Anime Cinematography Guide – The Role of Cinematography in Anime Films
Cinematography is crucial to virtually every single video you watch, and in the process of making films, the cinematographer has one of the most crucial roles.
Virtually every decision that plays a part in how films look comes down to the cinematography, but people don’t usually think about cinematography in animation in the same way. Does anime cinematography even exist?
The answer is “yes” but animated music video production is always a little bit different. The inherent decisions made by the cinematographer in a lot of films, such as lighting and camera equipment, are very different in any sort of animated film.
Cinematography in Animation and Anime
Obviously, cinematography in 2D animation has to be approached in a different way. This does not mean that it doesn’t exist. Cinematography exists in film and video whether it is acknowledged or not, the key is that thinking it through and creating a planned and deliberate cinematography strategy will yield the best results.
The fact that the shots aren’t filmed by a camera is really the main difference.
However, if you think about it, all of the types of shots and styles are still the same. In fact, in anime it could be argued that you can achieve more. You don’t have the limitations that can sometimes come with equipment.
If we take a second to consider storyboarding, a crucial part of pre-production, we will start to understand the role of cinematography. Within a storyboard, all different aspects of the visuals and how it is expected that the scenes will look should be considered. A videographer may be heavily involved with this.
The plan is still likely to be the same for animation. Panning, camera angles, and even effects like soft focus aren’t created in the camera, instead, they are replicated by the skilled animators.
So, while cinematography is different, it is still crucially important. You might not be shooting in a film studio, but the scenes will be created in an animation studio instead, and things like the simulation of lighting and how the “camera angle ” in the animation will look still need to be thought about.
Anime With The Best Cinematography
Let’s look at some examples of cinematography in animation. Watching these great movies will help you to understand the role of cinematography in animation and how it can set the tone.
Your Name
This film came out in 2016 to immense critical acclaim. As well as being a great storyline, the film has a number of fascinating visuals. In fact, the attention-to-detail is one of the most amazing things about this. The animation is in quite a traditional style, but the cinematography has clearly been thought about in detail and executed wonderfully to give the film a sense of wonder and keeps it extremely watchable.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
This mystical story has a real comic-book look to it. It follows Makoto Konno with her new ability to jump back and forth through time.
The style of the movie adds to the spectacle and the saturated, pale colors used have clearly been planned beforehand. Like a lot of the other anime films to provide the best cinematography, the attention paid to all the little details makes a huge difference.
The fact that the story is pretty surreal means that the animation and cinematography have to follow the script and reflect the nature of the film.
Studio Ghibli Films
Studio Ghibli is arguably an example of the best cinematography in anime. The studio is known for creating excellent, thought-provoking films that are also absolutely beautiful.
A quick look at some stills from the most stunning shots in the studio’s history shows you exactly how important cinematography is in the world of anime. This is not something reserved for feature films that are shot with a film camera.
Ghibli’s biggest films include Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro, and Ponyo, and these are all excellent examples of how impactful visuals and cinematography can be in anime.
Summary
Just because a film is animated does not mean that cinematography doesn’t play a huge role. Some anime films are renowned for their stunning cinematography.
Once the concept of a movie has been decided upon, all of the work carried out should be about bringing this into reality in the most exciting and beautiful way possible. At Insight Studios, we believe in bringing your dreams into reality on screen. To start the process, reach out to us today.