Pre-production for Animation

Pre-production in any animation is the most important stage. Without proper and detailed planning the rest of the project is vulnerable to not meeting the standard that is required, resulting in mistakes and a loss of time and money. There are many parts to play in pre-production, there are around 7 notable areas that are going to be summarised in this post.


1) Story Arcs
Story arcs are a visual method of forming the main points of a story line. There are two examples of a
story arc to the right of this text. As it can be seen, the line represents the whole plot and the points where it rises and falls are used to show the main turning moments that effect the story significantly. Story arcs are created by the main writer for the game/film. When looking through some animation examples there was only one writer for Batman: Arkham Origins; Paul Dini. When researching a larger film such as Monsters Inc there was only a team of four Pete Docter, Jill Culton, Jeff Pidgeon and Ralph Eggleston. This shows that this isn't a large sector and is highly specialised.

 

2) Scripts
Scripts are an important part of any animation, especially those with voice actors or subtitles. Scripts not only present the dialogue that needs to be recorded, but they also contain notes that inform the voice actor what is needed from them. Scripts also help to create the feel for the animation and are used in the production of animatics in order for the animators to see if the timing of the voices, movements and overall scenes is right. This then allows the script or the animation to be adapted, saving valuable time and money further down the production pipeline.

                                 



3) Mood boards

Mood boards are the first part of planning for the visual aspects. A mood board is a collage and variety of many different thing ranging from pictures and text. The mood board artist draws on inspiration and ideas from their own imagination or from other artists and animators.

                           

4) Concept Art

Concept art is a term used to cover all the design work within a project, it covers a range of areas from character and environmental design to level design in games. It is the next step after the mood board. They are required in order to give the production team a base to work from and allow the director of the project to clearly plan out their ideas. Concept art not only creates the blueprint designs, but the level and environment artists are also required to create moods within their pieces to create the feel for the scene. Concept art is also used in the final designs, where they are also sold as merchandise.

5) Storyboards
Storyboards are self explanatory, they are created to tell the story of what needs to be produced. Each frame does not require drawing, although there has to be enough frames and enough detail in order to make sure the information is clearly transferred. Storyboards show placement of characters, when they speak, their emotions, and also the staging elements such as where the camera is situated in a particular scene.

                                                                               

6) Animatics
Animatics are very similar to storyboards. The pictures from a storyboard are inserted into a program to form a small film. It is then played and it then allows the director and the artists to judge timing, whether or not scenes need to be extended and cut and whether or not dialogue would work. This is vitally important, especially when it comes to TV series which have to fit into a particular time slot.

Despicable Me

Family Guy

7) Dope Sheets:
Dope sheets are a tool used by animators in order to write down their ideas into a structured and organised way. Dope sheets are used for the entire length of the production, with each scene broken down into detailed separate frames. Each row represents the frame, while the columns along the top of the page represents different information ranging from where the camera is at certain points, to the dialogue and how it is said.

Motion Graphics Deconstruction: Cineworld Advert 8/12/2013

After recently going to the cinema, I came across another good motion graphic so I decided to go with this one for my next deconstruction. For some reason blogger couldn't find the video when I entered the URL, so if you haven't seen the clip already you can view it here: Cineworld Graphic.

This motion graphic is a mixture of two things, it gives a little bit of information about what is coming next on the screen whilst also telling the viewers in the cinema to turn off their phones. It's done like this as the advert is only 19 seconds long, this means it gets to the point and keeps the attention of the audience. It is also meant to be done with the intent of a bit of humour, which is also engaging for viewers. At the end of the clip it also advertises Cineworld cinemas as a reminder of where you are.

This is a motion graphic that is rich in sound, unlike some of my previous blogs where I have suggested that the sound is merely there to compliment the animation, I feel like the sound brings more emphasis to this clip. I think it would be quite clear what was going on without the sound, but it wouldn't have such an impact and you obviously wouldn't be able to hear the information that isn't visually represented on the screen. There is music that can be heard in the background of the animation, it's quite jolly and subtle which goes alongside the cheerful 2D cartoon visuals. There are also diegetic sound effects for the boat where it blows out the certification bubbles. These little sounds just help to bring the animation together. Then the voice over can be heard, even he has quite a cheerful tone, he is used for information purposes about the certification, trailers and the main point of this animation which is to tell people to turn off their phones. As he tries to inform the audience he can be heard trying to talk over laughing that slowly gets louder and louder. The laughing comes from the little phones at the bottom of the screen to show how annoying it is to have phones on during the cinema. The music stops as he tells them to shush and starts again with a joyful little ending as they walk off. I feel the sound effects just bring light to the situation whilst also being effective in giving information. The way it makes the phones louder as the animation goes on also helps to in still the information about turning phones off in the cinema as it is makes the viewer slightly frustrated if they are trying to listen to the voice over information.

Throughout the animation there is quite a lot going on for such a short clip. The clip is very bright and cheerful in its colour scheme as well as the cartoon style of drawing. The hot air balloon/boat is cleverly done, by incorporating a projector and film clipboard to relate to overall theme of film and cinema. This is shown to be producing bubbles with little certification icons. The certification icons are kept encased in the bubbles which draws attention to them in a more creative way. The camera then pans down into a cinema as the background, with two phones who are both communicating with each other in the foreground. The animators have managed to create characters for  the phones by their overall actions and their facial expressions. When they have been told to be quiet they look shocked, their faces then change to sad and grumpy expressions which shows how they feel. Their bodies are also made to slump with arms crossed which helps to support their reactions to the voice over. The whole animation isn't very fast paced, with the camera rarely moving position. The sounds are all in sync with the visual aspects which makes the animation more pleasurable to watch. At the end the clip fades out to reveal the Cineworld logo, this is the only real bit of typography throughout, the white on black background makes it stand out well and easy to read. Overall I think this is a very neat animation as it is very rich to watch and to listen to, I like that it sticks to one theme so there is no confusion for the viewer about what they are watching. The whole style is there to engage and be appealing to all age groups and I think this is achieved well.

Motion Graphics Deconstruction: John Lewis 8/12/2013

I chose this example of an advert as it is slightly different to the usual ones that can be seen. Motion graphics are largely used in advertising, and very rarely do they tell the viewer an actual story. This is because motion graphics are designed to be short, concise and to the point. This is mainly due to the requirements of the animation needing to fit into a specified time slot and they are also designed to keep the viewer interested and concentrating on the product the company is trying to sell. Therefore, producing a story within an animation would be quite difficult to achieve to a high quality and effective standard. However, this is where the newest John Lewis Christmas advert is an example of when it can be done, and done very well.

John Lewis is a retail company, so their main aims are to advertise themselves as well as specific products, in this advert though they concentrate on the story rather than listing items. It isn't very obvious what this advert is about until the very end where the name of John Lewis appears, so they've had to make this particularly long advert as engaging as possible in order to ensure people will see the name at the end. They've done this through the story-telling about a bear and a hare who are friends. The bear hasn't seen Christmas as it hibernates through winter, but this year the hare can be seen giving him an alarm clock so that he can wake up and join them. It is a very sweet and heart-warming story, definitely what Christmas should be about, therefore it connects to a wide audience. Children and young teenagers will appreciate the animals and the overall visual appeal, while adults will understand the meaning and story. The story isn't too long, I didn't feel like I was watching a 2+ minute video, therefore it made an effective advert.

There aren't any sounds throughout the animation, only a song can be heard. They haven't used any voice overs or foley sound effects for the animals either, which means the movements and emotions shown on the animal's faces had to be done well in order to tell the story. The song doesn't really do much for the animation except create a calming feel and makes the ending seem a bit happier and magical. Apart from that it's not made to be in sync or reflect anything else within the animation. I would say it is a song that goes alongside and compliments the visual effects rather than being the main element which 'makes' the animation.

The style and content of this animation is very different to most you would usually see in an advert. It resembles more what you would see in films, which is obviously the point. It is made up with a variety of techniques, it used real live sets combined with stop motion techniques. The animals were each drawn frame by frame and moved along the set where photographs were taken. A lot of detail and time went into this animation, and it shows. The animators have done well with creating the right movements for each of the animals, they've made the bear and hare have realistic walks, being careful not to make it seem too cartoon like. The whole style of the piece also is made to feel like a children's book, as the illustrations of the animals are what you would typically see. As said before, this makes it appeal to all ages as it is not made to be silly or childish. As said in the paragraph above, the music doesn't hold this piece together, and there are no sounds or voices that help to portray the story. This is where the animation was the most important, the way the set changes, the actions of the animals and most importantly the emotions on the animal's faces had to all be right in order to portray the correct story. At the end is the only time when text appears and it is very John Lewis in the sense of the simple black type. They could have easily gone over the top and made it sparkle to go with the magical theme, but I like they kept it plain and subtle. It didn't take away from the story and it kept the mood of happy ending going. If a company can make such a lovely advert, who wouldn't want to shop there?

Motion Graphics Deconstruction: The X Factor 07/12/2013

For this week's deconstruction I have chosen to use The X Factor's introduction scene. Nearly all motion graphics are used in advertising, although this isn't directly advertising the program, it is informing the viewer about the name of the show.

The introduction of this clip is set in space, starting off behind Earth before picking up speed and travelling through the planets until the well known 'X' is found. The 'X' is representing a meteor heading straight for Earth which in-keeps with the entire space theme. It also allows an opportunity to create a sense of how important and large the show is, the introduction itself is on a large scale which would imply that the show is the same.

The colours used throughout are all in keeping with the space theme, which has meant they've had to make sure the 'X' is as bright and bold as possible. They've done this by obviously staying with it's iconic red and black but they've made sure the text is in 3D and bright. Doing this also creates the feeling of heat and that it is travelling at an immense speed. Had they not done achieved the effect it may have not been clear what the 'X' was representing but most importantly, although the background is dark,it does have a lot going on in terms of planets and stars which could very easily distract the viewer from the main information. The creators also made sure to keep the feeling of speed ongoing throughout, apart from the way the text was created there was another method used. They made sure to have the background moving quickly and ensure the stars and planets got large on approach. The use of distance and perspective was also an important factor in creating the speed and scale of the clip.

As a title screen the only information it is meant to reveal is the name of the show that it is representing. This is achieved in a simple but creative way which was described in the above paragraphs. It is obvious right away which program this is representing as the adverts for the X-Factor always make the 'X' very prominent and noticeable.

The iconic theme tune for the show is used in the introduction, the same music is also used in any advertising so this helps the viewer to remember and link that tune to the title screen. This is useful as people that know the show will then be aware of it starting so that they obviously can watch it (or turn it over!). The music is made to be 'catchy' and helps to grab the attention of the audience. The music itself is also fairly fast paced, so the animation has to be the same otherwise it would not syncronise properly and would probably look very unprofessional.