Animation is the cornerstone of ImagineX Animation Studios and is the center of the company. At ImagineX Animation Studios we believe that artistry combined with clever storytelling and technical skill, can result in creating films and projects that rival the best in the industry.
The Process
Storyboards
Animation productions begin by deciding on a story. Whether it be a script-driven or storyboard driven project, a storyboard must be created. The storyboard has an appearance somewhat similar to a comic book, and it shows the sequence of shots as consecutive sketches that also indicate transitions, camera angles, and framing. The images allow the animation team to plan the flow of the plot and the layout of the shots.
The Process
Storyboards
Animation productions begin by deciding on a story. Whether it be a script-driven or storyboard driven project, a storyboard must be created. The storyboard has an appearance somewhat similar to a comic book, and it shows the sequence of shots as consecutive sketches that also indicate transitions, camera angles, and framing. The images allow the animation team to plan the flow of the plot and the layout of the shots.
Often, an animatic or story reel is made after the soundtrack is created, but before full animation begins. An animatic typically consists of pictures of the storyboard synchronized with the soundtrack. This allows the animators and directors to work out any script and timing issues that may exist with the current storyboard. The storyboard and soundtrack are amended if necessary, and a new animatic may be created and reviewed with the director until the storyboard is perfected. Editing the film at the animatic stage prevents the animation of scenes that would be edited out of the film; as animation is a very expensive and time-consuming process, creating scenes that will eventually be edited out of the completed film is strictly avoided.
Design
Once the animatic has been approved, it and the storyboards are sent to the design departments. Character designers prepare model sheets for all important characters and props in the film; these are used to help standardize appearance, poses, and gestures. These model sheets will show how a character or object looks from a variety of angles with a variety of poses and expressions so that all artists working on the project can deliver consistent work.
Design
Once the animatic has been approved, it and the storyboards are sent to the design departments. Character designers prepare model sheets for all important characters and props in the film; these are used to help standardize appearance, poses, and gestures. These model sheets will show how a character or object looks from a variety of angles with a variety of poses and expressions so that all artists working on the project can deliver consistent work.
At the same time, the background stylists will do similar work for the settings and locations in the project, and the art directors and color stylists will determine the art style and color schemes to be used.
Layout
Layout begins after the designs are completed and 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.
Layout
Layout begins after the designs are completed and 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.
Animation
Once the animatic is finally approved by the director, animation begins. A key animator or lead animator will draw the key drawings in a scene, using the character layouts as a guide. The key animator draws enough of the frames to get across the major points of the action and set the timing of the animation.
While working on a scene, a key animator will usually prepare a pencil test of the scene. A pencil test is a preliminary version of the final animated scene. This allows the animation to be reviewed and improved upon before adding details and some of the missing frames in the scene. The work of the animators is reviewed, pencil-tested, and corrected until the animator is ready to meet with the director and have his scene reviewed by the director, producer, and other key creative team members. Similar to the storyboarding stage, an animator may be required to redo a scene many times before the director will approve it.
Once the key animation is approved, the scene is fowarded to the clean-up stage. In the clean up stage the drawings are taken and either traced over, taking care in including all of the details present on the original model sheets, so that it appears that one person animated the entire film, or tracked via symbol/puppet animation. It is here where whatever frames are still missing are drawn in between the other drawings. This procedure is called tweening. The resulting drawings are again pencil-tested until they meet approval.
Once the animatic is finally approved by the director, animation begins. A key animator or lead animator will draw the key drawings in a scene, using the character layouts as a guide. The key animator draws enough of the frames to get across the major points of the action and set the timing of the animation.
While working on a scene, a key animator will usually prepare a pencil test of the scene. A pencil test is a preliminary version of the final animated scene. This allows the animation to be reviewed and improved upon before adding details and some of the missing frames in the scene. The work of the animators is reviewed, pencil-tested, and corrected until the animator is ready to meet with the director and have his scene reviewed by the director, producer, and other key creative team members. Similar to the storyboarding stage, an animator may be required to redo a scene many times before the director will approve it.
Once the key animation is approved, the scene is fowarded to the clean-up stage. In the clean up stage the drawings are taken and either traced over, taking care in including all of the details present on the original model sheets, so that it appears that one person animated the entire film, or tracked via symbol/puppet animation. It is here where whatever frames are still missing are drawn in between the other drawings. This procedure is called tweening. The resulting drawings are again pencil-tested until they meet approval.