11

ANIMATION
GRADE 11
Quarter 3: Module 1:
Animation Workflow and its Principles
(Animation Workflow)

Department of Education • Republic of the Philippines

 WHAT I NEED TO KNOW
Hi there! In this module, we are going to discuss the Animation
Workflow.

It is important that all key drawings are checked thoroughly. Key drawings are usually checked
by the animation director and the model checker. The director checks and approves the creative side of
the model, whereas the model checker ensures that each model pack is technically correct. They make
sure that every line is placed where they ought to be, that no elements are missing, that models are
represented a number of times, and that there is consistency each time they appear. Model checking
requires a sharp eye and a good understanding of space and perspective. There will be less problems
and complications in animation if mistakes in the coloring process are detected earlier. Otherwise,
some scenes will have to be reshot again.
Once everything is ready, the production assistant is given the task to photocopy all the main
packs and bind them together to make a book after it has been checked. The different sections of the
models are characters, props, special effects, and sets. The summary of all models should be placed in
front of the book, and the overall summary should be placed at the beginning of the book.

LEARNING COMPETENCIES
LO 1. Identify requirements for cleaned-up drawings in actual scene folders (cartoon-
simple)
1.5 Compare/check animation breakdowns against x-sheet
1.6 Identify all necessary materials and equipment according to the task undertaken
1.7 Prepare all necessary materials and equipment

WHAT I KNOW

PRE-TEST
Identification: Identify the following statement below.

1. It is used to refer to the job of timing the storyboards using the dialogue footages and generating
the footages that go between the slugs or the spaces between the dialogue.
2. It contains the full descriptions and dialogues of the actors of the film.
3. It is a preparation for the main action of an animated scene, as distinct from the action and the
reaction.
4. It refers to the time of an object or character to move and come to a stop.
5. It is used by the animators to keep track of all the drawings that they are going to be animating,
the timing of each drawing, the order they go in when shooting, as well as the leveling.

WHAT’S IN

Each and every model that is created should be endorsed internally and externally for approval.
The art director, the directors, and the producer will approve these items internally. The clients or
investors and classification bodies need to approve them externally. The production manager is in
charge of the overall progress of all designs and approval procedures.

WHAT IS IT

TOPIC: Animation Workflow and its Principles

(Animation Workflow)
LESSON 1: Animation Workflow

LEARNING CONTENT
TECHNICAL TERMS:
a. Animatic – preliminary version of a movie produced by shooting successive sections of a
storyboard and adding soundtrack.
b. Slugging – used to refer to the job of timing the storyboards using the dialogue footages and
generating the footages that go between the slugs or the spaces between the dialogue.

ANIMATION WORKFLOW

Every production is different depending on the number of people working on it and on the size of
the project. The smaller the number of people, the more steps will blend into one another.

The flowchart below shows the four main stages in animation production.

Preproduction

Story / Script

Animatics
Character Design
Voice Recording
Background / Keys /
Model Sheets
Concept Art
X - sheet Slugging
Rough Music
Production

Layout

Animation
Background
In - between
Special Effects
Clean - up

Scanning

Digital Ink and Paint

Compositing

Postproduction

Editing

Dubbing

Music / Audio Lay - in

Finished Project

Distribution

PREPRODUCTION
1. Story. Every production starts with a concept or a story. It may be an idea established from a
book or a conversation in a coffee shop. This story will be then expanded to become an
animation film.
2. Script. The story is then rendered to a full working script where it contains the full descriptions
and dialogues of the actors of the film.
3. Storyboard. This is the blueprint or master plan for the final film. Storyboards are broken down
into sequences, scenes, and/or shots. Each scene or shot will consist of one or more frames
 containing drawings that show how the shot will be staged. Under each drawing is a box in
which any dialogue is written, together with sound effects and music, plus anything else that will
be included to indicate what is going on.
4. Animatics. Many directors like to film the storyboard, together with some extra frames as a sort
of slideshow presentation of what the final film will look like. It may have few camera moves, but
for the most part, it will be a succession of static images. This will usually be cut to the same
length as the final film so it can be a useful guide to overall pacing.
5. Video Recording. The dialogue of the actors is recorded in digital format or video taken from
their actions to help the animators with their poses and timing.
6. X-sheet Slugging. Exposure sheets or X-sheets show the animator and cameraman the frame
by frame on how the animation should be drawn and shot.

PRODUCTION
1. Layout. It shows the visual workings of the shot and the precise framing of the camera. The
background is roughly indicated so that the relationship in scale between characters and
background elements are clear.
2. Background. It is composed of scenery, buildings, characters, and props.
3. In-betweens. These are sets of actions drawn in between each of the existing poses.
4. Clean-up. This is where rough drawings are traced to make the final drawings.
5. Digital Ink and Paint. The animators’ drawings are colored. All character and backgrounds are
painted digitally on the computer.
6. Composting. This is when the colored artwork is filmed, usually over background artwork.
Traditionally, this meant shooting artwork frame by frame under a rostrum camera. Now, the
entire compositing and shooting processes are virtual and carried out in software.

POSTPRODUCTION
1. Editing
2. Dubbing
3. Music / Audio Lay-in

Everything that takes place after the camera stage can be called postproduction. A
postproduction house will normally be engaged in many different activities under one roof like editing,
sound dubbing, and composing melodies for the soundtrack. Essentially, a postproduction facility’s job
is to bring all the sound and picture elements together so that they can be recorded as one finished
entity ready for publishing.

DISTRIBUTION
This is where the final production is delivered to the viewers. This can be shown in cinema,
television, internet, or DVD.

LESSON 2: Principles of Animation

Principles of animation are used as a reference to achieve great results in animation. These
principles will serve as a guide in creating character animations to make it more appealing and realistic.

1. Squash and stretch – is a way of showing an object’s movement being exaggerated.

Characters and objects are being flattened and elongated when applied with force or
momentum.
2. Anticipation – is a preparation for the main action of an animated scene, as distinct from the
action and the reaction.

3. Follow – through and overlapping action – is motion done at the end of the action. An object
needs to settle whenever it moves and then stops. For example, in baseball, if a baseball player
puts his or her bat behind his or her back in preparation for hitting the ball, the action is called
anticipation. When the player continues swinging the bat past the normal stopping point then
returns back to rest, the action is called follow-through.

4. Staging – is used to direct the attention of the audience. It clarifies what is the greatest
importance in a scene, what is happening, and what is about to happen. It is also used to
determine the positions, gestures, and movements of the actors on stage, the scenic
background, the props and costumes, lighting, and sound effects.

5. Straight ahead and pose-to-pose – are two different techniques in animating. Straight ahead
is a linear approach of creating each pose or drawing of the animation one after the other.
Pose-to-pose is drawing only the most important poses or key frames required to describe the
action. Details are added later when the posing and timing are already correct.
6. Slow in and slow out – refer to the time of an object or character to move and come to a stop.
When an object starts to move, it has to gain acceleration and it has to slow down before it
comes to a halt.

7. Arcs – refer to the movement in arcing motion. Animating an object must adhere to this
principle to make the motion more realistic.

8. Secondary action – refers to the actions or movements that support the main action of the
animation.

9. Timing and spacing – Timing refers to how long it takes for an object to get from one key pose
to another. Spacing refers to the way an object gets from one key pose to another, whether it is
fast and getting slower or other combinations of the movement speed.
 10. Exaggeration – is used to make movements more extreme to give more appeal to an action
without being unrealistic.

11. Solid drawing – is done by creating a three-dimensional character with volume and weight.

12. Appeal – is what the audience wants to see in a character. The design of the character must be
interesting, simple, and appealing to the audience.

ANIMATION BREAKDOWN AGAINST X-SHEETS

The voice breakdown or soundtrack reading is the stage in which the recorded sound is
converted into a phonetically written transcript. This is done n sheets that have been specifically
created for the purpose of breaking down the soundtrack. It will provide the animators with information
about the exact pronunciation and timing of the dialogue in order for them to create the correct lip
shape movements for each of the talking characters.

Exposure sheets are used by the animators to keep track of all the drawings that they are going
to be animating, the timing of each drawing, the order they go in when shooting, as well as the leveling.
Breakdown is simply finding out exactly what sound is being made on every frame.

The exposure sheets are produced by the timing director. He or she will use the instructions
from the slugged board and animatic together with the phonetically broken sound to create instructions
for the movement of every single character. Each X-sheet is marked with horizontal line, and each line
represents one frame or one segment of time. They also contain vertical lines that are used to place the
sound reading, animation instructions, animation levels, camera instructions, and detailed requirements
about treatment of the special effects. All these elements, with the exception of the sound reading, will
be placed on the X-sheet as it passes through further stages of production.
PRO SEQ SCENE SHEET NO.

CAMERA
FR ACTION SB DIAL PARTS BREAKDOWN
INSTRUCTION

Hands
Chest
Head

Rear
None

Scoop Head
1 Up Squash Start
Motion
2 Shoulder Twist
3 Back
4
5 Hip Twist Up Down
6 Stretch
7 Br / Dn
8
9 Shoulder Twist Stop
10 Down Up
11
Camera
12 Hip Twist zooms
in and out
13
14
15 Extend Arms
16
17
18
19
20

REFLECTION
Every production is different depending on the number
of people working on it and on the size of the project. The
smaller the number of people, the more steps will blend into one
another. Principles of animation are used as a reference to
achieve great results in animation. These principles will serve
as a guide in creating character animations to make it more
appealing and realistic.

ENRICHMENT
Write your thoughts about the lesson.
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

ASSESSMENT
ACTIVITY
A. Match column A with column B. Write the letter of the correct answer in your answer sheet.

1. Staging a. This is when any living objecttends to

change shape while retaining overall volume.

2. Straight ahead action and pose-to- b. It is a way of drawing out a scene frame by
pose frame from beginning to end.
 3. Squash and Stretch c. This applies to a thrown object moving
along a parabolic trajectory.

4. Arcs d. It is used to direct the audience’s attention

5. Slow in and slow out
and point out the greatest importance in a
scene, what is happening, and what is about
to happen.
e. This principle goes to characters moving
between two extreme poses.

POST-TEST
A. Choose five (5) principles of animation from the box, and demonstrate your understanding of
each principle you selected.

Timing and spacing Squash and stretch

Slow in and slow out Follow-through and overlapping action
Arcs Exaggeration
Appeal Straight ahead and pose-to-pose
Secondary action Staging
anticipation Solid drawing

REFLECTIVE LEARNING SHEET

I learned that…
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________

REFERENCES

TLE – TVL Series Animation Phoenix Publishing House