Mitsunori Murata, "Akira" and Japanese Animation

Mitsunori Murata 

Today in Tokyo Escape Studios' animators learned from master animator Mitsunori Murata about the process of making animated films in Japan. 

Mitsunori Murata has worked on over 50 Japanese animation films including the legendary "Akira", released in 1988, and Ghost in The Shell. 

How are animated films made in Japan? The answer is that the process is fundamentally very similar to how things are done in the west, but with some unique Japanese features. 

Storyboards

Genealogy of Japanese Animation

Mitsunori Murata explained the importance of the storyboarding process for animation; this is fundamentally the same process in Japan as in the west.  

Japanese storyboards include the sequence and scene number, the action taking place, and any dialogue being spoken.  

The storyboards are then cut into an animatic using Premiere Pro, with temp music and sound effects added.

Layout

The Illusion of Life

After the storyboard is completed, the process moves to layout. What is the camera doing? What does the background look like? In the layout process all the camera issues are resolved.  Mitsunori Murata emphasised the importance of the art of composition, how to frame an image so that it has the maximum impact. There are a number of standard compositional rules, but none will be perfect for any given shot.  Every shot is unique. 

The energy and dynamism of the storyboard needs to find its way into the layout, making sure that nothing is lost along the way. 

Illusion of Life

Two of Mitsunori Murata's animation heroes are Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnstone, whose seminal work "The Illusion of Life" was the first book that really set out how animation is done. 

Animator's Survival Kit

Mitsunori Murata explained that he learned a great deal from Richard Williams, whose book "The Animator's Survival Kit" was translated into Japanese in the early 2000s.   One of the important quotes from the book is that animation is all about timing and spacing - an animator must master these two key principles. 

Animation Bibles

"The Illusion of Life" and "The Animator's Survival Kit" are "the two bibles" of animation. 

Eric Goldberg

Mitsunori Murata also explained that he learned a great deal from animator Eric Goldberg, whose book "Character Animation Crash Course" on character animation is full of important lessons for animators.  

Rule of Twelves

Ghost in the Shell - Arise

He also emphasised the importance of the "Rule of Twelves" as the standard for Hollywood animation. 

Observation and Analysis

Animation is observation and analysis, explained Mitsunori Murata.  How do things move?  Even during a boring commute to work, you can watch how people move, how they walk, how they react.  You can study the motion of commuters, and how the straphangers react to the motion of the train.  All this study can be used to understand how to animate better. 

Uniqueness of Japanese Animation

What makes Japanese animation unique?  In the west, layout is a separate department, but in Japan, the key animator also draws the layout.  Mitsunori Murata said that 2D animation has become scarce in the US; "he is sad about this" - but 2D animation remains strong in Japan.  

In Japan the supervising animator is responsible for the character and its behaviour, The in-betweener smooths out the motion, like in the west, but in Japan, the in-betweener is still called an animator, because their role is so important to the final outcome.  

Learning from Disney - But Not Copying

Astro Boy - 1963

Japanese animation was heavily inspired by Disney animation, but it did not - and does not - copy the Disney style. In part, this is financial - time and money does not allow the full fluid style of Disney Animation. Japanese animation involved during the TV era, and it is mostly story driven.  The Japanese style grew out of Manga. 

Complexity - But Also Simplicity

Japanese animation has complex character designs, with complex dramatic action.  But due to lower budgets, studios had to cut costs, for example by bringing a character to a complete stop (which Disney would rarely if ever do). However, sometimes such savings can actually improve the visuals, by making them more striking. 

Japan Animation Study Tour

This week twenty one Escape Studios' animation students are studying in Tokyo, learning about manga, anime and Japanese animation techniques.

The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation.  To apply for one of our courses, follow this link.