I found that I am more good at and interested in pre-production work in my daily study as well as in the research of the company’s position work, so I communicated with the staff who carried out pre-production work in the animation industry.
Founded in 2005, Chongqing Shimei Animation Art Co., Ltd. is mainly dedicated to the development of animation industry and the construction of youth culture industry. Since its inception, it has created many beloved animation works.
Animation group- Storyboard designer- Xu
Four years of experience within the animation industry, who had serialized comics on the web. Previously involved in projects Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, The Movie Database and so on.
Q: Why you choose to become a storyboard designer?
A: I major in environmental design in BA, but I don’t like it. And I like the part of telling story, so I chose to become a storyboard designer. Fortunately I had serialized comics on the website during my BA, it is helpful for my storyboard design. Secondly I don’t know much about 3D software and would prefer to do 2D.
Q: What are the main elements of your work?
A: Our company’s main business is adapting novels into animation, and our job is to draw storyboards from the scripts. The script for each episode is split into sections, with each of us storyboard designers responsible for a section of that.
Q：What software do you use during working?
A: Toon Boom Storyboard.
Q: How many people in your group? How many of them are working with pre-production?
A: There are 125 in our group. And there are 18 for pre-production part, contain writer, character design, storyboard design, scene design and building setting up. The proportion of pre-production staff is around 15%.
Q: What do you think about that there is less offer for pre-production work?
A: I think pre-production part sets the tone for the whole project, it is easy to get cluttered with too many people instead. And pre-production work require a high level of professionalism, and many people cannot do pre-production work because they can’t reach the level.
Q: Do you have any advice for people who want to enter this industry?
A: The competition in the pre-production work is very fierce, so both graduates and students who are undergoing studies have to work hard to improve their professionalism, look at more excellent portfolios and cases to improve their aesthetics, and become more and more proficient in the use of software.