Alison Mann From Fourth Wall Animation Talks Animation

Alison Mann is the Co-Founder of BRIC Foundation & Talent Manager and Co-President of Fourth Wall Animation at Fourth Wall Management. She has worked with big industry names including Nickelodeon/ MTV, Walt Disney Animation Studio, Zynga, Disney Interactive,  Paramount Pictures Animation, Illumination Entertainment and Sony Pictures Animation. She shared her thoughts for screenwriters interested in this space.

What is the state of the animation market right now?

In one word, I would say it’s in flux. It is an interesting time for animation. During the pandemic, animation lead the way for all to be able to continue to create when several entertainment sectors had to shut down. Coming out of the pandemic, animation seems to be cast aside, which is unfortunate. There are so many great stories that can be told within this medium. That, coupled with mergers, studios trying to figure out how to retain their audience and development strategies shifting what feels every month, it seems more challenging than ever to navigate the animation space, and there is a slowdown of networks moving forward with projects.

What should writers know about the animation world before writing in the platform?

Remember that we are a visual medium. Think about how the medium helps elevate your narrative. That you must really describe your world, and characters in a way that paints the canvas for the visual storytellers to continue using your words to wield it into the screen. Because of the vibrant flexibility animation brings, it allows the writer and animators to subtly broadcast the emotions of the characters through the art.

Expressions can be exaggerated, points can be punctuated, and mood can be modified through the artistic medium. Animation also allows the writer to explore high-concept ideas in a literal way, i.e. Inside Out explored the origin and functions of emotions, while, Soul tackled existential experiences. Both movies had very complex ideas in imaginative worlds, but they conveyed them through grounded, relatable characters.

What makes a story best suited to the animation medium?  

Any story can be suited for animation in my opinion.  Animation is a medium, not a genre. It is about creating space for the visual to help support and amplify the written word. For example, there’s an animated Beauty and the Beast and a live-action one. It’s the same story, but the media make them entirely different movie experiences.

Is there anything specific to the animated screenplay format writers need to consider?

Pretty much no, beyond getting specific about what expressions, physicality, or action that needs to happen in the story. The directors, storyboard artists and character designers will bring their creativity and skills to enhance the story. A well-written script will inspire the animators to stop everything and start sketching. A quick Google search for “Spiderverse script PDF” (or other animated feature of your choosing) will illustrate an animated and live-action script have more in common than not.

What are the key features of the development and production process in animation writers should be aware of?

It is a collaborative medium. For TV, if it is a board-driven show, you may be asked to do an outline and then it goes to the board artists to write the rest of the scene/episode. For a feature, be proud of what you wrote, but have the expectations that what you wrote will be used as a foundation for the direction the movie will go in. There will be several changes to the story during production as they storyboard it out and put it up on reels.

Think of artists as actors for the animated characters. They’re creative individuals who will bring their own personality and ideas to make the character’s image leap off the screen and give the movie life. It is exceedingly rare, even in live action, for a script to stay the same all the way through development, production, and post-production. Each stage has its own goals and guides that influence the final product. The development process is an open adoption where the writer gives birth, but the director and producers are going to raise the child. Trust me, it takes a village to make an animation film and it will be stronger as a result of the collaborative effort. If a writer is hellbent on having every word they write be used exactly as they wrote it, they should switch to writing graphic novels or be Quentin Tarantino.

Discuss the intersection of storyboard artists, producers, and directors with writers during the writing process?

It depends on the project, but every movie begins with an idea and the idea is fleshed out into a script. The same as with live action. After the first or first few drafts of the script are written, the material will be distributed to the producers, director, and storyboard artists. Each role will then do their part to bring the story to life. Storyboard artists give the movie movement and block out the action of the scenes. The director is the bottleneck that funnels the story, tone and themes of the movie, making sure they flow in an organic way with the vision for the story. Producers will get involved with casting, music and other factors that broaden the process to help bring it to life. The writer may or may not be involved with re-writes as the director and artists are animating the movie, but often these roles will influence, create or edit the script in a way to enrich the story.

This process can also go the other way starting with an existing character design or picture book. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs started as a book that talented writers expanded the story that was faithful to the animated world.

How might writers estimate budgets for animation vs live action?

Writers write. Budgeting is where live-action and animation are more different than they are similar. The producers and directors will know what is realistic within the budgetary constraints of animation and will frequently make changes that will keep the project within budget while staying true to the story. The writer should focus on telling the best story they can. Things will naturally evolve as the movie goes along the animation process.

What animated format is most viable in the current marketplace?

TV projects with a broad comedic sensibility seem to have the most traction right now. The film, unless you can find independent financing, is pretty challenging to get them made, but studios are looking for event-type movies i.e. Halloween, Holiday. Most of all, the industry seems fairly risk-averse, so having a pitch based on an already existing IP, may be more fruitful. When it comes to shorts, most of the time, that is a better calling card for building up your brand/career than anything else.

What kind of stories should animation writers be telling to make their projects more attractive to producers?

When I hear a pitch, I always want to hear the personal connection. Why this story is important to them, and do they feel it needs to be told now. With such a small needle to thread as far as what is being picked up these days, the more authentic the person is with the connection of their story the better.

Writers should avoid anything they do not feel passionate about. The best stories are the ones that come from the writers’ hearts through drafts of blood, sweat, and many, many tears. If the writer is phoning it in or trying to explore ideas, they themselves don’t understand, the reader/audience will be equally bored. Write what you know!

What separates an animation writer from a live action one?

There’s no difference in terms of writing structure, characters, and story between animation and live action. What separates them is the writers’ knowledge and enthusiasm for the medium. Fans of animation can often see the movie in their head and will have an easier time translating their vision into a script. They will usually have a sense of what’s possible because they’re seen everything that’s been done. Watch lots and lots of animated movies. Watch them with the captions on. Listen to them without watching the screen. Eventually, the writer will be able to look past the label of “animated” and start to see the movie as its own contained project. Again, Beauty and the Beast live-action was basically the animated version, but choose for yourself which medium was more effective at conveying the story.

Do you have any words of advice for writers wanting to enter the space?

Study the space, watch films that use the medium to help move the narrative forward, and immerse yourself. When watching an animated TV show or film do so with the captions on to see how they build dialogue and setups.

Lastly, respect the art. Animation is not simply for kids, nor has it been for decades. Animation is not a shortcut to get to published (in fact, animated movies and TV shows take years longer to complete). Animation is its own proud medium filled with incredibly talented, imaginative, and hard-working professionals. What can start as a writer’s idea on the page will grow into something real through the magic of animation.