Making Naruto the Movie 1 [Inside the Animation Studio]

Maxim Abramov

16 Apr 201207:19

Summary

TLDRIn this video, voice actor Dave Whittenberg, known for playing Kakashi in Naruto, offers a behind-the-scenes look at the animation process for Naruto the Movie. He explains the steps involved, from story creation, screenplay writing, and storyboard development to key animation, in-between frames, and color processes. Whittenberg highlights the hand-drawn backgrounds, digital coloring, and the use of 3D software for compositing, ultimately leading to the final rendered images. With over 880,000 frames in Naruto the Movie, the process is both complex and fascinating.

Takeaways

🎥 The video is hosted by Dave Whittenberg, who voices Kakashi, and he expresses his gratitude for working on the Naruto movie.
🎬 The animation process for the movie begins with creating the story structure and the visual look of the animation.
📝 After the initial artwork and story structure are complete, a screenplay is written and the design work is refined.
📚 Storyboards, which resemble manga, are drawn based on the screenplay and are used to plan the film's action and camera movements.
🎙️ The recording script is written after the storyboards are complete, and character arrangements, positions, and movements are laid out on the backgrounds.
🖌️ Key animation is drawn to capture the timing of character movements, and a time sheet is used to guide the production process.
🎨 In-between animation is added to smooth out character movements after the key drawings are completed and checked.
🌈 Color schemes are designed for each character, adjusting based on the scene’s setting (day or night), and the animation is digitally colored after scanning.
🏞️ Backgrounds are hand-drawn and painted, then scanned into a computer for final review and digital enhancements using 3D and retouching software.
🖥️ The final process is called compositing, where the animation, backgrounds, and graphics are brought together and rendered. For Naruto, this involved over 880,000 individual images.

Q & A

Who is the speaker in the video and what character do they voice?
-The speaker is Dave Wittenberg, and he voices the character Kakashi in the Naruto series.
What does Dave Wittenberg say about his job?
-Dave Wittenberg describes his job as the greatest job on the planet and acknowledges that many other people’s hard work made his job possible.
Which production company created Naruto the Movie?
-The production company that created Naruto the Movie is Studio Pierrot, a Japanese company.
What is the first step in the anime movie production process?
-The first step in the production process is creating the story structure and determining the overall look of the animation.
How is the screenplay developed for the movie?
-Once the initial artwork is created and the story structure is decided, the screenplay is written, and the design work is refined.
What is the purpose of storyboards in the animation process?
-Storyboards are drawn based on the screenplay to visually show the film’s action and camera movements, similar to manga.
What happens after the layout is completed in the animation process?
-After the layout is completed, key animation is drawn to determine the correct timing, and a time sheet is made to plan the shots, camera movements, and production process.
What is the role of in-between images in animation?
-In-between images are drawn to smooth out the characters' movements between the key frames, ensuring fluid animation.
How is color applied to the animation?
-Once the drawings are finalized, color schemes are created for each character, and depending on the setting, the colors may change (e.g., between day and night scenes). The finished animation is then scanned and digitally colored.
How are backgrounds created and integrated into the animation?
-Backgrounds are hand-drawn and hand-painted, then scanned into the computer. They are combined with the animation using 2D and 3D software during the compositing process.
What is the final step before Naruto the Movie is ready for release?
-The final step is rendering the composited images, with over 880,000 images used for Naruto the Movie. The animation team performs a final check before the movie is ready to go.

Outlines

00:00

🎬 Inside Look at Naruto Movie's Creation Process

Dave Wittenberg, the voice actor for Kakashi, introduces himself and expresses his love for his role, attributing his job to the hard work of many people involved in creating the Naruto movie. He invites viewers to explore the animation process behind this incredible film, produced by the Japanese company, Studio Pierrot. The process starts with story structure and the animation's visual design. Once the initial artwork is completed and the story is structured, a screenplay is written and the design work is refined. The storyboards, resembling manga, are then drawn to map out the film's action and camera movements. Afterward, the recording script is created, and the layout process, which sets character positions and movements against backgrounds, begins.

05:04

🎨 From Layouts to Final Animation

After the layout is finalized, the key animation is drawn, and a time sheet is created to ensure correct timing and camera movements. This sheet is critical for planning the rest of the production. Once key drawings are completed and reviewed, they are sent off for the 'in-between' process, where additional images are drawn to smooth out character movements. The drawings are then checked for smoothness and adherence to the time sheet. Following this, the coloring process begins, with color schemes tailored for each character, varying by scene depending on factors like time of day. The finished animation is then scanned and digitally colored, preparing it for the next stages of production.

🖼️ Handcrafted Backgrounds and Final Touches

The next step involves creating and scanning the hand-drawn and hand-painted backgrounds. These stunning pieces of art are reviewed and integrated into the animation using 3D retouching software to overcome the limitations of traditional 2D animation. The compositing process brings together animation, backgrounds, and additional graphics into a cohesive whole. Finally, the computer renders over 880,000 composited images for Naruto the movie. The animation team conducts a final review, and the movie is ready for release. Dave signs off with a celebratory note, acknowledging the incredible work put into the film's production.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Animation Process

The animation process refers to the detailed steps involved in creating an animated movie. In the video, this includes the development of story structure, screenplay writing, key animation, in-betweening, coloring, and final compositing. These steps are essential to turn an initial concept into a finished product like 'Naruto the Movie.'

💡Storyboards

Storyboards are a visual representation of the script, laying out the film's action and camera movements. In the video, storyboards are described as being similar to manga and are a crucial step that helps map out the visual flow and timing of the movie.

💡Key Animation

Key animation consists of the primary, important frames in a scene that define major movements and positions of characters. It is essential for establishing the overall flow and timing of a sequence. The video explains that key drawings are timed and checked before being sent for further refinement.

💡In-Between Animation

In-between animation refers to the frames drawn between key animations to create smooth character movements. This process fills in the gaps and ensures fluid transitions, and it plays a major role in making the movements appear continuous in the film.

💡Compositing

Compositing is the process of combining multiple elements like animation, backgrounds, and graphics into one final image. The video highlights how this step brings together hand-drawn and computer-generated elements, making the scenes appear seamless and complete.

💡Color Process

The color process involves applying color schemes to characters and backgrounds, sometimes varying depending on the setting (day or night). The video notes that after in-between animation, the drawings are digitally colored based on these color schemes, adding life to the characters.

💡Studio Pierrot

Studio Pierrot is the Japanese production company responsible for creating 'Naruto the Movie.' The video credits them for their expertise and effort in bringing the film to life, emphasizing their significant role in the anime production industry.

💡Rendering

Rendering is the process of generating the final images from the combined elements (animation, background, and graphics). In the video, it’s explained that for 'Naruto the Movie,' there were over 880,000 images rendered, showcasing the scale and complexity of the project.

💡Background Art

Background art refers to the hand-drawn and hand-painted images that form the setting of a scene. The video emphasizes how detailed and important these backgrounds are, as they are scanned into the computer and play a crucial role in defining the atmosphere of each scene.

💡Screenplay

The screenplay is the written script for the movie, detailing dialogue, actions, and the flow of the story. The video explains that after creating the initial artwork and story structure, a screenplay is written to refine the story and guide the next steps in production.

Highlights

Dave Whittenberg plays Kakashi and expresses his love for his job.

Naruto the movie was produced by the Japanese company, Studio Pierrot.

The production process for creating an anime movie begins with the story structure and animation look.

Once the initial artwork and story structure are set, a screenplay is written and design work is refined.

Storyboards are created based on the screenplay, showcasing the film’s action and camera moves.

A recording script is written based on the storyboards, and layout becomes critical in determining character positions and movements.

The key animation is drawn, and the timing of the key animation is determined using a time sheet.

In-between images are created to smooth out the character’s movements after the key drawings are completed.

The drawings are checked for smoothness in movement, ensuring accuracy with the time sheet.

The next step is coloring, where color schemes are developed for characters, adjusting for different settings like day or night.

The finished animation is scanned page by page and digitally colored.

Backgrounds, which are hand-drawn and hand-painted, are scanned and added to the animation.

Three-dimensional and retouching software are used to enhance the 2D animation, overcoming its limitations.

Compositing is the process that brings together animation, backgrounds, and graphics into a unified film.

Naruto the movie contained over 880,000 individual images, and the animation team did a final check before completion.