Anime Staff & Production Terminology: The Basics

This is largely something I’m doing just to familiarise myself with the roles of anime production and the Japanese titles for each role, may not be 100% accurate for every work. Corrections/changes of definition (as a result of more acquired knowledge) may happen down the line. Roles are in no particular order: 

Director - (監督, kantoku) 

Oversees the general production process for the series, OVA or film, may also do storyboards, screenplays/scenarios and on rare occasions, provide key animation. Most staff become directors by starting as storyboard or layout artists before making their way up to becoming an episode director and eventually, general director. Animators who advance to the point of becoming an animation director may also become directors. You do not need to be exceptionally good at drawing to be a director. 

Episode Director - (演出, enshutsu)

Mostly applies to TV anime and OVAs but can exist in film as well as a credit for directing specific scenes. Overseas the production process of a specific episode of a series or a scene in a film so the general director’s workload will not be overloaded. Episode directors generally move onto to becoming full-on directors. 

Storyboard/Storyboard Artist - (絵コンテ, ekonte)

Usually drawn by a director or by a designated storyboard artist, they are a collection of simple, drawn images annotated with directions that are meant to convey how the work is intended to look like in terms of composition, shot-length, movement of characters, camera movements such as pans or zooms, what specific feeling the drawings should convey and photography instructions. Episode directors may do their own storyboards for a specific episode of a TV anime or OVA they direct. Most directors start as storyboard artists early in their career. Doing storyboards does not require exceptional drawing skill to do. 

Layout - (レイアウト)

Drawings that are done after the storyboard process, but before key animation. They convey in greater detail what the finished product is supposed to look like, being used by both the animators and the background artists as their guide to maintain consistency in character drawing and background painting. Layouts are usually drawn by an animation director or by a key animator who is going to undertake the process of animating the scene they are doing layouts for. You need exceptional drawing talent in order to draw layouts effectively. 

Layouts are often mistaken for key animation on auction sites and in general anime fandom but they can be easy to differentiate if you know what to look for: 

•  Layouts usually feature a rectangle or square area where the drawings are located inside. Key animation drawings do not. 
• Layout drawings often have a drawn background which is used by the background artists as a guide for what they are supposed to be painting. Actual key animation does not require the animator to draw the background unless they are also animating the background in that particular scene.

Key Animation/Animator - (原画, genga)

The key animator draws the most important drawings in a scene, such as the beginning and end of a piece of action or character movement. Key animators also write in a Time Sheet where the in-between frames should be drawn and timing instructions for the in-between animators to follow. Key animators start out as in-between animators before usually being promoted to key animation once their drawing skill has adequately advanced enough. 

In-Between Animation/Animator - (動画, douga) 

Less experienced animators who fill in the in-between drawings between the already completed key drawings that have been dictated to them by the more experienced key animators. Once in-between animators have reached a certain level of drawing skill, they are usually promoted to key animation duties. 

Animation Direction/Director - (作画監督, sakuga kantoku) 

Oversees the creation of the key drawings and redraws any key drawings that are off model, the animation director replaces off-model drawings by doing new drawings on their own coloured piece of paper (usually yellow) while using the un-corrected drawings as a base. It requires exceptionally high drawing skills to be an animation director. 

The Japanese name can also be shorted to “Sakkan” (作監). 

I’m lazy so maybe I’ll eventually add more later.