An Introduction to Post Production

Post Production for any animated movie is a linear process wherein every minute change is done with concentration and perfection. As the term itself says “Post” meaning that it will perform after the first two phases have done their job accurately with finesse.

Widening the term, it focuses on:

Editing, Sound Design, Visual Effects, Audio Mixing, Colour Correction/Grading.

Editing

The frames created for an animated film is then passed to the editor room where the frames of the video are bifurcated. Unwanted frames are cut down and the remaining frames are properly organised in a sequence which is known as rough cut or block editing.

While editing, the sound is considered the most important because the charm that the music creates with each frame. When frames are cut down, the flow of sound should not be affected rather it should be in flow.

During the frames editing, frames which you need or not needed become the most important segment of discussion. Sometimes, the frames which are not in perfect resolution may be reframed. From start to end, each and every frame is a point of anticipation. May be the beginning is not alluring or the end does not attract the movie lovers, all these points are considered. Lastly, all these frames are organised in sequence which completes the process.

Sound Design

The sound design includes background scores and voice hovers which act as a pacemaker in any animated film. To keep holding the audience where story plays a crucial role, sounds creates an impact on them.

Editing sound leads to recheck with the dialogue line. They make a note of lines which requires a re-take. Sometimes, the words get overlapped with the background score and needs to be clean using the sound editor. This process is known as ADR.

After the sound editing is up to the mark, the suitable music is bought online or free tracks from premium packs are downloaded that flows with the story line.

The foremost point is budget and for any business, creating an original track flowing with the story line can be expensive and time consuming to produce which may not be considered as fruitful.

Visual Effects

For the most part, Visual Effects encompasses everything from painting out cables, rig removal, digital replacing signage, blending two takes together, and generally anything that, if done properly, is completely invisible, yet very important. Only when the budget is more, many creative things can take place and more detailed visual effects can be added.

The time it takes and the cost of the software to produce VFX can mean it is a shelved to ponder for most people looking to make attractive video.

Audio Mixing

Once the sound has been edited, the dialogue more clear and the music vibrating the wires, it’s the job of the sound designer to bring all these sound elements into harmony with each other. Sound mixing can be tangle. You might be doing a 7.1 theatrical mix (that’s seven speakers and a subwoofer), but in the main, business video or web videos will be mixed down for stereo.

Dynamic range, or the difference between the quietest parts and the loudest parts, is another issue when mixing audio. Theatrical mixes often have gamut because they can rely on a controlled listening environment (i.e. a movie theatre). However, with mixes for TV advertisements or online video the range has to be low.

Once the sound is mixed, the sound part of a video is completely done.

Colour Correction/ Grading

To start with the process, colour grading includes the blending of white with the different colour shades.  This sort of blending creates a balance between frames making the resolution of gif image clear and beautiful.

Applying an appropriate colour grade to the video that has the potential to leverage its viewpoint. The look could be everything from the sickly green of The Matrix, to the bleach bypassed desaturated look of Saving Private Ryan.

At the highest level, a very expensive monitor is needed to properly judge the colour and the looks. However, without the world’s best monitor, the best course of action is to colour correct the video and then watch it on as many TVs and monitors as possible and then use that information to apply any further tweaks.

Once that’s done, you combine the final sound mix and the final colour correction / grade and the video is finished.

Here comes an end to post production of an animated movie and game.

An Introduction to Production

Heya Folks! We are back again! This time to share a little information on Production.

So, tell us how will you define Production?

Umm… The process of making a movie, play or record. Is It?

Yes. So, the definition is clear!

But if we look at this stage in depth, it is a pure hard work.

All the steps of Pre-Production are planned into action like Modeling, Texturing, Rigging, Framing, Rendering and more.

It’s always said, if your Pre-Production is in perfect shape then production is not a hard work anymore.

Let us take a look at these steps in depth…

Modeling

There are different departments for character and SET modeling where character is imagined,set is planned. The designers who are working on modelling the character and SET draw their imagination on papers though a rough sketch. Model it using clay if required and then create it using animation software’s.  In Pre-Production, nothing is on papers, be it character modelling or SET modelling. Scene is developed, SET is designed, character is Modeller with props. So, what else is required during production? Everything is ready. Just need to say “Action”!

Texturing Or Sculpting

After modelling, character is shifted to texturing process. Sculpting, colouring, or detailing of character is done here. It’s an optional process. Why? because already in Pre-Production the character or SET is designed, sculpted, ensemble with clothes and ornaments or detailed to give it a final look.

Rigging

In a simple language, it means movement of limbs. In Animation, characters are designed with their signature ornaments where a minute button controls the movement of the limbs. For eg: Let us take the character of Chota Bheem. He wears band on both his wrists. Have you seen? There is a small button attached with that ornament which controls the stimulation of hands.

Animation

Scene is ready so as SET and characters with their props. Now, it’s time to say “Roll Sound…Camera… Action…”.  Here, storyboard is required which specifies scenes for different characters and their roles, the voice hovers are integrated in characters, side by side detailing is taken care of, character is given motion so as the environment (SET) – what we call the stimulation and frames are created.

Rendering

The action has taken place,  characters have essayed their roles according the scenes and per scene n number of frames are created. During the rendering process, the frames which have shadow effects or any other effects are separated, the which frames require slow or fast animation are also separated.  Later, all these frames are taken to the third stage i.e. post production.

Here, the production of making animated movie ends! Checkout the recent examples of Production by GameYan Studio :

We will soon be back with an introduction of Post Production.

Pre-Production – The Initial Stage of Any Visual Project

Pre-Production!!! What is pre-production?

It is important rather say crucial stage of any project. Concept, story writing, scripting, character designing, voice hover and what not is included. Production and Post Production stage depends upon this first step. As it is truly said “If you toil in your First Step and it is accurate and well defined  then you can walk rest of the steps nimble and easy.”

Other than the major steps described above, there are list of tasks which we need to execute in this stage. If not, then these small-small things can create a blunder in the final stage.

 Let’s shed light on the steps involved in Pre-Production

1. Concept: Before making any film, advertising or game, we need to create a concept. Without the concept, the story will not be able to attract the audience. Take any media company, say Game Development Studio, Animation Movie Production Companies, Film Animation Companies, Film Production Company and other such companies work day and night for concept and title first and then proceed for the story writing.
2. Story Writing: Concept is ready, title is finalized. Now the writer envisions the story and connects it with the concept. He draws the focus of the audience towards the concept and brings out the purpose behind his story writing.
3. Script Writing: Now, time for some action, dialogs  and scripts. These three elements are the punching part of any visual project. Scripts, action and dialogs are sequenced and written considering the characters and the scene.
4. Storyboard: Storyboard is like a flip book. What action a character performs in a particular scene is drawn. Though, a rough sketch but storyboard gives a clear picture of the movements of a character and how the scene is going to look like.
5. Voice Hover : Usually, in films the characters speak their dialogs  but what about animated films? Voice hover artists record the dialogs  of the characters in the first stage so that when the final character is modelled, the recorded voice can be integrated during designing it with the final character model.
6. Animatic  Effects : These effects are made after storyboard and voice hover. Once character is designed, the recorded voice is integrated with it for testing purpose before the final designing and effects.
7. Character Design with clay sculpting: First, artists draw rough sketches of a character. Then character is sculpted with clay. Sculpting and designing of a character is done to clear the imagination of the story and type of characters required in a particular scene. This type of character designing and clay sculpting is done in large media companies like Animation Production Companies, Game Development Studio, Animation Movie Production Companies.

Hope this short and precise introduction to pre-production will give you a clear idea what is pre production and why it is requisite.

GameYan is one of the good companies involved in Pre-production. Its recent examples can be seen in the website page as well http://www.gameyan.com/project.html.

Take a look on the recent examples,

Project : Chief’s Daughter

Category: Animation Film

GameYan Involvement: Pre-Production (Finished) and Post production (Running)