Timing for Animation, 40th Anniversary Edition, 3rd Edition

Timing for an Overseas Production

With today’s global productions it is not often that a director will have access to his staff under one roof. Many times he will be directing crews on the other side of the world, who may not speak his/her language. In this case he needs to be even more exact in the details of the notes he puts on his dope/exposure sheets. He must take into account the cultural differences and differing theatrical traditions when explaining his wishes. A simple gag like the magician pulling a rabbit out of his hat, may be totally unknown to the artists he is using. So his notes must be painstakingly specific and clear: “Magician’s arm anticipates back 8 frames, thrusts into hat 4 frames, hold 12 frames, pull out rabbit 6 frames, ...