-It's a pleasure, Billy. I'm Paula Sullen, your direct liaison. I was at the eting in San Jose, - said Paula, dressed in a beautiful black office suit with a blue shirt.
-Nice to et you, Miss Paula, - Billy responded.
Paula led him closely throughout the entire journey, introducing him to everyone and even informing so people about his status and situation, like Tony Benedict, one of the big shots in the studio. Billy couldn't help but feel ecstatic about the upcoming days of training to beco an editor. The atmosphere was quite intense, with nurous offices, a complete contrast to the cheerful work environnt he had imagined.
-Well, I'll take you to your designated ntor. He'll lend you a hand in the process, - said Paula. -You can co to anyti; I'm in charge of coordinating your transportation. -
-And it's this way... This is Mr. Paul Higgs; he'll be accompanying you during your ti here at Hanna-Barbera, - Paula said.
The young Paul is probably around thirty years old, definitely younger than my father. Not a single gray hair on his long black hair. He greeted Billy with a firm handshake. The studio had been prepared for Billy's arrival, and he felt a bit overwheld by the VIP treatnt he was receiving. Or do they treat everyone the sa way? From a gentleman who picks him up day and night, to complintary snacks during his study hours and a dedicated room for him.
-Pleasure to et you, I'm Paul. I've been told that you're the creator of the Slam Dunk and Yu Yu Hakusho/Phantom Files series. I've studied your works, and they're excellent. I'll be the animator in charge of designing the first season of Phantom Files, and I'm excited to work with you, - said Paul Higgs.
-Yes, sir, I'm ready for anything, - Billy replied.
-Well, the production team is on vacation, but as the leader of the drawing team, I'm responsible for finalizing the storyboards for the first episodes. Warnedia's investnt is substantial. We've never had 15 million dollars for production before.-
>>In the contract with Lux Comics, it's stated that we have to maintain a visual production quality on par with 'Akira,' 'Castle in the Sky,' and 'My Neighbor Totoro,' which, by the way, can only be found in Japanese with Spanish subtitles. -
>>After a brief investigation, the rhythmic quality of the film consists of 25 fras per second, followed by properly traced motion lines. However, the production team has yet to match the drawing quality delivered by you, even after recruiting four people. The design hasn't quite co together. Your drawing skills are excellent. So, what will we do here? It's to teach you how to follow those transitions from the comic, -said Paul.
- That's a lot to take in. I think my skills are better in practice than in theory, - Billy said.
-Of course, you have a talent for visual developnt, - Paul replied.
In his mind, he already had his ideas on how to bring the story to life. After all, the entire Yu Yu Hakusho series, including its manga, ani, movies, and so special OVAs, were stored in his head.
Among the series that Warner dia's producers initially planned to use to captivate their audience were old series produced since 1960. One of the animated series that had a significant impact but couldn't be distributed by Warner ended up being distributed by Fox. It was Batman Beyond from 1992.
-You can start by organizing your desk. Do you see those blank sheets called celluloid or translucent paper? The light table helps overlay all the paper and create the illusion of drawing, - ntioned the scruffy-haired man who paced back and forth, often lost in his thoughts. He was a bit nervous about teaching since he was never one to talk much, preferring to imrse himself in his world of drawing.
-We'll begin with our storyboard, what we call the program's introduction. Our goal for these ten days is to have an acceptable product,- said Paul.
-Okay, I'll start now. I'd like to clarify that when I created the comic, I already had a clear idea of how to animate it, - Billy said.
It wasn't entirely true, but he had a clear idea of how to create the program's introductory based on the previous opening used in its previous era. He would only make adjustnts, incorporating so improved background scenery from the second opening and adding flashing lights of different colors to enhance the graphic design. He drew inspiration from various other shows that were still fresh in his mind, such as Naruto.
-Alright, let's get to work, -said Paul.
The following hour was filled with constant drawing in small fras, approximately 7 cm x 7 cm, showcasing the best designs he could recreate with his current drawing skills. He ticulously planned the format that he believed would suit the series perfectly.
I used the main animation fra of a witch flying on a broomstick through the clouds. As she soared, posters of the characters appeared in different colors, with a faded tone, while keeping the sky in view. The scene then transitioned to a vast adow surrounded by a forest, where the four protagonists ran across and encountered so monsters. They showcased their powers, such as the spiritual gun.
It took an hour and a half to capture all those details in a storyboard that followed a linear style similar to comics but with more intricate details, showcasing how those movents could express themselves.
-This is very polished work. I was initially skeptical about your skills, but this is excellent. However, these complex scenes can only be realized on special acetate paper, using tempera paints. We'll need to create at least 27 scenes to complete the introductory chapter, - said Paul.
-Well, how difficult is it to create the acetate fras? - asked Billy.
-Difficult is an understatent. It can be quite ssy at tis. Wanting too much sotis feels impossible, but we'll do our best,- replied Paul.
-Why is it difficult? - Billy asked, a little perplexed by Paul's confusion, as this man wore his emotions on his sleeve.
-Co on, I'll teach you how to use tempera paints. This might be one of the most challenging processes! - said, Paul.
To create the scene, an eighth of cardstock was used as the base, with the initial image placed on it. The first step was to shape the scene. Three shades of white were used to create the cloud, along with three different shades of blue and various details to add complexity to the image.
Throughout the afternoon, with both Paul and giving it our all, we managed to complete only two scenes. But it was quite an interesting process. Using an idea borrowed from filmmaking, we zood in and out with the cara, extracting the most from the panoramic view we created together.
-That's it for today. Tomorrow morning, I think your task will be to create a model guide, - said Paul.
- Well, what's a model guide? - Billy asked again.
-It's a compilation of all the different ways the characters should be drawn, including their various facial expressions, emotions, shapes, and how to depict them in different poses. It's a comprehensive reference for all the images, - explained Paul.
What a demanding and challenging task. Although it's evident that there's a team of at least five people working on this project, it remains long and tedious.
-Well, tomorrow, I'll make a list of all the possible ways to draw the characters, - sighed Billy, realizing how tortuous the work would be.
-I see you're feeling discouraged. Don't worry; the result is rewarding. My first job was a simple animated comrcial, but after weeks of trying again and again, I ended up with sothing that still impresses to this day, - said Paul.
-I'll try my best, - said Billy. In this era, the challenges of animation are the sa as they were twenty years ago, but technology has made so of those difficulties easier to overco. I'll just wait and see how this week unfolds.
..
.
User Comments
0 comments from readers