Danica Davidson
December 3, 2021 
Animators in Japan tend not to make much money, so the Animator Dormitory from Jun Sugawara is here to help change that. The group helps animators with housing and is also trying to set up a new system where animators are paid and treated better. They also put out educational videos on what it’s like making anime, and their latest is “How to Make Anime, The First Step: Storyboards (Episode 1).”
The video is just over fifteen minutes and has an English dub. It’s narrated by Ryoko, who’s a composite character inspired by real people at the Animator Dormitory. And if you watch the video, you’re helping the group because they earn money with their videos being watched.
Ryoko goes step-by-step through the storyboard process, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look. Any anime fan who wants to learn more about this process has it revealed in a simple format. Do you know about togaki, shaku, framerate? You’ll understand all of them after this! (And there’s also a bit about how Hayao Miyazaki does his work.)
Otaku USA interviewed Sugawara earlier this year about his work, where he talked about his plans to make a music video. That music video is also discussed in “How to Make Anime, The First Step: Storyboards (Episode 1).” “For the time being, our plan is to collaborate with well-known artists to produce a music video that is about 3 minutes long,” he told Otaku USA. “The production will go on for about two to three years, all while training staff and saving up our budget. We will then create an animation studio that realizes the importance of the working environment for animators. We have well-known manga artists among our supporters, so after the studio is established, we would like to make short works based on manga.”
Source: Animator Dormitory Channel
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, and its sequel, Manga Art for Intermediates, with professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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