ANIMATION DESIGN Philip Scarrold
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Storyboards: Before the film is started, it has to be worked out in a detailed Script and Storyboard form, (which is like a comic strip) so the animator has a plan to follow. It is a very intricate and time-consuming process. Many large silent films were storyboarded but most of this material has been lost during the reduction of the studio archives during the 1970s. The form widely known today was developed at the Walt Disney studio during the early 1930s. All live action films are also storyboarded in detail before shooting begins.
The storyboards on the left and below are from my ongoing project “Candle in the Wind“ and depict the Marilyn Monroe story from the Elton John song of the same name. The picture on the left describes the lines “lonliness was tough, the toughest role you ever played“.
The picture on the right depicts, “Hollywood created a superstar and pain was the price you paid“ and “even when you died, the press still hounded you“.
A typical storyboard format.
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Layouts: After the storyboard has been finalised, larger, more detailed drawings called LAYOUTS are drawn up for the Animators to work from after they have been approved by the director. The layout process is the same as the blocking out of shots by a cinematographer on a live-action film. It is here that the background layout artists determine the camera angles, camera paths, lighting, and shading of the scene. Character layout artists will determine the major poses for the characters in the scene, and will make a drawing to indicate each pose. For short films, character layouts are often the responsibility of the director. The layout drawings and storyboards are then spliced, along with the audio and an animatic is formed (not to be confused by its predecessor the leica reel). The term “animatic� was originally coined by Disney animation studios.
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Backgrounds: While the animation is being done, the background artists will paint the sets over which the action of each animated sequence will take place. These backgrounds are generally done in gouache or acrylic paint, although some animated productions have used backgrounds done in watercolor, oil paint, or even crayon. Background artists follow very closely the work of the background layout artists and color stylists (which is usually compiled into a workbook for their use), so that the resulting backgrounds are harmonious in tone with the character designs.
A background from my film with a coloured cell imposed on top of it.
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Characters: The pictures below are coloured pencil drawings I did on paper for an animated film I made in 1980 called NIRVANA or BUST. It is fantasy film of a little man who goes on a weird trip to Nirvana. I shot the pictures on a rostrum camera and edited it on a Movieola and Steinbeck flatbed editor. Nowdays all this equipment has been superceded by digital computer equipment.
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Animation: Here are 3 pictures to illustrate how the film develops from a pencil drawing to the finished coloured cell.
1. The original pencil drawing on white paper.
2. The original pencil drawing with shadows added.
3. The finished painting done in Adobe Photoshop.
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Pencil test: After all the drawings are cleaned-up, they are then photographed on an animation camera, usually on black and white film stock. Nowadays, pencil tests can be made using a video camera and computer software.
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ANIMATION DESIGN Philip Scarrold
Before the film is started, it has to be worked out in a detailed Script and Storyboard form, (which is like a comic strip) so the animator has a plan to follow. It is a very intricate and time-consuming process. Many large silent films were storyboarded but most of this material has been lost during the reduction of the studio archives during the 1970s. The form widely known today was developed at the Walt Disney studio during the early 1930s. All live action films are also storyboarded in detail before shooting begins.
The storyboards on the left and below are from my ongoing project “Candle in the Wind“ and depict the Marilyn Monroe story from the Elton John song of the same name. The picture on the left describes the lines “lonliness was tough, the toughest role you ever played“.
The picture on the right depicts, “Hollywood created a superstar and pain was the price you paid“ and “even when you died, the press still hounded you“.
After the storyboard has been finalised, larger, more detailed drawings called LAYOUTS are drawn up for the Animators to work from after they have been approved by the director. The layout process is the same as the blocking out of shots by a cinematographer on a live-action film. It is here that the background layout artists determine the camera angles, camera paths, lighting, and shading of the scene. Character layout artists will determine the major poses for the characters in the scene, and will make a drawing to indicate each pose. For short films, character layouts are often the responsibility of the director. The layout drawings and storyboards are then spliced, along with the audio and an animatic is formed (not to be confused by its predecessor the leica reel). The term “animatic� was originally coined by Disney animation studios.
While the animation is being done, the background artists will paint the sets over which the action of each animated sequence will take place. These backgrounds are generally done in gouache or acrylic paint, although some animated productions have used backgrounds done in watercolor, oil paint, or even crayon. Background artists follow very closely the work of the background layout artists and color stylists (which is usually compiled into a workbook for their use), so that the resulting backgrounds are harmonious in tone with the character designs.
A background from my film with a coloured cell imposed on top of it.
The pictures below are coloured pencil drawings I did on paper for an animated film I made in 1980 called NIRVANA or BUST. It is fantasy film of a little man who goes on a weird trip to Nirvana. I shot the pictures on a rostrum camera and edited it on a Movieola and Steinbeck flatbed editor. Nowdays all this equipment has been superceded by digital computer equipment.
Here are 3 pictures to illustrate how the film develops from a pencil drawing to the finished coloured cell.
1. The original pencil drawing on white paper.
2. The original pencil drawing with shadows added.
3. The finished painting done in Adobe Photoshop.
After all the drawings are cleaned-up, they are then photographed on an animation camera, usually on black and white film stock. Nowadays, pencil tests can be made using a video camera and computer software.