・Combination of savings and direction
One of the various unique methods used was to create a small number of drawing sheets.
From the beginning, we aimed for the smallest number of sheets for episode 6 in the history of TV animation.
I had Saeki and Tsurumaki know this from the time of the storyboarding.
Since the original story used a lot of repetition, I thought this would be possible.
We completed the episode in less than 700 sheets, so we had achieved our goal.
Until then, the smallest number I had heard of was 800 for "Don Chuck Monogatari" ('75), which was the smallest number used in a production from the beginning.
There have been a number of animations that did not use more sheets in the in-between animation process due to collapses in the production schedule, accidents, and so on.
However, for "Don Chuck Monogatari," they used less as planned.
Anyway, we wanted to exceed that.
I don't know because I don't have the data anymore, but episode 29 may have used fewer sheets.
Did you have that in mind for "Eva", too?
Unfortunately, "Eva" was not a world building that allowed for this.
What we were able to do was to make unusual compilation films with a limited number of sheets.
Even in the final episode of "Eva," I think we used a large number of sheets in the in-between animation process.
Since I succeeded in minimizing the number of sheets in episode 6, I tried to increase the number of sheets unnecessarily by creating 24 sheets out of 24 frames per second in the in-between animation process in episode 11.
I wanted to do an episode in which the main focus was on movement.
I instructed the directors, Ken Ando and Imaishi, to just dot the timesheets.(*)
I was a little disappointed that the number of sheets did not increase unexpectedly, since this was not the storyboard I had in mind from the beginning.
(*)dot the timesheets: The animation required between the original drawings. There is usually one every 2-3 frames out of 24 frames per second.
A timesheet: A chart used to convey important information in animation production, such as drawings, camera work, etc., from the previous process to the next process.
It’s not that you were doing it to save money?
Of course, saving money was also on my mind.
I tried my best not to inconvenience J.C.STAFF with the production costs, because the schedule and production methods caused them a great deal of trouble.
I was able to save money on production costs by making various efforts.
However, Matsukura later told me, "We spent too much time on post-production video editing, and all the extra production costs were spent there."
I was sorry about that.
We had to spend a lot of time in editing to control the amount of information on the screen by adding tickers and transforming the screen.
The editing process is the last stage of quality control right before delivery.
That's why we added all kinds of little tricks.
It seemed to be left to chance, but everything was planned conceptually.
It was a process of seeking out and choosing the best at each moment in the flow of the project.
There was a part of me that did so because if I didn't act up first, the staff would be too shy to do so.
There was also a part of me that was acting out of a sense of necessity, even though it seemed like I was doing what I wanted.
I changed the production system so much that I had to take responsibility for it and take it on my own work.
So only the workload became enormous.
Once the show started airing, I couldn't keep up with the schedule even though I worked more than 18 hours a day.
Even so, we miraculously made it through to the end, thanks to Matsukura.
Without the support of J.C.STAFF and Matsukura, it would have been impossible to make it to episode 5.
I am also grateful to J.C.STAFF and Matsukura for their support.
Krekan staff and cast went on a ski trip to Zaō* to celebrate the end of our work.
All travel expenses were paid by me.
By the way, the staff of "Eva" also went on a trip to Miyako Island* to celebrate the end of their work.
That was also out of my own pocket.
The company at that time did not pay for such things.
So I said I would pay for it myself.
Matsukura was a ski lover, so he said, "I'll go if it's free."
I am glad that Matsukura cheered up a lot after that trip.
He was laughing at the end.
It was worth it. Lol.
*Zaō (蔵王町, Zaō-machi) is a town located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.
*Miyako Island (宮古島, Miyako-jima) is the largest and the most populous island among the Miyako Islands of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.
・・