How do Japanese animations that are becoming more and more popular in the world? The Japanese animation website "ア㋯メ!ア㋯メ!", in conjunction with "Tokyo Otaku Mode" and "Bahamut", conducted a large-scale project titled "These studios that have produced world-renowned Japanese animation are creating the future", and interviewed many well-known Japanese animation companies and animation workers.
The object of this slap interview was David Society, which produced the popular science work " working cell " last year. Of course, their "JOJO" series is also very powerful. The two works have a very different contrast, but they are both deeply supported by the original fans. It can be said that animation can actually be recognized by so many original fans. So what is the secret?
The secret to making "JOJO" and "Work Cells" by David Club, is it a secret that makes the original fans applaud?
david production Representative works: "JOJO's Wonderful Adventure ", "Work Cell", " Paradise Restaurant " and other
TV animation "JOJO's Wonderful Adventure " series produced by animation production studio david production (hereinafter referred to as David Club), is a work that can make picky original fans praise it, and is even given a high evaluation of "perfectly recreating the charm of the original work".
seems to make the original comics come true. How did David Club achieve such animated level? Where does the performance technique that retains the original style of the original work come from?
The president of David Club is Koji Kajita, who once served as the representative of GONZO. After leaving GONZO, he founded David Club with like-minded friends in 2007.
In addition to inviteing Kajita Koji, this interview also left GONZO with him and the producer of the "JOJO's Wonderful Adventure" series.
[Source and composition = Minako Nakamura]
Kajita Koji (left), Kasama Toshika (right)
Return to the work itself with sincerity
——When I was independent from GONZO, did you consider what kind of studio I wanted to set up?
Kita: Before comes out of GONZO, there will be some situations where the direction of the work has not been determined yet. In order to comply with the quarterly budget, we have to bite the bullet and start doing it. In fact, we can tell the story better.
At that time, I read the feedback from my fans every day and then reflected on it.
Through these experiences, I want to make changes, return to the origin of "doing animation well" and build a studio that can face the works sincerely.
——— Mr. Kasama is also one of the founding members of David Club. What was the opportunity for you to do animation with Mr. Kajita at that time?
Kasama: I was also on the front line production site at that time and had the same feeling as Kajita, so I joined him.
In order to realize Kajita's concept, that is, "lay a good foundation as much as possible within the range that can be reached by hand", I want to explore how to face colleagues involved in the production, and the method of making animation in itself.
Just like the saying "return to origin", we really start from a room in an apartment (laugh).
Because there are tables for paintings on the tatami, the people in charge of the production do not even have office desks, and they all sit around using quilt furnaces. The starting point of David Club is in an environment that can be touched by hands.
Our weapon is to thoroughly study the original work and challenge the spirit
—— After the establishment of David Society, until the "Paradise Restaurant" became the first product in 2009, what kind of hardships did you experience in the process?
Kita: The two years when I first started the club were not so difficult, but rather a period of study for the future. Under the guidance of industry predecessors, I learned a lot of thinking and methodology related to production. I also visited many colleagues from production companies and received training and guidance at work.
Kasama: From the control of schedule progress to the attention to the quality of works, the ideas and practices of different companies are so different, and we have indeed learned a lot from it.
On this basis, I gave my own idea of the so-called "Davidian Society's production method" - the so-called professionalism should be produced in the most appropriate way based on the work itself and the needs of the demand side, and it is best not to be bound by a unified format.
—In other words, it is important to look at the work from the perspective of the audience. This concept is very obvious in the "JOJO" series. So for David Society, what can be called a weapon?
Kita: If you want to animate a work, you must first have a thorough understanding of the work, such as what are the popular points of the original work and why it lasts for so long.
supports the fans of the original work. This part requires supervision, production staff, and staff who are fans of the original work to discuss together, and hold a thorough study session in a brainstorming way. This meeting needs to be held repeatedly. A good understanding of the original work is the first step.
Kasama: It is not enough to do this in , so it becomes just a "tracking of the original work". When we were doing "JOJO", based on understanding the original work, we established "JOJO in the minds of fans".
In fact, "JOJO's Wonderful Adventure" (original part 1 and part 2) and "JOJO's Wonderful Adventure Stardust Fighter" (original part 3) are not like the original work, but are explored after having an impression of JOJO's image.
Specifically, take out the characteristics of the original work that is most impressive to the third part of the original work. No matter which season you are watching at this time, this feature is consistent with the animation's character design, picture design, etc. Although the
animation should be based on the original, there are scenes that are actually not available in the original work. I also heard some feedback. Some people were surprised to find that some scenes were different from the original work after comparison.
We want to make "added value", which is something like this "the image they want to see in the hearts of fans."
This is not limited to "JOJO", all animations with original works are the same.
Kita: Add one more thing, don’t do the same thing, you must do something new.
"JOJO" is the kind of animation that people can see in an instant when they are constantly changing channels. We use this as a proposition to visually develop and determine the performance method. Among the various reviews, the core is "Is it really wonderful?" We have indeed received such reviews.
The development concept of another TV animation "Working Cell" is to experience all kinds of things happening in the body in the amusement park like Disney or Fun Paradise.
Because the background is the human body, the sky must be pink, like a color reflected by light close to the skin. This idea was proposed by our staff.
Kasama: The person who brought up the idea asked me at the time, "Is this OK?", "If I find it interesting, I will discuss it with others." In this way, a work will become more and more interesting.
As expected, everyone entered the industry with the will of "I want to do something in the animation", and I think this proposal is very valuable.
The framework of maintaining the style of the work is supervised or prepared by us, and within this scope, we encourage everyone to express their ideas, and the producers will strongly support it.
Kita: I always say, "Don't leave it aside, even if there is only one, add some new ideas. If you are lucky, the effect should be good."
Kasama: Although it is best not to fail in , our idea is to do something rather than doing nothing, even if it is falling forward. On the verge of not closing down the company, challenge it (laughs).
turns to full digital painting
- Although it was said that it would "abandon digital" at the beginning, now the production system of "full digital painting" has become the feature of David Society. What is the reason for the change?
Kita: Kasama and I have experienced the experience of transforming from celluloid to the digital era, so we believe that painting will inevitably move towards digitalization. What is important to
is the cultivation of production personnel, and while contacting machines and software, considering how to achieve more efficient utilization and development.
Until 2009, the team led by Masato Ujima, the director of the Digital Works Studio, was formed and began to move towards full digital painting.
Currently we are introducing a 2D animation production software called "CACANi" developed by a Singapore company, which can automatically generate mid-cut images.
When this software was sold in Japan two or three years ago, it was difficult to use because there were many bugs, so it was not uncommon.
, but Ujima has been using it quietly, and is still reporting bugs and functional requirements. The other party has also made good corrections and optimized them little by little, and the software performance has finally improved.
—— So what have been done in the cultivation of employees?
Kita: has been painting with digitalization from the beginning. In the past, I thought that hand-drawing on paper now might be better, and then turning to digital painting, but later I found that the gravity of hand-drawn lines would be too strong, which would weaken the ability to capture three-dimensional three-dimensional characters.
Say something you are not afraid of being misunderstood. When considering "animation", you should treat the picture as "material".
If you start with digital painting, the part you draw is used elsewhere, or is used in various ways during the performance, it seems easier to accept it.
On the other hand, if it is a work that requires the cooperation of others, the division of labor model that is popular in animation is no longer suitable, and image production should consciously change to this model.
took about three years to replace all the writing stations with LCD tablets.
, and not only storyboard and painting should be digitized, but also image evolution, so a new CG department was established.
I think the boundaries between 2D, 3D and VFX will become more and more blurred in the future, and must be blurred.
Currently, the part of CG used is mainly for outsourcing or collaboration, but in order to create touching animations, our own supervision and performances still need to be added.
The CG department has not been long since its establishment, but the effect has begun to appear slowly.
—— What are the advantages and disadvantages of full digitalization?
Kasama: There are roughly two benefits of full digitalization.
One of the first is to reduce the time cost and create an environment that can focus more on painting.
information sharing is also easier because fewer mistakes are caused by contact and communication. Some people think that full digitalization is still good, and it can reduce costs and time that have no direct relationship with the quality of the animation itself.
Another point is to let staff from each department work on the same software, and everyone has the awareness of "making materials for the same work".
original paintings, animations, backgrounds, CG, etc., the sense of resistance between departments has suddenly decreased and the connection has become smoother.
If every staff member can easily complete the painting with digitalization, he will become more macro-level focused on his work.
To talk about the disadvantages, since the business boundaries are blurred and have higher degrees of freedom, the production process will become more complicated.
Kita: Although is complicated, more and more people still want to try it out, and the digitalization of storyboarding is also being promoted.
takes digitalization as the core, allowing many creators to connect smoothly and cooperate more closely. Every day I can feel this feeling is deepening.
Some people try to compile and assemble music by themselves when using animation software and put forward new proposals.
People who passively enter the digital painting field may be hit (laughs), hoping that they can make full use of the advantages of digitalization and meet more challenges.
—— In order to create a digital environment, what issues do you pay attention to in your daily life?
Kita: So far, from our experience, the current production system has been considered complete. Digitalization makes the boundaries of division of labor more blurred and often changes. To spend investment in places with the highest added value, how to create a system in this direction is a challenge.
I myself realize that we need to strengthen communication with the studio inside and outside, and no matter what, we say, we should listen to other people’s feelings first.
For example, "Work Cell" has received a lot of response in China, and since its launch, it has reached 140 million views in bilibili.
When I went on a business trip to China, no matter where I went, this matter could become a topic. I asked other people, "Where is this work interesting?" and got answers that were completely different from my own ideas, which were very valuable for reference.
Among many cute or fantasy works, "Working Cell" takes the inside of the human body as the background and anthropomorphizes the cells. It is a precious theme that allows ordinary groups other than anime fans to enjoy, so it has been widely praised.
Some of the feelings are common in the whole world. If you can turn your perspective to the planning of ordinary audiences, the promotion to overseas will also be smooth. In this regard, "Work Cell" is a work that I am very grateful for.
Use the power of animation to bring vitality to the earth
—— What are the goals of David Society?
Kita: If you are talking about the idea of holding up high, it is "to use the power of animation to create the vitality on the earth."
After all, we are an animation studio, so we hope to do our best to always make interesting works, and we also hope that audiences from all walks of life will become energetic because of seeing our works. The concept of
contains more than just these things.
Face the work sincerely and be greedy when making it, so that you can devote your feelings to hone your skills. Only when the audience can feel the fun, a work will become a "good product" and sell for the price.
If it is a customized work for overseas, whether it is a streaming media, it will gradually form a model to bring about business changes. Various means to rejuvenate the economy, and the earth will also have vitality (laughs).
As an animation studio, innovation in technology and talent is often faced, but no matter what era, everyone regards making works that can bring happiness as their goal. Let excellent works appear in front of the public as "commodities" and obtain the commercial benefits it deserves is the dream of all those who pursue it in the animation industry. I also hope that David Society can become such a company.
Kasama: My words are to create a work that everyone can remember.
I myself have fun from all kinds of entertainment, not just animation, so in return, I wish I could leave something behind.
is not the kind that ends when the production was completed in the year, but the work that can still be remembered after ten years. This is my most important goal.
Kada: Kasama is always challenging and keeps stepping on the accelerator (laugh).
Kamama: But if you want to set up a CG department, it is said by Kajita, and it is impossible for me to make it. As a huge challenge in production, we are working on a new way to make 2D and 3D blend, with the goal of making works that take full advantage of both.
Kita: What is in progress is the TV animation " Idol Dream Festival ", which will be broadcast in 2019. Many of the singing and dancing pictures use CG models, hoping to show slightly different characteristics from other similar works.
is too detailed to say. In short, we are accepting the challenge for a lifetime, which will bring fans a fusion of 2D and 3D singing and dancing scene that they have never seen before.
is based on the concept of fusion of 2D and 3D, which can be said to be a challenge to step on the accelerator.
——What kind of picture will be presented in the end is very exciting. Finally, please say a few words to your fans.
Kasama: wants to bring works that leave traces to the audience, of course they are good traces.We will continue to work hard for the "JOJO" series, so stay tuned.
Kita: We will create exciting works as much as possible to make the staff involved in the production happy and make the audience's lives richer. Please continue to support us.
Original title: "Suoji silhouettes" "はた らく cell"のデイヴィッドッドプッドノ・クシィン, original work せるアニメるづくりの secret?
https://animeanime.jp/article/2019/03/26/44429.html
