Build it up, to tear it down, to build it up.

One of the great things I learned from Annecy this year was from one of the many Pixar talks I went to. One piece of advice about story was that Pixar often had screenplay/script reviews. Often. Very often. This was so that problems could be ironed out and the story could be perfected as much as possible before going into full-steam-ahead production with millions of pounds worth of people and equipment. This is to help avoid any last minute changes to story and script while in production, which is both costly and time consuming.

I have decided to follow Pixar's example with my screenplay and animatics. After my third draft, I gave it to a number of people for review. Some classmates and friends and one lecturer who I thought knew a good story when they saw/read it. Amazingly, so far, positive reviews. But this is to not say there weren't critical. I asked for honest opinions and suggestions and I got them. Not only that, many of them seemed to voice the same opinions and problems. Which is a good thing. It means there is a problem, and it's now easier to fix.

The main great thing I've got out of this technique so far, is the ending of the screenplay. After hearing that people were not satisfied with the ending of the tale as it was slightly boring and a bit of a let-down from a large build up, (while being happy with the build up) I decided to re-write the ending completely. Now with my fourth draft of the screenplay in hand, I feel confident this was a good move as the ending now seems to fit better, be more funny and overall a better fit for the film.

We as animators and storytellers must listen to (most) people's opinions. They are after all, our target audience. We must also be open to critical review, as without criticism we cannot improve our art.