1 00:00:07,419 --> 00:00:10,000 Hi my name is Tony and this is Every Frame a Painting. 2 00:00:10,500 --> 00:00:13,250 If you grew up like I did, you probably watched a lot of Looney Tunes. 3 00:00:13,500 --> 00:00:15,240 And if you paid attention to the credits 4 00:00:15,300 --> 00:00:16,600 then you recognize this name. 5 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:19,118 -"My full name is Charles Martin Jones." 6 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:22,300 -"This is not where I really belong." 7 00:00:22,719 --> 00:00:24,699 -"I belong behind the camera." 8 00:00:28,250 --> 00:00:31,070 Chuck Jones is one of the all-time masters of visual comedy. 9 00:00:31,070 --> 00:00:34,000 Between 1938 and 1962 he directed 10 00:00:34,100 --> 00:00:36,189 more than 200 cartoons for Warner Bros. 11 00:00:36,189 --> 00:00:38,399 Ten films a year, six minutes per film. 12 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:45,230 What's astonishing is that they hold up more than 50 years later. 13 00:00:45,229 --> 00:00:48,308 And among them are some of the greatest short films ever made. 14 00:00:48,799 --> 00:00:52,049 But none of this happened overnight. It was a long process. 15 00:00:52,049 --> 00:00:53,799 So today, let’s take a look... 16 00:00:56,700 --> 00:00:58,400 at how a good artist became a great one. 17 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:02,200 -"All right. Let’s get this picture started!" 18 00:01:04,500 --> 00:01:06,000 -"No! No!" 19 00:01:06,700 --> 00:01:09,240 The most famous aspect of any Chuck Jones cartoon 20 00:01:09,239 --> 00:01:11,399 (and the parts you probably remember) are the jokes 21 00:01:16,849 --> 00:01:18,769 written by Michael Maltese and Tedd Pierce. 22 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:22,310 Nearly every gag here follows a classic two-part structure. 23 00:01:22,310 --> 00:01:23,500 The first part… 24 00:01:25,950 --> 00:01:27,799 leads you to make an assumption. The second part... 25 00:01:31,799 --> 00:01:32,799 proves it wrong. 26 00:01:32,900 --> 00:01:34,500 That’s it. Assumption: 27 00:01:39,879 --> 00:01:40,750 Reality. 28 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:43,200 And in the early cartoons, the jokes are fantastic 29 00:01:43,299 --> 00:01:44,799 and they happen one after the other. 30 00:01:48,430 --> 00:01:51,470 But here’s the truth: the gags are only the surface level. 31 00:01:51,469 --> 00:01:53,200 What really sets these films apart 32 00:01:53,250 --> 00:01:55,500 is the amount of work that was put into character. 33 00:01:55,900 --> 00:01:57,300 And that process took a long time. 34 00:01:57,400 --> 00:01:59,800 -"All characters are a process of learning." 35 00:01:59,810 --> 00:02:03,600 -"It’s hard for people to understand who watch actors... 36 00:02:03,599 --> 00:02:08,109 -"...to realize that, actors come with an ability. They’ve played other parts." 37 00:02:08,750 --> 00:02:09,750 -"Hello." 38 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:11,800 -"When you bring in a drawing, all you have is a drawing." 39 00:02:11,900 --> 00:02:13,599 -"And you have to put in the character." 40 00:02:13,699 --> 00:02:15,429 Consider the case of Daffy Duck. 41 00:02:15,430 --> 00:02:17,000 When he first started out… 42 00:02:20,460 --> 00:02:22,700 Daffy was more or less insane. 43 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:25,300 -"Gosh what a screwy duck." 44 00:02:25,699 --> 00:02:28,239 But over the course of 15 years, he changed 45 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:31,469 from being the one who laughs to being the butt of the joke. 46 00:02:35,770 --> 00:02:39,219 This Daffy is less crazy but it’s easier to understand what he wants. 47 00:02:39,219 --> 00:02:40,400 He wants money. 48 00:02:40,699 --> 00:02:41,889 He wants to be a star. 49 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:43,199 In short, he wants glory. 50 00:02:43,900 --> 00:02:45,800 -"This looks like a job for... 51 00:02:48,030 --> 00:02:50,870 -"...The Masked Avenger!" 52 00:02:50,870 --> 00:02:55,000 In fact, all of Chuck Jones' characters have very clearly defined wants. 53 00:02:55,199 --> 00:02:56,799 This one wants a home. 54 00:02:57,000 --> 00:02:58,500 This one wants to daydream. 55 00:02:59,318 --> 00:03:01,500 And this one just wants somebody to love. 56 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:06,000 -"Ah my little darling. It is love at first sight, is it not?" 57 00:03:06,300 --> 00:03:08,590 Notice that every desire here is very simple. 58 00:03:08,590 --> 00:03:11,300 And the simpler the desire, the more vivid the character. 59 00:03:14,500 --> 00:03:15,840 Once you know what the character wants 60 00:03:15,900 --> 00:03:17,300 you can figure out the next question: 61 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:19,500 How does this particular individual move? 62 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,759 -"Every action is dictated by what goes on inside of you." 63 00:03:23,759 --> 00:03:26,299 -"You have to be able to think the way the character thinks." 64 00:03:26,500 --> 00:03:29,879 -"If you can’t tell what’s happening by the way the character moves..." 65 00:03:29,900 --> 00:03:30,879 -"...you’re not animating." 66 00:03:30,879 --> 00:03:34,000 -"I am a snake and you have charmed me, no?" 67 00:03:34,699 --> 00:03:36,299 -"It helps to have the dialogue..." 68 00:03:36,300 --> 00:03:38,000 -"...but the dialogue is not the thing that makes it work." 69 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:41,419 -"The story should tell itself by the way it moves." 70 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:45,039 So let’s say you know what the character wants 71 00:03:45,039 --> 00:03:46,900 and you know how they move to get it. 72 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:48,439 What about the jokes? 73 00:03:48,439 --> 00:03:50,099 What happens to the assumption… 74 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:53,050 and the reality? 75 00:03:53,050 --> 00:03:56,239 Well, now the assumption includes the personality of the character. 76 00:03:56,239 --> 00:03:59,300 For instance, we know that Daffy will always pick a fight 77 00:04:01,099 --> 00:04:03,609 because it’s part of his desire for glory. 78 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:06,000 -"Take over." 79 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:08,300 Likewise, we know the Coyote’s device will fail 80 00:04:08,500 --> 00:04:10,759 so Jones can play this gag offscreen 81 00:04:10,759 --> 00:04:12,000 which ends up making it funnier. 82 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:20,639 But there is a danger to this approach. 83 00:04:20,639 --> 00:04:24,219 If you just focus on great jokes with the same well-defined characters 84 00:04:24,220 --> 00:04:26,000 you can easily get trapped in a formula. 85 00:04:26,399 --> 00:04:29,319 -"Sometimes I feel very sorry for the Coyote." 86 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:32,399 -"Sometimes I wish he’d catch him." 87 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:40,800 -"If he caught him there wouldn’t be any more Road Runner." 88 00:04:41,699 --> 00:04:43,399 -"You wouldn’t like that, would you?" 89 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:45,800 So to avoid this problem, Jones did something. 90 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:48,629 This is one of the defining aspects of his work. 91 00:04:48,629 --> 00:04:51,949 It’s a word that he uses and that other people use about him. 92 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:53,500 -"Beep Beep!" 93 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:57,110 -"It also stands out as an example of the kind of discipline..." 94 00:04:57,110 --> 00:04:59,580 -"...Chuck Jones liked to set for himself." 95 00:04:59,579 --> 00:05:02,500 -"This is the vital factor in all comedy or all drama." 96 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:04,199 -"What are your disciplines?" 97 00:05:04,199 --> 00:05:07,659 Discipline. The challenges and restrictions you set for yourself. 98 00:05:07,899 --> 00:05:10,000 Like designing a character with no mouth. 99 00:05:11,300 --> 00:05:12,300 Or no face. 100 00:05:13,529 --> 00:05:15,299 Or using no dialogue except for this. 101 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:21,000 -"Hello my baby, hello my honey, hello my ragtime gal." 102 00:05:21,399 --> 00:05:23,679 Because animation lets you do anything 103 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:25,840 you have to think about what you won't do. 104 00:05:26,300 --> 00:05:28,000 And in Jones’ case, there were lots of rules 105 00:05:28,199 --> 00:05:30,279 about the world, the characters and their behavior. 106 00:05:30,300 --> 00:05:33,000 For instance, Bugs Bunny never picked a fight. 107 00:05:33,300 --> 00:05:34,590 Somebody had to do this… 108 00:05:34,589 --> 00:05:39,299 -"Kill the wabbit! Kill the wabbit! Kill the wabbit!" 109 00:05:39,300 --> 00:05:41,000 ...and only then would he fight back. 110 00:05:41,300 --> 00:05:43,069 -"Kill the wabbit?" 111 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,500 -"Bugs Bunny is not just an insane rabbit." 112 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:51,360 -"Somebody’s always trying to get him. And he’s retaliating." 113 00:05:51,500 --> 00:05:53,399 -"He has to be provoked. And we learned that." 114 00:05:53,500 --> 00:05:55,000 -"It was very important that he be provoked." 115 00:05:55,199 --> 00:05:57,029 -"Because otherwise, he’d be a bully." 116 00:05:58,029 --> 00:06:01,599 -"Of course you realize this means war." 117 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:05,139 A similar restriction happened to how the characters expressed themselves. 118 00:06:05,139 --> 00:06:08,199 Early on, they tended to go through a quick barrage of facial expressions. 119 00:06:12,300 --> 00:06:14,500 But over time, these grew less and less. 120 00:06:14,899 --> 00:06:18,299 -"Particularly in the later films Chuck became very fond..." 121 00:06:19,500 --> 00:06:23,199 -"...of using the smallest possible gestures..." 122 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:26,300 -"...facial gestures to get laughs." 123 00:06:32,279 --> 00:06:34,449 -"Chuck’s facial expressions were the best in the business..." 124 00:06:34,449 --> 00:06:36,800 -"...Because he was a minimalist." 125 00:06:42,918 --> 00:06:44,609 -"All humor grows from two things." 126 00:06:44,610 --> 00:06:47,860 -"All humor, I believe, comes from human behavior and logic." 127 00:06:48,899 --> 00:06:50,399 -"If it’s not logical it’s not gonna be funny... 128 00:06:50,399 --> 00:06:51,799 -"...And if it doesn’t come from human behavior..." 129 00:06:51,899 --> 00:06:53,449 -"...how the hell do you know it’s funny?" 130 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:56,000 Think of it this way: this is human behavior. 131 00:06:56,300 --> 00:06:58,000 -"Ha ha! Now!" 132 00:07:00,678 --> 00:07:01,799 That was logic. 133 00:07:02,199 --> 00:07:04,550 And the logic is something you improve at over time. 134 00:07:06,850 --> 00:07:08,200 But what about human behavior? 135 00:07:08,300 --> 00:07:10,300 How do you improve at understanding that? 136 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:12,689 The truth is, there’s only one way. 137 00:07:12,689 --> 00:07:14,300 And it’s not by watching films. 138 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:21,600 -"When you talk to Chuck, he is always encouraging you..." 139 00:07:21,899 --> 00:07:25,199 -...to go to the source: to study real life, to study art..." 140 00:07:25,399 --> 00:07:29,299 -"...and apply that to your animation. It’s not just drawing funny faces." 141 00:07:34,050 --> 00:07:36,619 Jones believed it wasn’t enough to just watch movies. 142 00:07:36,699 --> 00:07:38,500 You had to have interests outside of film. 143 00:07:38,699 --> 00:07:40,500 You had to study real life. 144 00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:42,300 Most of all, he encouraged this: 145 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:45,199 -"Reading. Read Everything." 146 00:07:45,500 --> 00:07:47,300 -"It doesn’t do you much good to draw..." 147 00:07:47,399 --> 00:07:48,799 -"...unless you have something to draw..." 148 00:07:48,899 --> 00:07:50,500 -"...and the only place you can get anything to draw..." 149 00:07:50,500 --> 00:07:51,500 -"...is from out of that head." 150 00:07:51,509 --> 00:07:54,338 -"And the only way that you can exercise the mind..." 151 00:07:54,500 --> 00:07:56,100 -"...is by bringing new ideas to it..." 152 00:07:56,199 --> 00:07:57,500 -"...So it’ll be surprised." 153 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:03,699 -"And say 'God I didn’t know that.'" 154 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:05,300 -"That’s the greatest thing in the world..." 155 00:08:05,300 --> 00:08:08,430 -"...that 'Gee I didn’t know that.' And there you are, you know?" 156 00:08:09,430 --> 00:08:11,650 There you are. It’s not just about gags. 157 00:08:12,300 --> 00:08:13,500 Not just about characters. 158 00:08:13,899 --> 00:08:15,199 Not just about discipline. 159 00:08:15,709 --> 00:08:18,299 It’s about studying the real world and learning something new. 160 00:08:18,500 --> 00:08:20,600 Then putting that back into the work. 161 00:08:20,699 --> 00:08:22,399 In other words, inspiration. 162 00:08:25,939 --> 00:08:27,310 And the great thing about this kind of inspiration? 163 00:08:27,500 --> 00:08:31,300 -"You can find it anyplace. You can find it anyplace."