American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1942)

Animated Cartoon Production Today Part V — Painting, Photographing, and Re-Recording By CARL FALLBERG THE home stretch has finally been reached when the cleaned-up animation drawings receive an "Okay for Inkers" from the director in sweatbox. From here on in, it's no-stops until the final Technicolor print is made. The tortuous path to that final okay has already been described — the multiple processes, the complicated steps, the vast amount of overlapping work necessary by many people to transform an idea into woiking animation drawings. It has been pointed out that a state of flexibility as regards changes exists during all of these processes, but when animation is "Okay for Inkers" the seal of approval has been put on it. The animation represents the best of the animator's ability to portray a story idea. The idea at last is ready to receive its final polish and be dressed up into color and form. The period now arrives when all of the final elements that make the cartoon live on the screen are prepared, mixed and blended together into an amalgan.i of color, sound, movement and music. Of course, all of these elements aren't suddenly dumped into the picture at once, but are completed and added each in its turn. First, the animation drawings are traced onto celluloid, then painted and photogi-aphed over the finished backgrounds. Music, meanwhile, has been composed and recorded; final sound I'cels are assembled, and re-recorded into one sound-track which is added to the picture at the time the Technicolor release prints are made. But since animation is the key process about which all other activity in the studio centers, the further progress of the animation drawings will be taken into consideration first. After being given their okay, the drawings are shipped off' to the Inking Dept., getting a final checkup en route to make sure that the mechanics of the scene are correct — drawings in the proper order, numbered correctly, camera and pan moves accurate, etc. Every component of the scene must be correct down to the last frame. Inking literally implies tracing the animation drawings onto celluloid witli india ink. However, it is more than simply tracing. It is really a re-drawing of the character. The inker must transpose the animation drawing onto celluloid, retaining as much of the freedom, construction and si)ontaneity of the original as possible. This calls for much more skill than just the ability to trace. It's no cinch to swing a smooth, even pen Above: a cartooned llghtning-ftash. The left-hand picture, with rain animating in front of it, is used for most of the scene, and the lightning effect produced by substituting the right-hand picture for a few frames. line across a slick "cell" and accurately follow the outlines of the pencil drawing. A deviation of only the thickness of a pen line might be enough to destroy the feeling or construction of the drawing. An examination of the inked cells illustrating this article will indicate to what extent a good inker is able to retain the feeling and expression of the original animation drawing. As a matter of technical interest, the cells are of the acetate, non-inflammable variety and about 5/1000 of an inch thick. Ordinary black india-ink, with an element added to make it adhere to the cell, is used and is ai)plied with a Gillott's No. 290 or 303 pen. The pressure of war is strongly felt in the cartoon industry, since celluloid is high on the priority list. Cells, rarely used more than once because of vulnerability to scratches, are now put into service two, or even three times. Various chemicals that go into the composition of cell l)aints have been made unobtainable by ],riorities, so the paint laboratory is busy developing substitutes. All inking is done on the front side of the cells, the paint being applied on the back. The inkers work on boards fitted with registering pegs that fit the punch holes in the cells and animation drawings. For the average cartoon, black 344 August, 1942 American Cinkmatographkk