THE PROCESS OF ANIMATION

Prepared By: Marc Neilzen P. Citra

CONTENTS

The Traditional Animation Process

Steps in Animating a Scene

PRAYER

“Animation isn’t the illusion of life, it is Life.”

—Chuck Jones

American animation director

WHAT IS ANIMATION?

01

ANIMATION

Animation refers to the technique of creating the illusion of motion and change by displaying a series of
still images in rapid succession. It is a visual art form that involves manipulating visual elements to create
the perception of movement, often used in films, television shows, video games, advertisements, and
various other media.

EXAMPLES

TRADITIONAL ANIMATION

Frames drawn by hand or digitally are shown in sequence to create the illusion of movement.
Common in early cartoons and Disney films.

COMPUTER ANIMATION

Computer software is used to create and manipulate digital images and characters, including 2D
(like Adobe Flash) and 3D (like Autodesk Maya or Blender) animation.

STOP MOTION ANIMATION

Physical objects or models are photographed frame by frame with slight changes, creating
movement when played sequentially. Includes claymation and puppet animation.

TRADITIONAL ANIMATION

COMPUTER ANIMATION

STOP MOTION ANIMATION

TRADITIONAL ANIMATION PROCESS

THE PROCESS/STEPS

Story Sketch

In the animation process, the story sketch at the beginning is crucial as it sets the foundation for the
entire animation.

also known as the film script, visually represents the characters' actions, emotions, and the unfolding
story. It's not just about dialogue; it's about showing attitudes, feelings, and expressions.

An artist skilled in illustration and character design typically handles this stage. Their approach will
establish the animation's style and serve as a guide for the subsequent stages.

Storyboard

The director creates a storyboard, a series of drawn images that lay out the visual representation of the
script.

This step allows the team to visualize the action and identify any flaws in the story's structure or format.

Collaboration between the director, layout artists, and animators may lead to refinements, especially if
the animation is longer and more complex.

Recording

The animation's synchronization with the soundtrack is crucial. Animators need the recorded audio to
accurately time their drawings.

Animators must be able to hear attitudes and expressions in the voice recordings to match their
drawings with the intended emotions.

Simple guide tracks can be created to indicate beats and basic melodies, helping maintain rhythm.

Track Breakdown
The editor assembles the soundtrack, separating dialog, sound effects, and music into distinct tracks.

The assistant director works with the editor to create a script-like version of the soundtrack, aligning the
lines to be delivered by the characters.

Bar sheets, which are charts outlining the timing of each sound in relation to the film's frames, help in
tracking and organizing these elements.

Designs

Character and background designs are created. The director chooses one or more character designers to
visually interpret the characters.

Approved designs are drawn from various angles and consolidated into model sheets, ensuring
consistency in character appearance across the animation.

Background styling for key scenes is established to maintain visual coherence.

Designs

Character and background designs are created. The director chooses one or more character designers to
visually interpret the characters.

Approved designs are drawn from various angles and consolidated into model sheets, ensuring
consistency in character appearance across the animation.

Background styling for key scenes is established to maintain visual coherence.

Story Reel
Under the director's supervision, the layout artist creates a Leica reel or animatic using bar sheets and
the storyboard.

A Leica reel is a filmed storyboard that helps visualize the entire animation in synchronization with the
soundtrack.

Each scene is carefully drawn to the size it will eventually be animated, and characterizations are drawn
in the intended style.

This stage allows for changes in both sound and picture, forming the basis for the continuing
adjustments.

Line Tests

Animators create pencil-drawn animations following bar sheet timings.

Line tests provide a visual representation of how the animation will flow and allow for refinement if
actions don't work as intended.

Successful line tests replace the initial drawings on the Leica reel.

Clean Up

Clean-up artists refine the animation drawings to maintain a consistent style across all frames.

This step is especially important when multiple animators are working on the same character to avoid
variations in appearance.

Cleaned-up drawings are checked again to catch any remaining mistakes.

Approved line tests are transferred to celluloid or acetate sheets (cells) and painted with the original
colors.

Computers can aid in this process today, allowing for quicker reproduction of drawings.

Backgrounds are created simultaneously by a separate team of artists.

Backgrounds

Background artists create the static visual elements behind or in front of the characters that don't move.

Consistency is key to ensure that backgrounds match the film's design and maintain the visual
coherence.

Checking

Completed animation cels and backgrounds are reviewed to ensure correctness before moving forward.

A checker examines the scenes to catch any mistakes or incomplete elements

Final Shoot
After passing the checking stage, the completed scenes are shot by the cameraman to integrate into the
animation.

Rushes Viewing

The completed scenes are reviewed for any errors. If issues are found, scenes may need to be reshot.

If scenes are error-free, they are cut into the final film, replacing the previous line test scenes.

Dubbing

Dialog, sound effects, and music are combined into a single track for the final soundtrack.

Care is taken to maintain the unique qualities of each sound element while achieving synchronization
with the animation.

Answer Print
Sound and picture are merged to create the final piece of film ready for viewing.

This marks the completion of the traditional animation process, resulting in the final product.

Traditional Animation Process

Story Sketch

Storyboard

Recording

Track Breakdown

Designs

Story Reel

Line Tests

Clean Up

Steps in Animating a Scene

Scene Animation

In live-action, the term shot is used. In animation terminology, the term scene is mainly used.

A scene (shot) contains panels. A scene can have one panel or many. All panels in a scene have the same
background; each panel contains different actions in it, so when you watch them in an animatic, it looks
animated.

STEPS

We have 5 steps

Ask yourself, why is the scene in the story? What should I do with the character? How can I best show it?
Make sure that you know exactly what you are going to do before you start. Do not start animating
before the idea is worked out.

1. Envision

Note the ideas by making small sketches or thumbnails of the scene. Check the continuity and be
familiar with the whole sequence so you know how your scene fits in the entire film. As you sketch:

• carefully plan the camera shot or angles as to which character should it be focused on;

• plan if the camera shot is a long shot or a close-up;

• avoid too many scenes

2.
Sketch

Be sure that the perspective matches the layout. Like if two characters are in a scene and have a good
eye contact if they are looking at each other.

3.
Perspective and Scale

Draw your mini sketches on a film scale for line testing. Rough out the key positions of the scene using
your mini sketches as guide.

4.
Blow Up Sketches

END OF DISCUSSION