Custom cels

[on:]

It's been quite a while since I posted, so I don't know if this has been covered before, but I ran a quick search of the boards and didn't find anything, so here goes...

On the season three comentaries Matt Groening mentioned custom Futurama cels available for purchase. I'd really likr to get on to fill out my cel collection, but I haven't been able to find anything about them on the web. Does anyone know about this?

[Reply #1 on:]

There used to be a company reselling them on Ebay, not second hand but just on ebay

But I dont think they are made anymore now that the show is finished, however occassionally someone sells their's on ebay

[Reply #2 on:]

Since Futurama is done differently than traditional animation there are no cels per se. An animation cel is created when somebody takes the image that was drawn by the animator and traces it onto a clear acetate medium. Somebody then comes over this blackline drawing and adds the appropriate colors. These cels are then matted to a background and photographed thereby creating a single frame of animation.

Futurama starts off pretty much the same. An animator draws the image but it is then scanned into a computer where it is touched up, painted and composited with the appropriate background. Since it is done on the computer there are no cels that are produced.
To get around this problem somewhat there is or was a program that the animation studio house were running whereby you could purchase a production drawing. That production drawing had a serial number. You could send it to 20th Century Fox and they would create what is called a one of one. They would create the cel image and composite on the appropriate background for that scene creating a psuedo cel print.

20th Century Fox recently stopped doing this but you can still get production drawings. I have been told by animation houses that if you have multiple images you want one of one cels made of they will consider doing them for you. Probably in the neighberhood of 4 or 5 drawings.
Hope that helps. 
RM

[Reply #3 on:]

Pity cels aren't common because of Futurama's medium. I didn't actually think any existed at all, until now. It's nice to know some do exist, even if they're in very short supply...

[Reply #4 on:]

Which makes them cost... how much?

[Reply #5 on:]

A one of one typically runs about 450.00US and that is probably without framing and matting. Production drawings run about 150.00US depending on how many characters and which characters are contained within it.
RM