Ⅰ. Introduction
Becoming a director is my ultimate goal in the animation industry. The ability to tell stories from my own imagination through animation is extremely appealing to me. Compared to other roles, directing involves broader responsibilities and higher demands. Since well-known directors are relatively few, I chose to study a less famous but active Chinese animator, Hiromatsu SHU. He has worked in both China and Japan and led projects like Fate/Grand Order Memorial Movie (2023) and the Chainsaw Man ED. His interview gave me a clear insight into what being an animation director actually entails.
Ⅱ. Role Overview & Key Responsibilities
A director is responsible for the overall production of a project, from initial concept to finished work. It is not just storyboarding and includes guiding performance, reviewing artwork, supervising cinematography and editing, and sometimes even managing schedules.
Being a director is not just about giving orders—it is about breaking down your vision into concrete steps and communicating them to different teams. The more deeply a director understands each part of the production process, the closer the final product will be to the original idea.
Ⅲ. Typical Workflow
Hiromatsu SHU described his workflow for an animation opening sequence as follows:
- Develop initial concepts and visual ideas from the script, conduct research, and turn abstract concepts into visual forms.
- Create storyboards, including plan shot composition, character actions, color, and camera movement. During the layout stage, arrange characters, objects, and backgrounds to form a clear shot design.
- Guide key animators on performance and break down complex shots or effects into tasks.
- Supervise art, 3D, cinematography, and editing teams to ensure execution matches the vision.
- In post-production, adjust shot effects, visual effects, and color to make sure the final result aligns with the original concept.
Ⅳ. Required Skills
Directing requires a broad skill set, but it can build on your strengths. For example, someone strong in drawing may excel in visual design, while someone less skilled at drawing might focus on storytelling.
Learning comes in many forms: analyzing films, exploring cross-disciplinary knowledge such as literature, philosophy, and science can all inspire creativity. More importantly, hands-on experience in production and communicating with the team across departments are essential to truly understand the role.
Ⅴ. Reflection
This role combines storytelling, drawing, camera and scene design, and teamwork. Through my studies, I am gradually developing skills in these areas, and directing remains a career I am highly motivated to pursue in the future.
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