cindy yamauchi interview

8/13/2019 Cindy Yamauchi Interview

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Cindy Yamauchi Interview

I spend most of my time at Madhouse studio in Tokyo, workingon various projects from both Japan and the U! "## the rumorsyou$ve probab#y heard about animators in Japan working #onghours are true My typica# %workday& is anywhere from '( to )*hours, depending on the dead#ines I+m facing at the momentike most animators working in the anime industry, I$m afree#ancer, and that means that what I earn is based on the-uantity and.or -ua#ity of the work produced !ome days are

good, and some are badreally bad I imagine those kinds ofworking conditions wou#d be a nightmare for most peop#e

!o, why do I do it/ 0ey, it+s fun 0ow many peop#e can say that about their jobs/ I chooseto put in the #ong workdays because I know the e1tra hours I spend on the artwork wi##make the show #ook better "s my ski##s improved, I eventua##y escaped from the rut ofearning my #iving on a piecework basis, enab#ing me to concentrate more on -ua#ity, not-uantity 2ven in cases where -ua#ity contro# becomes a#most impossib#e, it$s sti##e1hi#arating to put up a good fight ti## the end I suppose we+re a## brain3chemica# junkies insome way

My ro#e varies depending on the needs of the project and my interest #eve# in the subjectmatter !ometimes I work as an animation director 4sakuga kantoku, or sak-kanfor short5,other times as a character designer 4kyarakuta dezain5, and sti## others as a key animator4genga or gengaman5, which I$## ta#k about first

6hen starting on a new show as a key animator, things usua##y begin with meeting eitherthe producer or the coordinator in charge of the project They check my avai#abi#ity andask if I+d be wi##ing to work on the show 7e1t, a coordinator wi## come by with a stack ofmateria# #ike mode# sheets, storyboards and so on Most animators decide whether or notto get invo#ved based on the team, the character designs, how interesting the show is, andmost important#y, the schedu#e In many cases, the pay rates don$t p#ay a big ro#e in the

decision process, since the per3shot 4shots or cuts are ca##ed katto5 rate for key animationdoesn+t vary a## that much on te#evision shows, and higher rates33such as those paid doingfeature fi#ms33usua# means doing more detai#ed work, and not everyone wants to getinvo#ved in that, since the e1tra money may not make up for the e1tra time invo#ved I getpaid either a fi1ed month#y rate for the duration of the production, or on a shot3by3shotbasis if I$m not as heavi#y invo#ved 8nce everyone is happy with the arrangement, thework gets underway

The ne1t step is an animation meeting 4ca##ed a saku-uchi, short for sakuga uchiawase5between the key animator 4in this case, me5 and the episode director 4enshutsu5 6e goover the storyboards for the assigned shots, fi##ing in any detai#s that weren$t f#eshed outwhen the boards were fina#i9ed "fter the meeting, I get started on the animation work,which inc#udes the background #ayouts, rough animation, and the e1posure sheets,inc#uding a## of the timing and camerawork for each shot These materia#s are submitted to


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the episode director and animation director for review and corrections 8nce the shots arereturned to me, I proceed with c#eaning up the drawings and tightening up the roughanimation 6hen time is short, I usua##y don+t p#ace overdue emphasis on staying perfect#yon3mode#, so the animation director may come back with some cosmetic fi1es 8nce thefina#i9ed shots are submitted, it$s very rare for them to come back again for additiona#corrections

:ecause the dead#ines on any given show are e1treme#y tight, on#y about ten to twentyshots are assigned per key animator 8f course, no one can make a #iving off such a sma##work#oad, so it+s considered norma# and perfect#y acceptab#e for most animators to takeon mu#tip#e shows in rotation to insure a steady f#ow of income This kind of arrangementgives me a tota# contro# of my own hours and work#oad, just as #ong as I+m responsib#eand get my work turned in

That about does it for the key animator ro#e 7e1t time, we can ta#k about being ananimation director

Most te#evision shows have anywhere from four to si1"nimation ;irectors 4sometimes more when the dead#ine getse1treme#y tight5, and unfortunate#y, they don+t necessari#y drawor time out the animation in a simi#ar way To give the show orfi#m a more consistent, uniform #ook, the chief animation director4sou sakuga kantoku or sou sak3kan for short5 is responsib#e foroverseeing the "nimation ;irectors

"n "nimation ;irector is usua##y responsib#e for a specificepisode in a T< series, or in case of feature fi#ms, specificscenes It$s getting rare for feature fi#ms to have just one"nimation ;irector nowadays because of the vo#ume of workinvo#ved =i#ms that have mu#tip#e "nimation ;irectors areusua##y he#med by a chief "nimation ;irector, just #ike te#evisionshows are The "nimation ;irectors are usua##y assigned basedon their particu#ar ski##s and specia#i9ations 2asy ones to

categori9e inc#ude mecha and.or effects specia#ists, creaturespecia#ists and action specia#ists 8r the ro#es may simp#y beassigned by the number of shots the artist can hand#e

Certain western studios, #ike ;isney and >i1ar, assignanimators to work on a specific character or set of charactersindependent of the scene they are appearing in I can$t say forsure, but I haven$t persona##y heard of any productions basedon the character3specific animation teams since the ?($s4referring to shows such as Yamato yo Towani andMega9one@) >art II to a certain e1tent5 "#though many artists are

comp#ete#y capab#e of hand#ing every aspect themse#ves, theschedu#e may determine how much work can be hand#ed byany one person If a fi#m is due to be re#eased in theaters in two


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months, and you have '((( shots of animation to check, thenyou$## definite#y need more than one "nimation ;irector to meetthat dead#ine

It may sound surprising, but there is no officia# %directory& ofanimatorsAso the artists who the producers se#ect for a given

production is determined by either through his.her ownconnections, or through the director and.or "nimation ;irectors$connections If the se#ections are #eft up to the producer, it$s notunusua# for a team to consist entire#y of artists who$ve nevermet before

I+m very carefu# about accepting a position as either an"nimation ;irector or a chief animation director The schedu#e isusua##y impossib#y short, and often many of the key animationpositions33and even the "nimation ;irector position33areoutsourced to studios that churn out -uick but substandard

work I rea##y need to fee# passionate about a show in order tosurvive the physica# and menta# hardships that come with thosepositions, but those kinds of shows don+t come around veryoften :y the way key animation positions are separated intotwo different categoriesB the dai3ichi genga 4ichi3gen or '3gen for short5 is a ski##ed animator that produces -ua#ity roughanimation, and the dai3ni genga 4ni3gen or @3gen for short5 is ac#ean3up artist who isn$t usua##y very ski##ed at a##, but hasbecome an evi# necessity C#ean3up refers to redrawing a roughsketch to create the fina# #ine work Unti# -uite recent#y, animeproductions had no need for c#ean3up artists since c#eaning upthe roughs was part of the key animators$ jobs 0owever, thedead#ines are so insane#y tight nowadays that sending out theroughs to c#ean3up artists is becoming a norma# part of theprocess I never knowing#y accept rough animation3on#y gigsbecause the resu#ts are a#most a#ways disappointing >rojectsoften end up going down that route anyway, though

6orking in tandem with the episode director is a key part ofbeing an animation director 6e go over the storyboards for theassigned episode together, and ideas are e1changed and

detai#s are tightened before we meet the ey "nimators atthe saku3uchi animation meeting "## the shots produced by thekey animators go to the episode director first, then areeventua##y passed on to me so I can review the artwork basedon the episode director+s instructions This process is ca##ed the#ayout check I check to see if the background and keyanimation are fu#fi##ing that particu#ar shot+s re-uirementsBperspective, positioning, acting, timing, the accuracy of themode#s, correct #ighting, attractiveness and so on 8nce I makethe necessary corrections, the shot is then submitted to thechief animation director, who then checks my work for -ua#ity

and accuracy "fter this rigorous check process, the shots arefina##y returned to the key animators so that they can finish uptheir work with the corrections in mind


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8nce the key animators comp#ete their work, the shots gothrough a simi#ar process again 4minus the chief animationdirector review5, but this time it+s ca##ed the genga 4keyanimation5 check Unfortunate#y, the initia# #ayout check stagedoesn+t guarantee good key animation !ome artists just don+t

possess the ski##s to do a satisfactory job33that+s just the rea#ityof this #ine of work "nother round of corrections are made bythe episode directors and animation directors, but this time theshots are sent direct#y to orea for in3between and digita#painting work

There are an average of )(( shots in a rough#y 4depending on the airtime s#ot5 @@3minuteT< episode, but on#y about one month is a##otted to comp#ete the animation for the entireepisode from start to finish 2very night at midnight33e1cept on !undays and ho#idays33a

#oad of artwork arrives from orea by air, the shipping costs shared by various animationstudios This inbound shipment typica##y contains the fo##owingB

'ayouts D rough key animation by orean animators that need to bechecked.approved.revised by the Japanese episode director, animation director andchief animation director

@"pproved #ayouts D rough animation and key animation by the orean animationdirector to be checked.approved.revised by the Japanese chief animation director

)Comp#eted c#eanup of rough animation shots

EComp#eted origina# artwork being returned 4#ayouts D key animation, in3betweens,painted background art5

The artwork is -uick#y distributed to each studio, and another #oad of work is shipped backto orea the same morning The outbound shipping back to orea takes p#ace anywherefrom Eam to ?am, e1cept on !undays and ho#idays The outbound shipment contentinc#udesB

'"pproved.revised #ayouts D rough key animation that have been checked by the

episode director, animation director and chief animation director 4in that order5 beingreturned to the orean key animators so they can comp#ete their work In cases #ikethis, either the entire episode or the part of a scene is assigned to orean keyanimators, but the approva#s are sti## done in Japan

@"pproved.revised keys created by orean and.or Japanese key animators thatare checked by the episode director and animation director, ready to be in3betweened and painted in orea

)Fough animation done by Japanese key animators to be c#eaned up by oreanc#eanup animators

E!ometimes, the animation director is in orea, and the key animators are inJapan In cases #ike this, the animation approva# process is reversed, which further


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comp#icates matters The #ayouts D rough keys, whether they$ve created in orea orJapan, first need to be approved by a Japanese episode director and chiefanimation director 4it is sti## somewhat rare to see a orean ho#ding these positions5

:oth approved shots and those that need revision are shipped to the oreananimation director The approved.revised #ayoutsDrough keys are then shipped backto Japan for the Japanese key animators to comp#ete their work 8nce the keys are

done, the Japanese episode director checks the shots and ships them out to theorean animation director for the ne1t step in the approva# process =ina##y, theshots are in3betweened and painted in orea

The dai#y routine of anime production houses revo#ve around these shipments It iscommon for artists and directors to work right up to the #ast minute unti# the artwork ispicked up from the studio and taken to the port for shipping

6e##, this turned out to be a much #onger piece than e1pected, so it #ooks #ike there wi## be

a >art III 7e1t time, we+## take a deeper #ook into the wor#d of the chief animation director

"nimation directors can take a break after comp#eting his or herepisode unti# the ne1t one begins, but the chief animation

director is responsib#e for the entire series or project, so if I takethat job, I+m #ucky if I get even !undays off for the entireduration The work is non3stop, and I+m re-uired to oversee twoto three episodes at a time 0onest#y, the e1pectations of a chiefanimation director are unrea#istic, not to mention inhumane6hen the going gets tough, a staff meeting is he#d to decidewhich episodes or scenes need to be sacrificed in order to stayon schedu#e 6e a## find having to make those kinds ofdecisions upsetting and humi#iating, but that+s often the on#yway to meet the dead#ines

The chief animation director is usua##y responsib#e for the work%staying on mode#& 4matching the character designs5 up unti# the#ayout check process described ear#ier 6hi#e the animationdirector has greater inf#uence over a particu#ar episode, thechief animation director has more inf#uence over the entireshow 2veryone has a different approach to this job, and in mycase, I don+t p#ace as much emphasis on the backgrounds assome others do 6hen it comes to te#evision shows, I think thecharacters are the most important part of the show, and I trustthe background artists wi## do their share of work to make any

improvements to the #ess3than3perfect #ayouts 0ow manycorrections I make as a chief animation director rea##y dependson my compatibi#ity with a particu#ar animation director :eing agood artist doesn+t necessari#y mean a good match, and as


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good as that director may be, there are times when we justdon+t see eye3to3eye artistica##y 8ther times, I find that mycompatibi#ity with an animation director is so perfect that I on#yhave to make minor cosmetic corrections !ometimes you justnever know unti# the shots come back, because as chiefanimation director, you may simp#y not be fami#iar with that

director$s work un#ess you$ve worked with them before Itsounds odd, but that$s just the way it is in the anime business

The chief animation director a#so acts as rep#acement orsupport for animation directors who are irresponsib#e or simp#yfai# to show up !urprising#y, not having e1ce##ent artistic ski##sisn+t considered a good reason to fire an artist, but showing noeffort to fu#fi## one+s responsibi#ities is !uch behavior direct#yaffects the chief animation director, and I certain#y didn+t #ike itwhen I have to act as a spare part for peop#e #ike that

I don+t get invo#ved in character design work very often,because I fee# that it takes me too far away from actua#animation work 0owever, it is very cha##enging and great fun todesign attractive characters and it re-uires a who#e differenttype of creativity to be successfu# in this fie#d The job ofcharacter designer re-uires you to have what we ca## amenta# hikidashi4set of drawers5 in which a## the information,e1periences, and know#edge of your #ifetime is neat#y storedThe contents of that menta# storage are your too#s for designingcharacters

7owadays, the concept art for a given tit#e often a#ready e1istsin the form of manga and.or video games, so it becomes amatter of adapting that work into a sty#e that is better suited foranimation The characters usua##y take on a different #ife inanime33once they+re animated, they become the residents of thewor#d we create for them !ome fans of the origina# manga orgames may not #ike the changes, but tracing over the origina#content won+t make things right either Creating the de#icateba#ance between the origina# and an anime based on it is whatcreates the #itt#e surprises that keep the show interesting

"s a character designer, a## I usua##y need to get started is ameeting with the director, a set of scripts, and the origina#manga materia#s 6hatever+s missing at the moment wi## re-uiresome research on my own The origina# creator of thecharacters has the fina# say on the designs, but in genera#, thedirector needs to approve the sketches first 8nce the overa###ook is set, I move on to creating a set of turnaround i##ustrations4usua##y a ).E or fronta# view, a back view, and sometimes aprofi#e5 of the character+s fu## body, a#ong with a set of facia#e1pressions If time a##ows, I draw some action poses to give

more depth to the character+s persona#ity 8nce the b#ack andwhite #ine drawings are done, co#or coordinators then start onthe co#or designs I need to create some samp#e mode# sheets


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with high#ight and shaded areas defined on them so the co#orcoordinators can efficient#y p#ace the co#ors assigned to eachscene 8nce the rough co#ors are in p#ace, minor correctionsare made to the mode#s if necessary to po#ish the overa## #ook

Main character designers 4me-in kyarakuta dezainaor de-in

kyara-defor short5 are the artists who often draw the pub#icityi##ustrations, but at times the work is de#egated to other staff8ut of a## the work I do, I think this the #east interesting 4un#ess Iam given a fair amount of freedom5 There+s something I findvery disturbing about the GstagedG #ook of anime maga9inei##ustrations !ome artists have a great ta#ent for doing #ayouts#ike that, but I just fee# more comfortab#e about drawingcharacters in natura# poses

8vera##, I enjoy a## the different jobs that I do 2ach comes witha different set of responsibi#ities, yet they a## share the same

goa#Ato de#iver the fi#m with the best possib#e -ua#ity that$spossib#e given the production schedu#e !ure, there are badtimes where I wonder why I+m working at three in the morning,but I guess I wou#dn+t have it any other way

cindy yamauchi interview

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