Imagineering Training Class 1

Welcome everyone to the first class of the Imagineering Training class. There are just a few things I would like to go over before we begin today.

First off I would like to state the rules of this class.

1)Complete all work on time.

2)No contact with other teams during the class duration.

3)Work as a Team.

4)If you fail to turn in assignments 2 or more times you are out of the class.

5)This class is not a funhouse, take it seriously, I will not tolerate any misbehavior or horsing around.

I would also like to state at this time the assignment part of this class. Assignments will be given in every class. They are expected to be turned in by the next class. Please post all assignments in the respective forum.

Now with that said lets get this class started.

[Big Disney Fan]

Do we need to PM our work to you?

Let me start off by giving you "Mickey's 10 Commandments" that the Imagineers strictly follow.


1. Know your audience - Don't bore people, talk down to them or lose them by assuming that they know what you know.

2. Wear your guest's shoes - Insist that designers, staff and your board members experience your facility as visitors as often as possible.

3. Organize the flow of people and ideas - Use good story telling techniques, tell good stories not lectures, lay out your exhibit with a clear logic.

4. Create a weenie - Lead visitors from one area to another by creating visual magnets and giving visitors rewards for making the journey

5. Communicate with visual literacy - Make good use of all the non-verbal ways of communication - color, shape, form, texture.

6. Avoid overload - Resist the temptation to tell too much, to have too many objects, don't force people to swallow more than they can digest, try to stimulate and provide guidance to those who want more.

7. Tell one story at a time - If you have a lot of information divide it into distinct, logical, organized stories, people can absorb and retain information more clearly if the path to the next concept is clear and logical.

8. Avoid contradiction - Clear institutional identity helps give you the competitive edge. Public needs to know who you are and what differentiates you from other institutions they may have seen.

9. For every ounce of treatment, provide a ton of fun - How do you woo people from all other temptations? Give people plenty of opportunity to enjoy themselves by emphasizing ways that let people participate in the experience and by making your environment rich and appealing to all senses.

10. Keep it up - Never underestimate the importance of cleanliness and routine maintenance, people expect to get a good show every time, people will comment more on broken and dirty stuff.

These commandments were created by Martin Sklar.
--------------------------------------Double post added here.

Originally Posted by Big Disney Fan

Do we need to PM our work to you?

No post it in here.

Tiki is working on posting WDI terminology, once he posts that information. I will begin with todays lesson.

[tiki]

Hey guys, I'm the assistant teacher, Lighttech asked me to give this to you

Walt Disney Imagineering Terminology

Area Development - The interstitial spaces between the attractions, restaurants, and shops. This would include landscape architecture, propping, show elements, and special enhancements intended to expand the experience.

Berm – A Raised earthen barrier, typically heavily landscaped, which serves to eliminate visual intrusions into the Park form the outside world and block the outside world from intruding inside.

Blue Sky – The early stages in the idea generation process when anything is possible. There are not yet any considerations taken into account that might reign in the creative process. A t this point, the sky’s the limit!

Brainstorm – A gathering for the purpose of generating as many ideas as possible in the shortest time possible. We hold many brainstorming sessions at WDI, always looking for the best ideas. Imagineering has as set of Brainstorming Rules, which are always adhered to,
o Rule 1 – There is no such thing as a bad idea. We never know how one idea (however far-fetched) might lead into another one that is exactly right.
o Rule 2 – We don’t talk yet about why not. There will be plenty of time for realities later, so we don’t want them to get in the way of the good ideas now.
o Rule 3 - Nothing should stifle the flow of ideas. No buts or cant’s, or other “stopping” words. We want to hear words such as “and,” “or,” “what if?”
o Rule 4 – There is no such thing as a bad idea (We take that one very seriously.)

Charrette – Another term for a brainstorming session, From the French word for”cart.” It refers to the cart sent through the Latin French Quarter in Paris to collect the art and design projects of students at the legendary Ecole des Beaux- Arts who were unable to deliver them to school themselves after the mad rush to complete their work at the end of the term.

Concept - An idea and the effect put in to communicating it and developing it into something usable. A concept can be expressed as a drawing, written description, or simply a verbal pitch. Everything we do starts out as a concept.

Dark Ride - A term often used to describe the charming little Fantasyland attractions housed more or less completely inside a show building, which allows for greater isolation of show elements, and light control, as needed.

Elevation - A drawing of a true frontal view of an object, often drawn from a multiple sides, eliminating the perspective that you would see in the real world, for clarity in the design and to lead construction activities.

Kinetics - Movement and motion in a scene that give it life and energy. This can come from moving vehicles, active signage, changes in lighting, special effects, or even hanging banners or flags that move around as the wind blows.

Plan – A direct overhead view of an object or a space. Very useful in verifying relative sizes of elements and the flow of Guests and show elements through an area.

Plussing – A word derived from Walt’s penchant for always trying to make an idea better. Imagineers are continually trying to plus their work, even after its “finished”

POV - Point of View. The position from which something is seen, or the place an artist chooses to use as the vantage point of the imaginary viewer in a concept illustration. POVs are chosen in order to best represent the idea being shown.

Propping - The placement of objects around a scene. From books on a shelf to place settings on a table to wall hangings in an office space, props are the elements that give a set life and describe the people who live there. They are the everyday objects we see all around but that point out so much about us if you pay attention to them.

Section – A drawing that looks as if it’s a slice through an object or space. This is very helpful in seeing how various elements interrelate. It is typically drawn as though it were an elevation, with a heavier line weights defining where our imaginary cut would be.

Show – Everything we put “onstage” in a Disney park. Walt believed that everything we put out for the Guests in our parks was part of a big show, so much of our terminology originated in the show business world. With that in mind, show becomes for us a very broad term that includes just about anything our Guests see, hear, smell, or come in contact with during their visit to any of our Parks and Resorts.

Story – Story the fundamental building block for everything WDI does. Imagineers are, above all, storytellers. The time, place, characters, and plot points that give our work meaning start with the story, which is also the framework that guides all design decisions.

Storyboard – A large pin-up board used to post ideas in a charrette or to outline the story points of a ride or film. The technique was perfected by Walt in the early days of his animation studio and became a staple of the animated film development process. The practice naturally transferred over to WDI when so many of the early Imagineers came over from Walt’s Animation department.

Theme – The fundamental nature of a story in terms of what it means to us, or the choice of time, place, and d?cor applied to an area in order to support that story.

THRC – Theoretical Hourly Ride Capacity. The number of guests per hour that can experience an attraction under optimal conditions. THRC is always taken into account when a new attraction is under consideration.

Visual Intrusion – Any outside element that makes its way into a scene, breaks the visual continuity, and destroys the illusion. WDI works hard to eliminate visual intrusions.

Weenie – Walt’s playful term for a visual element that could be used to draw people into and around a space. A weenie is big enough to be seen from a distance and interesting enough to make you want to take a closer look, like Cinderella Castle at the end of Main Street, U.S.A, or the Astro Orbiter in Tomorrowland. Weenies are critical to our efforts at laying out a sequence of story points in an organized fashion

[Big Disney Fan]

Where to, Lighttech? In other words, what park are we going to? Can we make it a MK-type park?

Originally Posted by Big Disney Fan

Where to, Lighttech? In other words, what park are we going to? Can we make it a MK-type park?

Big Disney Fan what are you talking about. What park do you speak off. You wont be designing parks just yet. You have you learn how things are designed in the parks before you can go off and design a park.

[Big Disney Fan]

Originally Posted by Lighttech1

Big Disney Fan what are you talking about. What park do you speak off. You wont be designing parks just yet. You have you learn how things are designed in the parks before you can go off and design a park.

I wasn't talking about designing a park, just things in existing ones already.

[krnsngr85]

uhhh okay???
--------------------------------------Double post added here.
I am 23 posts away from my silver castle.

OK with that said.

We will start off with "Weenies" Weenies is Walts playful term fora visual element that could be used to draw people into and around a space. A weenie is big enough to be seen from a distance and interesting enough to make you want to take a closer look, like Cinderella Castle at the end of Main Street, U.S.A, or the Astro Orbiter in Tomorrowland. Weenies are critical to our efforts at laying out a sequence of story points in an organized fashion.

Now weenies are usally things that are based on a ride, are a ride, building, or large scenic element.

Your first task is to find as many weenies as you can in DLR, DCA, and WDW parks. Then tell me why that object draws people to that area or land.

Then I would like you to take a look at the entrance to A Bugs Land at DCA, and try and create something that would draw the average guest to that area who has never been there before.

Does anyone have any questions so far?

[Darth_Boomer]

Lighttech's right. Despite knowing what we just learned, it might not always be enough for the challenges we will face soon enough.

^ THat sounds like fun. I can handle Disneyland cuz I know it like the back of my hand. Hey wait... thats new...

[tiki]

Good luck guys :)

[krnsngr85]

thanks Tiki. this is going to be great. Good luck Everyone.

[krnsngr85]

shall we post our answers to the Weenies of the parks here?

[Darth_Boomer]

ok, I'd like my team to pm me so we can talk about this subject in secrecy. I already have a few uhh... "Weenies" in mind.