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take (A) To look away from a person or object, then suddenly turn back. (B) A sequence

of recording without a stop.

thaumatrope A device with a card or disk containing pictures on either side that appear

to blend into one when the device is twirled.

theme A timeless truth. The values expressed, the lesson that the protagonist learns, the

central message of the story. Forgiveness wins out over revenge. Not all cartoons have a

theme, but many do. A feature animation script almost always has a theme.

three-shot (3-shot) Three people on the screen.

ticking clock A story device that puts the audience on the edge of their seats. We learn

that something terrible and often life-threatening will surely happen at a specific time if the

hero doesn’t take action to save the day before then.

tilt field Camera turned at an angle.

timing A film is timed to best tell the story in a specific format (short, feature, etc.). A scene

is timed for mood and pace. Animation timing is normally fast. An action can be perceived

in just a few frames. Comedy and gags require fast timing in order to be funny. Action is

also paced quickly. Animation timing is all-important. Some directors time their animation

to a metronome or to music.

treatment (A) A narrative description of a story including a description of major charac-

ters and most of the scenes. Similar to a beat outline. A TV cartoon normally goes from

premise to outline to script. A feature script normally goes from treatment to script. The

feature animation treatment is often written as a pitching tool and may be identical to a

live-action treatment. (B) In multimedia, the narrative treatment describes the key elements

and structure of a project in narrative form.

truck-ins or truck-outs In traditional animation the camera moves as though on a truck.

The art does not move, but the camera does. If the camera trucks in (or toward) an image,

we seem to be moving toward it, and vice versa. Trucks make something significant—the

audience will be involved. The speed of a truck has meaning; quick trucks give an emotional

jolt. Trucks indicate a change in location, not time. (For the traditional camera, panning and

trucking at the same time can be technically difficult. A five field is the smallest field that

should be used in trucking down; a six field is better. There are 120 moves from a six field

to a twelve field, and they should be exposed in multiples of eight or four for the camera.

Computer trucks are almost unlimited.)

turnaround time The length of time you have to write your story from assignment to

deadline.

turning point A major reversal or twist in the action usually appears at the ends of Act I

and Act II. Something happens to spin the action around in another direction.

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