Further Reading On Chuck Jones...(Chuck Amuck)

• Don Graham, taught philosphy of drawing and movement at Disney when the features were in production
• Tex Avery: King of Cartoons; Joe Anderson
• Friz Freleng: Birds Anonymous, Sahara Hare, Knighty Knight Bugs.
• Laugh with your characters-not at them. This great rule is as true of Friz's characters as it's true of Diane Langdon, Buster Keaton, Chaplin and Woody Allen.
• Six minute cartoons usually required about 150 story sketches assembled on a storyboard 8x4 feet. The writer and director working topgether as a team would then turn out a story for a cartoon in 5 weeks.
• All ideas for me seem to be based on variations of observable human behaviour.
• Comedy is unusual people in real situation's, farce is real people in unusual situation's
• A plot without characters is like a tennis court without it's player's.

. The Idea: Parody of Buck Rodgers
  The Characters: Daffy and Porky. Marvin the Martian and Dr. IQ High.
  The Incident: The search for Illudium Phosdex
  Environment: Outer Space and the City of the Future

I. The Story The writer and director agree on the stroy idea or premise, and the writer (Maltese) starts some rough storyboards, sketches, ignoring continuity, concentrating on "Business" between the characters. After about a week, the director calls a story session known as....

II. The Jam Session Attended by three directors (Friz, Bob and Chuck) the writers, (Warren Foster, Tedd Pierce and Maltese), and the production chief (Johnny Burton) and often, sadly, the producer. This was not a Brain Storming session, it was a "yes" session, but not an "anything goes" session. Anyhting went, but only if it was positive, supportive, and affirmitive to the premise. Anyone can say "no". It is the first word a child learns and often the first word he speaks. But what if nothing happens? What if the premise just lies doggo with faint response or no response at all from anybody?

Answer: The director will know, not because there is silence, but by the quality of response; if the suggestions are unresponsive to the basic idea the director will know in a half hour. In any case the moderator is the director who called the meeting.

III. Storyboard There was never a script at Warner Bros. All we developed on rough storyboards. Approx. 150 rough story sketches and rough dialogue were needed for six minute cartoon storyboard. After this is created, another story session is held, but this is breif and to the point, to see if there are any obvious errors in structure, dialogue or character. The stroyboard is then turned over to the director.

IV Direction The story as it will appear on the screen is now less than half done. We are at the point where the live action director, script in hand, would step onto the soundstage, but unlike the live action director, the animation director cannot tell his actors what to do - whips or gentle persuasion are equally useless when dealing with drawings.