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payoff A gag has its payoff or completion after being carefully set up. The payoff brings

the laugh.

pencil tests A series of animation drawings in pencil, filmed or videotaped, and projected

to see how well the animation works.

pilot The first episode or partial episode that’s written for a series. This may be a sales tool.

pinscreens Screens with hundreds or thousands of retractable pins, lit from two sides.

Frame by frame certain pins can be retracted or partially retracted to shorten the shadows

and lighten an area to change the image.

plot The skeletal storyline. The writer’s choice of events and their placement in time.

plot point Each important milestone in your plot.

plussing Adding to the project. Making it better.

polish A small and, usually, last revision of a script. Freelance writers are normally

expected to complete a first draft, revision, and polish of their commissioned script.

POV Point of view.

praxinoscope An early device to simulate motion, patented in 1877, using a colored strip

of paper on the inside of a rotating cylinder. Similar to the zoetrope. Invented by Emile

Reynaud in France.

premise (A) A brief summary of a TV episode idea, usually about a page in length. It nor-

mally includes all the plot points. Its purpose is to sell the story. (B) What a story is about,

the idea, notion, or concept that inspired you.

presentation The verbal or written pitch to sell a project. The written presentation for an

animated series is the presentation bible.

prosocial Programming that teaches good social skills such as sharing, independence, and

listening.

protagonist The main character that drives a story forward. This term is used interchange-

ably in this book with star, hero, or heroine because it’s the star or hero that normally drives

an animation story, making the hard choices. Strictly speaking, a protagonist is not always a

hero in all stories, and a hero is not always the protagonist. The catalyst that actually starts a

story moving may be the antagonist rather than the protagonist, especially in a mystery.

punch line The one-line payoff of a joke. The funny part. The surprise.

push in The camera moves closer to the artwork. A truck-in.

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