Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Preproduction
Preproduction for a CG animation means gathering reference materials, motion tests,
layout drawings, model sketches, and such together to make the actual CG production as
straightforward as possible.
Because CG artists are responsible for defining their 3D scenes from the ground up,
it's essential to have a succinct plan of attack for a well-organized production. The more
time spent planning and organizing for CG, the better. Whether you're working on a
small job or a complex film, entering into production without a good plan of attack will
not only cause trouble, but also stunt the growth of your project.
In the real world, preproduction is part of every CG animation project. For the tutorial
projects in this topic, the sketches and other iles supplied on the accompanying CD are
your preproduction. Even for these tutorials, however, you should try to gather as much
information as you can about the objects you'll create, going beyond what is presented.
Having different perspectives on a subject is the key to understanding it. Disappointing
movies often are the product of terribly flawed preproduction stages; likewise, a poorly
thought-out CG production will invariably end in headaches and wasted time.
The Script
To tell a story, CG or not, you should put it in words. A story doesn't need to contain
dialogue for it to benefit from a script. Even abstract animations benefit from a detailed
explanation of timings and colors laid out in a treatment (because there is likely no dia-
logue). The script or treatment serves as the initial blueprint for the animation, a place
where you lay out the all-important
intent
.
The Storyboard
A storyboard is a further definition of the script. Even a rudimentary storyboard with
stick figures on notebook paper is useful to a production. You break the script into
scenes, and then you break those scenes into shots. Next, you sketch out each shot in a
panel of a storyboard. The panels are laid out in order according to the script to give a
visual and linear explanation of the story. Storyboards are useful for planning camera
angles (framing a shot), position of characters, lighting, mood, and so on.
The Conceptual Art
Conceptuals
are the design elements that you may need for the CG production. Typically,
characters are drawn into character sheets in three different neutral poses: from the
front, from the side, and from an angle called a
3⁄4 view
. You can also create color art for
the various sets, props, and characters to better visualize the colors, textures, and light-
ing that will be needed. Props and sets are identified from the script and boards and then
sketched out into model sheets. The better you visualize the conceptual art, the easier it
will be to model, texture, and light everything in CG.
