Sakuga Uchiwase (作画打ち合わせ), or Sakkuchi (作打ち) for short, is a meeting where the director and anyone else from the production company with input on the storyboard get together with contracted animators to explain the e-conte and answer questions.
Be forewarned that these meetings are almost always in Japanese and it's pretty rare to have the studio provide a translator. Sometimes freelancers don't attend these meetings because they can't understand Japanese (or they're not invited), but even if your Japanese is abysmal and you're not sure about attending, see if you can find a way of joining and understanding a Sakkuchi meeting. Most of the time it's your only chance to speak directly with the main production staff for a show, and being able to clear up problems here can save you a ton of heartache and wasted time over your work on a production. In some cases you might be lucky enough to get a video recording to reference later. Make sure you download and reference the video as needed!
Even if you know a meeting is recorded, taking notes in these meetings is really helpful. When the director discusses your section, pay special attention to how they describe the tone of each scene. You don't want to draw a serious fight scene like it's a slapstick comedy, or accidentally draw a quiet kuudere character with a big grin (believe me, it's a lot easier to make those kinds of mistakes than you think!). Beyond tone, check to make sure there aren't important details that are hard to understand from the e-conte. Sometimes characters are wearing different clothes than they normally do, or there are special notes about sound effects, camera moves, references to real-world locations. Making a mistake on any of these points can be costly in time and resources.
Here's a list with a few more things you might want to listen for:
- Any special instructions for a scene that may differ from the storyboards
- Any emotional beats the director may want to show in a way that isn’t obvious.
- Any changes in character clothing or style
- Any unusual props or settings that might require extra resources or work
- Major changes or missing materials, like storyboard revisions or incomplete settei
- Anything that is missing or unclear
At several points in the meeting you'll have some time for questions. Ask them! Both you and the studio staff want a smooth, easy production–so take the time to clear up problems while it’s easy to get feedback.