Pre-production is “gathering
reference materials, motion tests, layout drawings, model sketches, and such
together to make the actual GC production as straightforward as possible”
(Derakhshani, 2013, p. 4), i.e. the planning stage.
Everything starts with
an idea, and hopefully you’ve got a good one to work with. “Get a good idea and stay with it. Dog it, and work
at it until it’s done right” (Walt Disney, as cited in iNeedMotivation, n.d.).
A writer will then take that idea and turn it into
a story, or script. The script will determine the setting, characters, and
dialogue for the production.
An artist will use the script to create a
storyboard, which not only illustrates the story, but will also include scene
blocking, camera moves, and character performance.
The storyboard will
then be used to create an animatic, which is where each panel is edited
together, adding dialogue, music and sound effects to see how it flows as a
movie. This is an important step in the process, as any changes that need to be
made are still inexpensive and non-time consuming at this stage. The animatic
determines the amount of animation needed for each sequence.
The design stage is where
the style is created for the project.
Design can
happen at any time in the pre‐ production phase and ranges from characters to
environments to clothing to props and vehicles. Guides (such as character
bibles) are created to enable artists to draw or digitally sculpt elements
within the design parameters. Conceptual paintings are done to establish design
of environments and setting ambiance. (Gossman, 2011)
This is the point at which the 3D modelling
begins. “The most typical means of creating a 3D model is to take a simple
object, called a primitive, and extend or ‘grow’ it into a shape that can be
refined and detailed” (Gray, n.d.).
The software being used depends on the
exact process of constructing the mesh, but can include the following:
· Spline or patch modelling: a spline being a
curve in 3D space defined by at least two control points. A cage of splines is
used to create a skeleton for the object to be built on. A patch of polygons is
then created between two splines to form the skin. This is one of the older
forms of 3D modelling.
· Box modelling: using a primitive (basic shape), most commonly a cube, and adding detail by
extending the faces into the desired form.
· Poly modelling: where a mesh
is created point by point and face by face. Poly modelling isn’t as fast as box
modelling, but is better for creating organic shapes.
References
Derakhshani, D.
(2013). Introducing Autodesk maya 2014. Indianapolis,
Indiana: John Wiley & Sons.
Gossman, R. (2011). The animation production process. Retrieved
from
http://nir3d.com/handouts/Handouts%20History%20of%20Animation%20- %20(DIG1022)/Ani_Prod_Process.pdf
Gray, A. (n.d.). Introduction to 3D modeling. Retrieved
from
http://www.animationarena.com/introduction-to-3d-modeling.html
iNeedMotivation.
(n.d.). 45 unforgettable quotes about
ideas. Retrieved from
http://www.ineedmotivation.com/blog/2008/07/45-unforgettable-quotes-about-ideas/
