Spumco Production System Step By Step

Of course, none of this will work if the people aren't qualified to do the jobs. You need talent, skill and experience doing functional jobs that complement everyone else's functions.

Direction

The director supervises and follows through all the steps below.

Story

I use the classic method of writing for cartoons. My "scripts" are actually much more detailed than any modern animated script. They include, not only the dialogue and plot-but also all the staging and cuts and some of the acting. Cartoon scripts are called "storyboards". They are far more suited to telling a story than scripts are, because they use all the advantages that drawing has over live-action.

WALT DISNEY EXPLAINS THE METHOD OF WRITING FOR ANIMATION

1 ) Story Premise

Someone comes up with a short basic idea for a cartoon and writes up a paragraph or 2 describing it. We send that to the network or I pitch it on the phone. Once it is approved, I assign the story to a writer to write the outline. The writers are artists who can write. Many times, the writer of the outline will also storyboard the cartoon. That's the ideal situation.

A HANDWRITTEN PREMISE: BEANY AND CECIL

SAMPLE PREMISES:JETSONS


2) Story Outline

AN OUTLINE WORKS OUT THE STORY STRUCTURE

STIMPY'S INVENTION - WRITTEN OUTLINE

AN ILLUSTRATED OUTLINE

More often than not, as I have meetings with the story team, I draw lots of sketches of the gags and scenes. The outline writer collects the sketches, puts them in order and adds them to the written outline.


3) Storyboard

The storyboard artist is an artist who can tell a story in words and pictures. He takes the outline and fills out the details of all the gags and action, working with the director. He also adds dialogue.

He draws rough and reviews the material every couple days with the director. The director suggest changes, adds his own drawings and they build up the story bit by bit, sculpting it into a filmic story.

Once the board artist hands in his story, I usually finalize the dialogue and make changes to get all the characters in character.

PLANNING REUSE AND SETUPS FOR STORYBOARDING

STORYBOARDING

STORYBOARD ARTISTS DRAW ROUGH-NOT ON MODEL OR CLEAN

SAMPLE STORYBOARD PAGES: GEORGE LIQUOR

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Dialogue:

Transcribe Dialogue from storyboard into a dialogue script.

I direct and record the dialogue with the actors. There is no separate "voice director".

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Animatic -

Storyboard Assembly-

Generally I have been making the animatics once the cartoon is finished storyboarding, but I think it's better to make the animatic as the story progresses.

This should avoid writing and drawing a story that is too long.

Music-Timing

I choose the music for each sequence as the animatic is being worked on the animatic person times the cuts and actions to the music with the director reviewing every couple days.

SFX Cut

We also overlap the cutting of the sfx with the cutting of the music. This can either be done by the sake person assembling the animatic, or by a separate sfx person who has an ear for sound.

sample animatic: THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADE

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MAINTAINING THE GUTS- CREATIVE FOLLOW THROUGH

During every drawing step of production, the artists have a tendency to tone down what the previous artists drew. This wastes a lot of money and time and needs a method to keep it from happening.

I need a person whose job it is to follow every scene through the production to make sure this doesn't happen.

http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2007/10/maintaining-guts-from-storyboard-to.html

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Layout

WHY LAYOUT?

Main Setups Designed - Supervising Layout Artist/Designer

These are designed by a supervising layout artist/designer. He takes the main sequences and draws a setup showing where everyone and everything is in relationship to each other.
(I'll have to find samples of these)

Director Layout Handout

The director hands out a sequence to a layout artist. He gives him the main setup. He explains the scenes and story and draws quick sketches of the actions and acting.
The layout artist then takes the director's sketches and draws the scenes.

Layout Artist- Plan Setups - Make Scene/reuse list

http://johnkcurriculum.blogspot.com/2009/12/setups-for-layout-and-storyboards.html

Before he starts doing the actual drawing, he plans his section for reuse. He separates the scenes in the storyboard into long shots, close ups, special angles etc. He makes a list of what scenes use the same setups as earlier scenes.

http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2009/12/scene-planning-for-tv-setups-for.html


LAYOUT ARTIST DRAWS SCENES

Once the L.O. artist has his scenes planned he draws them. He should be able to complete between 5 and 10 scenes per week if the section is difficult. If there is a lot of re-use, he can do more.

http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2007/10/maintain-guts-from-sb-to-layout-pt-2.html

http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2009/03/bastard.html

http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2008/11/1985-jetsons-layouts.html

Layout Artist Adds Poses That Aren't In The Storyboard:

http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2008/07/layout-breakdowns.html

Inking / Clean up

If the production is to be finished digitally, it makes sense to have an artist ink all the layout poses on the computer.

http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2008/07/some-good-inks.html

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DESIGN

Character Design:

Main Series characters are designed in pre production - but are constantly supplemented by the best layout poses as the series gets underway.

http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2009/03/slab-n-ernie-models-made-from-layouts.html

Main guest characters are rough designed before storyboard and layout.

Main guest model sheets are made from poses in the layouts.


Prop Design:

Only important props are designed before layout:
Like if a certain vehicle is used all through a cartoon, or a certain device.

Incidental props designed by Layout artist - and then P.A. collects layouts, finds props, has them inked and made into models.

NO GIANT PROP AND MODEL PACKS FOR THE SHOW!

Nothing drives me more crazy than seeing the production department compile 10 inch high stacks of model packs to send overseas or to each department. In general the layouts are the models for my cartoons. It's a waste of time and money to make giant stacks of model sheets.

Incidental characters per episode:

Main incidental characters designed before layout starts.

Some characters designed in Layout and then use layout poses for a model pack if we really need a model pack.

BG Design:

A BG designer designs key BGs in stages:

1) Roughs working with director
2) Finals- actual layouts to be used in the film. If there are characters in the scenes, he draws the BGs so that there is room for action.


BG Color Key

http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2010/08/marker-color-keys.html

BG Painting

http://johnkcurriculum.blogspot.com/2008/01/bg-painting.html

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ANIMATION, FOLLOW THROUGH

Animation:

The biggest creative problem in animation today is that we don't do it. It's all done overseas (or in Flash) and both systems lead inevitably to cartoons that don't use animation as part of the entertainment. It's made the whole TV industry devolve into a visual art form that isn't visual.

Historically, when animation is done overseas it causes more problems and expense than it is worth.
90% of the studios throw out the drawings we send them and don't use the timing. Even when they use the drawings, they time them so badly that the action floats from pose to pose and you never see the poses.

All this causes endless delays for retakes and wastes the director's time and energy.

I would much rather use less animation and do it all here. All they really do in most service studios is inbetween the layouts anyway. There are a couple of exceptional studios but they are not always available.

Assistant Animation:

Same problems as above.

Flash style animation:

It stinks. No matter how you try to hide it, the animation looks like cut outs floating across the screen.

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Post Production:

Final Edit

Mix

Composite

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PRE-PRODUCTION - NOT COVERED IN THIS POST...

Title Sequence
design
music
sound effects-foley
training
learning curves
reference/research/library
etc.