[Commlist] Journal of Screenwriting 9.3 published

Intellect is delighted to announce that the Journal of Screenwriting 9.3 
is now available!

Special issue: Animation

For more information about the issue, click here >> 
https://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/journals/view-issue,id=3677/

Contents

After Hitchcock: Animation – ‘the bastard form of writing’
Authors: Paul Wells And Chris Pallant

Analysing the advantages of Aristotle’s two-act structure in comparison 
with Syd Field’s three-act structure in short comedic animation 
scriptwriting
Authors: Sara Khalili

This article investigates Aristotle’s two-act structure as an 
alternative for short comedic animation scriptwriting, and examines its 
advantages in comparison with Syd Field’s three-act structure. In this 
study, I am more interested in independent short form animation that 
finds comedy in dramatic situations, rather than being directly 
constructed as a series of gags. In certain cases, the three-act 
structure has been attributed to Aristotle. However, as Tierno implies, 
Aristotle merely suggests a two-act structure in his Poetics, consisting 
of complication and denouement, which has similarities to and even 
overlaps with Syd Field’s three-act structure (set-up, confrontation, 
resolution), so that they have been assumed to be identical by mistake. 
Meanwhile, there are subtle differences between the two structures, 
which will be separately discussed in this article. The three-act 
structure is widely used in Hollywood live-action and animation 
features. It is also applicable in short scripts but it sometimes 
appears to encumber, especially in very short animations. A short 
animation scenarist, who tries to be as minimal as possible, may not 
want to sacrifice the clarity of the story for the sake of this brevity. 
By applying an adaptive approach with an analytical-descriptive method, 
the present article shows how, in Aristotle’s two-act structure, it is 
possible to create a structured story in the shortest possible form by 
omitting the ‘set-up’ section and stepping into the heart of the story. 
The findings of the study reveal that the two-act structure could be a 
suitable alternative for comedic plots in which stereotypical characters 
appear as protagonists and the audience is not expected to spend much 
time building deep identification with them.

How to write a screenplay with a chainsaw
Authors: Dennis Tupicoff

The idea for Chainsaw began in two newspaper obituaries steeped in 
romanticism, anthropomorphism and death. One celebrated the life of an 
Australian rodeo bull called Chainsaw, the other a Spanish bullfighter. 
Subsequent research linked to other subjects, from the dangers of 
chainsaws to Hollywood sex triangles and more: all non-fiction and all, 
apparently, far from animation. In Chainsaw rotoscoped animation is 
reality; archival B&W footage is used ironically in the Hollywood dreams 
and nightmares of the fictional characters. The chainsaw itself is a 
powerful metaphor for a type of story and a narrative structure. The 
fictional and non-fictional stories are linked in various ways, set in 
motion by human drives and desires, cutting through space and time and 
through the characters’ lives. An old chainsaw safety video provides us 
with the fictional couple Frank and Ava Gardner, seen then and now, as 
they move to a bloody denouement. The ‘real’ worlds of bullfighting, 
rodeo and Hollywood – strange ceremonies devised for entertainment – are 
saturated in fantasy and romance. In the natural world there is the 
collateral killing of which humans are unaware. But the trees and beasts 
and birds will endure after all the human drama and romance are played out.

Screenwriting animation in the essay film: The challenges presented by 
silenced history
Authors: Romana Turina

This article explores the use of animation in the essay film and 
analyses how screenwriting animation becomes a complex process of 
translation of the message the film wishes to address. With a focus on 
issues encountered in the development of two short essay films, Lunch 
with Family (2016) and San Sabba (2016), the article maps the process 
that in both cases guided the scripting of animated sequences, and 
analyses why in the editing room the director chose to use stills from 
the animations, instead. An example of the narrative techniques applied 
to mediate silenced history and postmemory in film, this contribution 
intends to add to the larger discussion on the current state of the art 
in screenwriting non-fiction.

Performing without the use of a net: Making an animated feature without 
a storyboard
Authors: Jan Bultheel

Generally we think that the storyboard is the holy grail when making 
animation movies. But that same storyboard can also be an obstacle to 
improvisation, intuition, free artistic expression and last-minute 
ideas. Reflecting on this dilemma, I devised an alternative way to make 
an animated feature based on mocap technology and the talent of a cast 
of professional actors, skipping the storyboard entirely and having the 
freedom for changes almost until rendering. Cafard (2015) is that 
experiment. It is on the crossroad between theatre, cinema and game 
technology, combining the best of each world.

Creating The Lion King: Story development, authorship and accreditation 
in the Disney Renaissance
Authors: David Chandler

The Lion King, Disney’s most lucrative property, began life as the most 
successful animated film to emerge from the Disney Renaissance. It was 
developed against a background of creative transformation and personal 
feuding at the studio, as Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg 
attempted to introduce a new, script-led method of making animated 
films. This article examines the accreditation given to writers in the 
film’s credits, Katzenberg’s claim to have originated much of the story 
himself, and the actual slow process of story development from first 
concept (1988) to finished screenplay (1993). Emphasis is placed on the 
original creative brief, to produce a Bambi-like film based on ‘[r]eal 
lion behaviour’, the first story treatment by Thomas M. Disch, the 
additions to that story made by later writers and directors, and the 
conflict between more realistic and more fantastical visions of animal 
behaviour that slowed the movie’s development for years. Based on 
collections of primary source material not in the public domain, and 
personal correspondence with many people involved in shaping the movie, 
this is the first full history of the screenplay of The Lion King.

Discussing the notion of ‘writing for animation’: The case of 
Dragonkeeper (2020)
Authors: Pablo Castrillo

The project Dragonkeeper (2020) is an animated, international 
co-production between Spain and China, with the involvement of Dragoia 
Media, Movistar Plus, Atresmedia Cine and China Film Group, the largest 
film company in the Middle Kingdom. The film is based on the first of a 
series of novels by Australian author Carole Wilkinson, published by 
Walker Books: Dragonkeeper (2003), followed by Garden of the Purple 
Dragon (2005), and Dragon Moon (2007). This wealth of source materials 
and diversity of players provides a fertile environment to explore and 
question the meaning of ‘writing for animation’, as the process advances 
along the various stages of development of an adaptation and 
pre-production of an animated feature film. Here it is argued that the 
screenwriter’s role in an early stage of development should not be 
affected by the particularities of the medium, but rather, on the 
effective design of a story that must appeal to global audiences. The 
true process of ‘writing for animation’ begins once a director provides 
a unifying vision for the film’s development, entering a collaborative 
relationship with writers, artists and producers, through the visual 
means provided by concept art and storyboarding.

Adapting children’s literature for animated TV series: The case of Heidi
Authors: Eleonora Fornasari

Children’s literature includes some classics that are pervasive, thanks 
to media adaptations that have made them known worldwide such as, among 
many, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Carrol 1865), Peter Pan in 
Kensington Gardens (Barrie 1906), and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 
(Dahl 1964). It is not by chance that with each new generation, fresh 
adaptations of children’s classics appear. The following article will 
focus on the specifics of writing for animated TV series aimed at a 
children’s audience, comparing two adaptations of Johanna Spyri’s 1880 
Swiss novel Heidi: Arupusu no Shôjo Haiji, Heidi (Heidi, Girl of the 
Alps) (Fuji TV, 1974) and its 3D reboot Heidi (TF1, 2015). Heidi, Girl 
of the Alps first appeared in Japan in 1974, marking the beginning of 
the so-called ‘anime-boom’ that lasted till the mid-1980s. The series, 
comprised of 52 episodes, was produced by Zuiyo Enterprises. Directed by 
Isao Takahata, it boasts the drawings of Oscar winner Hayao Miyazaki and 
can be considered the initiator of the ‘Meisaku’ genre, also known as 
the World Masterpiece Theatre that showcased animated versions of the 
most beloved western children’s novels. Heidi 3D, instead, is a CGI 
animation remake of the 1974 anime adaptation, and was produced by 
Studio 100 in 39 episodes. In this version, Heidi appears as a 
modernized, more colourful 3D incarnation of herself. The comparison 
between the two adaptations will show not only how the original material 
has changed in the transition from one series to the other, but also how 
animation affects the way in which a story for television is told and 
plays a role in keeping classic stories ever-new.

Reviews
Authors: Anna Weinstein And Sarah Whorton And Laura Kirk And Claus Tieber

The Aspiring Screenwriter’s Dirty Lowdown Guide to Fame and Fortune: 
Tough Lessons You Need to Know to Take Your Script From Premise to 
Premiere, Andy Rose (2018)
Creat ing Compelling Characters for Film, TV, Theat re and Radio, Rib 
Davis (2016)
The Writers: A History of American Screenwriters and Their Guild, 
Miranda J. Banks (2015)
Classical Hollywood Cinema: Film Style and Mode of Production to 1960, 
David Bordwell, Janet Staiger and Kristin Thompson ([1985] 1988)
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