The Production Process

Animation - is created by recording a series of still images that when played back no longer appear individually as a static / still images but combined to produce an illusion that's moving.
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Ahh! My Goddess Animation - screenshots courtesy of www.gateway.cjb.com

First, in producing traditional animated movies or cartoons, you come up with a storyboard. A storyboard is like a huge comic strip where the images and script is present. This is how animators plan the flow or the plot of the production. Afterward, a preliminary soundtrack or scratch track is recorded for the animation. A complete cartoon sound track will include music, sound effects and a dialogue performed by voice actors. A scratch track contains just voices and vocal songs that the voice actors must sing to, and it also includes temporary music scene tracks. In past-production, the final scene and sound effects are added in Japanese animation, however, the soundtrack is added after the animation is completed.

After making a soundtrack, an animatic or story reel is created. It contains a storyboard synchronized with the soundtrack. This allows directors and animators to crack out any script and timing issues that may exist with the current storyboard. They will keep revising this until they are satisfied. This is usually done before full animation begins.

Once the story reel has been approved, character designers begin designing characters. They draw all the important characters and props in the film. They draw them in different poses, angles and expressions, so that all artists working on a project can deliver consistent work. Sometimes, maquettes (small statues of characters / props) are produced so an animator can see what a character looks like in three dimensions. Background stylists do similar works for the locations and settings in the project. The art directors and color stylists determine the color scheme and art style to be used. The timing director takes the animatic (story reel) and analyzes what poses and drawings and lip movements will be needed on what frames. He or she does this during the time when designing process is going on.

After the designs are completed and approved by the director, the layout begins. It is here where the background layout artists determine the camera angles, lighting, camera paths and shading of the scene. The major poses of the characters in the scene by the character layout artists. Then they will create a drawing to indicate each pose. Once the animatic is made up or all layout drawings, it is called Leica reel. "Leica reel" originated from the Disney Studios in the 1930's from the frame format used by Leica cameras.

Once the Leica is approved by the director, animation begins. They start by drawing sequences or on animation sheets or paper, one picture or one frame at a time. The key animator / lead animator will draw the key drawings in the scene, using the character layouts as a guide. An animator may have to redo a lot of scenes until the director approves of it. Once the key animation is approved, the clean up department (made up of clean-up animators and in betweeners) take the lead and assistant animators' drawing and trace them onto new sheets of paper. The in betweeners will draw the character in the beginning of the jump and the scene where he landed. The in betweeners will draw whatever happens in between the two scenes. This procedure is called tweening. At each stage, approved animation is spliced into the Leica reel. The process is the same for both character animation and special effects animation. While the animation is being done, the painting of sets will be done by the background artists.

Once the clean-ups are done and the in between drawings for a sequence are completed, they are prepared for photography. They are prepared for a process known as ink and paint. Each drawing is then transferred from paper to a thin, clear sheet of plastic called a cel (the cel comes from the word celluloid, the material which the plastic is made up. However, no one uses celluloid plastics, but acetate. The drawing is inked or photocopied onto the cell and then go ache or a similar type of paint is used on the reverse side of cels to add colors / appropriated shades to them. The quality of transparency of the cels allows for each character or object in a frame to be animated on different cels as the cel of one character can be seen underneath the cel of another and the opaque background can be seen underneath all of the cels.

Once an entire sequence has been transferred to cels, the photography process begins. Each cel involved in a frame of sequence is laid on top of each other (with the background cel at the bottom). Then a piece of glass is lowered onto the cels to flatten irregularities and the composite image is then photographed by a special animation camera, known aas rostum camera. These cameras are visually used for shooting traditional animation.

The cels are removed again and the process repeats itself for the next frame until each frame in the sequence has been photographed. Each cel has small holes along the top or bottom of the cel called registration holes. They allow the cell to be placed on corresponding peg bars to ensure that all the cels are aligned with each other (aligned with the cel on top and the cel on the bottom). Sometimes, frames are photographed more thatn once so that they could create camera effects. An example would be super in positions. Pans are created by either moving cels, camera or background one step at a time on a succession of frames.

As the scenes come out of final photography, the animation splices them into the Leica reel. Once every sequence in the production has been photographed, the final film is sent for development and processing while the final music and sound effects are added to the soundtrack. Once everything is done, the film is ready for duplication or broadcast.