Celsys Co-hosts ACTF2024 in TAAF with JAniCA and Wacom
(March 2024)
The Animation Creative Technology Forum (ACTF) was launched in 2015 by the Japan Animation Creators Association (JAniCA), Wacom Co., Ltd., and Celsys, Inc. to share and gather information related to the digital animation process. This event is an opportunity for animation producers and educators to learn about the latest digital animation technologies and industry environment.
Celsys Co-hosts ACTF2024 in TAAF with JAniCA and Wacom
Celsys co-hosted ACTF2024 in TAAF with JAniCA and Wacom on March 9 and 10, 2024, holding hands-on exhibitions for Clip Studio Paint Ver. 3.0 and the Clip Studio Tabmate 2. In addition, animation companies also showcased how they used Clip Studio Paint in seminars.
ACTF2024 was held as part of the Tokyo Anime Award Festival (TAAF), with the main draws comprising of an online livestream and on-site exhibitions. The event was accessed by approximately 1,000 members of the animation industry, including animators, directors, production, and producers.
Main Seminar: Using Clip Studio Paint for Storyboards
Do it in Clip Studio Paint! Storyboard techniques the MARZA way
(From left to right: Mariko Asada, Hiroto Nakaya, Kaoruko Nishiyama of MARZA ANIMATION PLANET INC.)
In the main seminar, Assistant Manager Mariko Asada and Storyboard Artists Hiroto Nakaya and Kaoruko Nishiyama of MARZA ANIMATION PLANET, which produces full 3D CG animations for movies, TV shows, game cinematics, virtual concerts, and more, introduced the workflow for how to make storyboards using Clip Studio Paint.
The staff provided a wide range of explanations for those involved in video production, from beginner topics like using the default workspace for new Clip Studio Paint users, to more advanced topics such as customizing the workspace for creators who want to work more efficiently.
Nakaya stated, “One of the advantages of Clip Studio Paint is that for team productions, we can exchange data with picture and sound timing in a single data file called clip, and do the same work across all user environments, including Pcs and iPads. I think another strength of the program is that it can export files in a variety of formats, such as image sequences or videos. This makes it easy to meet client submission guidelines for storyboards.”
Prior to ACTF, Celsys released a Clip Studio Tips article and tutorial on learning the basics and applied techniques for Clip Studio Paint, as well as a “Storyboard Production Set” is also available for download.
Let's create a storyboard Basics（Clip Studio Tips）
Animation Studio Drawing Templates MARZA ANIMATION PLANET Storyboard Production Set
Here are auto action materials from MARZA ANIMATION PLANET.
Try using these convenient auto actions when creating storyboards in Clip Studio Paint. https://tips.clip-studio.com/en-us/articles/4537#50ebb365
Clip Studio Paint Intro Seminar for Project Managers
The seminar held on the 10th was designed for those who oversee production progress and who do not usually use Clip Studio Paint for drawing to help them understand the tools to manage the digital drawing process.
Director/Animator Keisuke Kojima took the stage to demonstrate and explain the animation production workflow on Clip Studio Paint so that animators and managers can smoothly and effortlessly be able to consistently create, check, and progress.
(From left to right: Director/Animator Keisuke Kojima, Alliance Section Manager Akio Takeda of the Celsys Sales Alliances Department)
Kojima explained this seminar based on the contents of his book, Start with Clip Studio Paint! Animation Production Techniques: Basic and Applied Techniques as taught by Keisuke Kojima.
Start with Clip Studio Paint! Animation Production Techniques: Basic and Applied Techniques as taught by Animators by Keisuke Kojima
At the Clip Studio Paint booth, hands-on exhibitions were held for Clip Studio Paint Ver. 3.0 and Clip Studio Tabmate 2, both of which were released in March 2024. MARZA ANIMATION PLANET also demonstrated an actual drawing process.
Celsys co-hosted the Animation Creative Technology Forum (ACTF) 2021 in TAAF with JAniCA and Wacom on Sat, March 13, and Sun, March 14, 2021. Celsys handed out an Animation Studio Drawing Template, streamed the Nippon Animation Digital Drawing Course, and exhibited at a booth on-site.
ACTF2021 was held as part of the Tokyo Anime Award Festival (TAAF), with an online livestream and on-site exhibition making up the main draws. The event was accessed by about 300 people in animation, including animators, directors, production, and producers.
-Main Session Symposium: "The Future of Animation Formats"
(From the left, Mr. Todoroki, Mr. Saito, Mr. Kasugamori)
At the symposium during the main session, Todoroki Yasuhiro, moderator of the ACTF administration, Saito Seiji, system administrator of Studio HIBARI, and Kasugamori Haruki, animation director, spoke on "The Future of Animation Production Formats," noting that while digital production methods are becoming more widespread in animation, there are still no resolution nor drawing template standards. The panel also discussed how the format for animated productions should be defined in the future.
Prior to the ACTF, Celsys, with the cooperation of Toei Animation, Nippon Animation, Studio HIBARI, Kinema Citrus, and OLM, who all use Clip Studio Paint as their digital drawing tool, revealed the templates used by each studio and talked about them during the symposium.
Mr. Saito: It was a meaningful effort for us to cooperate in the release of these templates. We have never had the opportunity to see all the studios’ templates side-by-side, so we feel that that is especially meaningful. It makes us want to develop the templates further. If you have a copy of Clip Studio Paint, it would be a good idea to download them just to see what each studio is doing.
Mr. Todoroki: I think it is a rare opportunity for all of our studios to share information about these kinds of templates. I believe these templates will help guide and design anime productions moving forward.
Mr. Kasugamori: Drawing digitally is a great benefit to us since it enables us to have productions with a small number of people and condenses the number of man-hours and checking cycles. However, when all the studios use different templates it makes it difficult for freelance directors to make informed decisions at the production site. I am very grateful that each of the templates have been made public in this way, because I can now look at the various templates of other studios and use the one that is easiest to work with.
-Animation Studio Drawing Templates
With the cooperation of Toei Animation, Nippon Animation, Studio HIBARI, Kinema Citrus, and OLM, which all use Clip Studio Paint as their digital drawing tool, we have made available the drawing template files actually used on the production floor and guides on how to use them. When introducing digital drawing into the animation process, variables such as frame size and resolution, which need to be standardized for the whole production, are set so that they can guide the setup of the production smoothly. https://tips.clip-studio.com/en-us/articles/4537
-Nippon Animation Digital Drawing Lecture Stream
Celsys streamed a lecture on Digital Animation by Nippon Animation using Clip Studio Paint.
Nippon Animation Digital Drawing Lecture (Animation Edition)
Based on the production process of the anime “Let’s Make A Mug Too” (Yakunara mug cup mo) that started airing in April 2021, they explained how to customize and use Clip Studio Paint in the process of animating and TP (tress paint) correction process.
It is recommended you set up your workspace before watching the video, to make it easier to follow. Nippon Animation Digital Drawing Lecture (Animation Edition) - Animation, TP Correction, Material Catalog https://assets.clip-studio.com/en-us/detail?id=1826852
Nippon Animation Digital Drawing Lecture (Key Frame Edition)
The Nippon Animation Summer Digital Drawing Course (Key Frame Edition) held in July 2020 has been re-edited and rereleased as an archive video.
-Establishing Animator Space Tokyo and an Introduction to Novoo & Littlebit’s Anime Production Process
Production Setup and Workflow using Clip Studio Paint, the Toei Animation Digital Exposure Sheet and Fusion
At the exhibition and seminar on the 14th, Uda Hideo, CEO of Noovo Inc., and Omachi Nao, an engineer from Littlebit Inc., talked about the establishment of Animator Space Tokyo and the animation production flow used by Novo and LittleBit. They also introduced their production setup and the workflow for the short animation “Aoi Hane Mitsuketa", which was created using Clip Studio Paint, Toei Animation Digital Exposure Sheet, and Fusion.
(Exhibition and Seminar Content)
Mr. Omachi: In the past, the person in charge of the shooting process had to enter the exposure sheet information into the editing software manually, which took up a lot of man-hours. However, by using Clip Studio Paint, which can export exposure sheet information, and Toei Animation Digital Exposure Sheet, we can import the timesheet information digitally, allowing us to achieve a smoother workflow.
Clip Studio Paint was exhibited at a booth on March 14. Studio PaTHos, who use Clip Studio Paint for their digital animation work, introduced the software’s animation features using the material catalog they actually use.
On Feb. 9, 2020, Celsys hosted the Animation Creative Technology Forum 2020 at the Shakuji Koen Kumin Koyru Center in Nerima-ku in cooperation with JAniCA and Wacom. The event included a seminar and booth on the digital creation process in Clip Studio Paint. The event was attended by around 300 industry members such as animators, directors, creators, and producers.
■ Main Session -Celsys' general-purpose digital exposure sheetused in development of digital production management system by METI business
Speakers discussed the progress and future development of a digital production management system by MemoryTech Co., Ltd., a company selected for the Japan Content Localization and Distribution (J-LOD) Subsidy Project by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in 2019, . The topic was discussed by Yusuke Munemoto of MemoryTech Co., Ltd.; Nobuhiro Ito, president of Graphinica Inc.; Kazuhige Yusa, president of Mebius Tone Inc.; and Megumi Onouchi, president of HUMANMEDIA Inc.
This digital production management system incorporates a general-purpose digital exposure sheet format promoted by Celsys.
Munemoto: “With this tool, you can manage processes, manage files, and review deliverables. It can be used with only a web browser, so it’s not dependent on a particular operating system. It is also useful for both traditional and digital processes. We’re still in the development stage, but I hope this system will be supported by the industry so we can continue to improve it.”
Ito: “By eliminating the time of transporting traditionally-drawn frames, we can instead use that time for production time or to communicate with each other. I hope this tool can be used to make more time to spend on the creative process.”
Yusa: “I felt that a new era was finally coming. While it will of course be a great software for the management side, I also want it to make creators happier.”
Onouchi: “I think it’s essential that we digitize not only the production stages but also the management of production. I want this to be a tool that brings the industry together, linking with various tools such as Clip Studio Paint, which we are already working with.”
-Digital Animation at Nippon Animation Co., Ltd.
Ryunosuke Watanabe, Kaoruko Nishiyama, and Aya Takahashi of Nippon Animation exchanged ideas on digital hand-drawn animation, including the introduction of digital drawing equipment using manufacturing subsidies, the merits and demerits of digital techniques, and future challenges and prospects. Throughout the talk, the use of Clip Studio Paint was discussed.
Watanabe & Nishiyama: “At Nippon Animation, we mostly produce using Clip Studio Paint. It’s very important that we have a digital workflow that can be done from start to finish in a single software. We use the digital techniques of Clip Studio Paint to the maximum extent; in particular, the Auto Actions and the ability (on the iPad app) to take photos and use those photos as cels on the timeline. At the same time, we believe that we’re only able to use these digital techniques thanks to the hand-drawn animation craftsmanship that we’ve accumulated. Even as digital techniques become more widespread, the core of the matter is connection with others.”
-OLM Asia SDN BHD Transcending Borders with Digital Animation
Hiroyuki Kato, animation producer in the Production Department of OLM Asia SDN BHD, held a discussion entitled “Transcending Borders with Digital Animation.” The talk covered aspects such as the benefits of the digitization of animation processes among the spread of animation studios from Tokyo to rural areas and even overseas. He also spoke on the background to the founding of OLM Asia, issues that came up during the establishment of the studio, and the decision to introduce Clip Studio Paint.
Kato: “The advantage of digital workflow is that the lines are much more uniform, which increases the animation quality. In some cases, this even leads to an increase in output compared to working on paper.
One of the reasons we founded OLM Asia was because digital processes meant that we were able to work anywhere, even locations far away. We worked to set up an environment where overseas studios could operate without any issues, even creating our own English manual for Clip Studio Paint.
I believe this wave of digitization will continue into the future. We are aiming for a style that allows us to consistently create animations, a style that exists thanks to the digital process.”
■ Seminar -“Paperless Animation!” Digital Advancements with Kinema Citrus
Kinema Citrus created the promotion video for Shojo Kageki Revue Starlight using an entirely paperless animation process, with input from overseas animators and making of use of general management tools and the Toei Animation Digital Exposure Sheet for a smooth digital creation process. Animation director Toshiyuki Tabata uses Clip Studio Paint for all stages from rough storyboards to keyframe direction. In the seminar, he explained why he introduced Clip Studio Paint to the digital keyframe process, and raised points for animators to be aware of.
Tabata: “As we move towards digitization of the animation process, I felt it was important to unify the format. Clip Studio Paint costs only 500 yen per month, so there was a low barrier to entry. As this project included animators from overseas, another benefit was that they could also use Clip Studio Paint. Another reason I chose this software is that I’m very used to working with it, and it can replace the paper and pencil creation process.”
-Showcasing OpenToonz's functions and compatibility with Clip Studio Paint
Eiji Tsuchida of Trigger Co., Ltd. and Shun Iwasawa of STUDIO GHIBLI Inc. and developer of OpenToonz, ran a seminar about OpenToonz, an open-source animation production software. They showed how OpenToonz can be used to check animation keyframes. They also explained how the digital exposure sheet (xdts) proposed by Celsys can lead to better integration between animation tools such as OpenToonz, Clip Studio Paint, and TVPaint.
Tsuchida: “At Trigger, we don’t stick to a specific software, so the digital exposure sheet is very useful for us to use across a variety of software and improve compatibility between them.
Clip Studio Paint offers lots of features for drawing and is very cost-effective, so we are getting more licenses every year at Trigger.”
Iwasawa: “In the current environment, companies are selecting various tools to take advantage of each of their best characteristics, whether it’s Clip Studio, TVPaint, OpenToonz, Harmony, or something else, depending on the desired style. Being able to share exposure sheet information between tools via xdts helps us to overcome the problem of compatibility issues."
■ Exhibition booth -Live Drawing by Yasuhiro Irie
Yasuhiro Irie, animation director and representative director of JAniCA, performed a live drawing of creating an animation using Clip Studio Paint.
Irie: “I like that I can customize Clip Studio Paint with my own shortcuts. There are a lot of brushes to choose from, and the drawing experience is unbeatable. It’s a viable method of production, rather than a replacement for traditional tools. Now that you can add camera movement, you can easily draw longer frames. I think it would be better if we could make even larger frames without changing the settings.”
-Live Drawing by Siroanidan
Akihiko Ota, from independent animation team “Siroanidan,” explained his process of making videos and adding final touches with Clip Studio Paint.
Ota: “It is really great that you can customize Clip Studio Paint with your own preferred tools. I’m looking forward to more updates to the tools so that even more users can enjoy animating with Clip Studio Paint.”
