stage for the animation. They render pencil background layouts for each production scene, referring to the story sketch and research materials gathered on the relevant geography or time period. Although the rendered layouts never appear in the final production, they are the catalyst for both the positioning and perspective of the animation, and the design of the final painted backgrounds.
Layout is the art of background
design for animation. These designs are executed in graphite pencil on punched animation paper of various sizes, depending on the requirements of the scene. Part of the Layout Artist’s responsibilities, besides drawing, is to determine how to construct the scene technically for the camera in order to capture the intentions of the story sketch. At the “bluebook” meeting held at the initiation of every sequence of the film, each scene is analyzed in the company of the Director, Scene Planner, Special Effects Supervisor, and Layout representatives, to establish a game plan including how Layout should set the scene up.
The layout drawing provides a
stage in which the animators will animate their characters and effects, as well as a blueprint or under drawing, to be rendered in color by the Background Painters. Thus, Layout is the fork in the road which feeds two branches of the animation production process. The following illustrates this chain.