AURORA PRESENTS A DON BLUTH PRODUCTION

1.     (Conference Room).  The storyboards.  By the time the story-boards are put together, there has already been much preparation put into the film: the story has been selected, the script adapted, the actors chosen, their dialogue recorded and story sketches of each scene.  The sketches are tacked up in order on these boards and help the artists keep in mind the general layout, scope and feel of that scene.

2.     (John and Gary's Room).  The Animation.  Animation artists receive the scene and the exposure sheet, which contains a break-down of -the dialogue and tells them how many drawings are required to get the character from here to there.  Animators are actors with pencils, and they must create the actions of the character while staying within that character's personality.
    Animators do "key poses," which are extremes in movement.  "In-between" artists do drawings of all action between key poses.  Clean-up artists make sure each line is sharp and clear.  From here, the clean drawings are sent to xerography, where they are transferred electromagnetically to a plastic sheet called a "cel."

3.     (Ink and Paint Department).  Each cel is sent to this department where the cel is turned over and the xerography lines are smoothed out by hand inking.  Here, too, according to meticulous
color charts, each cel is painted from the back.

4.     (Background Department).  Layout and Backgrounds.  In layout,
each scene is staged and decisions are made as to whether this
will be a closeup or longshot, inside or out, daytime or night-time.  Prepared layouts go to background artists who provide the set design and scenery of the film.  The paintings give a three-dimensional illusion and are meticulous in detail as to color and period of furniture, architecture and props.  Here, through the use of small painted."color keys," the orchestration of color throughout each scene is decided before the background artist begins work.

5.     (Special Effects Department).  Special effects.  Here everything that moves and is not a character is animated.  There are two basic types of special effects: natural phenomena, such as water glistening or cobwebs blowing in the breeze, and super-natural phenomena, such as the hologram in which Nicodemus can foretell and shape the future, and the green vapor and laser dust

6.     (Camera Room).  Photographing the final film.  Here the character cels and special effects cels come together with the painted backgrounds and are photographed in color.  Special camera "tricks" are used to make the shadows transparent, the bottles shimmery, the moon hazy.  Extensive use of multiple passes of the same film through the camera numerous times is made.  Also used are the two electronically operated Multiplane cameras.  Both methods add depth and dimension to the film.