Planning Phase
The first step to creating an animation involves doing extensive research. From field studies to sketches, lip-syncing and audio, writing and project management, so much goes into deciding how to go about creating a piece, especially because it takes a long time to animate.
When you think about it, one second of material is 24 frames. A 90 minute film has 5,400 seconds, that comes to just 129,000 frames. Most animated films take several years to complete, even shorts or tv shows take a couple of years, despite digital media speeding that process up a bit.
Next is piecing the film together and writing a cohesive story. After several edits and a general script is created, it’s time to begin storyboarding. This is sort of like a comic strip, plotting out the action and scenes. A lot can change during this time still, and being able to view a rough version together helps iron out any kinks or things that may be too ambitious to complete.
