Wanna join P.A. Works? Part 2
Part 1 in previous post.
Atrocious translation even by my standards because I have the dumb and cannot brain today, etc.
Disclaimer: This translation has not been edited/proofread/anything, for best results please learn Japanese and refer to the original.
The following information might be a bit outdated. Sections originally in green (rendered in italics for this translation) were questions asked at a company briefing for applicants held in 2006.
About employment assessment
Q Is it okay to use school assignments when showing examples of work?
A We don't mind. However, we won't look at films or other video material.
Q Are there any specifications for the size of sketchbooks, etc. to be shown?
A There aren't any when shown during the first selection test. Your artistic work will be returned by post, so please make it large enough for easy packaging. We will not look at final-year project videos and the like. Sketchbook size for the drawing task during the second selection test will be specified.
[Note: the drawing task is really mosha kadai, which would literally translate into "reproduction assignment/task" - which... just sounds odd. Anyway it's not tracing or direct copying, but reproduction. Described later]
Q How many applications do you receive?
A It increases year by year. Last year we received 60 applications.
Q How do you make out drawing speed by looking at responses to the task?
A You can tell the momentum of a line by looking at it. How fast you can draw quantities will be assessed during the second selection test, where we see how much you can accurately reproduce within a set time.
Q Assessment details
A First selection test: Resume, graduation and results certificates (or predicted ones)
Examples of work (Sketchbooks, drawing pads etc will be returned)
Second selection test: Only for those who pass the first test. Interview, drawing task
Those who pass the first round of selections will be notified via documents.
Carry-home [?] items: Drawing task (Details of the task will be provided via documents)
Q Is the assessment held only at the Toyama main office?
A We would like candidates to see what sort of place they'll be working at for themselves, so animator assessments are conducted at the main office.
Q What's the drawing task like?
A Firstly we will indicate particular comics etc as material for reproduction. They will be from two regular, but different, styles.
We will look at your sketchbook containing reproductions of them on the scheduled interview appointment date. What we take note of is reproduction ability, sheer strength [lit: horsepower] in drawing large quantities, and ability to maintain concentration.
Q What do you look for in provided example works (sketchpads etc)?
A Rather than finished works done for school assignments and such, we place greater importance on how many daily drawings and sketches are done, and how much you like drawing. We look at quality and quantity as well.
Q What's the interview like?
A How much common sense you have as a member of society, and how much interest you have in animation.
Q When do we know the results?
A We make an overall decision based on submitted documents/works, interviews and the drawing task. We usually give a reply within one week of the second round of selections.
Q Is it fine even if I don't go to an animation school?
A We do not require you to draw tweens and display other actual animation techniques in our assessments. If you can get through two months of tasks during the training period, you will become able to do in-between animation.
Q Are there age restrictions for applying?
A You must be 25 years or less.
About the 3 months training period
Q What is done during the training period?
A You will practise doing in-between animation with actual materials that have been used before. After 2 months you will be equipped with the speed and level of skill required to live as an in-betweener.
Q How fast should in-between cleanups be?
A As an example on the first day of training your first task is to do 30 key animation traces within 1 day.
Living environment at the main office
Q What is the surrounding environment like?
A It's the countryside. It's a tourist spot. It's sometimes called the Little Kyoto of Hokuriku. The destination, 1 away from Takaoka Station on the single-track line, is Johana Station, built over 100 years ago.
In the summer the frogs are incredibly noisy. Long boots are a necessity in winter.
It is 10 km away from a ski resort. The nearest cinema complex is almost an hour away by car.
Q What is the climate like?
A It's a land of snow in winter, so you get up to 50cm of snow when it does fall. Of course, the roads get cleared of snow. Summer is about as hot as Tokyo, but a little easier to spend compared to Nagoya and Osaka City.
Q Are the transport systems fine even when it snows in winter?
A The nearest is the JR Johana line (Takaoka City to Johana), but it runs on diesel (in other words, a steam train!) so it is quite resistant to snow. It always moves in the end. (Answered by regular Johana line traveller)
Q Are there supermarkets?
A There is a supermarket and 24-hour convenience store within 15 seconds of walking from the dorm.
[Note: Surely they meant 15 minutes...]
Q How far is the dorm from the main office?
A Around 15 minutes by walking.
[Oh.]
After starting work as an in-betweener
Q Is it possible to make a living?
A If it wasn't possible to make a living there would be no animators.
As a hiring requirement the most important is whether you have enough stamina to live as an in-between animator. Below are some responses given by in-betweeners.
* I had to receive an allowance [from my parents] during the training period.
* You have to churn out those drawings in order to cover the minimum required amount for living expenses.
* You don't spend much living in Johana, so nothing is impossible.
Q How many drawings to do per day?
A The target is 20. In reality it's 15-16. It depends on the material you get. (Answered by in-betweener)
(In the case where the bulk of your in-between work is Ghost in the Shell and Fullmetal Alchemist)
Since I became an in-betweener my first target has been to do 500 per month.
Q For practise, is it better to do [general] sketching or anime-style drawings?
A Both are important. If you don't understand the human physique you can't draw in-betweens. (Answered by in-betweener)
Q Don't you get tenosynovitis. That's the occupational hazard of animators...
[Note: Basically inflamed tendon sheaths]
A I've been looking at the situation for more than 10 years now. I know 3 people with tenosynovitis. Even if proportion-wise it would be about 1%, it's still an occupational disease of animators I guess. Plus, because you have to sit while working the whole time, there's people who get painful backs. P.A. Works has had an original drawing desk made with a few degrees of slant for the light table, to prevent bad posture.
It's very easy to have insufficient exercise. Twice a month we book an indoor sports hall and have some sports (participating is voluntary)
Yeah, that stuff on Noriyuki Fukuda's blog (now I remember his name!) - really should do more of that, some pretty interesting stuff and I need to go back and make some big edits since I had no idea what he was talking about sometimes. I get nearly all of it in Japanese but hell if I had to translate it decently :(
Part 3 up! tomorrow! Hopefully.
Atrocious translation even by my standards because I have the dumb and cannot brain today, etc.
Disclaimer: This translation has not been edited/proofread/anything, for best results please learn Japanese and refer to the original.
The following information might be a bit outdated. Sections originally in green (rendered in italics for this translation) were questions asked at a company briefing for applicants held in 2006.
About employment assessment
Q Is it okay to use school assignments when showing examples of work?
A We don't mind. However, we won't look at films or other video material.
Q Are there any specifications for the size of sketchbooks, etc. to be shown?
A There aren't any when shown during the first selection test. Your artistic work will be returned by post, so please make it large enough for easy packaging. We will not look at final-year project videos and the like. Sketchbook size for the drawing task during the second selection test will be specified.
[Note: the drawing task is really mosha kadai, which would literally translate into "reproduction assignment/task" - which... just sounds odd. Anyway it's not tracing or direct copying, but reproduction. Described later]
Q How many applications do you receive?
A It increases year by year. Last year we received 60 applications.
Q How do you make out drawing speed by looking at responses to the task?
A You can tell the momentum of a line by looking at it. How fast you can draw quantities will be assessed during the second selection test, where we see how much you can accurately reproduce within a set time.
Q Assessment details
A First selection test: Resume, graduation and results certificates (or predicted ones)
Examples of work (Sketchbooks, drawing pads etc will be returned)
Second selection test: Only for those who pass the first test. Interview, drawing task
Those who pass the first round of selections will be notified via documents.
Carry-home [?] items: Drawing task (Details of the task will be provided via documents)
Q Is the assessment held only at the Toyama main office?
A We would like candidates to see what sort of place they'll be working at for themselves, so animator assessments are conducted at the main office.
Q What's the drawing task like?
A Firstly we will indicate particular comics etc as material for reproduction. They will be from two regular, but different, styles.
We will look at your sketchbook containing reproductions of them on the scheduled interview appointment date. What we take note of is reproduction ability, sheer strength [lit: horsepower] in drawing large quantities, and ability to maintain concentration.
Q What do you look for in provided example works (sketchpads etc)?
A Rather than finished works done for school assignments and such, we place greater importance on how many daily drawings and sketches are done, and how much you like drawing. We look at quality and quantity as well.
Q What's the interview like?
A How much common sense you have as a member of society, and how much interest you have in animation.
Q When do we know the results?
A We make an overall decision based on submitted documents/works, interviews and the drawing task. We usually give a reply within one week of the second round of selections.
Q Is it fine even if I don't go to an animation school?
A We do not require you to draw tweens and display other actual animation techniques in our assessments. If you can get through two months of tasks during the training period, you will become able to do in-between animation.
Q Are there age restrictions for applying?
A You must be 25 years or less.
About the 3 months training period
Q What is done during the training period?
A You will practise doing in-between animation with actual materials that have been used before. After 2 months you will be equipped with the speed and level of skill required to live as an in-betweener.
Q How fast should in-between cleanups be?
A As an example on the first day of training your first task is to do 30 key animation traces within 1 day.
Living environment at the main office
Q What is the surrounding environment like?
A It's the countryside. It's a tourist spot. It's sometimes called the Little Kyoto of Hokuriku. The destination, 1 away from Takaoka Station on the single-track line, is Johana Station, built over 100 years ago.
In the summer the frogs are incredibly noisy. Long boots are a necessity in winter.
It is 10 km away from a ski resort. The nearest cinema complex is almost an hour away by car.
Q What is the climate like?
A It's a land of snow in winter, so you get up to 50cm of snow when it does fall. Of course, the roads get cleared of snow. Summer is about as hot as Tokyo, but a little easier to spend compared to Nagoya and Osaka City.
Q Are the transport systems fine even when it snows in winter?
A The nearest is the JR Johana line (Takaoka City to Johana), but it runs on diesel (in other words, a steam train!) so it is quite resistant to snow. It always moves in the end. (Answered by regular Johana line traveller)
Q Are there supermarkets?
A There is a supermarket and 24-hour convenience store within 15 seconds of walking from the dorm.
[Note: Surely they meant 15 minutes...]
Q How far is the dorm from the main office?
A Around 15 minutes by walking.
[Oh.]
After starting work as an in-betweener
Q Is it possible to make a living?
A If it wasn't possible to make a living there would be no animators.
As a hiring requirement the most important is whether you have enough stamina to live as an in-between animator. Below are some responses given by in-betweeners.
* I had to receive an allowance [from my parents] during the training period.
* You have to churn out those drawings in order to cover the minimum required amount for living expenses.
* You don't spend much living in Johana, so nothing is impossible.
Q How many drawings to do per day?
A The target is 20. In reality it's 15-16. It depends on the material you get. (Answered by in-betweener)
(In the case where the bulk of your in-between work is Ghost in the Shell and Fullmetal Alchemist)
Since I became an in-betweener my first target has been to do 500 per month.
Q For practise, is it better to do [general] sketching or anime-style drawings?
A Both are important. If you don't understand the human physique you can't draw in-betweens. (Answered by in-betweener)
Q Don't you get tenosynovitis. That's the occupational hazard of animators...
[Note: Basically inflamed tendon sheaths]
A I've been looking at the situation for more than 10 years now. I know 3 people with tenosynovitis. Even if proportion-wise it would be about 1%, it's still an occupational disease of animators I guess. Plus, because you have to sit while working the whole time, there's people who get painful backs. P.A. Works has had an original drawing desk made with a few degrees of slant for the light table, to prevent bad posture.
It's very easy to have insufficient exercise. Twice a month we book an indoor sports hall and have some sports (participating is voluntary)
Yeah, that stuff on Noriyuki Fukuda's blog (now I remember his name!) - really should do more of that, some pretty interesting stuff and I need to go back and make some big edits since I had no idea what he was talking about sometimes. I get nearly all of it in Japanese but hell if I had to translate it decently :(
Part 3 up! tomorrow! Hopefully.