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 ? How much detail ? Pre-made or custom-made ? From what angles ? From what distance ? e.g. Closeup simpler background

What props are needed ?

How much of the character is seen ?

Can you simplify ?

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 Springboard one generic text field Storyboard Tools 1.6 BoardMaster (import your own graphics) Storyboard Quick 2D, libraries (props, people) Storyboard Lite 3D FrameForge 3D Studio

Shareware

Commercial

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-ofview) 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 animatic OR detailed animatic

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

Animatic