Walt Disney Classified. The Layout Manual

WaltDisneyClassified:TheLayoutManual,Part1ByDavidBossert

(WaltDisneyProductionsLayoutManual,1943,coverandWalt’sletter.ThiscopywasoriginallyissuedtoTomAlcornamemberoftheanimationcheckingdepartment.)

AstheUnitedStatesplungedintoWorldWarII(WWII)aftertheJapanesebombedtheU.S.

PacificFleetatthePeralHarborNavalBaseinHawaiionDecember7,1941,WaltDisney

ProductionsinBurbank,California,hadalreadybeencreatingeducationalfilmstosupport

thewareffortforCanada.iThestudiohadcompletedandreleasedTheThriftyPig

(11.19.1941)fortheNationalFilmBoardofCanadaandwasinproductiononTheSeven

WiseDwarfs(12.12.1941),Donald’sDecision(1.11.1942)andAllTogether(1.13.1942)iito

helptheCanadiangovernmentsellwarbondstotheircitizenstofinanceCanada’seffortsas

partofCommonwealthoftheUnitedKingdomiii,whichhadalreadyenteredthewarin

1939.WaltDisneysawitasanecessitytoproduceamanualfortheanimationstaff,

especiallyafterhisstudiowasdeclareda“defenseplantiv,”thatdocumentedsomeofthe

timeandcostsavingmethodsforproducinganimatedandliveactionfilmsquicklyand

efficiently.

(TitleCardsforWaltDisney’sTheThriftyPig(1941),TheSevenWiseDwarfs(1941),AllTogether(1942)andDonald’sDecision(1942)fortheNationalFilmBoardofCanada.)

InwhatwascalledtheLAYOUTMANUAL,WaltDisneyaddedanintroductoryletter

explaininghisphilosophyandpurposeforthemanualstating,“Intimeofwar,manythings,

likeflyingandmedicalscience,maketerrificstrides.Soitiswithourbusinesswhich,

unfortunately,isstillsaddledwiththemisnomer“Cartoon.”ItisclearthatWaltchaffedat

theideahisstudiowasturningoutmerecartoons,whichimpliedalessimportantrolein

thefilmindustry.Hegoesontosay,“Inthelastyearorsowe’vedonecomparativelylittle

“cartoon”work,butagreatdealofanimatedpicturework.”Waltiselevatingtheanimation

artformtoahigherlevelbyreferringtoitas“animatedpicturework”andhenceinstillinga

monikerofrespectabilityhefeelstheirworkdeserves.Hecontinues,“TheTechniqueofour

businesshaschanged,ourhorizonshaverolledbackalmosttoinfinityregardingthe

educationalmaterialthatwecanhandle.Perhaps,inthefuture,thedemandonusforthe

educationaltypeoffilmwillbeasimportantasthedemandforentertainmentalone.”vThis

passagegivesthesenseofimportancethatWaltbestowsoncreatingeducationalfilms

usinganimatedtechniquesashebringsthemtothesamelevelastheentertainmentfilms

thestudiohadproduceduptothatpoint.

(WaltDisneywasinWashingtonD.C.onJanuary7,1942,amonthaftertheU.S.enteredWWII,meetingwithMilitarypersonnel.Pictured(LtoR)ColonelGeorgeJ.B.Fisher,ColonelMauriceE.BarkerandWalt.) WaltDisney’smessageinthisLAYOUTMANUALmarksthetransitionforthestudio

fromsolelyentertainmentproductiontoadefenseplantturningouttrainingfilms.Walt

writes,“Duringthistransitionperiod,somanynewmethodshavebeencreatedtosolve

newproblemsthatthereisadangermanyofthesemaybecomeforgotten.Manysimple,

inexpensivewayshavebeenevolvedtoachieveeffectswhichformerlyweredoneby

animation.”Waltisreferringtothemanyadvancedcameratechniquesthathavebeen

developedsaying,“insomeinstances,thenewermethodshaveprovedevenmoreeffective

visually.”NotonlyhadWaltembracednewtechnologiesbutheisacknowledgingthefact

thatmanyofthesemethodsandtechniquesarebettersuitedvisuallythanthroughtheuse

oftraditionalanimation.Thenhegetstothecruxofwhythemanualhasbeencreated,“To

preservetheseinreferenceformisthepurposeofthismanual,for,tobeofworthwhile

value,acreativemanmusthaveathisfingertips[sic]everyatomofinformation,pastand

present,whichpertainstohisjob,andit’simpossibleformostofustobethatgoodwithout

somethingtoreferto.”viWalthasrealizedthattherehadbeensomanyadvancesin

animationmethodsandcameratechniquesthatitallneededtobedocumentedinone

referencevolume.Bythatpoint,Walt,hisartistsandtechnicianshadbeenontheleading

edgeofdevelopinganimationtothepinnacleoftheartform.

ManyofthetechniquesandmethodsdevelopedatWaltDisneyProductionswere

proprietarytothestudio,whichdictatedthatthemanualsbedistributednumberedand

withtheartistsnameprintedonthecover.Theauthorhascopynumber28,whichwas

issuedtoTomAlcorn,acheckeratthestudio.HewasalsoamemberofWaltDisney’s

extendedfamilyonhiswife’sside.AlcornmarriedintotheBound’sfamilyandworkedat

thestudioonandoffformanyyears.By1965,hewaslistedasbeinginthecamera

department.vii

(Close-updetailoftheLAYOUTMANUALcoverdenotingthatitwasissuedtocheckerTomAlcornandthatitiscopynumber28.)

Waltthenendshismessagewith,“Shrewd,creativemenwillusethesetechniques

asfoundationsfornewerandmoreeffectivemethodsofcreatingtheanimatedpictureof

thefuture.”viiiEvertheoptimist,Waltwasalwaysthinkingaheadtothefutureandwhatit

mightbringinanimationadvancements.Itisalsoworthpointingouttheuseoftheterm

“creativemen”asignofthesocietalnormsofthattimeperiodeventhoughthereismuch

documentationandrecentresearchthatshowsmanywomanhadtakenonimportantroles

atthestudioduringWWII.

FollowingWaltDisney’smessageattheheadoftheLAYOUTMANUAL,thereisaone

pageprefacethatgoesintomoredetailregardingthecontentsanduseofthemanual.The

prefacebegins,“Theexamplesinthismanualaregivenmerelytoillustratecertainusesof

thefacilitieswhichwehaveatourcommand.Withjudgment,imagination,andingenuity,

theseprinciplescanbeadaptedtoinnumerableuses.”Themeatofthepageisthesecond

paragraphthatstates,“Inrecordingandillustratingthem,itwasnottheintentionto

suggestthatthesearetheonlywaystogetaparticulareffect;nor,even,intheeventtwo

versionsaregiven,thatoneisbetterthantheother.Either,orboth,maybeuneconomical,

ifnotinthelayoutman’stime—then,perhapsinchecking,inkandpaint,orcameratime—

andALLfunctionsandtheircostsMUSTbeconsideredbythelayoutman.”Uponreading

this,onemightgetarealsensethatitwaswrittenbyWalt’sbrotherRoyO.Disney,who

handledthebusinesssideofthestudio,sincetheemphasisisonbeingcostconscious.The

prefacecontinues,“Savinghisowntimelayingoutascenethatcallsforahighly

complicatedand,consequently,costlyshooting,isnoteconomy.Norisitgoodeconomyto

putinlargeamountsofhisowntimeinordertoachieveatrickeffectinanunimportant

scene.Consider:Areripplesonthewaternecessary?Mustthosetreesanimate?Dothey

addtothePURPOSEofthescenes?Canaslidingceltaketheplaceofanimation?Willitbe

moreeconomicalincheckingandshootingtimetousethe11-Fieldcamerainplaceofthe

Multiplanecirculardisc?”Althoughthereisnosignatureonthepreface,ifnotRoyO.

Disneyitwaslikelyaproductionmanagementordepartmentheadthatwrotethismessage

asawayofgettingtheartiststothinkstrategically.Oftentimesartistsinonedisciplineare

onlyfocusedonwhattheyaredoingandnotnecessarilythinkingabouthowtheirwork

willimpactotherdepartmentsafterthem.Askingthosequestionswascriticalto

maintainingthe“goodeconomy”thatthestudiowasattemptingtoachieveonthetight

budgetsthatwereinherentinmakingthetrainingfilms.

Theprefaceendswith,“COST—PER—FOOT[CPF]isahorridphrasebutit’sgotto

beputupwith,likehotspellsandtaxes.Thesuggestionsinthismanualshouldhelpkeep

oldmanCPFwherehebelongs—andstillmaintaintheDisneyqualitywhichisourmost

vitalasset.”Succinctlystated,theage-oldbattlebetweenartandbusiness—ofmaintaining

theeconomicefficiencywhilestillprotectingtheDisneyStudiosgreatestasset,quality.Itis

aconstanttug-of-warbetweenartistryandbudgets,evenintoday’scomputergenerated

animatedfilms.But,itwasimperativethatallaspectsoftheanimationproductionprocess

operateattheutmostfinancialefficienciessinceinmostcasestheDisneyStudioswas

beingpaid“withoutprofit”toproducemanyofthewarrelated,governmentfundedfilms

onsmallbudgets.ix

(LayoutManualContentPages,1941)

Aftertheprefacestatement,therearetwoindexpageswhichoutlinethecontentsof

theLAYOUTMANUAL.Themanualisreallyaguidetocameratechniques,layoutmethods,

liveaction/3-dimensionalmodelsandvisualeffects.ItbeginswithTHECAMERAsection

indicatinggeneralnotes,listof[camera]cranes,multiplanecrane,IIFcrane,horizontal

multiplanecrane,rearprojection,opticalprinter,Bi-Pack—Mono-Pack,wipes,irises,masks,

shootingscenesinreverseandmiscellaneous.ThenextsectionisSLIDINGCELSwhich

coverssliding,rotation,pivotandmiscellaneoustechniques.Thisisfollowedby3

DIMENSIONALMODELScoveringsupportedonastick,supportedonwires,supportedon

glassandmiscellaneous.ThereisasectioneachonLIVEACTION,DISTORTION,DIFFUSION,

D.X.[double-exposures],DISSOLVES,APPROACHTOLAYOUT,EXPOSURESHEETS,COLOR,

FILMPROCESSES,PROCESSLABwhichcoveredwash-offcels,frostedcels,spuncelsandpre-

shrunkcels,AIRBRUSH,ROTOSCOPE,STILLCAMERA,BLOW-UPMACHINE,STOCK

MATERIALincludingliveactionandartprops,NOTESON16MM.,TABLESANDCHARTS

andfinallyMISCELLANEOUS.x

(AnexampleoftheDisneyanimationpegsystemontopandtheAcmestandardpegsystem,onbottom,usedwidelyintherestoftheanimationindustry.TheWaltDisneyStudiosconvertedtotheAcmestandardin1985whenworkbeganonTheGreatMouseDetective(1986).Itwouldallowforsomeink&paintandcameraservicefunctionstobesenttooutsidevendors,whichwasdoneonTheLittleMermaid(1989)withsomecelpaintingdoneoverseasandcameraworkcontractedouttootherfacilitiesinBurbank,CA.)

ItisworthnotingthattheLAYOUTMANUALisprintedonpunchedanimationpaper,

whichislikelytheresultofsavingcosts.Eachpageinthemanualhasanoblongpegholeon

eithersideofthreeroundholescenteredontheleftverticalsideofthepaper.Thispeghole

configurationwastheDisneyStudiosproprietarypegsystemandwasusedupuntilthe

mid-1980sbeforethestudioswitchedovertotheindustrystandardAcmepegsystemthat

consistedofoneroundpegholewithanoblongpegholeoneitherside.Themanual

appearstohavehadsomeupdatesaddedtoitduringthewaryearsasevidencedbytyped

informationonstripsofpapertapedontospecificpageswithinthemanual.xi

ThenextinstallmentinthisseriesofarticlesontheLAYOUTMANUALwilldelveinto

theanalysisofTHECAMERAsection.Cameraisoneofthemostimportantfunctionsofthe

animationprocessbecausewithoutit,howwouldaudiencesbeabletoviewthefilms.The

animatedscenesthatmakeupafilmcometogetherasthefinishedvisualsinthecamera

departmentwherethepaintedcels,backgroundsandspecialeffects,bothdrawnand

optical,allmeldtogetherintothefinalfilm.

©DavidBossert2019

i Ian Westwell and Donald Sommerville, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of World Wars I & II An Authoritative Account of Two Of The Deadliest Conflicts In Human History With Details Of Decisive Battles And Engagements; Hermes House, an imprint of Anness Publishing Ltd, 2019, pg. 326. ii Shale, Richard Allen, Donald Duck Joins Up: The Walt Disney Studios During World War II, The University of Michigan, Ph.D., 1976, Appendix B, page 287. iii W. David McIntyre, 1999, "The Commonwealth"; in Robin Winks (ed.), The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume V: Historiography, Oxford University Press, p. 558 iv David Lesjak, Service with Character (Theme Park Press, 2014), pg. 7. v Walt Disney’s opening letter, Layout Manual, Walt Disney Productions, 1943; authors copy. vi Walt Disney’s opening letter, Layout Manual, Walt Disney Productions, 1943; authors copy. vii Individual job title listed and additional information courtesy Joe Campana, some sourced from Los Angeles County Voter Registration. viii Preface, Layout Manual, Walt Disney Productions, 1943; authors copy. ix Shale, Richard Allen, Donald Duck Joins Up: The Walt Disney Studios During World War II, The University of Michigan, Ph.D., 1976, p. 63. x Contents index pages, Layout Manual, Walt Disney Productions, 1943; authors copy. xi Evidenced by the actual pages in the Layout Manual, Walt Disney Productions, 1943; authors copy.