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Making of Anime Shows

An anime show, the Asian-based equivalent of a cartoon, can be an original creation or an adaptation of a manga (comic book). If you're looking to create and direct an anime show, you can't do it alone. You need a team of animators, editors and voiceover actors working together at their individual tasks toward a finished product. There are also some differences between an anime and American cartoon production, primarily with which comes first--the video or sound production.
  1. Storyboard

    • Create a storyboard for your anime show. This is close to drawing out the entire show in comic (manga) form. Draw out each scene picture by picture with its dialogue. It helps to include side notes like how long a particular scene is to run and the number of frames needed for that scene. This storyboard is the guide you and your animators will use for drawing and creating the scenes. Your key animators should first create the background scenery used in the frames.

    VIdeo Production

    • Your animation team will assemble individual frames from drawings of each character through computer animation and apply them to the scenery. A full second of animation takes 22 to 24 frames. Your key animators should be in charge of the drawings for the opening and closing frames, while the in-between animators draw out the remaining frames for the scene. Once all the frames are drawn, send them to a "color stylist" to color them in. Many anime scenes--like transformation scenes for the "magical girl" characters--have added flair like sparkles and flashes. An SFX artist should add these in. Once the frames are completed, help your editors compile and edit the scenes as needed.

    Audio Production

    • Unlike most American animation, anime produces audio after the video production, producing and editing the sound and vocals to match up with the video. Send the scenes to your recording studio so your voice actors--called "seiyuu"--can view them and record the dialogue in sync with the scenes. Other sound effects in the scenes should then be added by the sound editors. While this goes on, select the background music. Once you add the background music to the rest of the audio, you and your editors can go through the final sound mixing to make sure all the audio matches with the video as you want it.

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