The Animation Process

Myles Strous

The Animation Process

● Designed for teams or groups– Useful for indivduals

● Organisation, planning– Save time and effort– Improve quality

The Animation Process

● Story writing and scripting● Storyboard – planning camera shots and angles● Sound and dialogue● Animatic (Leica reel) – preview for overall timing

● Modelling, texturing, rigging● Lighting, staging

● Animation– Principles and practice

Story writing and scripting

● Setting ● Tension● Resolution

● Script format

The Animation Process

Storyboard

Cinematography

● Directing the camera, rather than actors

● Camera Angles● Continuity● Cutting● Close-ups● Composition

● Cheating

Storyboarding – planning stage● A “comic book” visual layout of the story -

visualisation.

● Anything from stick figures to full artwork

● Camera angles, camera moves● Number of shots, locations● Continuity

● Framing● Layout – backgrounds, character positioning

Storyboarding for the home animator● How many sets or backgrounds are needed ?

– How much detail ?● What props are needed ?

– How much detail ?– Pre-made or custom-made ?

● How much of the character is seen ?– From what angles ?– From what distance ?

Can you simplify ? – e.g. Closeup – simpler background

Creating storyboards

● Pen and paper● Any drawing or painting tool --> slideshow● HTML● Powerpoint / Impress● Multimedia software● Specialised storyboarding software

Storyboard software

● Freeware– Storyboard Pro– Storyboard Tools 1.5– MoviePlanner

● Shareware– Springboard – one generic text field– Storyboard Tools 1.6

● Commercial– BoardMaster (import your own graphics)– Storyboard Quick – 2D, libraries (props, people)– Storyboard Lite – 3D– FrameForge 3D Studio

Storyboard Pro

Storyboard Tools

MoviePlanner

Springboard

BoardMaster

Storyboard Quick

Storyboard Lite

FrameForge 3D Studio

Sample storyboard

Title sequence

Set the scene: wizard's tower

● Wizard's tower

● Zoom in on “Do not disturb sign”

● Linger for audience to read

● Zoom back out to full scene

● Zoom in on tower window

● Dissolve to wizard in bed, snoring

● Dissolve back out to tower window

● Zoom back out to full scene

● Sound of hoofbeats approaches and stops

● Knight walks up to tower

● Cut to medium shot – knight looks at sign on door

● Cut to subjective shot (knight's point-of-view) – read sign

● Pan across to rope

● Grab rope ...

● ... and pull

● Cut to trap-door

● ... which opens

● Stone block slowly emerges

● ... and falls

● Cut back to medium shot of knight still pulling on rope

●

● Shadow falls over knight

● Knight looks up “huh?”

● CRASH!

● Cut quickly during crash to wizard snoring

● Camera shake, wizard just snores and settles

● Cut back to block● Zoom in on attached

sign

● Pause on sign

● Zoom (cut ?) back to show knight's lower legs fall from vertical to horizontal.

● Credits

The Animation Process

Animatic

Soundtrack

● Dialogue● Foley / sound effects● Music● Sources

– Record your own– Sound effects libraries and CDs– Voice talent

Animatic – director's review

● Storyboard + soundtrack

● Timing and pacing

● A timed multimedia slideshow

● Add sounds and dialogue to storyboard images

● Use a video editor

Leica reel

● Different term for animaticOR● detailed animatic

– animator's review– key poses (for later pose-to-pose animation)– strobing key frames

Animatic