the Same Time Looks Weightless - Andreas Deja Good advice either way; how to shoot a science-fiction weightless scene Also confuses audience; they don't know where to look Simplify and focus #8. You Owe It to Yourself and the Medium - Milt Kahl Set high standards for yourself Work hard; don't settle for second best Set an example for your cast and crew #9. Incorporate Asymmetry (In Facial Expressions and Lip-Syncing) - Andreas Deja Symmetry is boring Asymmetry adds character True for lighting, scripts, actors, staging, blocking, etc... #10. If It Doesn’t Look Natural, It’s No Good - Eric Larson Show audience something they know to be true; easier for them to accept your fantasy #11. Better to Focus on Your Weaknesses than Show Off Your Strengths - Andreas Deja Forget your strengths to focus on your weaknesses Be honest with yourself to identify your strengths and weaknesses Perfection is TEH Enemy of TEH Good #12. You Need to be Sincere in Your Own Work - Eric Larson Avoid theatrics Focus on making characters come to life Don’t be ambiguous; make it strong and clear #13. It’s All About Feeling - That is Number One - Andreas Deja Capturing emotion is more important than technique Draftsmanship (or staging) is secondary; acting comes first Let the audience see what the characters are thinking and feeling #14. Don’t Forget, This Is Supposed to Be Fun! - Roy Disney #15. Don't Try To Be the Next Ollie Johnson, Be the First You - Andreas Deja Young filmmakers have a tendency to try to replicate their idols. To be successful, you need to express yourself in your projects. Apply your own sense of humour, of drama, of romance, of fear.