Dot

I worked for an animation company for over four years as a writer, director, editor and compositor and one of the things that people would ask you is 'how can you stand it?'  How can you work in such minutia and not go stark raving mad?  Once you've worked in a place where a shot takes you a day (or two) for five or ten seconds of footage you realize that it's a lot like meditation.  Instead of thinking about finishing something you get caught up in the process of doing it.  Bit by bit you chisel away at the thing until it satisfies you.  If you don't enjoy the process you might go crazy.

A writer has the same problem as the stop motion animator.  You need to go slowly, moment by moment, beat by beat, until you finish the script.  You can't just paint broad strokes and call it a day.  You are in the trenches gaining a foot a day.  I wrote a new feature this summer and I felt good getting in two pages a day.  If I could hit five pages it was an inspired day.  If I could hit ten then my muse was certainly sitting on my shoulder although I don't remember ever hitting such dizzying heights.

The 'Making of"