Philosophy

I'm about to start my first assignment this morning, so last night, while I was doing some initial brainstorming about my character, I decided to jot down some notes to remind myself of what I should be striving for. They're sort of "thinking out loud", so they're all over the place, but there you go.
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Animation & Philosophy
( Time to break some lazy habits)

- Personality, all mechanics serve the character's personality. Who is this character. How is he/she unique & different. Push specificity.

-Ollie Johnston's old adage- " What is the character doing, and why does he feel that way."

-Entertainment. Why should the audience care. Can they relate ? Is this reminiscent of something they've experienced before ? Or Is it surprising & unexpected ?

-Sincerity , How does the character feel, how do you want the audience to feel. Empathize with your character, relate to him/her.

-Research, study. Become the authority on the subject. Caricature should have it's roots in real life.

- Backstory. What happened to the character before this that lead him/her to be this way. How does this fit into the bigger picture ?

- Forward motion. What does the character want, big or small. Ambitious characters are interesting.

- Planning. Taking real time to sit and think about the shot, clarify your vision of what the end result will look like. Don't lose time stumbling in the dark .

-Pursuit of perfection, make sure you are proud of everything that leaves your desk.
"The scene is done when it's perfect." - Marc Davis