Glossary of Animation Preproduction Terms
Action Model Model sheets depicting typical movements and expressions of an animated character.
Animatic Filmed storyboards that also include simple animation, camera moves, or special effects, edited and precisely timed to a dialogue and/or music track.
Animation An art form that brings life to inanimate objects. See also 2D Animation, Stop Motion, and CGI.
Art Director The designer of the production. The art director in an animated film will create settings, color palettes, lighting, character and prop styles, and may also design layouts.
Atmospheric Sketches Experimental color sketches depicting moods or settings that may be used in the film.
Barsheet A printed aid to the director indicating footage and frame counts and space to write music and sound cues beneath. They were used mainly in commercials to time the film and slug dialogue and music tracks. They have largely been replaced by computer editing programs.
Beat See Story Beat.
Beat Boards Storyboards showing only the main story points and major action of the picture; a visual outline of the story. They are also known as outline boards.
“Bible” A pictorial guide to all aspects of the characters, props, and backgrounds. Television animation “Bibles” contain final clean model sheets for all characters, props, and backgrounds, brief story outlines, and written descriptions of the characters’ personalities and attitudes. Feature “Bibles” may consist of reference and inspirational art assembled as style guidelines for character designers and layout artists. In television production, a “Bible” is also known as a model pack.
Blue Sky Early stage of development where any idea is acceptable.
Boarding Drawing storyboards for a film or sequence of a film; used as a verb (e.g., “I’m still boarding Sequence 6”).
Boil, Boiling Inconsistently applied color that moves independently of character or background motion. A color may boil inside a character’s outline as an artistic effect in hand-drawn animation.
CGI Computer-generated imagery, commonly referred to as ‘3D animation’, although computer programs are also used for 2D animation.
Cheats, Cheating A technique that allows a stylized or graphic design to appear to move in three-dimensional spaces. Mickey Mouse’s ears never turn, but are cheated as his body moves (e.g., “Cheat the hair part as her head turns”). Cheats are not meant to be seen by the viewer. See also Morph.
Clean See Tight.
Clean Up (v.) The act of standardizing the appearance of an animation drawing or image.
Cleanups Model sheets, background, layout, or animation drawings that have had their line quality standardized and rough construction details removed.
Color Keys Copies of panel(s) from the storyboard with characters and backgrounds rendered in color to set the palette, mood, and lighting for each sequence.
Color Models Standardized color for animated characters and props. Each character may have several color models depicting its appearance at different times of day, changes of outfit or mood, or in changing seasons.
Color Script A series of small color keys in a timeline showing all changes in the color palettes from the first sequence of the film to the last.
Construction Model A simple breakdown of a character design into its component shapes. It enables an artist to move and judge proportions on an imaginary figure in two- or three-dimensional space.
Crew The artists working on an animation production. A story crew works on storyboard, character design, and development.
Dope Sheet See Exposure Sheet.
Evolution In hand-drawn animation, the refinement and simplification of a character design if test animation indicates areas for improvement. CGI figures, once modeled and rigged, are locked down and are more difficult to evolve.
Exposure Sheet A printed or digital graph depicting each frame of a scene, with specific layers assigned for animation. It also contains action and dialogue columns for timing and track breakdown. They are also known as dope sheets and are used in all types of animation.
First Pass In animation, character design, and storyboard, the first pass is the initial presentation of the artwork to the story head or directors. It is usually experimental and always gets reworked.
Flop To reverse the staging on a storyboard drawing; to mirror the action without making other changes in staging. Flopping a drawing is not the same as turning it over.
Frame The fixed border of the screen or monitor; a set area where all animated action takes place. Or, an individual photograph from a strip of motion picture film. In storyboarding: synonymous with Panel.
Handout A storyboard, animation, or design assignment.
Lay Down, Laid Down Timing dialogue, music, or effects to a soundtrack. See also Slugging.
Layouts The animated ‘stage’. Layout develops from storyboard and includes backgrounds, camera angles and apertures, props, overlays, and rough character poses for each scene as a guide for the animators and background painters.
Leica Reel A term originating in the Walt Disney Studio, which invented it. Storyboards shot and timed to dialogue and music. This is how animated film is edited. See also Story Reel.
Linetest See Pencil Test.
Locked Down Finished, without the possibility of further change.
Log Line A single sentence that describes the story.
Maquette In French, a model or mock-up. In animation, a three-dimensional sculpture of a character design. Maquettes enable artists to view a design in the round and help determine lighting on characters when combined with backgrounds.
Master Background The animated equivalent of a live-action master shot. It establishes the setting, lighting, and scale of a sequence but may not be an actual production background.
Model Pack See “Bible”
Model Sheet A guide for the appearance and construction of an animated character or prop. Model sheets enable different artists to create the illusion of one performance by standardizing the character’s appearance and suggesting typical actions. See also Rough Model, On Model, Off Model, Action Model, and Cleanups.
Morph, Morphing A change in attitude or motion that is accomplished by modifying the character’s entire design and ‘growing’ it into the next pose. This, unlike a cheat, is usually visible to the viewer.
Off Model Character appearance that does not conform to the model sheet. Normal distortion is considered on model.
On Model Character appearance that conforms to the model sheet.
Outline A brief written description of the story.
Outline Boards See Beat Boards.
Panel An individual storyboard; synonymous with frame.
Pencil Mileage Highly detailed and rendered artwork; or, a difficult design.
Pencil Test Hand-drawn animation that is shot against layouts and used to refine timing and action before coloring and finishing the film. (Also known as linetest.)
Pickup A line of dialogue that is recorded after the original session to incorporate script changes; or, a partial retake of a line.
Pitch, Pitching The presentation of artwork to an audience in real time, with running commentary by the artist. Pitching the boards provides instant feedback on the readability of the story and the artwork.
Placeholder A character design that is used for rough boards before its final appearance has been standardized.
Plus-ing A creative interpretation or addition that improves the original story or design.
Pop, Pop It A graphic shorthand used to turn a character in space without actual three-dimensional movements. If you are asked to pop something, the views will change abruptly with no in-between poses. Many characters will pop from three-quarter views to full face or profile. Persistence of vision creates the illusion of smooth motion.
Post-production Compositing of pre-existing visual and audio elements to create a finished picture.
Pre-production The conception, planning, and development of a film’s story and characters. Pre-production artwork does not appear in the finished film.
Presentation Boards Highly-rendered storyboards with detailed tonal work on characters and backgrounds; finished illustration rather than roughs. They may include a lot of pencil mileage.
Previsuals, Previz The fourth-dimensional interpretation of a three-dimensional storyboard. Previz moves the camera through scenes and blocks character actions in real time using roughly-modeled CGI placeholders.
Production Creation of artwork that appears in the finished film. This can include CGI models and rigs, animation tests, backgrounds and layouts, soundtracks, and finished color animation scenes.
Push It, Pushing Exaggeration of a design, character pose, or story point.
Readability Character designs, action, or storyboards that are staged in clear and understandable fashion are said to read well. Boards that do not read well are generally turned over. Story points that lack readability are generally done over.
Rough Boards Quickly-drawn storyboards with basic tonal values designed only to tell the story. They may use placeholder characters that are not on model.
Rough Models Model sheets that include standardized construction models, action models, and comparative sizes for the final design of the characters but do not include cleanups. The line quality will vary and details may not be finalized. Rough model sheets are used by animators to maintain the consistency of the character’s construction in hand-drawn film. They also enable a CGI or puppet modeler to accurately reproduce the design in three dimensions.
Roughs Drawings that retain construction lines and contain variable line quality are referred to as roughs. These may be retained in the final project, sometimes in conjunction with boiling color. See also Cleanups.
Scratch Track A soundtrack that is not the final one for the picture. Scratch dialogue and music may be used as placeholders to time story reels and animatics.
Screen Ratio The proportions of the screen where the finished project will be viewed. Storyboard panels can be designed to specific screen ratios, such as widescreen or Academy standard. All storyboard panels in a production will have the same screen ratio.
Sequence A series of consecutive scenes related by setting, character, or story point.
Setup A color test in which color models and props are placed over a background to check the readability and contrast.
Slugging Indicating the timing for each storyboard panel prior to scanning or shooting a story reel; also, determining where dialogue and sound effects will appear. Formerly this was done on bar sheets; slugging is now usually done with computer editing programs or exposure sheets.
Stop Motion Animation created by moving a jointed puppet or other object one frame at a time and photographing the movement in (very slow) real time. It is the only truly three-dimensional animation.
Story Beat A major change in plot or action; a turning point.
Storyboards A visual script for a motion picture. In animation, a guide for character performance, action, editing, and staging for the finished picture. (Storyboard (v.) The act of storyboarding a motion picture.
Story Head The director of the story on a feature film. The Story Head (or Head of Story) assigns story handouts, reviews the storyboards before they are presented to the directors, and exercises artistic control over the crew. He or she will develop the story and beat boards with the writers and directors.
Story Reel Filmed storyboards timed to a music and/or dialogue track. Animated films are edited here and not after camera, as in live action. Synonymous with Leica reel.
Sweatbox Screening the story reel, animatic, or animation for a critical audience. The Walt Disney Studio was the first to sweatbox pencil tests and story reels and this is now common industry practice.
Thumbnails Rough drawings or sketches, usually very small in size. (Thumbnail (v.) Illustrating a story point with small, sketchy drawings to determine staging.)
Tied Down See Tying Down.
Tight Very clean and close to the final model design; the opposite of rough.
Treatment A written description of the story that is more involved than an outline. A treatment will include subplots and may include rough dialogue, but it is not as comprehensive as a script.
Turnover Session A review session where directors and story artists make changes to the boards and story in real time after a pitch. Panels that are discarded or changed are literally turned over and repinned so that the blank back of the panel faces the audience. Panels may also be flopped during the turnover session. Changes can also be drawn on self-stick notes placed over the panels.
Tweak A minor change or improvement to nearly-finished work.
Two-dimensional (2D) Animation A common term for hand-drawn animation. It will also include various computer-graphic programs, cut-paper, sand animation, painting on glass, and other techniques lacking ‘three-dimensional’ appearance.
Tying Down Finalizing, finishing, or standardizing a character model, storyboard sequence, or animated scene. After rough art is completed and approved, you will be asked to tie it down. See also Locked Down.
Universe A consistent design element or technique that relates animated characters to one another and to the props and backgrounds, providing unification for an imaginary world.
Up on Reels Storyboards assembled and timed on film or digital media with soundtrack. This may be a scratch track produced for a story reel, Leica reel, or animatic (e.g., “Sequences 1 through 5 are up on reels, and we’re still boarding Sequence 6”).
Wild Track Sound recorded without a script, such as murmurs, chatter, exclamations, sound effects, or animal noises. These are usually added to the track near the end of production.
Workbook An intermediate stage between storyboard and layout in which camera moves are designed to work with rough feature boards. Workbook drawings are thumbnails for cinematic staging.