1. Reception of the project
First steps. When a project arrives, the first thing you do is break it down , do the breakdown .You have to break down the project into the pieces of the puzzle that you need to create what the client asks for.
This can be done both from an idea, from something “abstract”, and from material provided by the client: StoryBoard , where the content can be viewed, a script … It is at that moment when characters, locations, props begin to be counted , effects … everything that is needed for the animation production process in question.
2. Planning and Budgeting
That’s when planning begins . All the pieces of the puzzle taken from the breakdown are put on the table and an estimation of times is made to develop each one, taking into account the resources that are needed.
This process is the same for an animated film , a live image or as for another animation production process at any stage. It basically consists of accounting for the resources necessary to create each piece and based on that, planning the time it will take for each one to carry out the necessary tasks to develop the final product. This stage is very important and it is essential to capture realistic times, including in the calculation of development times the possible retakes of the director.
The planning will serve both to make the initial budget , reflecting the cost of each resource in time, and to, during animation production process, manage the resources to meet those times, generating the animation production calendar.
Lack of budget can lead to impossible times and unrealistic planning, and over-budget to calendar extensions. It is the animation production task to ensure that the deadlines established with the client in the calendar are met and to manage possible extensions or delays with them.
3. Briefing & Follow-up meetings
In an animation production process, it is essential that the artists are clear about their tasks, so before starting each one, it is very important to ensure that they receive an initial briefing .
This briefing is preferable to be done by the director, so that they know directly what is being sought. Communication between the director and the artists is very important , and it is an animation production task both to organize periodic meetings with the director and to request more information or graphic material if it is needed to carry out the task entrusted. The purpose of the artists’ work is to get it to be approved by the director.
In the follow-up meetings , animation production will organize the work to be shown to the director to receive feedback and during the meeting it will take notes so that the artist has them at hand at all times. The notes have to be written in a simple and clear way and that they do not give rise to mistakes; taking notes is quite a production art.
The communication and management of the information is fundamental since it is very important that the artist is aware of everything that concerns his task and has the necessary tools to develop it; tools among which, in addition to talent and software, of course, is information.
4. Day by day
Mini plannings are very important in daily work . A film or animation production is a long process , a long-distance race, so short-term goals must be set week by week to maintain motivation and morale in the teams. A weekly meeting with your teams so that they are clear about the objectives of the week and the dates or key events of the week such as deliveries or important meetings is necessary in all animation production.
If the workload is very heavy or daily feedback is received from the client, for example, daily meetings can be held to share the work of each team member and make sure that everyone is on the same page.
It is important to be aware that being part of an animation production means being part of a team, and not only at the departmental level but also at the global level of animation production. Everything that one department does will influence the next and the other departments that are working in parallel. For example, if something is changed in art, this will change the 3D model that the modeling team creates. Thus, the sharing of information or material that can influence other departments is vital for the gear to work and not reach animation, for example, a model that was modified a posteriori into art by an artistic retake.
5. Process management system
To manage the project, during the animation production process there is no ideal system , it can be a drive or even a folder structure with a good nomenclature that everyone understands. Regardless of the size of the animation production, a scalable system must be established so that if what was a storyboard production service becomes the animation production of said storyboard, for example, the management system works and there is no need to generate another for the same project.
It is essential that all the people involved in the project have access to the relevant information about the project or that necessary for the development of their tasks and that they do not depend solely on the production people. The management system must therefore be accessible and bet on the independence of those who use it.
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Animost – Vietnam 3D Animation Studio
hello@animost.com
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Consolidated by Animost in collaboration with Branding Simple
Reference Sources:
- Animation World Network: https://www.awn.com/
- Cartoon Brew – Technology: https://www.cartoonbrew.com/tech
- Befores & Afters – Visual effects and animation journalist: https://beforesandafters.com/
- Bloomberg News: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/
- Insider: https://www.insider.com/
- Crehana Blog: 3D animation
- Notodoanimacion: Animation process