So this is the closest i have got to combining my story with a genuine narrative. It's definitely getting there and I'm happy with the progress but i can image I'll be adapting this a few times yet.
I'm not 100% sure where I would like to go in industry yet but from what I am beginning to understand about narrative and story telling it's a really useful and interesting subject. I'm surprised that I have read about Carl Jung's psychology underpinning most of the character dynamics in Hollywood films.
So the following is what i'm loosely basing my animation on. This is an extract from the book discussing how to take a big idea and scale it down so it's suitable for an animation short.
This will translate into the following structure:
• A character wants something badly
• Something happens that moves him to action
• He meets with conflict
• Things get worse until the character is in crisis
• He nearly loses all
• Learns a lesson
• Makes a hard choice
• In order to succeed
And this is a rough copy of how the story may go, but it'll probably evolve a few times yet.
Shot 1: Close shot of a bolt twinkling in the sun; beak comes into shot and pick the bolt up.
Shot 2: Interior shot of the nest, the magpie’s partner is in the nest waiting for the magpie
Male Magpie comes home with the bolt and drops in on the floor in front of the female magpie
Male magpie is looking at the perch as the female magpie fades away, as this happens it becomes apparent the female magpie isn’t alive and in her place is a large amount of sparkly possessions. The male magpie has become obsessed with material objects and has lost the sparkle in his eyes
*This shot is the insightful moment where the story begins and in addition is designed to give a bond based on pity and empathy between the audience and the character*
Shot 3: The magpie’s attention briefly looks at a robin flying passed.
Shot 4: The robin is in a tree singing on a sunny day
*The purpose of this character is to act the opposite way to the magpie, to act as a type of resolution and to highlight the magpie’s flaws*
Shot 5: Magpie is seen flying from the nest and spotting another shiny trinket.
Shot 6: Magpie is seen poking is head through the nest dropping the trinket, rolling it around the floor a few times.
Shot 7: Magpie is seen flying from the nest in search of more trinkets.
Montage: A series of shots back to back showing the magpie dropping trinkets from the door of his nest to the floor.
Fade to black
Shot 8: Robin following then eating an ant from the bark of a tree
*This shot is designed to show how nature intended foraging to happen*
Shot 9: Point of view, robin looking at the magpies nest
*there will be some sort of bond happening between the robin and the magpie around this point so the end makes more sense*
Shot 10: Panning shot, showing the magpie in his nest trapped by the surroundings which cover the entrance and block out light, magpie dips head and goes to sleep
Fade to black
*The viewer is unsure of whether the magpie is alive or dead at this point*
Shot 11: A wide shot framing the corner of the magpie’s house, looking at robins flying and chasing each other
*This shot is designed to keep the viewer in suspense as to whether the magpie is alive*
Shot 12: Low shot of the ground for a few seconds before: bolt falls to the floor, then another item drops, then an item that has been previously referenced drops to the floor
Shot 13: The robin can be seen looking at the nest, inside the nest cannot be seen but various things are still dropping from the entrance
Shot 14: The magpie sticks his head out of the entrance squinting, throwing yet another bolt from the nest
Shot 15: The robin starts singing
Shot 16: The magpie flies, hovers and lands a little way from the robin and eats a berry off a branch
Shot 17: A panning shot goes from the two birds on a branch to passed the old bird box which is looking faded and pointless, the two birds fly passed the bird box one after the other chirping
Shot 18: a shot of the “trinkets” on the floor below the nest showing signs of rust as the credits roll
For the magpie and the robin to interact at the end some something will have to happen between them earlier in the story This could be:
Robin flying up to the nest to give the magpie food
Robin flying in the nest and neither bird being bothered
Magpie watching the robin through the entrance of the nest, robin watching back
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