Thesis on film studio

FILM STUDIO DESIGN
Sanagaun, Lalitpur, Nepal
by
Pratik Lal Shrestha (08-223)
A report Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Bachelor of Architecture
Advisor
Asst. Prof. Rabin Shrestha
Department of Architecture
Nepal Engineering College
Changunarayan, Bhaktapur, Nepal
(March 2014)

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the project entitled “FILM STUDIO DESIGN” submitted
by Pratik Lal Shrestha (08-223) has been examined by us and is accepted for the award of
degree of Bachelor of Architecture of Pokhara University.
____________________________ ___________________________
…………… ……………..
(External Examiner) (Advisor Asst. Prof. Rabin shrestha)
___________________________ ___________________________
Prof. Bharat Sharma Asst. Prof. Baburam Bhattarai
(Thesis Coordinator) (Thesis Co- coordinator)
Date: ……………………….

DECLARATION
I declare that this dissertation has not been previously accepted in substance for any
degree and is not being concurrently submitted in candidature for any degree. I state that this
dissertation is the result of my own independent work/investigation, except where otherwise
stated. I hereby give consent for my dissertation, if accepted, to be available for photocopying
and understand that any reference to or quotation from my thesis will receive an
acknowledgement.
__________________________
PRATIK LAL SHRESTHA
Date: March 2014

Table of content
Title Page no
Chapter 1 – Introduction
1.1 Background 1
1.2 Introduction 1
1.3 Aims and Objective of the study 2
1.4 Project justification 2
1.5 Methodology 3
Chapter 2 – Literature review
2.1 Motion picture 5
2.2 Motion picture making process 6
2.3 Crew members involved 9
2.4 Motion picture facilities 15
2.4.1 Pre production facility 16
2.4.2 Procuction facilities workshops 22
2.4.3 Post production facility 36
2.4.4 Other facilities 47
Chapter 3 – Case study
3.1 Nepal Film Development Company Ltd, Balaju 58
3.2 Three mills studio, London 63
3.3 Studio 4, Bhainsepati 72
3.4 Red studio, Narayangopal Chowk 75
3.5 Phoenix studio, Bagdole 79

Chapter 4 – Requirement And Area Analysis
4.1 Relation between spaces regarding to users,their task and their activities 84
4.2 Finalization of area requirement 92
Chapter 5 – Site Analysis
Introduction to site 96
Site potential 96
Site data 96
Accessibility and approach 97
Site topography 97
Climate 97
Landuses and architecture 97
Utilities 97
Bye – laws 98
Analysis 98
Recommendations from mahony table 104
Chapter 6 – Design concept
Bibiliography 107
Appendix I – Architectural drawings
Appendix II – Photos of model
Appendix III – climatic data
Appendix IV – Mahoney Table Analysis of Climatic Data

List of figures
Figure no. Description Page no
Chapter – 1
1.a Study methodology 3
Chapter – 2
2-1 Dressing room adjoining sound stage 23
2-3 Process of making animation 28
2-4 Story boarding 29
2-5 Model seat 29
2-6 Modeling 30
2-7 Texturing 31
2-8 Rigging 31
2-9 Animation 31
2-10 Server room 33
2-11 Render farm 34
2-12 Sound stage 35
2-13 Recording studio 37
2-14 Home studio 37
2-15 Separate studio and control room 38
2-16 Scoring stage and control room 38
2-17 Linear editing system 42

2-18 Non linear editing system 43
2-19 photography studio typical plan 45
2-20 Duplication machine 47
2-21 Screening room 48
2-22 Maximum viewing distance 49
2-23 Maximum viewing angle,first row 49
2-24 Site line clearance 50
2-25 Gang way requirement 50
2-26 Restaurant flow diagram 51
2-27 Parking type 54
2-28 Ramp gradient 54
2-29 Lock box assembly 55
2-30 Lock box unit B,C and D 56
Chapter – 3
3-1 NFDC site plan 59
3-2 NFDC sound stage 61
3-3 NFDC backlot 62
3-4 Three mills studio site plan 63
3-5 Three mills studio zoning 64
3-6 Studio 4 site plan 73
3-7 Office space 74
3-8 Sound stage 74
3-9 Red studio editing studio room 76
3-10 Red studio control room 77
3-11 Red studio dubbing room 77

3-12 Red studio color grading room 77
3-13 Phoenix studio plan 80
3-14 Phoenix studio site plan 80
3-15 phoenix studio control room 81
3-16 Phoenix studio live room 81
Chapter-5
5-1 Site and site location 95
5-2 Temperature analysis 97
5-3 Humidity analysis 98
5-4 Rainfall analysis 99
5-5 Site zoning 100
5-6 Views from site 100
5-7 Utility supply 100
5-8 Sun and wind direction 101
5-9 Land use around site 101
5-10 Data collected for overlay technique 102
5-11 Overlay technique 103

List of Tables
Table no. Description Page no
Chapter – 1
2.a Floor to ceiling height according to office space 18
2.b Rest rooms with respect to number of seats 51
2.c Floor height of dining room with respect to floor area 52
2.d Walk up width with respect to dining floor area 52
2.e Proportional division of kitchen area 53
Chapter – 3
3.a Sound stages in three mills studio 69
3.b Rehearsel room in three mills studio 72
3.c prop store in three mills studio 72
Chapter – 4
4.a Spatial relationship 91
4.b Area requirement 94

Acknowledgement
Sincere appreciation and acknowledgement is due to the following person and institution for
their guidance and assistance in the accomplishment of this study
To Asst. Prof .Rabin Shrestha, my thesis supervisor, for his competent guidance and support
To the faculty and colleagues of the Department of Architecture for providing a congenial and
competitive atmosphere for the study
I am very gratified to Mr. Krishna Maharjan for his technical information regarding this topic.
Again I would like to express my acknowledgement to Mr. Purusottam Khadka (Red studio),
Sailesh Shrestha (phoenix studio) and all the staffs members of Nepal Film Development Co Ltd
and Studio 4 and my colleagues who took interests in my topic and provided their valuable
suggestion.

Film Studio Design
Chapter One
B. Arch. Thesis 2010
Pokhara University, Nepal Engineering College 1
Chapter -1
Introduction
1.1. Background
Ever since the first movie made in 1887 the need of film making facilities under single roof was
felt so that it would be easy for the film makers to make films. In 1893 in West Orange, New
Jersey Thomas Edison build first movie studio called “Black Maria” and asked circus, vaudeville,
and dramatic actors to perform for the camera. He distributed these movies in different theaters and
arcades.
Till early 1900s movies were shot out door in sunlight although there were facilities for electric bulbs.
The reason behind this was inappropriate and inadequate lighting of these electric bulbs. Till this date
indoor shooting was not preferred for film making. It was only in 1920s, some good production
companies like 20th
Century Fox, RKO pictures etc were established and started their own studio,
distribution division, theaters and contracted with performers and other film making personnel. Since then
the film studio started growing technologically and in facilities too.
In Nepal history on film studio is not so long. Some studios like Nepal Film Development company,
Prime Broadcasting System, Birendra Aishwarya Kollyood studio etc evolved with time but they were not
able to bring all the facilities necessary for film makers under one roof.
1.2. Introduction
According to Wikipedia “A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major
Entertainment Company or Motion Picture Company that has its own privately owned studio
facility or facilities that are used to make films, which is handled by the production company.”
A film studio consists of all the equipments and facilities required for pre production, production
and post productions plus a primer theater. Some years before film studios use to have only
indoor and outdoor shooting facilities. The advancement of technology brought major changed in
the field of film making. Animation techniques such as green screen technology and
development of sound system had given the touch of reality. In film studio we can find all the
facilities required including office spaces, residence facilities for actors and other technicians.
Here in film studio one can shoot a movie in a very fast pace as one can construct different
indoor and outdoor scenes quickly by using the workshop facilities available here. Workshop

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facilities consist of wood and metal workshop, painting workshop and plastering workshop.
Mostly these workshops are used for the construction of indoor sets.
1.3. Aims and Objectives of the study
Basic objective of this thesis is to provide all the facilities that will be necessary from pre
production stage up to the release of the movie so that film makers will not go through any kind
of problems during the process of film making.
• To design the facility that can accommodate the pre production, production, post
production and release of the movie and that can also financially function on its own.
• To provide platform for the new talents arising in the film sector
• To facilitate film makers during the film making
• To provide the facility of producing CDs and DVDs of the movies
• To introduce the animation technology and facility.
1.4. Project justification
Film industry is one of the big industries in Nepal. Lots of money and talents can be seen in
present context of Nepali film industry. All these money and talents are suffering in the process
of making movies. Especially moviemakers like producers and directors are suffering during
film making due to lack of facilities and equipment necessary. The “Film Studio” as proposed
will bring all the facilities necessary from pre production to release of movie for film makers
under single roof. This will facilitate each and every film makers.
Other scope of this kind of film studio can be seen internationally. Recently movies from
Hollywood like expendables were shot in. This kind of movies and documentaries were shot
before too but Nepal could not gain economically from this due to lack of such facilities.
Thus this kind of facility under one roof will not only benefit existing film maker but also benefit
young talents as they don’t have to wonder around in the film making process.

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Chapter One
1.5. Methodology
Fig 1(a): Study Methodology
Program Formulation
Animation Center
Literature Review
Aims & Objectives
Site Analysis
Finalization of Functional
Activities
Design
decisions/Guidelines
Finalization of Area
Requirement
Design concept and development
Master/Site Planning Architectural design and
detailing
Conclusion/ Recommendation
Case Studies Latest Knowledge
• Nepal film
development
company ltd
• Red studio
• Phoenix studio

Film Studio Design
Chapter One
• Literature review
Reading of various books, articles, news, videos and thesis on related subject from
seniors will be referred so that it will provide information and standard data for
designing. During literature review expert in related fields will be consulted so that it will
help to address the problem in context of Nepal.
• Case study
Study of various existing institutions and space will be done so as to know the various
functions and spaced in the real life cased and help in the design of my thesis topic “Film
Studio”.
• Analysis of case study
Various aspects of case study will be compared with the standard data those were
obtained from literature so that best solution would be found out for thesis program
formulation
• Program formulation
From the analysis of both case study and literature review required spaces and its area for
the design of “Film Studio” will be found out and project site will be finalized.
• Project site analysis
Project site will be analyzing parameters like geology, soil, topography, climate,
manmade structures traffic flow patterns, acoustics, surrounding environment etc so that
potential of site can be found out and spaces can be placed accordingly.
• Design concept and development
After all of the process design concept will be finalized and suitable design will be
developed for “Film Studio”

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Chapter Two
Chapter -2
Literature Review
2.1. Motion picture
Motion picture is a series of still pictures which, when shown on screen, creates the illusion of
moving image. During the mid development phase, motion picture were recorded on to plastic
film which was then shown on a large screen through projector. With the advancement of
technology motions pictures are now filmed and stored digitally like red one camera which
records captured images on the hard-disk or flash cards.
Development of motion pictures has taken place gradually to the state now it is. The credit of
origination of motion picture can be given to the early plays and dances. They use to have
elements common to motion pictures like scripts, sets, costumes, direction, actors, audiences,
storyboard and scores. In spite of this due to the lack of technology, plays and dances could not
be recorded for future. During mid 19th
century invention of devices like pinakistoscope and
zoetrope showed that a carefully designed sequence of drawings, showing phases of the
changing appearance of objects in motion, would appear to show the objects actually moving if
they were displayed one after the other at a sufficiently rapid rate. Limitation of these devices
were that, they could show limited number of drawings usually twelve, so it could only show
endlessly repeating cyclical motions.
The use of sequence of photographs was limited to some numbers only due to the lack of
sensitivity that shows the motions. The sensitivity was increased gradually and it was only in
late 1870s Eadweard Muybridge created the first animated image sequences photographed in
real-time. During 1880s invention of celluloid photographic film and motion picture camera
made possible to capture an indefinitely long rapid sequence of images using only one lens due
to this it became possible to record several minutes of actions in a single compact reel of film.
The earliest films were simply one static shot that showed an event or action with no editing or
other cinematic techniques. Around 20th century, films started stringing several scenes together
to tell a story. The scenes were later broken up into multiple shots photographed from different
distances and angles. Other techniques such as camera movement were developed as effective
ways to tell a story with film.

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Till this time sounds in motion pictures could not be heard and were purely visual arts. It was
only in late 1920s, sound recording technologies were invented for motion pictures and
incorporation of dialogue and sound effects became possible. Although the combination of sound
and picture became possible motion pictures were not considered to gain its full height because
motion pictures could only be viewed in black and white. The introduction of natural color in the
field of motion picture brought revolution. Audiences could now see motion pictures in the color
that they can see around them.
In 1950s invention of black and with television brought serious problem to the motion pictures.
People stopped going to theaters and cinemas to overcome this problem bigger screens were
installed, widescreen processes, polarized 3D projection and stereophonic sound were
introduced, and more films were made in color, which soon became the rule rather than the
exception.
2.2. Motion picture making process
According to Wikipedia “Film making is the process of making a film. Filmmaking involves a number
of discrete stages including an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting,
shooting, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a film
release and exhibition. Filmmaking takes place in many places around the world in a range of
economic, social, and political contexts, and using a variety of technologies and cinematic techniques.
Typically, it involves a large number of people, and can take from a few months to several years to
complete”. Making of movie consists of complex processes with different individuals or
departments working. All of these individuals and department works together under a film
director and is also known captain of ship. All the processes are divided into three steps
according to their execution i.e.
• Development
• Pre production
• Production
• Post production
• Distribution

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• Development
This is the first and the most important step of film making. During this step idea of film is
generated. That may be an original idea or may be derived from somewhere like novels, story,
existing movie but old one. If the movie is derived then permission is taken from the original
creator. After that producer hires a writer, they work together and prepare a synopsis of the
story. Here changes are made to the story if there is one. After the satisfying synopsis a step
outline is prepared because synopsis is more like an abstract and step outline is a detailed
form. But step outline don’t have any kind of dialogue and is just a detail story of a film. After
the satisfying step outline, a 25 to 30 page treatment is prepared. Treatment contains more
stage directions and less dialogue. If felt necessary, drawings are also attached with it so that
one can understand key point of the story.
The next step in the development phase is to arrange the finance necessary for the movie.
After the completion and approval of the treatment producer and screenwriter visits potential
financers to seek the financial help for the movie. After the approval by potential financers,
they sign different contracts and agreements under different financial terms and conditions.
Then a screenplay for the movie is prepared by screenplay writer so that writing work for the
movie is completed and film gets a full story. After this, film proceeds towards the pre
production phase of film making.
• Pre production
During this phase of film making preparations are made for film making. Cast and crews are
hired, location is finalized and permissions are taken and sets are built for indoor shooting of
the film. To control all these activities and all other activities during film making and
promotions a production office is established which controls all the activities and does all the
paper work necessary during film making.
After this a film is pre visualized using storyboard method for which sketch artists are hired.
The process of pre visualization is done so that actors, directors, makeup artists etc
responsible for film making can get the story clearly. During this phase, a budget plan is
drawn up to manage the budget and cutoff the unnecessary expenditure of the film. After all
this, film is ready for the production phase.

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Chapter Two
• Production
Work of film actually starts from this phase. During this phase, raw footage for film is
recorded. More crew members like property master, script supervisor, assistant director etc
are recruited.
A typical day of shooting starts with the arrival of technical crew members like lighting
persons, art director, dress super visors etc in a set or location as they have to prepare
set/location for shooting. It may take hours and in some cases it may take days too. After
this, actors arrive in the set/location at the time of their calling. Usually actors are called
according to the schedule of shooting on that day. Then they go to the dressing area and put
on their dress and makeup according to scene. They then rehearse with their co-actors,
director, camera man and sound crew. After this when the set/location is ready for final take
all the crew members arrives at the place. Assistant directors then instruct everyone to be
quite. Then he informs sound and camera to be record respectively. After that director says
“action” and actors acts for the final take. When the take is over the director says “cut” and
sound and camera stops recording. If the director decides to take the additional take whole
of the process starts again. Once the director is satisfied the crew moves to next camera
angel or setup.
While actors and crew members are taking final shot in one setup, another group of crew
members prepares set/ location for another shot so as to save the time. When shooting is
finished for the scene assistant director declares that the scene is over and crew members
dismantle the set and moves on to next setup. At the end of the day director approves next
day shooting schedule and a daily progress report is sent to production office. After the
completion of this phase it is customary to give wrap up party by production office to the
entire crew and cast for their efforts and hard work.
• Post production
In this phase of film making final touch is given to the movie like assembly of raw footage,
editing and dubbing of dialogue, visual effects etc and finally all sound elements are mixed
and the movie is fully completed
• Distribution
In this phase the movie is finally released in cinemas or occasionally to media in the form
of DVD, CD, VHS, Blue ray or direct download from the internet website. The film is
duplicated and distributed to the cinemas as required. Press kits, posters, and other

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advertising materials are published and the film is advertised and promoted. After all of
these processes finally the movie enters the market.
2.3. Crew members involved
Hiring of crew members entirely depends upon the budget of the movie. If the budget of the film
is low then crew members are hired on the individual basis as per necessity and if the film is of
big budget then department heads are hired and they hire rest of the crew members as per the
necessity of film. Key department heads are
• Director of photography
• Production manager
• Assistant director
• Production designer
Following are the crew members for film making working in different phase.
• Pre production crew members
Story editor
The story editor supervises several story analysts who work for the studios. The analysts
read screenplays, books and other literary efforts looking for potential movies. The
analyst then writes a synopsis of the material. The story editor reviews the synopsis and
passes on promising prospects to the producer for possible development into a film.
Writer
The writer creates and shapes an original story, or adapts a book, play or other work for
use on the big screen. A script may go through many writers.
Dialogue coach
The dialogue coach helps actors learn their lines and master accents and dialects that are
necessary for their roles.
Location manager
The location manager reads the script, decides what locations are necessary for the film,
then scouts for them. The location manager visits possible locations and takes pictures to
help the director find the best setting. After locations are chosen, the location manager
acquires all the permits and permissions necessary for filming.

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Set designer
The set designer takes direction from the art director about the look of the set, and then
plans its technical construction.
Art director
The art director, or production designer, designs and supervises the construction of sets
for a movie. This person needs to be well-versed in a variety of art and design styles,
including architecture and interior design. He or she works with the cinematographer to
achieve the right look for the production
Costume designer
The costume designer creates all the costumes worn by the cast on a production. This
person contributes to the overall look of the film, as well as the style and interpretation of
the film's characters.
• Production Crew Members
Unit production manager
The unit production manager (U.P.M.) reports the daily financial operation of a
production to the production manager. Sometimes the U.P.M. will scout for locations and
help the production manager with overall planning.
Line producer
The line producer supervises the movie's budget. This includes unique expenses like a
star's salary as well as daily costs like equipment rentals. The production manager reports
his or her expenses and needs to the line producer.
Production manager
The production manager (P.M.) makes business deals with the crew and arranges for the
production's technical needs. This includes everything from obtaining the right technical
equipment to renting accommodations for actors and crew.
Director
The director is responsible for all creative aspects of a movie. The director usually helps
hire actors, decides on locations and plans the shots before filming begins. During
filming the director oversees the actors and crew, sets up shots and keeps the movie on
schedule and on budget. The director is usually hired by a producer, unless he or she is
also producing the film.
Assistant director
The assistant director works to make the director more efficient. The A.D. plans a
shooting schedule by breaking the script into sections that can be filmed in a single day

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and in the most efficient order. During filming the A.D. manages the set, helps line up
shots for the director, calls for quiet on the set and coordinates the extras.
Second assistant director
The second assistant director (second A.D.) is a liaison between the production manager
and the first assistant director. The second A.D. usually works with the cast and crew and
handles paperwork, including call sheets (who needs to be on the set and when), actors'
time sheets and production reports. This person also helps the First A.D. place extras and
control crowds.
Continuity person
The continuity person tries to prevent embarrassing shots in the final film, such as an
actor wearing a hat that mysteriously disappears in one shot then reappears in another.
The continuity person logs how many times a scene was shot, how long the shot lasted,
which actors were in the scene, where they were standing and any other details
Cinematographer
The cinematographer, or director of photography (D.P.), helps create the look of a movie.
The D.P. directs the lighting for each scene, helps frame shots, chooses lenses, selects
film stock and ensures that the visual look of the film conforms to the director's vision.
The cinematographer usually does not operate the camera on set.
Gaffer
The gaffer is the chief electrician on the set, and is responsible for lighting the set
according to the instructions of the cinematographer.
Camera operator
The camera operator is a member of the camera crew and runs the camera as instructed
by the director and the cinematographer. The camera operator is responsible for keeping
the action in frame, and responding quickly to the action as it unfolds.
Assistant cameraman
Often there is a first and second assistant cameraman. The first assistant cameraman is
generally responsible for the maintenance of the camera. The first assistant cameraman
also changes lenses, maintains focus during shots, marks the spots where actors will stand
and measures the distance between the camera and the subject matter. The second
assistant cameraman fills out camera reports and is often responsible for loading and
unloading camera magazines, which contain the film. (Also see film loader.)
Film loader
The film loader is a member of the camera crew in charge of loading and unloading the
camera's film magazines. The film loader also keeps the loading room in good, clean
condition.

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Production sound mixer
The production sound mixer (or recordist) records sound during filming. This person is
also responsible for mixing the various soundtracks into the film's composite soundtrack,
which is then put onto the film with either a magnetic or optical stripe.
Boom operator
The boom operator is a sound crew member who handles the microphone boom, a long
pole that holds the microphone near the action but out of frame, allowing the microphone
to follow the actors as they move.
Key grip
The key grip is the chief grip on the set. Grips create shadow effects with lights and
operate camera cranes, dollies and platforms as directed by the cinematographer.
Dolly grip
The dolly grip places and moves the dolly track, then pushes and pulls the dolly along
that track. The dolly is a cart that the camera and sometimes its crew sit on. It allows the
camera to move smoothly from place to place during a shot.
Best boy
There are actually two separate best boy positions -- the best boy/electric and the best
boy/grip, which is second in command to the gaffer and to the key grip. The best boy/grip
is in charge of the rest of the grips and grip equipment. The best boy/electric is in charge
of the rest of the electricians and the electrical equipment.
Stunt coordinator
The stunt coordinator lines up professional stunt people to take the risks that make the
movies so exciting. The stunt coordinator makes sure that all safety regulations are
followed and that all safety equipment is on the set and ready for action.
Visual effects director
The visual effects director's job varies according to the needs of the production.
Sometimes the visual effects director helps with effects on the set. But he or she could
also be called upon to supervise separate teams of effects technicians working away from
the set.
FX coordinator
FX is film shorthand for special effects. The job of the FX coordinator differs from film
to film. Special effects range from complicated computer animation to helping Superman
fly to simple on-set logistics like making a shower work.

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Property master
The property master finds, maintains and places on the set all essential props for a scene.
A prop is a moveable item that is essential to a scene.
Leadman
The leadman answers to the set designer and heads the people who set up and take down
the set and the set dressing department.
Set dresser
The set dresser is responsible for everything on a set except props that are essential to the
scene. The set dresser selects items like drapes, artwork, bed linens, dishes and anything
else, to make the set a realistic environment.
Costumer
The costumer, or wardrobe person, takes care of the costumes on the set, keeping them in
good, clean condition, and making sure the right actor gets the right costume.
Make-up artist
The make-up artist is usually a licensed professional who applies any make-up to an actor
above the breastbone to the top of the head and from the tips of the fingers to the elbow.
Body make-up artist
The body make-up artist applies any make-up below the actor's breastbone, or above the
elbow.
Hairdresser
The hairdresser is licensed to cut color and style the hair of actors in a production. He or
she also styles and cuts wigs when necessary. Usually the hairdresser provides all the
necessary equipment and rents it to the production on a weekly basis.
Production assistant
Often called a gofer or a runner on the set, the production assistant (P.A.) performs small
but essential tasks for the cast and crew.
Production office coordinator
The production office coordinator (P.O.C.) handles the production's office duties and
stays behind when a production goes on location. He or she coordinates the crew, makes
sure paperwork gets done and answers the phone. The P.O.C. also puts together new
versions of the script as changes are made.
Unit publicist
The unit publicist makes sure the media are aware of a production by sending out press
releases, arranging for interviews of cast and crew, setting up on-set visits and organizing
media kits, which include publicity pictures, video and audio clips and plot summaries.

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Second unit director
The second unit director heads the second unit, a separate production crew that shoots
sequences not involving the main actors. These can include background shots at remote
locations, shots used for special effects and scenes that are not essential to the plot.
Production caterer
The production caterer provides all the meals for a production, especially for on-location
shoots. The caterer makes sure that the food provided meets the needs of the cast, often
including special items for the star of the movie.
Craft services
The people responsible for coffee, beverages and snacks on the set. They also perform
various small chores.
Transportation coordinator
The transportation coordinator makes sure that actors, crew and equipment have some
way of getting to the location shoot. He or she coordinates the use of everything from
limos to semis.
Day player
A day player is an actor hired on a daily basis. This actor only has a few lines or scenes.
The day player must be notified that they are finished by the end of the day; otherwise
they are automatically called back for another day of work.
• Post production Crew Members
Post-Production Supervisor
The post-production supervisor oversees the finishing of a film once shooting ends. He or
she attends editing sessions, maintains quality control, and coordinates audio mixing,
computer graphics, and all other technical needs.
Editor
The editor works with the director in editing the film. The director has the primary
responsibility for editing decisions, but the editor often has significant input in the
creative decisions involved in putting together a final cut of a movie. The editor often
starts work while the film is still being shot, by assembling preliminary cuts from the
daily footage. Increasingly, editors work on computerized editing consoles without
touching the actual film.
Color timer
The color timer works with the cinematographer. He or she works in the lab to correct
and balance the color of the film to the director's wishes for the look of the scene.

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Negative cutter
The negative cutter takes the negative of a movie and conforms, or matches, it to the final
cut of the film as decided by the director, editor, producer, studio and anyone else who
may be involved. Final prints of the film are made from this conformed negative.
Foley artist
The foley artist creates sounds that cannot be properly recorded during the shoot. This
often includes creating footsteps, thunder, creaking doors and even the sound of punches.
ADR editor
ADR is an acronym for automatic dialogue replacement. In this process the actors are
called back during the post-production process to re-record dialogue that wasn't recorded
properly during the shoot. The editor supervises this process and matches the newly
recorded lines to the actor's mouth on film.
Music mixer
The music mixer is part of the team that prepares the final soundtrack for a movie. The
music mixer carefully balances and mixes the film's musical score to integrate with the
dialogue.
Matte artist
The matte artist is a member of the special effects department who helps create locations
that never existed. He or she constructs backgrounds that integrate with the live action
filmed on a set.
These are the list of crew members that works hard in a movie to make it a success. In low
budget movies all of them are not hired. They are hired on the individual basis as per the need of
movie but in a big budget movie almost all of these persons are hired.
2.4. Motion picture making facilities
While going through the phases of film making i.e. from development phase to the distribution
phase different facilities are needed like office space for establishing production office, indoor
and outdoor shooting area, green studios etc. so that film can be completed in effective way.
Following are the facilities needed for the completion of any motion picture and are arranged
according to the phases of making motion picture.
2.4.1. Pre production facilities
• Office space
2.4.2. Production facilities
• . Workshops
• Dressing room

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• Animation studio
• Equipment rental
• Backlot
• Sound stage
2.4.3. Post production facilities
• Post production studio
• Photography studio
• Film development lab
2.4.4. Other facilities
• Screening room
• Restaurant
• Parking
• Post room
2.4.1. Pre production facilities
• Office space
During pre production phase of making motion pictures, cast and crews are hired,
location for shooting the movie is finalized, permission for the location is taken, sets are
built for indoor shooting etc. To control all of these activities during the pre production
phase and during all other phase an office space is required. From here producers and
other members of crew controls the movie making process.
For work room the minimum area of 8.00 sqm should be allowed and free circulation
space should be of minimum 1.5 sqm per employee and width of the corridor should be
such that tow person can pass each other easily. Computers and screens should not be
placed directly opposite to the window in work room because die to this a shadow of
window is casted on the screen which will disturb our work. To know the depth of light
penetration following formula can be used.
D = 1.5H
Here, D = depth of light penetration from window
H = total height of the window
Above is a general formula if there is no obstruction i.e. for normal condition and depth
of light penetration can be affected by the location of building.
Generally an office space contains following spaces

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Record area
In this area of office all records are stored and should be placed centrally. As this space
contains such important documents it should safe from water, bacteria and other thing
that can harm the records. For the record area rooms in attics and basement are not
suitable. Generally records like files, drawings, microfilm, document reproduction etc are
stored. For the storage of such documents deep moveable filing systems are considered to
be very economical and space saving. They can save space from 100% to 200%.
For the better and easy access it is necessary to arrange stored documents in a clearly
label system with short circulation routes and efficient use of space. As cabinet increases,
the aisle between cabinet should get wider. Following formula from neufert architect’s
data can be helpful to estimate the space requirements
L x W (Filing equipments) = space for furniture
+ ½ L x W + 0.5 = aisle space
___________________________________________________
Total requirement = space for furniture + aisle space
The choice of filing system in record area can save space very effectively. So it is
necessary to choose appropriate filing system. For vertical filing system ratio of floor
area required for filing to the aisle space should be 100:90 and for flat filing system ratio
of floor area required for filing to the aisle space should be 90:100. From above we can
easily say that vertical filing system can save the space more than flat filing system and
can hold files more than flat filing system. For tall office buildings it is better to move
files in paternoster elevator so that files can be transported safely and easily from one
floor to another.
Central clerical area
This area contains the facilities that are used by whole office like dictating, duplicating,
printing, photocopy equipments and personals computers. These kinds of spaces should
be placed such that they may be easily accessed from work spaces of other areas because
this space contains such facilities that will be needed by whole office frequently.
Corporate display area
This area contains board rooms with moveable walls, exhibition areas, conference rooms
and meeting rooms. Social facilities like cloak rooms, a kitchen, toilets, rest areas for
employees, refreshment rooms, sports facilities and a dining room with kitchen.
Central service area
This area contains technical equipment, air conditioning and ventilation, heating, electric
power, water supply, data processing, the computer center, telecommunications and
cleaning and maintenance etc facilities necessary to keep office space in comfortable

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condition. Usually these kinds of spaces makes lots of noise and can disturb working
areas of the office so this kind of space should be kept away from the working areas.
Work stations
This is the space where staffs works for the office and contains working desk along with
computers. There is no such specific standard for work stations because the space
requirement varies widely depending upon the nature of work.
For easy and better working in work stations it should be kept in mind that items that are
used frequently should be placed within preferred field of vision and reach area. For
better working conditions properties of materials like reflection, refractions etc should
also be kept in mind. Items close to the user should have a 20% to 25% reflection,
illumination 300 Lux to 500 Lux and glare from light must be limited.
Following considerations should be done while deciding the floor to ceiling height of the
office space
Office space Floor to ceiling
height
Up to 50 sqm 2.50m
Over 50 sqm 2.75m
Over 100 sqm 3.00m
Over 250 and up to
2000 sqm
3.25m
Table 2(a): Floor to ceiling height according to office space
Office space arrangement according to planning approach
According to the planning approach office space can be divided into three types. Modern
office building falls into these three categories according to flexibility, visual and
acoustic privacy and initial and lifecycle cost. Three types of office spaces according to
planning concept areas follow
• Close plan office
• Open plan office
• Modified open plan office
• Close plan office
In this type of planning spaces are divided into offices by wall of full height with doors.
In this type of offices generally private offices are typically located along the window
wall and administrative supports are housed in workstations along with corridor or in
shared room.

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• Open plan office
In this type of planning of office space, all the workstations are located in open space
without floor to ceiling divisions and doors while administrative supports are located in
rooms with floor to ceiling partition with doors. These types of spaces are suitable for the
staffs with high division of labor and performing routine works with low level of
concentration.
• Modified open plan office
This type of planning of office combines the elements of both of the above planning.
Workstation is placed in an open plan with system furniture and others in private offices
and administrative support is also located in enclosed room.
Layout of office spaces by function
Generally any kind of office has following six basic functions according to which the
office spaces should be allocated. Six basic functions are
• Management
• Finance
• Sale
• General services
• Technical services
• Production
• Management
In the office buildings offices for top managements are usually arranged together in a sort
of chain of command and are frequently around edge office but according to the need of
office they can also be located in the center. Top executives like chairman, managing
directors etc should be allocated more space not only for their prestige but also for
meeting as they have more than usual amount of visitors.
• Finance
This part of the office takes care of all the financial works and decision and is one of the
most important functions of office. It is more important to the accounting function near
where it picks up the order from sales department. The purchasing departments usually
have lots of visitors and contact with vendors so it should be placed near entrance or
reception. Purchasing department not only has contacts with vendors but they also work
closely with accounts department like vendor’s invoice, handling requisitions etc.
• Sales
This section in the office has more and frequent no of visitor than other sections and
requires spaces for catalogue, specification, files etc so each person working should be
provided with the extra amount of space than average. Due to their duties sales

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department needs conference hall or a multipurpose hall for training, meeting,
demonstration and conference with different persons.
• General service area
This area of the office provides service for other areas and functions like central files
stenographic service, duplications etc. Due to this, it should be placed centrally so that it
can serve other areas effectively. In case of duplication services, they should be isolated
because they make noise and produce fumes which may disturb other areas
• Technical service area
Technical service area like engineering, drafting and designing should be placed near
area which they serve.
General design principle
According to time saver standard for building types followings are the general design
principle that should be followed for designing office spaces
Work flow
By the systematic study of the operation, process and procedure involved in individual
task, the planner can assist management by providing workstation patterns which ensure
a smooth, straight line flow of work.
Straight line principle
In a well planned office, paper goes from one desk to another with least amount of
handling, travelling and delay, work should progress in series of straight lines with a
general forward movement, avoiding crisscross motions and backflow.
Work stations
The following general rules are applicable in positioning desk
• Desk should face the same direction unless there is a compelling functional reason to do
otherwise. The use of this technique provides for straight work flow patterns, facilities
communication and creates neat and attractive appearance.
• In open areas, consideration should be given to placing desk in rows of two. This method
will permit the use of bank type partitions as a divider for those activities which requires
visual privacy while still obtain Maximum utilization.
• Desk should be space at a distance of 6 ft from the front of a desk to the desk behind it.
This distance should be increased to 7 ft when desk are in rows of two ingress and egress

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is confined to one side of aisle or in instances where more than two desks side by side
cannot be avoided.
• In private offices the desk should be positioned to afford the occupant a view of the door.
• In open work areas the supervision should be located adjacent to the receptionist or
secretary. Access to supervisory work stations should not be through the work areas.
• Desk of employees having considerable visitors contact should be located near the office
entrance. Conversely, desk of employees doing classified work should be away from
entrance.
• Where frequent interviews with the general public are required as in personnel offices,
the use of interview cubicles should be considered. Such cubicles needs only be large
enough for interviewer, the applicant and a small desk or table.
• Office space housing for more than 50 persons should be sub divided either by use of file
cabinets, shelving, railing or low bank type partitions.
• The following standard with regard to internal circulation will be applied in space
planning survey
• Main aisle should be 60" wide
• Intermediate aisle should be 48" wide
• Aisle between rows (secondary aisle) should be approx 36" wide.
• Access to conference room should be through corridors or through reception areas.
Guide lines for locating office spaces
• Those departments having the greatest no of visitors should be located so the visitors
have a short, direct and convenient route from the main entrance. The sales, purchasing
and employment personnel department usually have the most visitors.
• Department having closest working relation should be placed closest together. When this
is done work flow with minimum waste of time can be achieved. Sales and advertising
department works together

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• Sections and facilities that serves entire office should be centrally located and easily
accessible to all who use them. Data processing, central files and cost accounting are
examples.
• Certain functions of a business may be of confidential nature that requires them to be
isolated from others in the office and from general public, central files , legal offices are
the examples
• Conference and training room should be near to those departments that use them the most
• Departments receiving and delivering quantities of material should be located near the
freight areas for the ease of handling, less time and labor and less distraction of other
workers. Mail, stock room and machine department are in this category.
• When an office occupies more than one floor, elevator service will be more effective
when the department with large clerical force are on the lower floor
2.4.2. Production facilities
• Workshops
Workshops like metal workshop, wood workshop and painting and plastering workshop
are very essential for film studio. Here sets for indoor and outdoor shooting are prepared
according to the design of art director. In the case of film studio it will be economic to
have compact and courtyard planning of workshops as it will be easy to make the sets
sequentially
Architectural consideration for workshops
• Natural light should be provided in enough quantity and through ribbon window
• Space like storage, cutting , finishing etc should be arrange according to sequence of
work
• For small workshop up to 10 staffs production flow is in line or L shape and for medium
workshop having more than 10 staffs production flow is in U shape, circular or square.
• Workshop should have height of 15’
• There should be enough space to make possible trial setup of an entire set without
disturbing other work.

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• Dressing room
Dressing room is used in a film studio for
changing the dress and for hair and
makeup by actors. This facility is available
for actor in sound stage of film studio and
for location shooting vanity van is
provided for actors for changing and make
up. Dressing room specially consist of
wardrobe, changing space and makeup
area
Architectural consideration for dressing room
• For wardrobe 2’ is the standard depth or 2’- 6” if a hook strip to be used
• Clothes closet width parallel to the doors should be from 3’ to 6’ per person
• Wardrobe for man’s cloth should be 5’ – 9” in height with 9” clearance at the bottom of
wardrobe to cloth and 3” clearance from top of the wardrobe to hanging rod
• Wardrobe for women’s cloth should be 6’ in height with 6” clearance at the bottom of
wardrobe to cloth and 3” above clearance from top of the wardrobe to hanging rod
• Wardrobe for children should be 4’- 6” in height with 6” clearance at the bottom of
wardrobe to cloth and 6” above clearance from top of the wardrobe to hanging rod
• Minimum 20 sqft should be allowed per person to change the dress
• Minimum 22 sqft should be allowed for hair and makeup purpose
• Animation studio
According to Wikipedia “Animation studio is a company producing animated media”.
This company also own rights over merchandising and creative rights for characters
created/held by the company like authors holding copyrights.
The idea of a studio dedicated to the cartoons was first brought by Raoul Barre by
establishing Barre studio along with Bill Nolan. Sometimes after Earl Hurd working for
Bray’s studio came up with the patents design for mass producing the output of the
studio. This is much like the copyright system. The patents for animation system using
drawings on transparent celluloid sheets and a registration system that kept steady were
held under this firm. Bray also developed division of labor in animation studio still used
in today’s animation studio like animators, layout artist etc.
Fig 2-1: Dressing room adjoining sound stage

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The biggest name in animation
studios during this early time
was Disney Brothers Animation
Studio which we know as Walt
Disney Animation Studio. They
made some short animated
movie but the real breakthrough
was in 1973 A.D. when the
studio was able to produce a full
length animated feature film
called Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs, which laid the
foundation for the other studios
to try to make full length movies.
Today animation as an industry has grown to very big industry of billions of dollars and
uses computers with central storage devices in networking using different kinds of
software.
To get an idea about the animation studio at first we should know about the animation,
its types, software used by them and many other things explained below.
Animation
The term animation is derived from the Latin word animatio “the act of bringing to life”.
According to Wikipedia “Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of static images
and/or objects to create an illusion of movement.” The sequence of change of these
static images through any medium like computer, hand rendered art etc makes
animation. Usually, viewing devices displays these static images rapidly i.e. from 24 to
30 frames per second.
The attempt to make animation dates back to Egyptian age when they use to make
paintings on walls showing series of images. However there were no such devices
which could show the images in motion. So these kinds of images cannot be called
animation. For example we can take Voynich manuscript that dates back to between
1404 and 1438 which contains series of illustrations of the same subject matter and
even few circles that when sinned around the center would create an illusion of a
motion.
With the invention of devices like pinakistoscope and zoetrope movement of static
images became possible. Inspite of this they were not so good for animation and could
not support sound. The invention of cinematographe brought drastic change in the field
of animation and showed the direction for future.
Fig2-2: Animation studio

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A French artist Emile Cohl a movie called Fantasmagorie by drawing cartoon strips
which became a big hit. Following his success many artists started making movies
similar to him. One of them were Winsor McCay, he along with his team made an
animated movie but this time each frame was drawn on paper and was presented frame
by frame as done today through computers.
The production of cartoons films started much later in the film industry in 1910s and
in 1955 when an animated movie called toy story was made using computers it spread
throughout the world. Today animation has taken huge market throughout the world.
Software used in animation
Today animations are done with the help of computers and different software.
Following are the most used animation software by the animation studios
Houdini
This is the software used by animations studios like dreamworks animations, Blue sky
studios etc for animation works. It has a very strong particle and smoke system due to
its powerful animation, and VFX tools and its lighting effects are also pretty decent.
3Ds max
3Ds max is a well known name in the animation and modeling. This software is
commonly used in video game development. 3Ds max is also starting to be used more
and more in film productions as it has powerful controls over dynamics and shading as
well as realistic lighting
Maya 3D
Maya is very powerful tool used for making animations in animation studio and even
top 3D animators continue to learn and progress their skills from using it. A great deal
of work we see on our cinema and TV has been produced using Maya spider man, lord
of the rings are few examples.
Cinema 4D
This is animation software used by animation studios for making animations and
animated movie. This software gives you option and resources character tools, physic
engines, hair, eyes, and an unlimited network for rendering which is very useful for
render farm.
Blender 3D
Blender 3D is another software used by animation studios and was released in 1995 by
blender foundation as a free software for animators.

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Flash
This is one of the famous software mostly used for animation on the web page which
was produced by macromedia.
Types of animation
Talking about animation, there are three different types of animation which differs
from each other with respect to technique, technology and equipments
• Cel animation
• Stop animation
• Computer animation
• Cel animation
This is a traditional way of animation and was used for creating early Mickey Mouse
cartoons. For animation, cartoons are drawn on transparent sheets called cel. It used
to save time and effort as artist has to draw many frames to make animated movies.
After that characters are colored on the opposite side of the cel. Coloring the
background may be a more difficult task than a single drawing as it covers the whole
picture and requires shading and lighting and will be viewed for a longer duration.
Then for final touch these drawings are photographed
• Stop motion animation
According to Wikipedia “Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically
manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small
increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of
movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence. Dolls with
movable joints or clay figures are often used in stop motion for their ease of
repositioning. Stop motion animation using plasticine is called clay animation or
"clay-mation". Not all stop motion requires figures or models; many stop motion
films can involve using humans, household appliances and other things for comedic
effect. Stop motion using objects is sometimes referred to as object animation”.
This is also an old technique of animations and is not used these days.
• Computer animation
Computer animation is the latest technique that includes 2D and 3D animation. These
not only enhance the hand drawn characters but also make them appear real as
compared to above mentions animations.
2D Animation
Process of making 2D animation
The process of making 2D animation is divided into three parts namely pre-production,
production and post production.

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Per production
Under the pre production process for animation are the script, storyboarding, audio
recording, animatics, character, prop and location design, color styling and color model
sheet. The pre production sets the tone for the animation production process, if it is not
well conceived and done, there will be lot of retakes and correction to be done in the
production process.
Production
Under the production process are the background layout and positing, animation, line
test, digital background, cleanup in between, scaling, ink and paint, compositing and
export rendering. If the artists are not good there will be lot of retakes in the clean up in
between stage. Compositing also takes long time as errors are found out and corrected
before the final rendering.
Post production
Under the post production process are the musical score, sound effects, editing and color
grading.
3D Animation
According to ask.com “3D Animation is a computer generated illustration that gives
objects space. In 3D, the images and the graphics use three dimensions that give
characters a depth, which makes them appear to be real and living. The graphic designers
usually use computer software to give their pictures and image a life”
Process of making 3D animation
Same as motion picture animation or animated movies are made in four steps they are
• Development
• Pre production
• Production
• Post production

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• Development
Development is the first and important
phase of making animated movies. In
this phase idea for the movie is
developed. The idea may be the original,
may be adopted from play, novels or any
other sources. In case of adopted story
permission is taken from the person who
holds the copyright. After this producer
along with writer works out and
prepares a synopsis which is an abstract
form of a story. After the satisfactory
output of synopsis, a step outline is
prepared, which is a detail form of a
story but it doesn’t contain dialogue.
The step outline is then reviewed by
producer and correction is done until he
satisfies. After that a 20 to 30 page
treatment is prepared which consist of
more stage directions and less dialogue.
Drawings are also attached with it so
that one can understand the key point of
the story.
After all this process a treatment is
presented to the potential financer who
may finance the movie. If enough finance is arranged then screenplay is written by
screenplay writer. After completion of this phase movie proceeds towards pre
production phase.
• Pre production
In this phase of making animated movie preparations are done for the production
phase and visualization process is carried out. Pre production phase of animated
movie consists of storyboarding, layouts, model sheets and animatics. These four
steps helps crew members involve in the production phase to visualize the story and
carry it out exactly throughout the production phase.
Pre-
Story
Layouts
Models
Animatics
Productio Post
Layout
Modeling
Rigging
Animatio
Simulation
and Effect
Texturing
Lighting
Composit
Sound
Video
Fig 2-3: Process of making animation

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• Story boarding
In this step of pre production,
drawings area prepared in form
of comic strip i.e. story is
converted into drawings. They
are often accompanied by text
notes describing things
occurring within the scene
itself, such as camera
movement. It not only helps to
visualize the animation clearly
but also help to communicate the idea clearly within crew members and provides
a visual reminder of original plan which can be referred back throughout the
production phase.
• Layouts
After the process of story boarding it is sent to layout department. Here
crewmembers of layout department work closely with director and designs
location and costumes. With this done they begin to stage the scenes, showing the
various characters’ positions throughout the course of each shot.
• Model sheets
It is a precisely drawn group of
pictures that shows all the
expressions, positions and expression
a character can take throughout the
movie. They are prepared so as to
accurately maintain the character
detail throughout the movie because
more than one animator will be
working on the same mo vie during
the process of production. After the
preparation and approval of model
sheet it is sent to modeling for the
creation of 3d models of characters.
Fig 2-4: Story boarding
Fig 2-5: Model seat

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• Animatics
Shortly after the process of story boarding simplified mockups are prepared called
“Animatics” so that it can give better visualization of the story to the entire
crewmembers working on the animation movie. This helps director to plan how
they will go in further sequence and also helps to get knowledge about how visual
effects will be integrate in the final shot.
• Production
The main process of making movie starts here. In this phase 3d models of the
characters are prepared, texture, lighting etc are added and animation is done.
Production phase of a animated movie consist of layout, modeling, texturing,
lighting, rigging and animation. During this phase, a final character is created and
animation is done and sent for the process of final rendering.
• Layouts
In this phase of production of animated movie layout artists create rough
animations using low resolution models or block of geometry so that can act as
guide to the animators. In another way we can say that they prepare the 3d version
of what storyboard artist have prepared. During this director finalize camera
move, depth of field, props, dresses of character etc. after completion and
approval it is passed to modeling department.
• Modeling
In this phase of production modelers turns 2d
concept into highly detailed topologically
sound 3d models by referring all the materials
from above processes. Usually modelers are
split into departments. First one is organic
modelers. They are specialized in building the
character like people, animals etc. and other
free forms. Second one is hard surface
modelers. They have architectural background
or industrial background. They design vehicles,
props, weapons, buildings etc. Once the model
is approved it is then handed to rigging and
texture paint department who complete the final
stages in preparing the model for animation and
rendering.
Fig 2-6: Modeling

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• Texturing
Working closely with surfacing and
shading department texture artist
creates texture either form the scratch
or form the existing text ure to match
the concept of art and design which has
passed by the art department.
• Lighting
Light artists usually add lighting to the scene but they also have to consider how
to bring together all the elements that have been created by other departments.
Lighting artists have a responsible and tough job. They not only have to place
lights but also have to define light property, define how light interact with
different types of materials and how intensity of light affects the mood and
believability. They also have to arrange the reflection and refraction properties
due to the light for each assigned shot ensuring that each shot fits within the
continuity of a sequence, all the while aiming to fulfill the vision of the Directors,
Production Designers, Art Directors and VFX Supervisors.
• Rigging
According to www.cg.tutsplus.com “Rigging is the process of adding bone to the
character or defining
movement of a mechanical
object, and it’s central to the
animation process”. It is this
step through which a
character can move in
animated movies. A
character TD will make test
animation how the
3Dcharacter will move and take a different poses during the movie. It the results
are not satisfying more adjustments and corrections are done. Responsibility of
rigging department does not end here. They are also responsible for cloth
simulation and it is their duty to make the cloths move in the believable manner
during the movie and are also responsible for
the movement of characters like clenching their
fist or rotating their arms etc.
• Animation
The concept of animation is same as in 2D
animations i.e. frame by frame. Animation of
character takes place frame by frame. Let’s Fig 2-9: Animation
Fig 2-7: Texturing
Fig 2-8: Rigging

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suppose an animation shows a character is walking and takes four steps. For this
animation, in a first frame animator takes character’s first leg at the front in the
second frame he takes its second leg at front and first leg to the back. In this way
animation completes frame by frame.
• Post production
This is the final phase of making animated movie. In this phase final adjustments
are done in movie to make it more attractive like editing of raw footage to cut the
scene together, inserting translation effect, working with voice and sound actors
for dubbing etc. Post production of a animated movie consist of composing, sound
editing and video editing.
a. Composing
The main responsibility of composing department is to bring all the 3D images
and prepare the final render images ready for the film and also includes paint
fixes, rotoscoping and compositing of FX elements and general color grading.
b. Sound editing
During this phase sound editors adds sounds to the characters that had been
recorded previously and makes sure that the sound is matching to the movement
of lips. This department is also responsible for adding all other sound effects to
the movie as per the direction given.
c. Video editing
In this phase videos are manipulated, rearranged and unwanted footage are
removed so that film flows through according to requirement and makes sure that
it is prepared for the final release.
Spatial requirements
Animation studios today use different kinds of technology to get their job done. So
spaces must be allocated according to the technological requirement of an animation
studio for which the technological requirements are calculated by the expert and on
the basis of that planning is done. Following are the most important spaces in
animation studio without which it cannot operate
• Workstations
• Server room
• Executive offices
• Backup rooms

• Workstations
Workstations in animation studio
consist of a powerful desk top
and one to two monitors
depending upon the work. These
workstations are used for content
creation and editing
making animated movies.
Windows and other artificial
light sources should be placed
such that they will not produce
glare on screen and necessary
thing should be within the reach
area of the artist.
3Dmodeling unit, story board and development unit, art and design unit.
• Server room
This is the room where the distribution of internet, networking and central
storage of a studio is controlled
technology running in the studio.
storage units used and the networking devices used. This room should be air
tight and use of double
the dust and other harmful thi
other devices in the server room.
area where visitors can easily access them as this room controls all the
• Executive offices
Executive offices are used by executive members, supervisors and othe
staffs who controls whole of
same as discussed above in office space of preproduction facilities
B. Arch. Thesis 20
Pokhara University, Nepal Engineering College
Workstations
Workstations in animation studio
consist of a powerful desk top
and one to two monitors
depending upon the work. These
workstations are used for content
creation and editing purpose for
making animated movies.
Windows and other artificial
light sources should be placed
such that they will not produce
glare on screen and necessary
thing should be within the reach
area of the artist. Generally workstations in animation studio i
Server room
storage of a studio is controlled. It can be said that this room controls all the
technology running in the studio. The size of this room depends upon the
tight and use of double door with lobby in between is practiced to keep away
the dust and other harmful things which can damage the storage device and
other devices in the server room. This room should be placed away from the
Executive offices
offices are used by executive members, supervisors and othe
staffs who controls whole of the studio. Requirements and other things are
Fig 2-10: Server room
Film Studio Design
Chapter Two
l Engineering College 33
Generally workstations in animation studio include
. It can be said that this room controls all the
The size of this room depends upon the
is practiced to keep away
ngs which can damage the storage device and
be placed away from the
offices are used by executive members, supervisors and other
Requirements and other things are
Server room

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Chapter Two
• Backup room
This is the most important part of the animation studio because during the
process of making animated movies and animations processes like rendering
needs continuous power backup. For this, backup room must be able to
handle the backup system that can give backup to all the computers in the
animation studio. As backup system makes lots of noise it should be kept
away from the working areas.
• Render farm
Render farm is a group of
computer networked together,
called nodes, all rendering some
part of all of a frame of
animation. Animation studios
use render farms for rendering
the final animations. Render
farm uses three software first is
application software like Maya,
3ds max etc second is render
engine which takes information
created by animator and then
renders it into cinematic, high
definition or TV quality, third and
last one is render manager which
schedules and distributes render
jobs to render nod es. Along with
these software four piece of
components are used
• Dispatcher – main
control computer or dispatcher to distribute jobs
• Render nodes- rendering slave responsible for rendering job
• Network- communication between render nodes and dispatcher
• Storage- a shared location for sourced files and output files
Render farm should be placed near or if possible right next to the server room
because render farm contains large no of render nodes which needed to be
networked with central storage device and other computers of the studio. Size of
Fig 2-11: Render farm

Film Studio Design
Chapter Two
the render farm depends on the no of stacks used for staking render nodes in them.
To render 90 minutes animated movie 225 render nodes are necessary. These
render nodes are stacked in shelve made to hold these render nodes. Each self can
hold 15 render nodes and is of height 6’-6”, length is 1’8” and width is 1’6”.
Height of 1 unit in shelves 5”. The space between two rows of shelves should be
4’ so that it provides easy circulation and space if some minor adjustment is to be
done.
Architectural considerations for animation studio
• It should accommodate a drawing table for A0
size for layout process
• It should accommodate file cabinet
• Workstations with computer should be provided
• A good A/C system should be provided in render farm.
• Backlot
According to Wikipedia “A backlot is an area behind or adjoining a movie studio,
containing permanent exterior buildings for outdoor scenes in film making or
television production or space for temporary set construction”. The buildings on
backlot are usually constructed with three sides and a roof, often missing the back
wall and one of the side walls. All the sets on a studio backlot are built so that what
looks large or as if it covers miles of ground on the big or small screen in reality only
takes up a few acres of the backlot. There is no such specific requirement for backlot
but it should be enough to hold sets for outdoor shooting along with camera and all
the equipment.
• Sound stage
Sound stage is a building or portion of a
building usually insulated from outside
noise and natural light for use by the
entertainment industry for the purpose of
motion picture, television and
commercial production. Sound stages are
classified according to floor area as
small, medium, large and extra large. For
more requirements of big budget films
Fig 2-12: Sound stage

Film Studio Design
Chapter Two
super stages are also used which has area more than 1800 sqm. These are built
basically for re-creating outdoor setting in feature films. Sometimes super stages are
made up of block of two or three sound stages of increased ceiling height separated
by sliding or roll up soundproof partitions which enable the block to be used either
as two or three separate sound stage or as single stage.
The basic equipment of sound stage serves to facilitate the assembling and
dismantling of sets and the mechanized operation of light equipment and to supply
electrical power as need. It is installed on the working ceiling, which is either
suspended from or built into the roof.
Architectural considerations for sound stage
• Area of small soundstage should be 400 sqm, medium should be 820 sqm, large should
be 1400sqm and extra large should be 1800 sqm.
• Clear height for these categories should be proportional to diagonal length and should
not be less than 0.23D
• For super stages span should be 38m to 48m and length should be 54m to 72m.
• Height should be up to 25m
• Soundproofing should be done to keep away outside noise
• A powerful and noiseless air conditioning system should be provided
2.4.3. Post production facilities
• Post production studio
In this studio final works of motion picture editing is done. This studio contains
recording room, control room, video editing room, mastering room and color grading
room. This studio should be completely sound proof and light proof so that best
quality of work can be delivered to the client. This studio have frequent visitors that
are involved in film especially actors, director, producers, singers and musicians so
they should be placed in a site in such a way that visitors coming here would not
disturb other spaces like outdoor shooting, indoor shooting etc.

• Sound editing and recor
editing is another part of the post
production process. For this a recording
studio is used. Recording studios can be
used to record musicians, voice over artist,
dubbing, etc. According to Wikipedi
recording studio is a facility for sound
recording and mixing. Ideally both the
recording and monitoring spaces are
specially designed by an acoustician to
achieve optimum acoustics properties”.
Basically a recording studio consists of, live
room where instrumentalist and performs;
control room where sound engineer controls and records sounds by using mixing
console along with computer and special software in it; isolation booth use to
accommodate loud musical
instruments too. It is also used for recording vocals while performing. In totality we
can say that singer along with his musicians can perform together here.
Recording studios can be classified in
to be recorded as follows
• Home or project studio
• Separate studio and control room
• Scoring stage and control room
Home or project studio
It is a very small scale recording studio
generally used by music persons in their home
for their projects and albums. In this type of
recording studio we can see small mixing
console, voice recording facility with
microphone and filter and a computer with
software.
B. Arch. Thesis 20
editing and recordingSound
editing is another part of the post
production process. For this a recording
studio is used. Recording studios can be
used to record musicians, voice over artist,
dubbing, etc. According to Wikipedia “A
studio is a facility for sound
recording and mixing. Ideally both the
recording and monitoring spaces are
specially designed by an acoustician to
achieve optimum acoustics properties”.
Basically a recording studio consists of, live
re instrumentalist and performs;
musical instruments like drums, electric guitar and silent musical
Recording studios can be classified into three types according to music intended
to be recorded as follows
Separate studio and control room
Scoring stage and control room
It is a very small scale recording studio
generally used by music persons in their home
for their projects and albums. In this type of
recording studio we can see small mixing
console, voice recording facility with
microphone and filter and a computer with
Fig 2- 13: Recording studio
Fig 2- 14: Home studio
Film Studio Design
Chapter Two
instruments like drums, electric guitar and silent musical
to three types according to music intended
Recording studio
Home studio

It is a medium scale
recording studio which we
can see generally around
us. In this type of recording
studio musicians play their
musical instruments and
recorded in a storage
device (generally a hard
disk of a computer)
through microphone or transducers built in their instruments. In this type of
recording studios musical instruments can be recorded in different time and could
be mixed together afterwards
playing musical instruments at same time loud musical instruments like drums are
played in isolation booth so that it does not overlap with the sound of other
musical instruments. All of these musical ins
controlled and mixed in the recording room.
This is a large scale recording
studio. In this type of recording
studio we can see a hall for
playing music by the group of
musicians called “s
and control room. In scoring
stage musical instruments are
recorded through microphone
by using transducers.
instruments use separate
microphone. In scoring stage sometimes music
portable partitions called “gobos” but mostly it is not used because use of gobos
cannot give better quality.
B. Arch. Thesis 20
It is a medium scale
recording studio which we
can see generally around
us. In this type of recording
studio musicians play their
musical instruments and
recorded in a storage
device (generally a hard
disk of a computer)
be mixed together afterwards through computer software. If all the musicians are
musical instruments. All of these musical instruments and vocals are recorded,
controlled and mixed in the recording room.
This is a large scale recording
studio. In this type of recording
studio we can see a hall for
playing music by the group of
musicians called “s coring stage”
and control room. In scoring
stage musical instruments are
through microphone or
by using transducers. All of the
instruments use separate
microphone. In scoring stage sometimes musicians are separated by using
cannot give better quality.
Fig 2- 15: Separate studio and control room
Fig 2- 16: Scoring stage and control room
Film Studio Design
Chapter Two
through computer software. If all the musicians are
truments and vocals are recorded,
ians are separated by using

Film Studio Design
Chapter Two
Architectural considerations for sound editing and recording studio
• Studio should be designed around the principles of room acoustics and
should be light proof i.e. no light should enter the spaces in the recording so
that best quality of sound and visual can be delivered.
• Minimum ceiling height should be 19’
• For visual connection between control room and recording room
observation window with glass should be provided and should be of size
6’ x 9’
• The glass panel of size 8mm thick and 12mm thick with air gap of 30cm
separating them.
• All doors in the studio contain double glass with gap between them as
mention in above point with glass wool inside.
• Ceiling should be of RCC and should be acoustically treated
• Walls should be double leaf
• Flooring should be of carpet with sponge of good quality to make it noise
proof.
• A constant temperature of about 18o
c and low humidity should be
maintained inside the studio all the times
• The working plane should be well illuminated
Acoustic
It is very important to have acoustic consideration in recording studio for better
quality of sound. For acoustic treatment and consideration various acoustic
properties and treatment materials should be known. Acoustic in the building fan
be controlled by controlling two kinds of noise i.e. air borne noise and structure
borne noise. Air borne noise transfers from one space to another through air from
source and structure borne noise travels through vibration of the structure of
building due to impact of source
Goals of acoustic treatment
• To prevent standing waves and acoustic interference from affecting the
frequency response of recording studios and listening rooms.
• To reduce reverberation time in large studios and auditorium
• To absorb or diffuse sound in the room to avoid ringing and flutter echoes
• To keep sound from leaking into or out of a room.

Film Studio Design
Chapter Two
Following materials can be used to keep away the air borne noise in the space so
that the quality of sound inside the studio improves
Acoustic plaster
Acoustic plaster is available in the market in the form of which can be applied of
the wall of any shape either with the help of trowel or with the help of spraying
equipment.
Composite or assembled unit
They are made up of sound absorbing materials like rock wool, glass fiber blanket
etc fasten to an acoustically transparent facing. These facings are perforated to
allow the penetration of sound waves. By varying the thickness of the sound
absorbing element and the spacing between the panels and the wall, come
variation in the overall absorbing and the absorbing at different frequency can be
obtained.
Prefabricated boards and tiles
They are made up of compressed cane or wood or mineral wool.hey are available
in the form of fiber, building boards, acoustical tiles, composite unit and other
similar materials.
Vibration isolators
It is very important to treat floors so that the vibration of the floors will not affect
the quality of the recorded sound. For these different kinds of vibration isolators
are used.
Isolation pads
Isolation pads of felt, cork, neoprene impregnated fiberglass or ribbed
neoprene sometimes sandwiched by steel plates usually have about a 0.5”
deflection and are used in non critical or high frequency applications.
Typically they are supplied in small squares, which are placed under
vibrating equipment or piping. Where higher deflections are desired or
where there is a need to spread the load, pads are sandwiched with thin
steel plates.

Film Studio Design
Chapter Two
Neoprene mounts
Neoprene isolators are available in the form of individual mounts which
have about a 0.25” rated deflection, or as double deflection mounts having
a 0.4” deflection. These products have integral steel plates, sometimes
with tapped holes that allow them to be bolted to walls or floors. The
double deflection isolators can be used to support floating floors in critical
applications such as recording studio.
Steel springs
A steel spring is the most commonly used vibration isolator for large
equipments internationally. Steel springs alone can be effective for low
frequency isolation. However for broadband isolation they must be used in
combination with neoprene pads to stop high frequencies otherwise
vibration will be transmitted down the springs.
Hanger isolators
Hanger isolators contain a flexible element either neoprene or steel spring
or a combination of both which supports equipment from above. Spring
hangers like free standing springs must have a neoprene pad as part of the
assembly. Hangers should allow for some misalignment between the
housing and the support rod without shorting out and be free to rotate 360o
without making contact with another object. Threaded height adjusting
rods are usually part of these devices.
• Video editing
Video editing is one of the processes of preproduction. In this phase raw footage
taken during production phase is assembled and final effects are added in is so
that it could be distributed in the marked. There are four types of video editing
systems
• Linear editing system
• Non linear editing system
• Offline editing
• Online editing

Film Studio Design
Chapter Two
As offline and online editing systems are not related to the post production
process of making motion pictures, we are discussing only about linear and non-
linear editing system.
Linear editing system
According to Wikipedia “linear video
editing is a video editing post production
process of selecting, arranging and
modifying images and sound in a
predetermined order sequence. Regardless
of whether it was captured by video
camera, tapeless camcorder, or recorded in
a television studio on a video tape recorder
the content must be accessed sequentially.”
At the starting phased quadruplex video
tapes were used were for shooting of video
which can travel at the speed of 15”per second and was edited manually.
Originally video was edited by visualizing the recorded track with ferrofluid and
cutting it with razor blade or guillotine cutter. When two pieces of tapes to be
joint they were painted with a solution a solution of extremely fine iron fillings
suspended in carbon tetra chloride.
After few years a computerized system was developed for linear editing system
but the problem was that the audio track was prone to suffer a short buzzing
sound called artifacts. Editing in linear editing system includes expensive
hardware with time consuming setup and relatively long roll back times for each
edit and showed misalignment as disagreeable “banding” in videos.
With the passage of time linear system improved. Two machines were used in
linear editing system. One was for playing the source tape and second was for
copying desired portion on the second tape. In this system tape is used to record
the footage as described above. The main disadvantage is that once the footage
has been recorded it cannot be replaced and overwrite. This can be taken as main
disadvantage of this system. Another major disadvantage is they cannot be used
Fig 2-17: Linear editing system

Film Studio Design
Chapter Two
for rough cut presentation for producers due to which producers don’t have
opportunity to suggests and give their opinions.
Non linear editing system
According to Wikipedia “A
non linear editing system
(NLE) is video (NLVE) or
audio editing (NLAE) digital
audio workstation syst em that
performs non destructive
editing on source material.” In
this system of editing, reels and
tapes are not used as in case of
linear editing system. For
editing, it uses digital files due
to which the possibility of
damage to the source has become zero. In this system of video editing we can
access any frame by entering the timing of video frame in computer. Due to this it
is not only reliable and safer than linear editing system; it is also faster than linear
editing system. The concept could be understood by taking the example of ms
word. By using ms word we can edit our documents by copying, pasting and cut.
During this process there is no possibility of damaging the original file.
For the process of linear editing at first a raw footages are brought which are shot
during the production process and digital copies of those footage are copied on
the hard disk of computer or on the server of computer. After that computer
software is used for editing footage. If editing software is professional one than it
can record editor’s decision in an edit decision list (EDL) that is exportable to
other editing tools. With this EDL tool editor can work on low resolution copies
of video. This feature is useful especially with those computers which have low
configuration on them.
Since the videos are stored either in server or any other storage device, editing
system can use one of the following method to access the material to be edited
Fig 2-18: Non linear editing system

Film Studio Design
Chapter Two
• Direct access
The video server records feeds with a codec readable by the editing system, has
an Ethernet connection and allows direct editing. The editor previews material
directly on the server and edits directly on the server without transferring
• Shared storage
The server transfers feed to and from shared storage that is accessible by all
editors. Media in the appropriate codec on the server need only transferred. If
recorded with a different codec, media must be transcoded during transfer. In
some cases, files on shared storage can be edited even before the transfer is
finished.
• Importing
The editor downloads the material and edits it locally. This method can be used
with the previous methods.
Architectural considerations for video editing studio
• A seal light proof room should be used for video editing
• For ventilation and to throw the heat generated by equipment proper design and
installation of air conditioning system should be done
• Editing room should be of minimum size 13’ x 19’
• Video editing studio should accommodate a sitting space for editor a working table with
monitors and editing panel
• This room should have racks on which to arrange unused film and film being edited can
be placed
• Provision should be made so that it can be dust free
Mastering studio
According to Wikipedia “Mastering, a form of audio post production is the
process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing
the final mix to a data storage device (the master) ”. Mastering can be done
electro mechanically or digital. Due to the advancement in the technology
digital mastering has overcome electromechanical system of mastering. In
digital system audio are stored in hard disks and then transferred to CD.

Film Studio Design
Chapter Two
Color grading studio
According to Wikipedia “Color grading is the process of altering and enhancing
the color of a motion picture, video image, or still image either electronically,
photo-chemically or digitally”. During this process of post production different
kinds of equipments area used including like color grading panel along with
desktop computer with color grading software. For color grading special
monitor is required which can show color accurately. For more accuracy this
monitor is taken to different movie halls and is matched with their color
settings. For easiness in work color correction is done shot by shot and not
frame by frame.
Architectural considerations for mastering and color grading studio
• A seal light proof room should be used.
• For ventilation and to throw the heat generated by equipment proper design and
installation of air conditioning system should be done.
• Room should be of minimum 13’ x 19’
• Studio should accommodate a sitting space for editor a working table with monitors and
equipment panel.
• Ceiling height should be minimum 10’.
• Distance of monitor in color grading studio can be calculated by (3/2)* monitor size
• Photography studio
According to Wikipedia “Photography is the
art, science, and practice of creating durable
images by recording light or other
electromagnetic radiation, either chemically
by means of a light-sensitive material such as
photographic film, or electronically by means
of an image sensor”. There are four basic
functions of photography studio i.e. taking a
photo, developing a photo, printing a photo
and duplicating a photo. To accomplish these
works photography studio needs following Fig 2-19: Photography studio typical plan

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