Learn the stages of animation.
Animation has existed for over a century. It has expanded from simple hand drawn cartoons to expansive, multi-million dollar computer animation. It has also gone from two dimensional or 2D animation to incredible three dimensional animation or 3D. Technology has improved the process and streamlined the classic process or stages of 2D animation. However, the basic stages have formed the basis for all animation afterward.
Storyboarding
Before a single picture is drawn or a single line of dialogue spoken, the whole animation must be storyboarded. This is done in every single animation from the most basic two second animation to an entire animated movie. Story boards are crude drawings placed on a wall in order to visualize each shot of the animation. The animators, writers and directors will all come together and discuss every aspect of every shot. This will include character position, character dialogue, backgrounds, view point, objects in the frames and anything else in the shot. Once finished, this storyboard will serve as the basis for every aspect of the animation.
Record the Dialogue
After the storyboard has been finished, the dialogue must be recorded. This will be done in a professional recording studio. This is vital to the animation process, as the animators must know what the characters will say. They will then match the movements and lip movement of the characters with the recorded dialogue. However, if there is no dialogue, this step is obviously skipped.
Drawing
All of the characters and backgrounds will then be drawn on paper by the animators. These will include the characters, the backgrounds and anything else that has to be in the scene. In classic 2D animation, there may be over a hundred thousand individual drawings made. These drawings are sometimes not even enough to finish the entire story. An artist called an "inbetweener" will look over the drawings and make any extra drawings that can help flesh the story out. They may also add new art to the already finished drawings.
Inking
After the entire film has been drawn on paper, it will go to the "inking" department. The artists here will carefully transfer the characters draw on the paper onto celluloid acetates or cels. Every character of every drawing of the film has to be transferred to one of these transparent cells. They inkers do the basic outline of the characters and then send the cels to the Painting Department. They turn over the cell and paint the character within the outline. Painting on the back gives the characters a well defined outline.
Backgrounds
After all the characters and character actions have been transferred to cels, backgrounds must be made. The paper drawings will be taken to the Background Department. These artists will use the paper drawings as a guideline for the type of background for the characters. They must make sure the backgrounds correspond to the action and behavior of the characters on the screen. They may add their own animation ideas to the background, drawing thousands of minor variations on the basic background to give it a little life and action.
Photographing
Once all the character cels have been made and all the backgrounds painted, the basic photography can start. The background is placed below the lens and the cels are placed on top of the background. They are carefully situated and held in place by clamps at the corners. A photograph will then be taken. The next cel of the animation will be placed under the camera and photographed. This will be done with every cell. The photographs will be arranged in order on film in order to create the illusion of movement. The sound will then be added to the animation, finishing the basic film. Any editing will occur at this point.
