THE ANIMATION PROCESS
A Helpful Guide
INTRODUCTION Welcome to the world of animation, where characters have dimensions, movement is dynamic, and storytelling reigns. Where the options for creativity and originality are only limited by the imagination, and not by the tools. Concepting and executing animation can be a daunting process to navigate, which is why we’ve broken it into this digestible guide: first by explaining the terminology, then by walking through the steps.
TERMINOLOGY Animation Process Terms, Defined: •
Storyboard: Black and white line drawings/sketches in a series of panels showing the actions and changes of the scene in an animation, with written visual descriptors of each scene.
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Style Frames: Fully illustrated key frames of the approved storyboard, representing the final look and feel of the animation.
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Animatic: The blueprint of the animation. A rough, moving line drawing version that shows timings, angles and transitions of the animation.
PROCESS
A rough outline:
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After being briefed, animation studio develops the style direction — the look and feel of the animation. This style is then carried through in a consistent manner and determines the type of animation (3D, 2D cel, or 2D vector).
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Client approves the style direction.
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Animation studio develops and presents the storyboard.
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Client provides any feedback on the storyboard and provides approved VO.
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Animation studio develops and presents style frames and animatic.
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Client approves style frames and animatic. Note: once the style frame and animatic is approved, no major changes should be made in the animation phase.
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Animation studio completes and delivers the final animation per the brief 's specs.
CASE STUDY To illustrate the steps of the animation process, we are delighted to feature the development of a video created for Hubert’s Lemonade by the prolific and versatile animation studio Made by Radio.
STYLE EXPLORATION / CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
STORYBOARD
A yellow cat with a lemon shaped head bats at a bottle of Hubert’s lemonade.
VO: Mr. Sweetie, what you doing? The cat stops, looks up with a side glance, and a sour face.
VO: Don’t be such a sour puss. The cat knocks over the bottle with one swipe, which spills.
VO: Mr Sweetie! Aww… It cutely starts lapping up the lemonade and purrs contently…
Announcer: Joy to the lem— Mr. Sweetie: —Meow… Announcer: Joy to the lemons
SUPER: HUBERTSLEMONADE.COM
STYLE FRAMES
ANIMATIC
FINAL ANIMATION
THANK YOU.
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