: When making any animated show episode, is the voice acting done earlier or the animation?

Question

If the animation is done first, do the actors have to remain strictly to script leaving no room for improv and also have to nail their timing?
And if the acting is done first, how do they time it? Do they have to do it blindly, only by imagination?

In: Other

Answer 1

Animation dialogue recording engineer here. I’ve worked across TV and film for the last 15 years and although the exact process differs from production to production, the preference of the production companies is usually to record the voices prior to animating. Sometimes though, due to animation studio workflow, broadcaster or studio deadlines, or other factors (Covid for instance), it’s not possible and animation begins before voice recording.

There are pros and cons to working with or without picture. Without, the actors are totally free with the timing and interpretations of their reads – within the constraints of the stage directions and the context of the line – and can be recorded either individually or as an ensemble. With picture, the actors can see how their lines fit the on-screen action – which is especially useful for adding efforts or ‘walla’ – and are recorded individually.

With a wild recording (not recorded to picture) there will likely be pickups at a later stage which might be recorded to picture. This can be at the animatic stage (which means recording to the timing of a sketched shot, but not matching lip-sync – still allowing some room for improv or reinterpretation of lines), or it can be to animation (full or previz) which means matching the lip-sync – called ADR (Automatic Dialogue Recording / Additional Dialogue Recording). If portions of a line are off screen, then some leeway is possible with timing.

With a wild recording, the audio will go through any number of edits before it’s animated. Often the first edit will be a ‘radioplay’ edit where all the lines from all the characters are sequenced and roughly timed to flow well. Then an editor at the animation production company will work with the animation director and storyboard artists to retime the audio to match the animated storyboard (the animatic).