In
this post, I shall walk you through the many stages involved in creating an
animated movie from scratch, whether it is the large scale movies or the short
films. So if you're thinking about trying it yourself and want to know how it's
done, or even if you're just curious about the process, this post is one you
don't want to miss.
The
production pipeline of a typical animated short or a movie can be divided into
three stages: pre-production, production and post-production. In this article
we will be discussing these three key stages in detail.
Pre-Production
The
first process in the animation pipeline, and also one of the most important, is
pre-production. It begins with the main concepts which are initially turned
into a full story, and then, once the story has been finalized, other things
such as the script, shot sequence and camera angles are worked on.
Some
major components of pre production are Story Boarding, Layouts, Model Sheets
and Animatics.
Story
Boarding
The
Storyboard helps to finalize the development of the storyline, and is an
essential stage of the animation process. It is made up of drawings in the form
of a comic strip, and is used to both help visualize the animation and to
communicate ideas clearly. It details the scene and changes in the animation,
often accompanied by text notes describing things occurring within the scene
itself, such as camera movements.
Not
only can storyboards be especially useful when working in group environments
(something quite common in the animation industry,) but they also provide a
visual reminder of the original plan; something that can be referred back to
throughout the production.
Layouts
Once
the storyboards have been approved, they are sent to the layout department which
then works closely with the director to design the locations and costumes. With
this done they begin to stage the scenes, showing the various characters'
positions throughout the course of each shot.
Model
Sheets
Model
sheets are precisely drawn groups of pictures that show all of the possible
expressions that a character can make, and all of the many different poses that
they could adopt. These sheets are created in order to both accurately maintain
character detail and to keep the designs of the characters uniform whilst
different animators are working on them across several shots.
During
this stage the character designs are finalized so that when production starts
their blueprints can be sent to the modeling department who are responsible for
creating the final character models.
Animatics
In
order to give a better idea of the motion and timing of complex animation
sequences and VFX-heavy scenes, the pre-visualization department within the VFX
studio creates simplified mock-ups called “Animatics” shortly after the
storyboarding process.These help the Director plan how they will go about
staging the above sequences, as well as how visual effects will be integrated
into the final shot.
Production
Now
that the storyboard has been approved the project enters the production phase.
It's here that the actual work can start, based on the guidelines established
during pre-production. Some major parts are layout, modeling, texturing,
lighting, rigging and animation.
Layout
Using
lo-res models or blocks of geometry in the place of the final set and
characters, the Layout Artist is responsible for composing the shot and
delivering rough animation to the animators as a guide. What they produce is
the 3D version of what the storyboard artists had previously drawn on paper.
During
this stage the Director approves camera moves, depth of field and the
composition of the models making up the set and set dressing. It is then the
responsibility of the Modeling department to deliver these approved set, prop
and character models in the final layout stages.
Modeling
Modelers
are usually split into two or more departments. Whilst organic modelers tend to
have a sculpture background and specialize in building the characters and other
freeform surfaces, hard-surface modelers often have a more industrial design or
architectural background, and as such they model the vehicles, weapons, props
and buildings.
Working
closely with the Art Directors, Visual Effects Supervisors and Animation
Supervisors, modelers turn the 2D concept art and traditionally sculpted
maquettes into high detail, topologically sound 3D models. They then assist the
Technical Animator and Enveloper as the model has a skeleton put in place and
the skin is developed. Following this, the model may be handed back to the
Modeler, who will proceed to sculpt facial expressions and any specific muscle
tension/jiggle shapes that may be required
Once
the model is approved, it will be made available to the rigging and texture
paint departments, who complete the final stages in preparing the model for
animation and rendering. With luck, the model will move through the production
pipeline without coming back for modeling fixes, although some amount of fixes
are inevitable - problems with models sometimes don't appear until the rendering
stage, in which case the lighter will send the model back to be fixed.
Texturing
Whether
creating a texture from scratch or through editing an existing image, Texturing
Artists are responsible for writing shaders and painting textures as per the
scene requirements.
Working
hand-in-hand with the surfacing and shading departments, textures are painted
to match the approved concept art and designs which were delivered by the art
department. These textures are created in the form of maps which are then
assigned to the model.
Lighting
Not
only does a Lighting Artist have to think lighting the individual scenes, they
also have to consider how to bring together all of the elements that have been
created by the other departments. In most companies, lighting TDs combine the
latest version of the animation, the effects, the camera moves, the shaders and
textures into the final scenes, and render out an updated version every day.
Lighters
have a broad range of responsibilities, including placing lights, defining
light properties, defining how light interacts with different types of
materials, the qualities and complexities of the realistic textures involved,
how the position and intensity of lights affect mood and believability, as well
as color theory and harmony. They are required to establish direct and
reflected lighting and shadows for each assigned shot, ensuring that each shot
fits within the continuity of a sequence, all the while aiming to fulfill the
vision of the Directors, Production Designers, Art Directors and VFX
Supervisors.
Rigging
Rigging
is the process of adding bones to a character or defining the movement of a
mechanical object, and it's central to the animation process. A character TD
will make test animations showing how a creature or character appears when
deformed into different poses, and based on the results corrective adjustments
are often made.
The
rigging department is also involved in developing cloth simulation – so as well
as making a character able to clench their fist or rotate their arm, the
rigging and cloth department is responsible for making their costume move in a
believable manner.
Animation
In
modern production companies, the practice of meticulously planning a
character's performance frame by frame is applied in 3D graphics using the same
basic principles and aesthetic judgments that were first developed for 2D and
stop-motion animation. If motion capture is used at the studio to digitize the
motion of real actors, then a great deal of an animator's time will also be
spent cleaning up the motion captured performance and completing the portions
of the motion (such as the eyes and hands) that may not have been digitized
during the process.
The
effects team also produce elements such as smoke, dust, water and explosions,
although development on these aspects does not start until the final
animation/lighting has been approved as they are integral to the final shot and
often computationally heavy.
Post-Production
Post-production
is the third and final step in film creation and it refers to the tasks that
must be completed or executed after the filming or shooting ends. These include
the editing of raw footage to cut scenes together, inserting transitional
effects, working with voice and sound actors and dubbing to name just a few of
the many post-production tasks.
Overall,
however, the three main phases of post-production are compositing, sound
editing and video editing.
Compositing
The
compositing department brings together all of the 3D elements produced by the
previous departments in the pipeline, to create the final rendered image ready
for film! Compositors take rendered images from lighters and sometimes also
start with compositing scripts that TDs develop in order to initially comp
together their dailies (working versions of the shot.)
General
compositing tasks include rendering the different passes delivered by a
lighting department to form the final shot, paint fixes and rotoscoping
(although compositors sometimes rely on mattes created by a dedicated
rotoscoping department), as well as the compositing of fx elements and general
color grading.
Sound
Editing
This
department is responsible for selecting and assembling the sound recordings in
preparation for the final sound mix, ensuring lip sync and adding all of the
sound effects required for the final film.
Video
Editing
Video
editing is the process of manipulating and rearranging shots to create a
seamless final product, and it is at this stage that any unwanted footage and
scenes are removed. Editing is a crucial step in making sure the video flows in
a way which achieves the initial goal. Other tasks include titling and adding
any effects to the final video and text.
Conclusion
The
production pipeline detailed above is broadly common in most studios; however
each studio is likely to have a custom pipeline determined by the type of
project they are currently undertaking. A 2D production pipeline starts with
workbook and goes all the way through final checking, composting and film
output, whilst the 3D CGI production process emphasizes the design, modeling
and rigging and animation stages. Moreover, animation production is a very
coordinated process where different teams of artists work together while
utilizing optimum resources and achieving the initial goal in the time
available.
