Genga numbers

Blaster · Post by **Blaster** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 7:55 pm

I recently had a set of genga arrive, and one of them has the number of A0.5.

Are these ".5" numbers common? I have only seen full numbers (A1, B2, etc) but I'm not really up on genga.

Does the 0.5 mean that maybe the frame was an addition to the original set?

Post by **sensei** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 8:40 pm

I've seen a couple of these. Generally, they refer to what I like to call "planned in-betweeners," which are not strictly key images, but rough instructions from the animator to the douga artist about how to transition from one key to the next. A lot of times the numbers will be drawn inside a triangle rather than a circle to indicate this.

Here's an "A2.5" from my current PPGZ update:

http://sensei.rubberslug.com/gallery/in ... mID=235953

Another way to do this is to put a hiragana letter beside the number, which makes it A.a, A.b, etc. Here's an example of this (Aァ or "A.a") from MKR:

http://sensei.rubberslug.com/gallery/in ... mID=127592

Thanks for asking!

Blaster · Post by **Blaster** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 12:38 am

Cool. Thanks for the info sensei - man you know everything

I can see how that works for numbers like 1.5, 2.5, etc but how exactly does it work for a 0.5? As the 0.5 obviously comes before the first key cel (And in most cases the first frame in the scene)

This is the image in question

http://ltcg.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_ ... mID=236084

And from watching the episode it comes from, there doesn't appear to be any frame that comes before the A0.5 in that scene.

And by being a "planned in-betweener' I take it that would be the reason the layout shows the A1 key genga rather the the A0.5?

Post by **sensei** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 7:31 am

Your interpretation seems to be the most sensible to me: that at the layout stage (which comes before the sketching of the keys) the studio planned to start the cut a little later, but the key animator decided it would look better to have a little lead-in. I looked at your sketches, and, while sketches for planned in-betweeners are usually rougher than key drawings, all yours look the same in terms of completeness.

Why the animator used "A0.5" I don't know, except that this might be that studio's way of handling changes like this. In a similar cut I have, where a "pre-A1" pose was added, the animators just crossed out the original genga numbers and made them all A2, B2, etc.

http://sensei.rubberslug.com/gallery/in ... mID=139788

But it might have been for some reason too late in the production process to do this with your "He is My Master" sketches.

You display your sketches handsomely, by the way, and I appreciate your including screen caps, which help visitors a great deal with CGI series.

klet · Post by **klet** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 1:28 pm

sensei wrote:Another way to do this is to put a hiragana letter beside the number, which makes it A.a, A.b, etc. Here's an example of this (Aァ or "A.a") from MKR:

http://sensei.rubberslug.com/gallery/in ... mID=127592

That's a katakana character. Hiragana is more loopy.

If it were hiragana, it would be written Aあ.

Blaster · Post by **Blaster** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 6:43 pm

sensei wrote:Your interpretation seems to be the most sensible to me: that at the layout stage (which comes before the sketching of the keys) the studio planned to start the cut a little later, but the key animator decided it would look better to have a little lead-in. I looked at your sketches, and, while sketches for planned in-betweeners are usually rougher than key drawings, all yours look the same in terms of completeness.

Why the animator used "A0.5" I don't know, except that this might be that studio's way of handling changes like this. In a similar cut I have, where a "pre-A1" pose was added, the animators just crossed out the original genga numbers and made them all A2, B2, etc.

http://sensei.rubberslug.com/gallery/in ... mID=139788

But it might have been for some reason too late in the production process to do this with your "He is My Master" sketches.

Thanks sensei, that helps me clear it up a lot. I enjoy learning about how the studios make the anime's I watch

sensei wrote: You display your sketches handsomely, by the way, and I appreciate your including screen caps, which help visitors a great deal with CGI series.

Thanks for the comments. ^_^

Post by **sensei** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 9:28 pm

klet wrote:That's a katakana character. Hiragana is more loopy.

Gaaah! You're right.

Sorry -- I had it correct in my gallery and just had one of those brainless moments that I have a lot of after driving the 4 hours from work back to Cephiro for the weekend.

miz ducky · Post by **miz ducky** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 3:59 am

I've seen some .5 genga sketches before. I don't remember which off the top of my head.

I also have some with a character in a triangle that I assumed just went previous to the numbered genga due to the position of the person on the page.
Here's one. You can see in the sketch box the A1.
http://mizducky.rubberslug.com/gallery/ ... mID=211742