One characteristic of the background art in Shinkai's works is realistic drawing based on location scouting photographs. Director Shinkai uses this technique to pursue "reality" within on-screen images with the speed and efficiency of a mass-production animation house. Because real studios must process a large amount of work, there is a strong demand for "drawing quickly and in quantity." The technique outlined here is one built on experience with those production methods. However, there are also many cases where the actual layout work cannot rely on photographs (impossible shooting angles, fictional locations, etc.); even with <i>Five Centimeters per Second</i>, only about 40 percent of scenes are based on location scouting photographs. When location scouting photographs cannot be used, traditional animation and art staff layouts are used as a starting point. Regardless of whether or not it is based on photographs, director Shinkai holds that the most important aspect of drawing background art is control of color tone and detail. When making a large number of drawings, one must construct a mental palette from the seasons, weather, time of day, temperature, and so forth, and create the individual patterns that say "I draw with this technique in order to show you this picture" — this becomes the basis of the world given life on screen. Director Shinkai emphasizes the importance of seeing a project through from start to finish, frame by frame, with these common patterns. We hope that the examples shown on this page will provide guidance for readers in their own productions.