WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:00.340 --> 00:00:04.460 Scribble Kibble The Animation Show You went to college for this? 00:00:04.460 --> 00:00:08.120 What’s it like to work for an animation studio? 00:00:08.120 --> 00:00:12.960 Well, that depends on what your job there is, how big your studio is, and whether or 00:00:12.960 --> 00:00:17.720 not you’re producing for episodes or a feature length film. 00:00:17.720 --> 00:00:19.360 For today let’s stick to episodes. 00:00:19.360 --> 00:00:24.750 As far as jobs go, you’ll get a basic idea of what they are by looking at how an episode 00:00:24.750 --> 00:00:27.300 of Steven Universe is made. 00:00:27.300 --> 00:00:33.640 First, A small team plans the overall arc for the whole season, then comes up with episode 00:00:33.640 --> 00:00:34.640 ideas. 00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:40.540 Once the ideas are ready, if the show is script-driven, writers draft up each episode. 00:00:40.540 --> 00:00:46.420 But if the show is storyboard-driven like Steven Universe, there are no scripts. 00:00:46.420 --> 00:00:50.879 Instead, one writer makes a skeleton outline of major plot points. 00:00:50.879 --> 00:00:56.870 It’s the storyboard artists who flesh out the episode, write the dialogue, draw the 00:00:56.870 --> 00:00:58.160 key emotional expressions. 00:00:58.160 --> 00:01:01.120 Eventually you get a finished storyboard for the whole episode. 00:01:01.120 --> 00:01:03.989 When the show director approves the storyboard, then everything happens at once. 00:01:03.989 --> 00:01:07.170 Background Art, Rough Cut Music, Voice Acting, Rough Animation 00:01:07.170 --> 00:01:13.659 Once finished, all of those jobs roll up into an animatic, which is like a giant reference 00:01:13.659 --> 00:01:16.780 movie the animators use to make the episode. 00:01:16.780 --> 00:01:21.709 Outsourcing the animation part of a TV series is common. 00:01:21.709 --> 00:01:26.029 Two different Korean studios animate Steven Universe. 00:01:26.029 --> 00:01:31.450 Within the studio some people will be in charge of character animation, some might focus only 00:01:31.450 --> 00:01:37.259 on special effects or lighting or cleanup, some are supervisors who make sure nobody 00:01:37.259 --> 00:01:41.679 falls behind and pick up slack wherever it’s happening that day. 00:01:41.679 --> 00:01:45.719 The studios send finished animation back to the US a piece at a time. 00:01:45.719 --> 00:01:50.939 As each piece arrives the Steven Universe team fixes animation errors and adjusts parts 00:01:50.939 --> 00:01:52.270 that might not look right. 00:01:52.270 --> 00:01:56.729 While this is going on a sound designer adds sound effects and the final version of the 00:01:56.729 --> 00:01:57.729 music. 00:01:57.729 --> 00:02:02.099 Put the corrections and finished audio together and you get the semifinal episode. 00:02:02.099 --> 00:02:06.279 The production team and network executives review the episode. 00:02:06.279 --> 00:02:11.269 On rare occasions something still needs to be changed, and at this point it’s expensive 00:02:11.269 --> 00:02:14.909 to make changes but it does happen. 00:02:14.909 --> 00:02:17.370 After this final review you get your episode. 00:02:17.370 --> 00:02:22.290 And here’s the real kicker - at any given time the studio is making multiple episodes. 00:02:22.290 --> 00:02:27.349 So when the animators begin working on episode 1, the storyboard artists start episode 2 00:02:27.349 --> 00:02:33.870 and the writers are making episode 3. 00:02:33.870 --> 00:02:41.980 There’s a fantastic book which describes all of the Steven Universe production process 00:02:41.980 --> 00:02:46.969 it in far more detail, titled “Steven Universe: Art & Origins.” 00:02:46.969 --> 00:03:00.969 You’ll get to hear more about working in a studio from a special guest after the break. 00:03:00.969 --> 00:03:01.969 --- 00:03:01.969 --> 00:03:09.180 S: Now that you know generally how TV animation happens, what is studio life really like? 00:03:09.180 --> 00:03:12.409 Well, let’s talk to a an animator who’s worked at one! 00:03:12.409 --> 00:03:14.120 Please welcome Onion Skin. 00:03:14.120 --> 00:03:15.490 O: Hello everyone! 00:03:15.490 --> 00:03:17.319 S: You’re an animator. 00:03:17.319 --> 00:03:20.060 People have the impression that when you become an animator, you pick a studio and that’s 00:03:20.060 --> 00:03:22.689 where you work. 00:03:22.689 --> 00:03:24.290 Is that really what it’s like? 00:03:24.290 --> 00:03:28.150 Are you just sitting at a desk animating at one studio for the rest of time. 00:03:28.150 --> 00:03:32.290 O: If you could do that I’m sure a lot of people would be very happy because that is 00:03:32.290 --> 00:03:34.599 stability. 00:03:34.599 --> 00:03:36.920 This is an industry that doesn’t have a lot of stability. 00:03:36.920 --> 00:03:39.280 You tend to work a lot more on contract. 00:03:39.280 --> 00:03:43.739 S: Small studio versus mid-sized studio. 00:03:43.739 --> 00:03:49.810 What’s the difference of working with a small team of 5 people and a bigger team of 00:03:49.810 --> 00:03:50.940 40? 00:03:50.940 --> 00:03:55.280 O: As things increase you need a lot more organization. 00:03:55.280 --> 00:04:01.829 When I was in the smaller one - this is when we were doing the Dr. Who animations - and 00:04:01.829 --> 00:04:07.299 that started off with about 5 animators and over time we grew it to about 20 or so. 00:04:07.299 --> 00:04:13.409 We had to learn on our feet how different roles work and how they support each other. 00:04:13.409 --> 00:04:18.630 Because when there were only 5, we didn’t even use a storyboard at first. 00:04:18.630 --> 00:04:21.630 We could just talk about what happens. 00:04:21.630 --> 00:04:27.949 But when we got to about 25 to 30 people, then we realized that continuity was starting 00:04:27.949 --> 00:04:28.960 to fall down. 00:04:28.960 --> 00:04:33.860 That’s when layout artists come into it and you employ someone full time where basically 00:04:33.860 --> 00:04:38.700 their job is to make sure every character is situated in the right spot. 00:04:38.700 --> 00:04:42.039 S: What’s your day-to-day life like when you’re actually going to the studio and 00:04:42.039 --> 00:04:44.669 you’re here to produce the show and you have a deadline? 00:04:44.669 --> 00:04:51.539 O: Depending on the show it’s just a Monday to Friday 9-5 and that’s it, and then there’s 00:04:51.539 --> 00:04:57.770 others where it’s on a quota basis and you’ll get paid based on how many seconds you produce. 00:04:57.770 --> 00:05:00.770 Or you’ll have a combination of the two. 00:05:00.770 --> 00:05:06.200 You’ll work Monday to Friday but you have an expected number of seconds that you also 00:05:06.200 --> 00:05:07.200 have to get done. 00:05:07.200 --> 00:05:11.020 S: Say you’re an aspiring artist and you’ve practiced for years, maybe gone to school, 00:05:11.020 --> 00:05:14.630 but haven’t been on a production team before. 00:05:14.630 --> 00:05:20.220 What is the most surprising, unexpected thing about working at a studio? 00:05:20.220 --> 00:05:23.760 O: How to accept notes and critique. 00:05:23.760 --> 00:05:27.830 When you spend a lot of time putting your heart and soul into something, and a director 00:05:27.830 --> 00:05:33.729 or lead will just slam it and tear it apart, and a lot of the time say, “Do this again 00:05:33.729 --> 00:05:37.240 from scratch,” and you’re like, “Man that took me a whole day.” 00:05:37.240 --> 00:05:38.730 That is very humbling. 00:05:38.730 --> 00:05:43.169 And you gotta get used to it and take it on the chin, and that’s how it goes. 00:05:43.169 --> 00:05:48.560 O: Very, very talented artists will come out of college but that talent’s gone to their 00:05:48.560 --> 00:05:52.220 head and they don’t like accepting critique. 00:05:52.220 --> 00:05:56.960 They barely last a few weeks, not because they get fired but because they leave. 00:05:56.960 --> 00:06:02.210 It’s a real shame because they have so much potential but their ego gets in the way. 00:06:02.210 --> 00:06:05.169 S: Yeah, learning to accept critique… that’s a long road. 00:06:05.169 --> 00:06:07.630 I think it’s hard for some people. 00:06:07.630 --> 00:06:08.870 This has been so great. 00:06:08.870 --> 00:06:13.370 Thank you for coming on the show and I hope that we’ll see you back again some other 00:06:13.370 --> 00:06:14.370 time. 00:06:14.370 --> 00:06:15.370 O: I hope so! 00:06:15.370 --> 00:06:16.370 There’s much more to talk about. 00:06:16.370 --> 00:06:19.960 S: So much to talk about that we started a podcast called Animoot all about animator 00:06:19.960 --> 00:06:20.960 life and struggles. 00:06:20.960 --> 00:06:27.959 Catch that and today’s guest star Onion Skin in the description below! 00:06:27.959 --> 00:06:28.959 --- 00:06:28.959 --> 00:06:36.370 Last time I challenged you to draw this image with the hand you don’t normally use. 00:06:36.370 --> 00:06:39.580 Let’s see what you came up with. 00:06:39.580 --> 00:06:41.550 This one turned out pretty good -- oh, but Pearl. 00:06:41.550 --> 00:06:45.440 She looks like she has a beak! 00:06:45.440 --> 00:06:47.080 Matt sent a note with this one. 00:06:47.080 --> 00:06:49.260 It says: I tried. 00:06:49.260 --> 00:06:52.720 Oh my gosh, this is amazing. 00:06:52.720 --> 00:06:57.270 It’s like abstract art that goes up in a gallery. 00:06:57.270 --> 00:06:58.680 Geeze, this is really good. 00:06:58.680 --> 00:06:59.880 Did you trace it? 00:06:59.880 --> 00:07:04.000 Even if you traced it with your off hand, this… you’re ambidextrous! 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:06.750 You can use both hands. 00:07:06.750 --> 00:07:10.440 I love this one so much. 00:07:10.440 --> 00:07:11.729 Hee hee. 00:07:11.729 --> 00:07:14.440 “Oh Dear We Want Death” 00:07:14.440 --> 00:07:15.699 These are fantastic. 00:07:15.699 --> 00:07:19.080 I’m really glad you guys sent stuff in. 00:07:19.080 --> 00:07:24.729 Wow, this is completely done with the non-dominant hand and it’s pretty amazing. 00:07:24.729 --> 00:07:26.440 I’m impressed. 00:07:26.440 --> 00:07:30.720 [laughing] There was an attempt. 00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:31.940 Absolutely beautiful. 00:07:31.940 --> 00:07:32.940 Yes. 00:07:32.940 --> 00:07:35.090 Hey, you got creative with this one. 00:07:35.090 --> 00:07:37.900 You kind of made it into your own illustration. 00:07:37.900 --> 00:07:39.169 It looks like a title card. 00:07:39.169 --> 00:07:41.770 This should be the title card for this segment. 00:07:41.770 --> 00:07:42.770 Those are the highlights. 00:07:42.770 --> 00:07:45.900 Thanks to everyone who submitted one, even if it didn’t show up. 00:07:45.900 --> 00:07:49.499 Look for the next art challenge in Scribble Kibble 103.