What do Artists need from Writers to make it easy

[andrewgenaille]

In the near future I'm looking to collaborate on a project, actually it's more of 'I need help to do what I want to do.'

I'm a screenwriter from Canada and I've done a few films.

http://m.imdb.com/name/nm1969846/?ref=m_nv_sr_1

I deal mostly with live actors but I just discovered I really want to branch into animated movies. Shorts right now. To do that I have to show concept art or designs to The National Film Board.

My artistry skills aren't up to the challenge of what I want to do. Hands and noses are hard to draw.

https://tapas.io/series/Indian-Country-Chronicle

What I want to do is realistic and dark shaded, the ideas I have are First Nations (American Indian) drive.

So my question is... What do I need as a writer to show for an artist to work off of?

I write novels, screenplays are the format that I usually use and what I'm comfortable with; But at the same time I've been looking at formats for comic scripts... Doesn't have the same flow as a movie script though.

Thoughts?

[Kayke]

If you're pitching an animated short, you're going to need a "pitch bible" and a storyboard.
A pitch bible usually contains character designs (turn-around sheets), sample background designs, and a few illustrations of the characters in action or interacting with each other to further sell the idea. To do this the artist you hire will need good descriptions of the characters and setting, not just of the appearance of those things but also the mood.

For the storyboard, the artist should be able to go off of the script format you're already using. I have seen people use comics as pitches for animation, but those are usually done by people who already have a background in comics.

[Kamikaze]

Heya @andrewgenaille!

I work in both animation and comics, on the art and written side. I have to admit I'm not quite sure what you're looking for from your artist? Are you wanting story boards? Character pitch art? A comic to show to the film board?

If you're just looking for the best way to communicate what you're imagining to your artist, the best thing I've found is to do two things:
1. Create a pinterest account if you don't have one (no really, it helps!) and start a board with art that looks similar to what you're looking for. You can pin shots from films, or color palletes or other folks art to give a sense of direction for your artist. Artists often think very visually and providing a multitude of references they can pull from allow for better communication. When you put a pin on your board think about what it is you LIKE about that piece and be specific. If you're not specific about what you want you're only going to leave your artist stabbing around in the dark which wastes both time and money.
2. Give them room to impress you. When I'm working on a screenplay (since that's what you'll need for animation) I never include camera directions. As a screenwriter that isn't your job. In animation that's the story artists job. If you have a very specific idea of what you want a scene or shot to look like you can include that in a note, but don't bind your artist to follow every note you have to the letter. How else can they surprise and delight you? Give them the room to play! If it's a dark and stormy night, you might think "Oh, let me say it's an establishing shot of a castle in a forest, with a lightening bolt slicing the sky and making everything black and white and the lighting really eerie!" Okay cool, but...hasn't that been done before? Let your artist take the idea and run with it in a way that you haven't thought of - and make your story all the more unique because of their touch.

When working with artists they're not going to come up with what's exactly in your head, even if you describe it to the smallest detail. Be specific about what you want and do not want. Think about what 'realistic and dark shaded' means, because Tony Moore's art in the Walking Dead could be described that way, but the same could be said of Mike Mignola's Hellboy or Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns.

If you have any questions feel free to PM me. I could talk about this stuff all day. Good luck with your project! I think it sounds really cool

[andrewgenaille]

That definitely helps.

I didn't even consider that about "realistic and dark shaded," it's specific in my head but I'm looking at different peoples styles and they aren't the same but still fit that discription. It's a whole new way of thinking that's different from live action.

I actually like the idea of handing over a script, deciding on a concept of what I see it looking like and seeing what they come up with. Then tweeking it.

Would I be able to get away with something like that with the artist? 'Here's the script, I love the movie dark city, I'll see you on the other side." It probably wouldn't be like that though, there's a lot of discussions back and forth before anybody in film starts anything.

@Kaykedrawsthings that's basically what I would be looking for.

I don't know who is and isn't in Canada so if I'm explaining something you know, please forgive me; we have a National Film Board that either co-produces or produces shorts, documentaries or animated movies.

Up front they're just asking for an art portfolio including sketches of representative artwork. My take though is the more we can show them of what we're looking to do the better our chances.

I tried to upload a pic of the website but it wouldn't go past 24%. www.nfb.ca they have some good films.