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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.