SOUND CARTOONS.

Waikato Times, Volume 108, Issue 18140, 3 October 1930, Page 3

SOUND CARTOONS.

MICKEY THE MOUSE.

METHODS OF ANIMATION. NEW PICTURE ART; However is it done? And while the crowded theatre roars at Mickey the Mouse, with the music perfectly synchronised to the antics of the animated drawn figures on the screen, nobody seems to have fathomed how sketches can thus be made to live. A writer recently paid a visit to a cartoon studio, and the description which follows should interest all picture-theatre-goers. Says the writer — One of the first cartoon reels to attain international fame was the Aesop’s Fables produced by the Van Beuren Corporation and released by Pathe. This reel was one of the first to go sound, and make the characters chat, sing, dance, play instruments, to accentuate the humour. As we enter the cartoon studio we find fifteen expert animators bent over their, drawing boards, their pencils rapidly sketching .. objects on the tracing paper; and we are told that long before the animators can. start work, on a feature days of preparation must precede the drawings > and daily sessions with the musical director, and the “song and dance man” must he had. Enormous Staff. In the old days of the silent fables the animators merely decided upon a - v theme, scenes were allotted to each man, and' the drawings began; but. now, with the synchronised cartoon, not only has it been necessary to treble the staff of artists, but it takes at least three times as long to complete one of these cartoons. Everything must be in time with the music. The characters that dance must be given dance steps that are not merely a jumble of hops and jumps. Funny gags must be enhanced by appropriate music. To decide upon a theme a conference is held, and each artist has a chance to express his views and suggestions, and at the same time the musical director offers his co-opera-tion, bringing to the attention of the animators various musical themes that he considers befitting the proposed picture. Scenario Conferences. AH suggestions are taken,down by a clerk and typed, and from these notes a scenario is formed by. the head of the department, who boils down the score or more suggestions into a short story that is filled with humorous situations and funny gags. With the characters decided upon the scenario is developed in detail. Scenes, actions, and titles are put into proper continuity in the same manner as a scenario, for an eight-reel extravaganza. Backgrounds are the first pictures to be drawn. _ These are' sometimes exterior scenes, showing woodland country or.mountain; or, if it is a picture of the Far North the background is of the icy hills of the Arctic regions. Interiors of rooms are drawn or closeups of windows or doors, as the case , may be. ' After the backgrounds have been made the artists immediately set to work animating the various 1 scenes, each working with a sheet of music before- hirm This means that thousands of drawings must be made for each release so that >a lifelike effect is the optical illusion when the various drawings are shown on the'screen consecutively and in rapid succession. Eaoh animator is assigned a series of scenes, and his drawings are made on translucent tissue paper. Thus the animator may see the lines of the preceding drawing as he places a new paper over each completed sketch. On the new paper he traces the previous drawing, but moves the arm or leg or head, as the case may be, to give the started or completed action of the character. This means that each drawing of the character is made in an entirely different position, and the mere action of Mickey striking the piano may mean a series of forty to fifty separate drawings. Celluloid Cells. After the picture has been completed by the total number of drawings being made on the tissue paper these pictures are handed-; to the “tracers," who transfer the drawings from the tissue to ; celluloids, or “cells,” as they are more' commonly known; these have been perforated at the top with two holes. These holes on all papers and cells are, of an exact distance apart and fit snugly on two pegs that are at the top of the animators’ as well as the tracers drawing boards. “Fables” employs 25 tracers, who proceed to fill in the “blacks,” or bodies. Water-colours, black and / white, are always used, so that after the cells have been photographed they may be washed and used again. The completed drawings are numbered by the supervising artist, and the number of photographic exposures necessary < jo register the desired action is made. - Special Cameras. The ordinary motion picture camera takes 16 pictures, or “frames,” per second, but the cameras used in photographing Mickey the Mouse series are so arranged that the photographer merely pushes a foot pedal to make the exposure. The entire cartoon release is handed over to the photographers. It is usually between 10,000 and 20,000 sheets of celluloid. Then the photographer sets to work. He first places the background under the camera eye , and fits the. celluloid over two pegs that protrude from the camera table. The first action picture is placed over , the background, and as all pictures of 'action are made on “cells the background shows through to the paper upon which the action picture is being drawn.

Many Drawings for Each Action. Upon completion of the photographing process the exposed negative ’is sent to the laboratory for developing. The negative then is developed and a master picture made, and after the cutter rearranges this into its proper continuity the picture is ready for projection. To present an idea how the photographer or cameraman does his part in the making of animated cartoons, let us suppose the scene is to show Henry the Cat emulating Robin Hood sending an arrow into the air. Sherwood Forest is pictured on the “sett;ng sheet” or painted background, /phis drawing is placed under a frame directly beneath the camera, which is focussed from overhead. A celluloid sheet bearing a drawing of Henry’s body in standing position is superimposed over the • Sherwood 'forest background. This shows Henry

in a natural position for archery—with these exceptions, his arms, bow and arrow are missing. These membei\are on a second or a third sheet of celluloid, which when superimposed over the first completes Henry Cal (Robin Hood). Then the superimposed sheets and background are photographed together.

Superimposed Cells. ,To show Henry Cat shooting the arrow the arms are made to draw back the arrow on the string by substituting various sheets with drawings of'the arms and bow and arrow in progressive stages of movement. Just the required number of exposures of each combination of drawings and background are photographed to make the action natural and lifelike. With the master print made the workers are ready to synchronise the picture, and the scene shifts to a sound studio, where in front of a motion picture screen is seated an. orchestra of ,25 men with their backs to the screen, facing the musical director. A few feet from the orchestra is a long' table upon which are scores of peculiar instruments to. be used for the effects by the three “effects” (|aen, who stand behind the table. At a given signal the lights in the studio go out and the animated cartoon is flashed on the screen. The musical director leads his orchestra through the picture, keeping time with the action of the cartoon characters exactly as he has planned to do during the rrlctking of the pictures. The effects men watch -for certain spots in the film where effects, such as the barking of a dog, the slamming of a door, the ripple of the water, and so forth are needed. Five rehearsals are held and the film projected five times before a final “take’” is made.