Animation

Andrew Selby

• Publisher: Laurence King Publishing
• Year: 2013
• eBook ISBN: 9781780674933
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Art General

From scriptwriting through to production, this introduction to animation for students surveys key technical processes and examines a variety of stylistic approaches. The book includes visual examples from key animators and illustrated features on how to create exciting animation for a variety of audiences.It begins with history and context, and quickly moves on to more practical aspects of the craft. Box features outline practical information and visual examples of different animators' work and working processes teach how to create exciting animation for any audience. A final chapter on job roles shows how students can get on in animation.This book is a vital resource for anyone who intends to make animation a part of their career.

1.

Preproduction—Planning and Scriptwriting

Animation is an entertainment medium like no other. It offers extraordinary flexibility, as each part of its process can be handled and controlled by the creator. It operates using a different (but recognizable) vocabulary from that of live-action film, enabling different forms of expression to exist in a space for an audience to engage with. As such, it permits new versions of worlds or environments for films, giving tremendous creative freedom for writers, artists, animators, directors, and producers to transport audiences to different dimensions of “reality,” which seem real but are in fact imagined.

This chapter examines the contribution that early planning and scriptwriting play in this creative freedom. It establishes how the preproduction phase of an animated project is planned, managed, and delivered by people with differing job roles in the production’s life cycle. It also explores the importance of scriptwriting—including different approaches and development—as one of the first possible starting points in preproduction.

Planning a script involves writing and rewriting as the outline plot begins to evolve.

The animation pipeline in preproduction

As outlined in the Introduction, the preproduction phase of the animation pipeline involves the exploration of scripts, visual and sound concepts, and ideas, and their testing through research in order to prepare material before filming and recording.

Preparing a tangible framework for this phase is essential, as this governs the budget, the scheduling of the technical pipeline arrangements, and the managing of the workflow arrangements of the crew in the studio. The hard work done at this early stage permits greater creative risks to be taken in preproduction. Careful planning allows animators, storyboarders, scriptwriters, composers, musicians, special-effects creators, and designers to fully explore the subject.

This creative freedom for concept selection and idea origination, development, and execution is crucial to the whole project, and a thorough grasp of the subject will positively affect the quality of the final output. Creating the right conditions for ideas to flourish is essential, especially those centered on the core animation properties of performance, movement, and narrative. Establishing a clear set of parameters is a key exercise in helping to plan, structure, and manage the project (see box opposite), and this good preparation and planning will almost certainly deliver the project on time and on budget—two essential considerations in the world of animation.

Scheduling a production

It is essential to ask the following questions, or variations thereof:

• Has the project been approved?

• Who is the project for and what is its intended outcome?

• Who is the target audience?

• Who is funding and/or supporting the work?

• Is there a budget and if so, what is it?

• Who controls the budget?

• What is the time frame in which the project needs to be conducted?

• How much time is allowed for research for the project?

• How is the time frame split between phases of preproduction, production, and postproduction?

• Who has responsibility for making final decisions?

• Is there sufficient scope in resources or budget for a crew?

• What should the crew be made up of?

• Who owns the project once the production is completed?

• Who is responsible for designing the content and style of titles?

• Are there any cultural, social, or philosophical issues with the proposed content that require legal clearance?

• Are there any special considerations that need to be given for audiences with particular needs and requirements?

• Who owns the rights for any associated materials that could be developed in the future?

• What happens if the project is canceled?

• How will the project be delivered?

• What is the broadcast format for the project?

• How will the finished animation be distributed?

• What technical and physical resources are available and are there extra funds available for this?

• Are there associated production values (material to be gained for documentary or promotional purposes) that need consideration?

Implicit in the planning process is the need to understand the variety of jobs involved in creating an animated project, what each job entails, and at what stage these roles operate, either independently, jointly, or collectively across the whole production. Members of the crew need to know and understand their roles from the outset. In a feature film or television series, roles are clearly defined and animators may often be hired by a studio to establish or supplement teams. In independent productions, an individual may undertake a number of roles simultaneously, depending on the size of the crew and the size of the budget, in order to see the production through from concept to completion.

The director is in charge of the production, including overseeing storyboarding, development, and production of the animated work.

An organized studio environment creates a productive and efficient workplace, even if the building was formerly a local bank, illustrated by Nexus Productions in London.

Animation job roles

Preproduction:

Director—person in charge of the production, including overseeing storyboarding, development, and production of the animated work.

Producer—works closely with the director, supervising, and controlling the teams at various stages of production and postproduction to bring the project in on time and on budget.

Art director—responsible for the intrinsic look of the project and for communicating this vision to the production teams.

Film editor—works closely with other members of the core team to review and edit passages and combinations of prepared animated sequences so as to tell the story most convincingly.

Production supervisor—liaises with the director and producer to manage the project and ensure teams are prepared to pass and receive work through phases of production.

Supervising animator—works closely with the director and producer of the project and is a vitally important link between their vision and the animation team’s ability to create it.

Researcher—can work individually or as part of an organized team, unearthing contacts, investigating story leads, and collecting reference material for the preproduction and production teams.

Story:

Story supervisor—makes sure that the script or story is being followed, checking for accuracy with any factual events.

Story coordinator—provides the link between the storyboard artists and the supervisor.

Storyboard artist—responsible for problem solving, planning, and visualizing how early script ideas and concepts might be realized.

Animation:

Directing animator—sometimes known as “lead animator,” this is generally a senior animator who has experience of previous productions and is able to manage the collaborative team of animators.

Animator—an artist who understands the principles of imagined movement and creates multiple frames of images using various techniques.

Art:

Art manager—responsible for coordinating the smooth running of the animation art department.

Picture researcher—collects important contextual visual material to aid the art department in its creation of sets, props, and characters.

Conceptual artworker—brings initial ideas to life, working quickly to visualize concepts often while ideas are being verbally discussed. Designer and illustrator—work closely with the animators to design and create backgrounds, sets, and props to support the production.

CG painter and designer— a technical artist who works digitally to originate, develop, and enhance artwork for production, often using drawing tablets and working on screen.

Sculptor—an artist who translates two-dimensional drawings into usable and sometimes functioning three-dimensional forms, from maquettes to fully formed sculptural models.

Character designer—researches, originates, develops, and executes the design for characters in both human and object form.

Props designer—responsible for the creation of props that characters will use on set.

Set designer—responsible for the environment of the project; works carefully with the lighting designer and camera team to ensure sets are convincing but also accessible and functional in the production phases.

Layout:

Layout manager—receives approved storyboards, and is responsible for briefing and managing the layout artists so that they remain faithful to the spirit of the storyboards and the director’s vision.

Supervising layout artist/ designer—like the supervising animator, this is a role reserved for a senior member of the layout team who has experience of bringing conceptual artwork as stills and sequences to fruition in the layout phase of production.

Layout artist—responsible for developing the storyboard images into highly finished visuals and/or full camera-ready artwork, depending on the animation treatment chosen for the feature.

Set dresser—works closely with the set designer, ensuring that his or her vision is expressed through the variety and attention to detail of the chosen material properties of the set.

Editorial:

Editorial manager—takes control of the story, ensuring that there is continuity between script and artwork, pointing out inaccuracies, and bringing teams together to find solutions in the preproduction phase.

Assistant editor—supports the editorial manager in his or her role by acting on decisions taken and making sure the production teams communicate well with each other.

Editorial production assistant— provides administrative support for the editorial and postproduction departments of a studio.

Storyreel music editor—has the responsibility of ensuring that the initial sequential material is accompanied by a basic soundscape, which might be actors reading from scripts or a “rough cut” of a proposed soundtrack.

Camera Team:

Camera manager—takes charge of how scenes can be filmed by liaising with the director and the producer and communicating these decisions back to the camera team.

Supervisor—ensures that the camera manager’s instructions are followed in the studio.

Engineer—operates the cameras and ensures parity between the intended shots and what might be physically possible in the studio environment.

Technician—prepares, maintains, and services the cameras before, during, and after production to ensure a fully functioning set.

Calibrator—makes sure that digital monitors are calibrated at regular intervals to ensure consistency and parity in seque...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• 1. Preproduction—Planning and Scriptwriting
• 2. Preproduction—Concepts, Ideas, and Research
• 3. Preproduction—Development
• 4. Preproduction—Sound
• 5. Production
• 6. Postproduction
• 7. Animated Futures
• ••• Glossary