PRODUCTION OF AN ANIMATED FILM IN NINE STEPS
1 – Story
Story is at the beginning of every film. Its form reminds us of a short story.
2 – Written Script
It has a prescribed form. The plot (or action) and the dialogue are outlined separately in several paragraphs. Everything is written in such a way as to give a clear idea of what the final film will be like.
3 – Storyboard
The narrative is translated into pictures, just as in a comic book. The storyboard shows how many shots will be in the film, from where and from what distance the action will be taken by the camera. It includes dialogues, instructions for the composer or the producer of the film’s tricks.
4 – Animatic
The images from the storyboard are lined up in the editing room according to the length of each shot. Rough recording of dialogues is made and soundtrack roughly set to the film completes the whole. The result is a simple film that gives the filmmakers an accurate idea of how the film works as a whole, what needs to be changed or even cut out. The animatic is used as a reference for filming.
5 – Artwork
Every character, prop and asset must be designed by an artist before production. For large projects, the artist has a whole department of assistant artists working in his or her style. This results in a lot of images, sketches, model kits and computer models.
6 – Animation Studio
In the animation studio, the entire film is animated frame by frame. It results in a huge number of shots without sound (a feature film has a lot more than 1000).
7 – Editing Room
In the editing room, the finished footage is arranged in the correct order, the length of the shots is fine-tuned, and the final rhythm of the film is determined. At the same time, assignments for the production of film tricks, music and sound are conceived.
8 – Trick Post-Production
If tricks are needed, they are prepared for the film. There are a number of these, the vast majority of which are produced using computers. These include retouching what should not be in the shot, adding backgrounds, adding effects such as explosions, fire and smoke, or adding computer-generated animated objects and characters. The film will also be given end credits in digital post-production.
Finally, the film is given a final colour finish, the shots are matched to each other in terms of contrast and brightness, and the colour mood of each scene is completed. This process is called colour grading.
And with that, the film image is finished.
9 – Sound Studio
In the sound studio, the final dialogue (character voices), music and foley effects are recorded. The foley effects are the sounds of footsteps, rustling grass, creaking doors, etc. Among Czech filmmakers, they are also known as brunclíks in honour of the legendary sound designer Bohumír Brunclík.
All the sounds are put in the correct place and their volume is adjusted (which is called sound mixing). The final soundtrack for cinema or television is created.
Final image + final sound = finished film
