ANIMATION NCII – Animation 12a

Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600

Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: ICT ANI 12 A, B, C, D
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 1 – Ani12a Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

Animation workflow

Objectives: At the end of this lesson, students shall be able to:

1) Enumerate the animation workflow steps from the creation of the script to post production;
2) Explain in their own words the processes and people involved in every step in the animation
workflow; and
3) Apply the concepts and principles of the animation workflow by creating an original
animated short film with a team.

Animation Workflow
 Also known as the production workflow or animation pipeline
 Process of creating a full-blown animation
 The traditional animation workflow is done as a very straightforward pipe / waterfall model
o Processes cannot be done simultaneously by a huge amount of people
o The first step must be done before continuing on with the next one
o Other animation styles (paperless, digital, 3D, etc.) can have more than one process going
on simultaneously and is easier to create

Stages of Animation
1. Pre-production
 Planning before production
 Focuses on the creation and development of ideas
 Not done by the animation studio
 Importance:
o Helps develop a roadmap to base the production
o Helps reveal a flaw that needs to be worked on before production
2. Production
 AKA the animation proper
 Characteristics:
o Done entirely by the animation studio
o Longest and busiest stage in the animation workflow
o Utilizes the most amount of staff
3. Post-production
 Final stage which involves final video and audio editing
 Can be mostly be optional

Pre-Production

Script

Storyboard Design Audio Record

Animatic Layout / Poses

Styling Sound Breakdown

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 ANIMATION NCII – Animation 12a
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: ICT ANI 12 A, B, C, D
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 1 – Ani12a Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

1. Script / Screenplay
 Staff: director, producer, writer
 Written version of the story
 Foundation of the whole project
 Characteristics:
o Basis of the character, prop, and location design
o Basis for storyboard
o Comes from the studio / client requesting the project
 Parts of a Script (illustration below):
a. Scene – how a script is divided; usually determined by a setting with its type (INT – interior ;
EXT – exterior), location, and time / time of day
b. Actions – main content of the script; any action that is done by the characters; may
convey the emotion of the character; may happen before or during dialogue; takes note
of: room / environment setting, character description, and character’s actions
o Character Description – A type of description that is done when a character first enters
the script; can describe the name (in all caps), physical features, clothing, posture,
and/or first action of the film
c. Dialogue – Done when a specific character is talking; no actions are usually added; would
include the name of the character and the spoken dialogue
d. Others:
o Camera Transitions – Instructions for how the scene will transition from one shot to
another; examples: CUT TO, DISSOLVE TO, PAN TO, WIPE TO, SMASH CUT
o Camera Angles – Describes how the scene will be shot; examples: CLOSE-UP SHOT,
POV, ESTABLISHING SHOT
A. Scene

B. Actions

C. Dialogue

2. Design
 People involved: concept artist, clean up artist, art director
 Creation and modification of the initial designs (character, background, props)
 Gives a visual representation of what is placed on the script
 Roles:
o Concept artist – rough design
o Art director – checks and approves designs
o Clean up artist – final lines
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 ANIMATION NCII – Animation 12a
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: ICT ANI 12 A, B, C, D
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 1 – Ani12a Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

 Character Design
o Focuses on establishing the design of the character
o Steps: Drawing of the rough design, approved for final design, clean-up is done, sent for
color styling
o Creation of multiple model sheets
o Types of Model Sheets:
a. Rough character concept – Rough design of what the character should look like; could
include other types of model sheets like facial expressions, common poses, etc.

Sample of Rough character concept of Mother Gothel (Tangled). By Jin Kim.

b. Facial expressions – Showcases the different and most commonly used facial
expressions used by the character from the script

Sample facial expressions model sheet of Moana (Moana). By Jin Kim.

c. Rough construction – Showcases the different full-body movements and range of
motions used by the character from the script

Sample rough construction poses of Flynn Rider (Tangled). By Jin Kim.

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 ANIMATION NCII – Animation 12a
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: ICT ANI 12 A, B, C, D
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 1 – Ani12a Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

d. Turnaround – Shows the full-body of the character in different angles; mostly showcases
the height of the character

Sample full-body turnaround for Abigail Callaghan (Big Hero 6). By Jin Kim.
e. Final line / clean-up construction – Shows the full-body turnaround design of the
character, usually with a final clean-up and color

Sample final line construction model sheet for Jasmine (Aladdin). Concept by Glen Keane.
 Design – Background
o Rough design is done by a background / concept artist
o Types of Background Design:
a. Rough concept – Focuses on conceptualizing and creating the sceneries and
backgrounds based from the scripts; focuses on drawing the location and not as a
background; meant to capture how it feels and looks

Rough concept location design of a market. By Feng Zhu.

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 ANIMATION NCII – Animation 12a
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: ICT ANI 12 A, B, C, D
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 1 – Ani12a Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

b. Environment concept – Focuses on creating the different locations in a bigger location

(or map) to identify the distance and its placement into the overall world-building

Sample alchemist laboratory environment design. By Feng Zhu.

c. Background design – Focuses on redrawing the final rough concept background into
different perspectives that can be used for the final animation

Tree stump drawn in different perspectives. By Feng Zhu.

3. Color Styling
 People involved: Coloring artist, background painter
 Can be done at any time within the pre-production stage
 Doesn't really have an impact on the pipeline, but is usually part of the design process
 Establishes the final colors (base, highlight, shading) of the elements needed
 Focuses on finalizing the colors, and not on coloring everything (that is for coloring), but with
the exception of the background
 Types of Color Stylists:
o Coloring artist – character and prop designs
o Background painter – location designs and backgrounds

4. Audio Recording, Dialogue, Nat Pause

 People involved: voice actors, director, sound producers
 Focuses on creating or recording the human voices, music, and sound effects to be used
 Recorded outside of animation studio
 Needed to create the sound breakdowns and storyboard
 Recording is done first to sync with the animation later

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 ANIMATION NCII – Animation 12a
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: ICT ANI 12 A, B, C, D
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 1 – Ani12a Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

 Nat Pause – Video of recording to hear what are how is said; used for referencing facial
expressions with the recorded dialogue

Application of Nat Pause for Damon Wayanas Jr., who is the voice actor of Wasabi (Big Hero 6). Drawings
by Jin Kim.

5. Storyboard
 People involved: storyboard artist
 Visual representation of all the scenes and actions in the script
 Focuses on specific actions, movements, transitions, and timing
 Dialogue, background, action notes, and characters are included
 Importance:
o Translates the script to the animators easier
o Double checks consistency
o Identifies errors at an early stage
o Identifies proper timing and delivery of the story in visuals

Sample storyboard for Princess and the Frog.

 Parts of a Storyboarding Frame (illustration below):
a. Scene number – Label of the frame in the entire storyboard; can be represented as a
number only (1) or a number with a letter (1A) with the letter representing the scene and
the letter representing the label of the frame in that scene
b. Frame – The action is seen wherein the important elements are roughly drawn; actions are
highlighted with arrows (actions of characters and props, background, camera
movements and transitions, character and prop movement)
c. Action – Description of the action inside the frame (camera angles, shots, and movement,
camera transitions, character / prop movement, important details that need to be
highlighted); is mandatory

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 ANIMATION NCII – Animation 12a
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: ICT ANI 12 A, B, C, D
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 1 – Ani12a Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

d. Dialogue – Statements said by any of the characters (spoken word, subtitles / translations,
spoken thoughts); optional
a. Scene number c. Actions

b. Frame d. Dialogue

6. Animatic
 People involved: keyframe animator, assistant
 Also known as animatic reel / leica
 Scenes from the storyboard is timed along with sounds, dialogue and music
 If storyboard is done on paper, one person must scan it and prepare for the animatic

7. Layout and Posing

 People involved: layout artist (1)
 Helps translate the storyboard clearly to animators
 Layout artist prepares a folder for the animator

Sample of a Layout and Posing. The rectangles with “X” marks refer to different camera angles that can
be used when animating.
 Uses a field guide / graticule to work out the position of the shot

Sample of a field guide.

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 ANIMATION NCII – Animation 12a
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: ICT ANI 12 A, B, C, D
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 1 – Ani12a Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

Production

Exposure Keyframe Clean-up for

Line Testing In-betweening
Sheet Animation Keyframes

Clean-up for
Coloring Scanning Compositing Rendering
In-betweens

1. Exposure Sheet
 People involved: keyframe animator, art director
 Also known as x-sheets or dope sheets
 A piece of document that help control the timing of the animation for both the keyframe
animator and in-betweener
 Art director creates the exposure sheet; keyframe animator double checks
 Some line testers would have the exposure sheet in it so it may not be necessary
 Parts of an Exposure Sheet:
a. Sound / Track – Contains the sounds (mostly mouth
codes / lip syncs) that are broken down (per sound);
duration of the sound shall have a larger space to take
b. Action – Contains instructions on when an action will
start and end
c. Frame Numbers – Where the frame is inserted; would
dictate the speed of the animation (one’s, two’s, and
three’s)
d. Levels – Shows the different actions specified for each
layer; a layer would determine whether it is on the
foreground or background
e. Camera – Instructs the cameras on how the scene
should be shots; based from the field guide

2. Keyframe Animation
 People involved: keyframe / senior animators
 Keyframe animator receives the layout folder and exposure sheet and uses the references to
animate the scene
 Keyframe animator creates rough sketches of only important frames (dialogue, movement,
poses, etc.); would usually be based from the storyboard

Sample keyframes from My Hero Academia. By Yoshihiko Umakoshi.

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 ANIMATION NCII – Animation 12a
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: ICT ANI 12 A, B, C, D
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 1 – Ani12a Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

3. Line Testing
 People involved: art director
 Usually done while creating the keyframe animation
 Scenes are regularly passed through the line-testing process
 Art director tests the rough key poses of an animation
 Done to see if the animation is going in the right direction

Sample keyframe from a line testing. Notice how the hand of the bigger character phases through the
smaller one.

4. Clean-Up for Keyframes

 People involved: clean-up artist
 Clean up-artist creates the clean-up of the keyframe drawings from the keyframe animator
 In Japanese animation, the shadows and highlights are also cleaned-up and are usually color-
coded

Sample clean-up for a keyframe from The Wind Rises.

5. In-betweening
 People involved: in-between artist
 In-between artist receives clean up versions of keyframes
 In-between artist draws rough sketches of intermediate frames between keyframes; double
checks motion
 Some considerations when in-betweening:
o Character modeling must be practiced beforehand
o Analysis of the exposure sheets
o Breakdown of the timing with the aid of the timing sheets
o Application of the appropriate 12 principles of animation
o Use of concepts of in-betweening

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 ANIMATION NCII – Animation 12a
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: ICT ANI 12 A, B, C, D
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 1 – Ani12a Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

Sample in-betweening of a run cycle. By Richard Williams.

6. Clean-Up for In-betweens

 People involved: clean-up artist
 Clean-up artist creates the clean-up of the in-between drawings from the in-between artist
 Follows the same clean-up concepts and techniques from the previous clean-up steps

7. Coloring
 People involved: color artist
 Color artist takes clean up version of the entire animation for coloring
 Uses acrylic paint and transparent cels (film strips) to color in characters and props
 Considered as phased out; even animation studios that draw their frames traditionally would
usually scan and then color it digitally

Example of a cartoon colored using traditional animation methods, particularly with a cel.

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 ANIMATION NCII – Animation 12a
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: ICT ANI 12 A, B, C, D
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 1 – Ani12a Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

8. Scanning
 People involved: assistants
 Gateway between traditional and digital animation
 Scans finished cel strips of characters and backgrounds of an animation program

9. Compositing
 People involved: compositor
 Compositor receives exposure sheet and scanned outputs
 Compositor assembles all elements and creates the camera movements
 Compositor adds any digital effects required (tones, highlights, and shadows; lighting effects;
other animation effects like flashes of a gun, smoke, etc.)

Sample of an animation composited using ToonBoom.

10. Export – Render

 People involved: render wrangler
 Render wrangler renders the scene as a movie or an image sequence
 Render wrangler double checks computer specifications before, during, and after rendering

Post-Production
1. Sounds
 People involved: sound producer
 Sound producer adds dialogue and sound effects to the rendered animation project
2. Final Render
 People involved: render wrangler, director
 Render wrangler renders the scene as a movie
 Render wrangler double checks computer specifications before, during, and after rendering
 Considered as final output; ready for distribution
3. Other Post-Production Steps
 Color grading
 Adding of filters
 Dubbing
 Adding of subtitles

References
 Williams, R. (2002). The Animator’s Survival Kit. Faber & Faber: London.
 https://www.wideopenspace.co.uk/animation-tutorial
 https://learn.toonboom.com/modules/animation-workflow

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 ANIMATION NCII – Animation 12a
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: ICT ANI 12 A, B, C, D
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 1 – Ani12a Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

ACTIVITY 1: Self-Check 1
Instructions: Read and analyze the questions. Choose the letter of the BEST answer. (20 items, 20 pts.)
1. Which of the following stages of animation focuses on planning?
A. Peri-production B. Post-production C. Production D. Pre-production
2. Which of the following stages of animation is done by the animation studio?
A. Peri-production B. Post-production C. Production D. Pre-production
3. Which of the following stages of animation is mostly optional?
A. Peri-production B. Post-production C. Production D. Pre-production
4. Which of the following steps involves the initialization of how the characters look like?
A. Animatic B. Design C. Script D. Storyboard
5. Which of the following steps is the basis of creating the leica?
A. Animatic B. Design C. Script D. Storyboard
6. Which of the following steps is the first step in creating an animation?
A. Animatic B. Design C. Script D. Storyboard
7. Which of the following is used as a basis for creating the facial expressions of the animations?
A. Audio Record B. Color styling C. Layout & Posing D. Nat Pause
8. Which of the following steps does not have a significant effect on the pipeline?
A. Audio Record B. Color styling C. Layout & Posing D. Nat Pause
9. Which of the following utilizes a field guide to determine the sizing of the characters?
A. Audio Record B. Color styling C. Layout & Posing D. Nat Pause
10. What type of model sheet can be considered as the first type of model sheet to be created?
A. Facial expressions C. Rough character concept
B. Final line D. Turnaround
11. What type of model sheet focuses on the height of the character?
A. Facial expressions C. Rough character concept
B. Final line D. Turnaround
12. What type of model sheet is considered as the final model sheet?
A. Facial expressions C. Rough character concept
B. Final line D. Turnaround
13. Which of the following steps collates all drawings to turn it into a video?
A. Compositing B. Exposure sheet C. Line testing D. Rendering
14. Which of the following steps helps with the timing of the animation?
A. Compositing B. Exposure sheet C. Line testing D. Rendering
15. Which of the following steps is used to determine if the animation is going on the right track?
A. Compositing B. Exposure sheet C. Line testing D. Rendering
16. Which of the following steps creates the intermediate frames of the animation?
A. Clean-up (keyframes) C. Keyframe animation
B. Clean-up (in-betweens) D. In-betweening
17. Which of the following steps is done after the keyframing?
A. Clean-up (keyframes) C. Keyframe animation
B. Clean-up (in-betweens) D. In-betweening
18. Which of the following steps is the first step that has to be done?
A. Clean-up (keyframes) C. Keyframe animation
B. Clean-up (in-betweens) D. In-betweening
19. Which of the following steps utilizes the least amount of artists?
A. Clean-up (keyframes) C. Keyframe animation
B. Clean-up (in-betweens) D. In-betweening

Page 12 of 13
 ANIMATION NCII – Animation 12a
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: ICT ANI 12 A, B, C, D
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 1 – Ani12a Subject Teacher: Lovely Jenn A. Reformado

20. Which of the following is not done during post-production?

A. Adding of backgrounds C. Adding of filters
B. Adding of dubs D. Adding of subtitles

How to Submit:
 Answer “WW1: Self-Check 1” under “Week 1 – Animation Workflow”.
 For printed modules, place answers on a ¼ sheet of paper with the CAPITAL LETTERS only.
Submission Channels:
 Canvas K-12 LMS (Quizzes)
 Submission of printed modules in Gate 2

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