Did you know that horses also have a locking mechanism in their fetlocks so that they can sleep standing up without falling over?! I think its in their fetlock. But they have it for sure. I learnt a lot of interesting facts tonight! Thank you. Xx
I don't dispute Maltese's discounting Chuck Jones' "rules," but, as a lifelong fan of all things Jones (even chatting with him at his Newport Beach gallery in the '80s) and his fellow "Termite Terrace" inhabitants, I do know that Jones had similar "rules" for other character motivations. The most obvious one being Bugs Bunny's penchant for never starting anything! He minds his own business until somebody pesters HIM......then, of course, we get his, "Of course you realize, this means war!"
So, even if Maltese is/was correct, most character writers (live action or animation) will (or should) have some guidelines (or verbal "sketches") to keep their characters consistent, lest we have Tweety with a potty mouth, or Pepe LePew perpetually hitting on tomcats!
Frankly, if I was still a teacher (and certainly, if I was teaching a writing class), I'd challenge my students to come up with what they think the reasons for each of Jones' "rules" are (it matters not, at this point, if Jones or Maltese were right...'tis the content)! In other words, why CAN'T any outside force hurt Wile E.? How would his character be impacted if anything other than his ineptitude and/or ACME product failure ended up hurting him?
Great comment, Brad. And questions. I think it's kind of neat that they bothered to have 'rules' for cartoon characters. I guess writing scripts is not different than doing a character work up for a fictional book character. From the internet: "How to create vivid characters for your novel or screenplay.
That's exactly right! As I don't do fiction, I didn't draw the line from Jones and "Termite Terrace" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warner_Bros._Cartoons) to what our 'Stack fiction writers have to go through (or certainly should)! There's, literally, no difference.
I'm forever trying to "pick fights" with Disney lovers, taunting them that Bugs could beat Mickey with one ear tied behind his back, but, more to the point, you KNOW what Bugs' personality is....it's clearly and memorably defined, right down to his stock sayings.
Mick? "Hey-oh!" That's about all there is to his "personality"! All of what you said in your reply is exactly what we come back to, as fiction consumers (me? I'm a sitcom nerd) and why we love the characters we love! To wit: Ed Asner's stereotypical "gruff, but lovable, with a heart of gold" Lou Grant character from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"!
It's those same notes/rules you list that also direct movie and TV studios to send out audition notices. From FR&B's actual pages comes Stephen Michael Schwartz's account of auditioning for the 1978 "Please Stand By" sitcom with Charlene Tilton: "Wanted: A David Cassidy type!" We know (and Stephen and his agent knew) immediately what the studio was looking for, and it wasn't a crusty, but lovable newsroom station manager!
So, people these days really are getting more small minded, I can now say that with sounding immensely negative, its just a fact, it’s such a relief, gotta be so careful with speech these days…
I have a personal unwritten goal of learning at least one new thing every day. Today, I learned they found a Trojan in King Tut's tomb.
Don't think I won't repeat it to everybody I see today.
LOL! Thanks, Jim!
The Road Runner Rules rule. Great list.
Thanks for reading, Adam!
...another banger...the razor blade thing reminds me of the dude who ate a plane...
Thanks!
"In 2003, two men stole a parked Boeing 727 from Luanda International Airport in Angola and flew away into the sunset. They've never been found"
Best fact ever. I root for guys like this! 😂😂 Was Edward Snowden on that plane? 🤣
LOL! Love your comment, Kristi.
Did you know that horses also have a locking mechanism in their fetlocks so that they can sleep standing up without falling over?! I think its in their fetlock. But they have it for sure. I learnt a lot of interesting facts tonight! Thank you. Xx
Good to know, Francesca. I had no idea that horses had a similar thing. Thanks for commenting!
I don't dispute Maltese's discounting Chuck Jones' "rules," but, as a lifelong fan of all things Jones (even chatting with him at his Newport Beach gallery in the '80s) and his fellow "Termite Terrace" inhabitants, I do know that Jones had similar "rules" for other character motivations. The most obvious one being Bugs Bunny's penchant for never starting anything! He minds his own business until somebody pesters HIM......then, of course, we get his, "Of course you realize, this means war!"
So, even if Maltese is/was correct, most character writers (live action or animation) will (or should) have some guidelines (or verbal "sketches") to keep their characters consistent, lest we have Tweety with a potty mouth, or Pepe LePew perpetually hitting on tomcats!
Frankly, if I was still a teacher (and certainly, if I was teaching a writing class), I'd challenge my students to come up with what they think the reasons for each of Jones' "rules" are (it matters not, at this point, if Jones or Maltese were right...'tis the content)! In other words, why CAN'T any outside force hurt Wile E.? How would his character be impacted if anything other than his ineptitude and/or ACME product failure ended up hurting him?
Great comment, Brad. And questions. I think it's kind of neat that they bothered to have 'rules' for cartoon characters. I guess writing scripts is not different than doing a character work up for a fictional book character. From the internet: "How to create vivid characters for your novel or screenplay.
Start with a character archetype. ...
Add specific characteristics. ...
Build the backstory. ...
Give them quirks, faults, and flaws. ...
Give your character an arc. ...
Add visual references. ...
Organise & refine. ...
Create the rest of your characters."
That's exactly right! As I don't do fiction, I didn't draw the line from Jones and "Termite Terrace" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warner_Bros._Cartoons) to what our 'Stack fiction writers have to go through (or certainly should)! There's, literally, no difference.
I'm forever trying to "pick fights" with Disney lovers, taunting them that Bugs could beat Mickey with one ear tied behind his back, but, more to the point, you KNOW what Bugs' personality is....it's clearly and memorably defined, right down to his stock sayings.
Mick? "Hey-oh!" That's about all there is to his "personality"! All of what you said in your reply is exactly what we come back to, as fiction consumers (me? I'm a sitcom nerd) and why we love the characters we love! To wit: Ed Asner's stereotypical "gruff, but lovable, with a heart of gold" Lou Grant character from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"!
It's those same notes/rules you list that also direct movie and TV studios to send out audition notices. From FR&B's actual pages comes Stephen Michael Schwartz's account of auditioning for the 1978 "Please Stand By" sitcom with Charlene Tilton: "Wanted: A David Cassidy type!" We know (and Stephen and his agent knew) immediately what the studio was looking for, and it wasn't a crusty, but lovable newsroom station manager!
👉https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/please-stand-by-stephen-michael-schwartz
So, people these days really are getting more small minded, I can now say that with sounding immensely negative, its just a fact, it’s such a relief, gotta be so careful with speech these days…
Thank you for sharing!