CHAPTER 6
Development and the
Animation Bible
77
Getting Started
How can you turn your characters and your ideas into a project? Development is starting
with a kernel of an idea and growing that conceptinto something that will sell. In this chapter
we focus mainly on how to develop ideas into a marketable form. However, you’ll find many
suggestions that will help you in developing material for a student film or a short as well.
We also discuss briefly the presentation for selling a feature. To pitch a TV project you
normally need to develop the series idea, design characters, and a couple of major settings,
put it all into a bible (the presentation tool), and prepare your pitch. Developing games is
discussed more specifically later.
We’re looking here at the generally accepted rules for development. They’ve become
the rules because they’ve worked best over time. If you can break the rules and come up
with something that works better, do it! Just remember that companies must find an
audience and make money to stay in business.
Follow these steps to develop your own project:
- Take a great character and develop your project around her. Put her in the right
concept for that character. Bounce the world off of her. - You might want to create your project around a central issue, a kind of struggle, or a
general theme. Some central conflict ensures that there will always be action. A really
funny, off-the-wall, central predicament or fish-out-of-water situation for your project
ensures plenty of humor. - Try a design style that is completely fresh and unique.
- To develop a television show you might want to use a unique format (The Flintstones
was the first animated prime-time sitcom;Archiewas the first Saturday morning soap
opera).