CTU Animation Compositing: Animation workflow

Animation workflow

On a production set with Toonboom Production

1 Preproduction : Idea and collecting funds.

Each 2D company Develop his own workflow production, also called pipeline ( even in 3d production)

The Animation Pipeline Scheme (p1) may represent a global approach in the animation production.

The studios develops an idea, a concept (sometimes many more than just one to increase the chance to seduce producers), then at the same time they starts to develop some design (character, background set) to give their story a visual approach in order to reach a producer and collect some money funds but also to see if the project may have a chance to be technically done.

At this step a studio or a single author may launch their own project or idea, but they can also create their story from nothing or from some existing visuals or a book.

-The first step in the development of “Robotboy” came from the producer: they wanted another show that can reach kids , 5 to 12 years old.They asked Alphanim studio in France (www.alphanim.com) to do some design research and at some point they agreed to launch the show. The design came from Jan van Rijsselberg a Belgium artist.

Also because of the complicated mater in collecting funds, Alphanim and also Jan became co producers in several shows.

2 Production : Final design - Artwork– planning production – storyboarding.

At the step of the research of funds, The autor or studio may have already storyboarded their story; in the production process they can partially or totally rewrite the story, with more time and professionnels working ,to give the project a strong.

They also start to build their team, and usually the team leaders are Hired first.

Lot of meeting later where they determine their common artistic and technical approach, they start building respectively their team.

3 animation process.

Today most of animation companies (Europe, US or even Japan) are giving up in animating in their own countries (3d may be the exception),they prefer to subcontract to China, India Korea where it is less expensive.

They usually send one of their lead animator to supervise the animation work.

They also may choose to subcontract Painting process, the first part of the compositing, and sometimes the whole compositing (but rare at the moment)

For example

· Robotboy1 : tv show-season1- 52 episode

· France Paris : storyboard, concept , design, artwork, editing, sound

· Korea: animation, paint and precompositing

· Luxembourg : compositing

· Robotboy2 :tv show-season2-52ep

· France Paris : storyboard, concept , design, artwork, editing, sound

· Korea: animation, paint and precompositing

· France Angouleme:compositing

· Santaprentice : tv show : season 1: 52 ep

· France Paris : storyboard, concept , design, artwork, editing, sound

· China : two differents locations and studio 2 x 26 : animation, paint and precompositing

· France Angouleme:compositing

Artistic process is commonly not really far from the main studio which can also change quickly some important matter in the compositing process and the editing.

The director of the movie is usually also really close to artistic team.

So sometimes, when funds are collected, artwork on the run, also animation completed on its first episodes, some drastically changes are made: just because of human mistake or fatality: the software is not good, or the version used in china is different from the one in France, The storyboards are not fun and many episodes that are already animated must be completely rewritten: the director does not fit the standards, a producer changed his mind, and a studio choose to work for a bigger company: that’s kind of happened on Robotboy show 2.

Based on their experiences some studio may have choosen to develop their own software like big US compagnies or due to a lack of money and competition they prefer to setup and choose a strong existing one: like toonboom Harmony

Alphanim choose to use Toonboom software : at start it was toonboom Opus: actually Toonboom harmony.

The software company develops many version of its best seller(today a lot of commercial version for family to complex business company) and because of the feedback of their clients, they also developed new tools and right hand software like Toonboom storyboard.

This software is totally mature today and its politic of upgrade leads him to be a reference in the 2D animation world (Mononoke hime :Studio Ghibli Japan, Disney Tv etc)

Animation is no more a simple succession of animated drawing, then scanned, painted, and composited.

You can choose where you want to start based on your Project.

· You want to animate old school, paper? You can do it

· You don’t want to animate on paper : then animate on graphic tablet, you can also do it

· You don’t want to draw your animation? Then you may like to animate a puppet tool

· Or you just want to do some rotoscopie passed on an existing video movie

But at this point only your story and creativity may choose what is best for you: Toonboom is not alone on the market: After FX develop his own puppet tools( Gaston lagaffe : Normaal studio animation), rotoscopy tools, 3d environment.

Your project may also combine Adobe After FX with toonboom or a 3d software, a particle system software etc : each one of them may bring you the flexibility that another one don’t.

There is not just one question you must ask yourself when you start your project, but you have to consider what you want and what you can Do :Do you have money to pay a 2000 Us dollars harmony software and a 1000 Usd for the storyboard pro if you are a student or an independent worker.

Or do I have to take a lesser and cheaper version ( family 300usd).

Do I want cutout animation (puppet) on toonboom or after FX?What do I plan to do next Year?

Do I want to do a Short, a long animation movie?alone?with a team? Localy or internationally?

Do I want to do commercials, to be director, animator, motion designer?

If you find those answers, then you are just one step to make the good choice.

The right question leads to the right answer

After Fx camera workspace