The storytelling ability of Pixar or Walt Disney Animation Studios is such that it is very easy to forget the technology behind each of them. The technology among which we find the iPad, which plays a major role in the development of the storyboard on which the entire film is based.
The three phases of the process of creating an animated film
Making a Disney Movie start with development. This is where the whole process begins, where the directors meet the scriptwriters, they start talking about the narration, where the artists define the first appearance of the characters and their universes. At this stage we are faced with the development of the story, the environment, the characters, the necessary research to find out what is needed, the casting of the voice actors and, in short, the creation of the bases of the future film.
Next, we enter the stage of creation assets, that is, when we enter the three dimensions. The characters are modeled, the film scenes are developed in 3D, the rigging is done, which then makes it possible to animate the “virtual puppets” that are the characters, the first simulations are made and the layouts different shots.
Ultimately, we are entering the production phase, where all this work is collected frame by frame. The layouts are perfected and the animation process begins. Just out of curiosity, animating three or four seconds of a Disney movie usually takes an animator almost a month to complete. At this point, technical animation comes into play (dresses, fabrics, hairstyles, etc.), effects animation, crowd animation, lighting, and after a few months production is considered complete.
And since the iPad is present at all stages
The storyboard is the creative tool to transfer on paper (albeit virtual), the ideas of the directors. This storyboard is made from the first draft of the scenario, sometimes even before, and continues present until the last stages of productionwhere changes, edits and decisions must be able to be reflected on a visual medium so that the animators have a reference.
This is where the iPad comes in, which, together with the Apple Pencil and the StoryPad app, allows the storyboard team to carry out their important work. The StoryPad app has been designed by Disney and for Disney. “StoryPad uses our award-winning vector drawing technology, Meander, combined with a multi-sketch, multi-layered tool designed specifically to meet the needs of our artists.”
As seen in the video, the tool is just for disney needs in terms of capabilities, but also in terms of upgrades. The same story artist account how thanks to the fact that the development team is in the same building, the various ideas and proposals are implemented relatively quickly in the application.
The iPad app also integrates with any server infrastructure, publishing, production and allows artists to not only show off their work to their teammates, but to take advantage of all the technology that makes Disney movies what they are.
I know from personal experience that drawing with Apple Pencil on iPad is really awesome. When Steve Jobs, and later Tim Cook, remind us that Apple is at the intersection of liberal arts and technology, they must refer specifically to projects like this. Where something as simple as being able to create a sketch shapes an entire film. A movie that starts on an iPad.
More information | Walt Disney Animation Studios
