The
age of cel animation has yielded to the age of digital animation. With anime,
you can't tell the difference because Japanese animators deliberately don't
use the shaded three dimensional look of Toy Story and Shrek. An international
group of animators gathered at Anime Central to talk about this change in
their industry. From left to right they're Jan Scott Frazier, Kazuyoshi Katayama
(The Big O) and Yasunori Ide (Please Teacher). Those directors agreed that
digital animation gives them unprecedented control over animation, but an
animator's resources are still limited. "Because of the time constraints
that are placed against us, we have have to make the decision to choose one
of the main options," Katayama said about the creative choices they
can make with design and framing. "In my perspective, the introduction of
digital animation has made our jobs more difficult. We're working under higher
pressure and it's certainly more tumultuous."
A
director's role in the Japanese animation system isn't like the role a director
plays in a live-action film. On a set, a director directly controls a show
by handing out orders, stopping and starting each take. In anime, the director
might also be called a coordinator, since he delegates each section of work
to the specialists who handle those jobs. Often, an anime director won't
get as closely involved in the artwork as the artist who has the animation
director's title. "My job as a director is like a foreman underground, making
sure the work is being done and everyone is talking to each other," Ide said.
"It depends on the project - sometimes the director is only the foreman and
sometimes the director is responsible for the blueprint."
Directors
must answer to more than their visions of story and art; there are are sponsors
and standards to consider. Katayama told of an example of that factor; The
Big O, which he directed, was a hit on the Cartoon Network, and the American
cable service provided the money to produce a second 13-episode season. The
Americans wanted Katayama to create the new episodes in the same style that
the first season's shows had used - but the Cartoon Network wanted those
episodes to adhere to their standards and practices. "They did make mention
of the regulation on violence and sexual situations in America, and sat down
and told us this is what we could and could not do. Dealing with regulations
on what is acceptable programing is something we are going to have to deal
with in the coming years - there no way you can get around what is acceptable
in a country."
The
age of cel animation has yielded to the age of digital animation. With anime,
you can't tell the difference because Japanese animators deliberately don't
use the shaded three dimensional look of Toy Story and Shrek. An international
group of animators gathered at Anime Central to talk about this change in
their industry. From left to right they're Jan Scott Frazier, Kazuyoshi Katayama
(The Big O) and Yasunori Ide (Please Teacher). Those directors agreed that
digital animation gives them unprecedented control over animation, but an
animator's resources are still limited. "Because of the time constraints
that are placed against us, we have have to make the decision to choose one
of the main options," Katayama said about the creative choices they
can make with design and framing. "In my perspective, the introduction of
digital animation has made our jobs more difficult. We're working under higher
pressure and it's certainly more tumultuous."
A
director's role in the Japanese animation system isn't like the role a director
plays in a live-action film. On a set, a director directly controls a show
by handing out orders, stopping and starting each take. In anime, the director
might also be called a coordinator, since he delegates each section of work
to the specialists who handle those jobs. Often, an anime director won't
get as closely involved in the artwork as the artist who has the animation
director's title. "My job as a director is like a foreman underground, making
sure the work is being done and everyone is talking to each other," Ide said.
"It depends on the project - sometimes the director is only the foreman and
sometimes the director is responsible for the blueprint."
Directors
must answer to more than their visions of story and art; there are are sponsors
and standards to consider. Katayama told of an example of that factor; The
Big O, which he directed, was a hit on the Cartoon Network, and the American
cable service provided the money to produce a second 13-episode season. The
Americans wanted Katayama to create the new episodes in the same style that
the first season's shows had used - but the Cartoon Network wanted those
episodes to adhere to their standards and practices. "They did make mention
of the regulation on violence and sexual situations in America, and sat down
and told us this is what we could and could not do. Dealing with regulations
on what is acceptable programing is something we are going to have to deal
with in the coming years - there no way you can get around what is acceptable
in a country."
