Arcane showrunner praises 'unsung' heroes of animation: "No one will see their works, but they are masters"
The quality of the animation in Arcane's final season, which will be released on Netflix in staggered releases this month, was praised by many. It is produced by the French studio Fortiche. Christian Linke, the showrunner of GamesRadar, recently said that he wanted to "create an animation series with the fidelity you see in animated films".
During a Q&A last month with the press and influencers, we'd just watched an early screening of Arcane's season 2's premiere episode. Linke took a minute to praise some of the "unsung Heroes" from Fortiche that have worked on the show.
Linke said that the imaginary cameras through which we see each animated scene "only concern clarity" for many animators. But "for Fortiche it's all about style", using the camera to "hide" things from the viewer and "make statements."
Storyboard artists are responsible for defining the camera work and story before they're put into motion.
Linke said that to be an excellent storyboarder you need to be a master in physics, camerawork, and acting. "Nobody will see their work but they are masters."
(Other animators are arguably just as anonymous, since even if their work is shown on screen, it's not like "Maxime did that" is scrawled across it. But I say this only because it's in my nature to quibble unhelpfully over technicalities and not because I don't agree that storyboarders should be acknowledged for their masterworks behind the scenes.)
Arcane, the final season of its second season, will be released in three-episode chunks over November. Three more episodes will air this weekend and three more next.
A recent interview revealed another animation-related fact: Linke stated that Barthelemy Manoury, the animation director, told him that they "wouldn't be able to do it very well" if it had been written in the first season because the team wasn't technically as capable. He didn't give any details, but it seems that no matter how talented an animation team is, it's difficult to make lips behave as lips.
Comments