There is a long and bumpy road between the idea and the final animation editing. The creators may expect various obstacles along the way, which can hamper work and extend the execution time. In order to be able to determine the time needed for producing an animated video correctly, it is worth thinking thoroughly about all the production components (read about it in the text “Key animation components”).

Concept

The first step is to develop the concept – even at this initial stage it may turn out that we need more time than anticipated. The reason for this is that polishing the general concept may be very time consuming. The research itself, which must be very detailed, and which allows for choosing the best graphic convention, often takes numerous trials. This goes on and on until we’re happy with the result.

Script

When the concept has been developed it is turned into a script. It normally takes many corrections and changes, until it is fully accepted by the customer. This is a difficult and time consuming stage, because we are not really able to “think with images,” which may be the reason some of the ideas do not defend themselves in an animation/video.

A great example showing how sticking to bad ideas, resulting from lack of understanding of the language of images, can hurt an animated video is the sketch by Mann and Materna.

Storyboard

When the script is approved, the designer creates a storyboard. First, the script is divided into key scenes, characters are created and background elements are developed. The designer must also think about the ways of presenting the scenes, e.g. whether it’s going to be a close-up or a long shot, and determine the time of the day, if necessary. When it’s all set, he starts to draw the storyboard. This tool is a must in making a video/animation, showing in a clear, graphic and logical way what and when is to happen. At this stage many script inaccuracies come into surface, there may appear new ideas which streamline the story and make it more attractive. This of course extends the production time, as it is necessary to make corrections in the script and get another approval from the customer.

Sound

Whether you are animating a video clip or a specific script, we need to get approval from the customer for the soundtrack (music – if we produce it, special effects). It’s not about the final version of the entire soundtrack or particular music pieces, but about clearly determining the genre, climate or specific pattern, to which the sound material will be created. This stage can only be omitted if the customer has a specific piece of music and the video/animation is created to illustrate it (read, how we made such animation).