The motion design & animation process.
by Gaëtan Dehaese.
The motion design & animation process is pretty straightforward since each step is an elaboration on the previous one. But not everybody that wants to use motion design or animation in their project knows all the steps necessary to bring your vision to live.
So where do we start?
COFFEE!
Each project has its own way of beginning. Some clients come to us with just an idea, others come with a complete vision including a guide and script.
Either way, we first sit down and run through it all. This is the perfect way of getting to know each other, the project and the expectations. But also to discuss the type of animation, the style, the workload and the budget.
Once we’ve agreed and figured everything out, we’re ready to go.
SCRIPT
It all starts here, with a script. This can be a description of what happens on screen or a written voice-over text. Some clients already have this part covered, some not. If not: no worries. We’re glad to help you write the script and if need be, we collaborate with one of our copywriting partners. Once the script has been finalised and approved, we’re ready for the next step.
STYLE FRAMES
For some projects, we also make “style frames”. These are examples of some frames that are created in the final look and feel of the project. This will help you have a clear view of what the end product will look like.
The style frames are usually made while the script is finalised. If there is already a clear visual style that has been decided on, this step is sometimes skipped.
VOICE RECORDING
Will your project need a voice-over, or some spoken dialogue? Together with our external partner, we can provide you with several voice samples of actors/actresses in different languages. Choose the ones you like, and once the script has been finalized and approved, we’ll make sure the recordings are done professionally.
STORYBOARD
Based on the script, and keeping in mind the style and animation type for the project, we start developing a storyboard. This is a sequence of drawings, typically with some directions and dialogue, representing each shot and action for the entire movie. This storyboard will give you a clear idea of what will be happening on screen, and will also be the main lead for the animator.
ANIMATIC
If wanted, these drawings can be put together with the audio tracks, to make an animatic movie. This will give you an even better grasp of timing and movement throughout the animation. This is especially useful for larger projects or elaborate animations but is often skipped for smaller projects.
ANIMATION
Once the storyboard/animatic has been approved, we start the actual process of creating the movie. Assets are drawn, imported and animated to bring your project to live.
Depending on the number of days needed, we implement some feedback moments, where the finished shots are shown. This way we can still make some minor adjustments if needed. By the end of the foreseen animation days, you’ll get the first cut of your project with a first audio mix.
FINALISATION
We’re almost there! After receiving your feedback, we adjust and finalise the file (if needed), and mix the sound and audio to the perfect levels. We render your project in the file formats you like and provide you with the final files.
That’s it, you just received your animation in different video formats, and are now free to share, post and show it off!
As already stated, this process is pretty straightforward, since each step is an elaboration on the previous one. Going back some steps is always possible, but will cost a lot of time (and budget).
Luckily, Content & Coffee is all about co-creation. So we involve our clients from the start, letting them share their ideas en helping them incorporate these into their project. This doesn’t stop once we’ve started work on the project, as we foresee feedback moments after every step, and only move forward to the next step after your approval. This way we’re sure you know how your project is coming along, avoid having to rework previous steps, and don’t just get you a “what-you-see-is-what-you-get” end result.
Cause in the end, we both want the same thing: deliver a kick-ass result that makes you, and us, happy & proud.
Want to work on a video together?
Feel free to contact us so we can see how we can help each other.
