Tuesday, September 12th, 2017 Posted by Jim Thacker

Master the fundamentals of storytelling for animation

Squash & Stretch: Fundamentals for Animators & Storytellers by Gnomon

Watch Gnomon’s Squash & Stretch: Fundamentals for Animators & Storytellers on Livestream.com. To be a successful animator or storyteller, it helps if you can think like the characters that you want to bring to life.


Gnomon is holding a free three-hour workshop on storytelling skills for animators co-presented by Walt Disney Productions storyboard artist Francis Glebas this Thursday, 14 September at its Hollywood campus.

The session, which includes both an introduction to story structure and practical excercises on acting for animators, will also be broadcast online. You can watch via the player embedded above.

Essential theory and practical exercises in storytelling for animators
The first in a new series of animation events hosted by Gnomon, Squash & Stretch: Fundamentals for Animators & Storytellers aims to cover essential storytelling skills for beginners and experienced artists alike.

The event will kick off with a talk on visual storytelling and story structure by artist and author Francis Glebas, whose resume includes such classic Disney animated features as Aladdin and The Lion King.

It will be followed by a series of practical acting exercises used by professional animators led by veteran character animator, CG supervisor and Emmy-nominated producer Laura Barbera.

Barbera will discuss how such exercises relate to the work of an animator, what to look out for in movement and character performance, and how real-world projects benefit from this kind of work.

For those attending in person, there will also be an optional final 30-minute group improv session, aimed at improving team-building and networking skills.

Free to attend, but register online in advance
Squash & Stretch: Fundamentals for Animators & Storytellers takes place at Gnomon’s Hollywood campus from 7-10pm on Thursday 14 September 2017. The event is free, but you’ll need to register online first.

If you can’t make it in person, you can also watch Francis Glebas’s talk and Laura Barbera’s acting exercises on Gnomon’s Livestream channel, although the final group improv session won’t be broadcast.

You don’t need to register for the stream, and can ask questions via Twitter using the hashtag #gnomon.

Read more about Squash & Stretch: Fundamentals for Animators & Storytellers on Gnomon’s website


Full disclosure: CG Channel is owned by Gnomon – School of Visual Effects, Games and Animation. Homepage image: student work by Allan Bernardo, based on a concept by Walt Disney Animation Studios.