Sitcom star Hank Hill has a muckle in common with otherTVpersonalities . His face and voice are well known , he has a loyal devotee following , and he on occasion show up on powder magazine covers . But unlike other situation comedy stars , Hank does n’t require a luxury dressing way , imported bottled water or even melody to breathe . Like Fred Flintstone and Homer Simpson before him , Hank is exclusively two - dimensional – an animated sketch character .
Hank ’s show " King of the Hill " is part of a general esthetic revolution that has shaken up television set animation over the past 15 years . The sophisticated humour and themes on appearance like " King of the Hill , " " The Simpsons , " and " Family Guy " have demonstrated that animation is n’t just for kids , or just for Saturday mornings .
As we ’ll see , these shows are fairly advanced from a production viewpoint as well . It deal a lot of tough work getting each episode from idea to broadcast . In this clause , we ’ll check in with some of the talented the great unwashed behind " King of the Hill " to find out how alive TV show get made .
The Big Picture
The yield operation for a live action TV show is fairly aboveboard . Writers come up with a script , thespian do the script in front of a few tv camera and a studio hearing , the footage is edited , and the show is quick for broadcast . ( This is a simplification , but that ’s the product process in a nutshell ) .
Producing an animated television programme is a far more laborious unconscious process , involve dozens of masses working hundred of hours . In traditional vivification , still the touchstone for animated TV display , every single shape of an animated show must be drawn by hand . The 20 or so minutes of actual footage that make up a typical half - 60 minutes program consists of around 30,000 separate frames .
Typically , a half - hour animated program is the merchandise of a nine - month journey , involving eight major steps :
In the next few section , we ’ll look at each step in the process .
Writing the Script
A new time of year of " King of the Hill " generally kicks off with the squad of writer gathering to rake story melodic theme . After a mickle of corporate brainstorming , the team narrows down the possibilities to a final list of stories . The producers then assign each story to specific author or writing squad .
After a author has prepared a account synopsis , a few other writer will collect to discourse the story , identify any problems , and brainstorm new jokes .
Unlike author for live action shows , writers for animated show do n’t have to worry much about hard-nosed yield issues . Dave Krinsky , Executive Producer for " King of the Hill " explains " because you do n’t have to occupy about sets , you could have many location , so you do n’t really have to worry too much about the reality of [ strong-arm production ] when you ’re preserve your script . " essentially , if a writer can envisage in , it can go in an alive show .
Krinsky also delight animation because you’re able to do things with the characters you would n’t be able to successfully do with genuine doer . " We ’ve found that there ’s a slender distance with animation you do n’t have with real actors , " Krinsky explains . That aloofness allows them to get away with more , such as an early episode of ' King of the Hill ' where Hank Hill was dealing with deadening . " With a cartoon , you’re able to get away with a little more , " Krinsky continues , " We can show a lot of naked butts , which , other than ' NYPD Blue , ' a lot of shows ca n’t get away with . "
Krinsky does n’t see many disadvantage to write for animation , but he receipt there are some tradeoffs . " There ’s a definite delayed gratification [ to animation ] , whereas on live TV you get to hear the audience express joy , and you get the feedback right away . " The lack of immediate audience reaction leads the writers and producer to rely on their own comedic instincts to guide them through the process , which necessitate many revision along the way .
Table Read
When the author or writing team is finished with the playscript , it ’s meter for the table read . At the board read , the entire cast of role player , all of the show ’s writer , and anyone else in the office staff that is n’t busy gather in a room and work out the playscript .
The board read is very crucial , because it let the writers finally hear how their words sound when address out loud . The writers and producers flirt near tending to the audience ’s response and take notes on what make and what does n’t . In the case of " King of the Hill , " the author and producers are especially concerned with what gets a good laughter and what does n’t .
After the table read , the writer gather to hash out any problems and explore ways to improve the handwriting . together with , the writer and producers make a final version of the script , and extend it on to the transcription stage .
Recording and Editing the Soundtrack
Once the handwriting has been finalized , it ’s time to record the actors ' voice . In parliamentary procedure to eliminate any extraneous noise , the histrion all record their spokesperson in a recording studio . The exact process varies depending on the producer ’s preferences . Some shows record every role player severally , record each line with a change of tone and prosody . Some prefer to show the role player working together , in the same way classic radio shows were acquire .
In any case , it is not necessary to have the entire mould present at the initial transcription sitting . Some actors may be away on other jobs , or unavailable for other reasons . If that is the shell , they can register their production line at a later date , and the novel tracks can be inserted into the final recording .
After the actors record their dialog , it ’s time to start putting together the show ’s audio data track . " Editing the soundtrack is about a two week process , " allege Kenny Micka , Co - Producer of King of the Hill . " We ’ll take the parts that are recorded from the actor , gather them , choose alternating take , and write out it down to our quarry length of nineteen minutes and thirty seconds . We seek to get the performances to cut together to satisfy the writers and producers , and then we station it on to Film Roman , our vivification firm . "
Storyboards and Artwork
The storyboard is the first step in sum up artistic production to the words in the playscript .
A storyboard is made up of pages of newspaper publisher with space for the director to design out how the instalment will be inspire . A distinctive storyboard consists of a boxed - in area containing a loose sketch of the activeness , with character short letter and camera directions written under the double . " Even though storyboards look bland on paper , they really mean a lot , " says Micka . " They ’re a back of the show . "
For vivification , a storyboard must be heavily detailed . " Storyboards supply a mountain of information , " Micka says . " They provide the different camera angle and shots , and most significantly , we get a horse sense of timing and theatrical role operation . "
The director begins chalk out idea for the storyboard upon obtain the final record book , and starts draw the final boards when he receives the soundtrack .
Once the producer sanction the crude storyboard , the lead animators can start make the key drawings for the episodes . These creative person do n’t fully vivify the natural action , but instead pull out the significant moments of every shot in a aspect , as well as all the necessary backgrounds ( internal rooms , street scenes , etc . ) for the instalment .
for keep a ordered look for each reference , the animators concern to character model bed sheet – collections of drawings show how each character should calculate . The character model sheets illustrate each character ’s body proportion , set each lineament ’s size comparative to other characters and show each character in a assortment of pose , from multiple Angle . This is a of the essence tool for making animated characters officiate like real actors . Without this scout , one energiser might force a fiber differently from another animator , and the character would seem to change size of it and coming into court throughout the show .
The Animatic and the Color
After the producers approve the complete storyboard , it ’s time to make an animatic . An animatic is a very approximately revivify draught , sometimes called a " pencil test . " It is almost like a move storyboard . The animators take the pencil - drawn cardinal lottery and photograph them so that they have a representation of what the net product will reckon like . Because it is n’t fully animated , characters have jerky movement , and their oral fissure do n’t always gibe their vocalization . The producers practice the animatic to check that the public presentation and comedic timing really work . This is also the last chance the producers have to make major change to the direction of the story . After this , any big changes will be a costly and time - consuming proposition .
After the animatic is completed , and all changes have been made , the American animators transport their cardinal drawings off to an animation studio apartment in Korea . American TV producers hire Korean firms today because the Korean animation diligence has relatively humbled procedure costs and access code to a large supplying of extremely cultivate artists .
In Korea , the first order of business is"in - betweening . “Let ’s say Hank Hill is flip a hamburger on his propane grill . The American energizer furnish severalkey framesof this action . The first material body would be a drawing of Hank with a spatula under the burger . The next frame would be Hank ’s arm raise a picayune bit and the burger in the air . The next skeleton would have the Warren Burger land back on the grill . The Korean energizer startle out by animating every inning in between each key flesh , so that once enliven , we see smooth motion .
After the in - betweening point , it ’s time for theink and paintstage . The animators trace every skeleton in ink onto clear acetate transparencies and then paint in the color . As computing machine technology advance , more show are doing ink and paint digitally .
When the ink and key stage is completed , each transparency is laid over the appropriate background image and shoot to create a frame . The developedfilmis post back to the United States for the next wooden leg of the process . The ruined product is calledthe coloration .
Editing
Even with a fully - animate product in hand , the show is n’t necessarily finish . There may be error in the color that necessitate retakes , or the producers might be unsatisfied with a joke or a scene .
animate retakes can be costly , so the editors have found editing tricks to attain the want upshot . " With some creative redaction , we can make a great deal of changes , " says Kenny Micka . " We can repurpose invigoration to have characters say Modern line , or we can use pellet from other episode . We ’ve actually built entire scenes from various shots from dissimilar show . You ca n’t do that in live natural process . "
This is one of the reasons eccentric in animated shows usually wear the same outfit week to calendar week . With this consistence , it ’s promiscuous to adopt liveliness from other scenes and other episodes .
The Soundtrack and Score
When the picture is " locked , " the producer hand the show to the sound section , and the sound engineers cleans up the vocal tracks and adds sound effects . For most shows , the good upshot do a mint to shape the tone of a show . " ' The Simpsons ' is more cartoonish , which is reverberate in its overdone audio effects , " notes Micka , " Where ' King of the Hill ' is more of a realistic show , and you see material in the backcloth like bird chirrup , wienerwurst barking , lawnmowers running . "
" Music can make a great impact on a show ’s tone , as well , " Micka add . " The spirit of ' King of the Hill ' is often well served often by an acoustic guitar , although we have used full weighing machine orchestras when it fit the story . "
After the sound department assembles all the sounds , they mix the caterpillar tread to the appropriate degree . It ’s of import to ensure a lineament ’s voice is n’t cover by the background medicine , or that a sound effect is n’t unnaturally gimcrack .
After nine months of work , the installment is in the end stop . The production society delivers a in high spirits definition master mag tape of the sequence to the web , and the web broadcasts it overcable , artificial satellite , and the air . By that fourth dimension , many more instalment have entered the pipeline and are moving along at various points in the production process .
For more information about various forms of vivification , check out the link on the next Sir Frederick Handley Page .
