The animation process 

The script is the compass. The path.

The script is the basis for everything our video will contain. So we lock down the script as early as possible in the process as it helps inform everything else going forward. Present drafts early, and I can advise on story flow and narrative elements.

Things to consider:

Keep the scripts short, video viewership retention drops off significantly after 2 minutes. Longer form content can live at the desired destination on a platform that can support it.

Every journey needs a plan.

It’s usually best to design the entire project as still frames so we can see how everything will look before we start building the final product.

Each key frame is designed and redesigned until all the kinks are worked out—before we start animating. This is the time to be picky, the closer we get to what you want, the better your video will look in the end.

Things to consider:

For a two-minute video, roughly 35–55 storyboard frames are needed, depending on the animation complexity.

This is the most important part of the animation process. Spending time here will always result in a better quality product, and ensures we’re all on the same page.

See your vision take form

Style frames are visual representations of the approach I’ll take for a project—they allow you to glance into the future of what we’ll get when the project is completed.

Typically I’ll develop 3–5 style frames and present them for feedback.

These style frames will dictate the art direction and style for the entire project, so it’s vital that we’re all on the same page.

Timing and rhythm

Board-o-matic may sound like a made up word, but it is a crucial phase of the project. We take rough vocals and music, then lay them over the storyboards/style frames to get the pacing right before we spend any time animating. Doing this early gives you an indication of the pacing and tone of the video.

Let’s see it move!

You can call it a draft, but animatic just sounds better. This stage is all about figuring out how things move. Since we’ve figured out look and feel, timing and music, all we have to focus on now is the animation. There should be little if any surprises at this point.

The last 10%

“That’s a lot of work to get to animation!” I hear you thinking, but by this point it’s all gravy. The last 10% of the project is where your audience see the work that has been put in. More time spent here means animations can be refined to award-winning quality. If we rush through this part, all the previous work will be squandered.

We’re done right? That’s all? Finito?

Almost, but now we need to take our wondrous creation and make it fit to all the platforms you’d like it to be seen on. This, with some forethought, isn’t a onerous task, but an important one. We get extra mileage by cutting your video into various lengths (6, 15 and 30), sizes (square, portrait horizontal). Doing this just helps our video shine in the best way.

Breathe

Now our part is over. There are other professions that count likes and interactions, that is not my calling though. Once those sorcerers come back with the data to inform us on our next project, we can take a breath. Great job, we did it. See you next time.