Production Processes and Pipelines

Long projects, such as animations, seem to be the type of project I have the hardest time organising my time for. I am specifically researching animation production processes and methodologies to attempt to understand the best way to organise such projects. Hopefully this research will also be applicable to organising other projects such as design jobs too.

Here is a run down of my research into improved time management in the form improved production planing and organisation. This is in relation to animation type projects, however it can be easily applied to other multimedia/design work.

Kerlow (2000) suggests that when planning the production strategy for any computer animation project one should begin with an examination of a few key elements:

* What is the type of production?

* How technically complex is it?

* What resources are needed (budget, deadline, hardware, and software)?

Types of Production:
In 3D animation alone there are many different types of productions, each requiring vastly different production strategies. Here is a brief list Kerlow (2000) provides for solely 3D production projects:

* 90 minute all computer animated feature film.

* 30 minute computer animation to complement a hand drawn feature film.

* 15 minute all computer animated weekly series.

* 10 minute sequence of animated cut scenes for a computer game.

* 4 minute short film.

* 3 minutes of visual effects for a live action feature film.

* 2 minutes of low quality animation for web streaming.

There are a large variety of different types of productions for solely 3D projects.  This large variety dictates that most productions will be significantly different and will therefore require an individual production process.  Not all of the above productions are applicable to student work, however this does not alter the reality that each different student project will have different dynamics and require a somewhat individual production plan.

Technical Complexity:
The type of production affects both the technical complexity and the necessary resources.  An experimental student animation may have a relaxed schedule and need limited resources, while animation for Visual Effects in a feature film may have a tight schedule and require high technical complexity and large computer power (Kerlow 2000).

Due to the technical complexity of an animation project being driven by many factors, it is important to plan each aspect of the production in the early stages.  In an animation the technical complexity of each shot needs to understood, if sections are too complex then time needs to be allocated to learn the techniques necessary or the shot needs to be modified. Technical complexity should be balanced so that it doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the production.

Resources:
In terms of hardware and software, student resources are generally set by what the university provides, and to a smaller degree what individual students own. Monetary resources are also not as important to student productions due to the university providing the necessary hardware and software. With hardware/software and money covered in most student projects time is probably the most important resource.

The production of individual projects is driven by the type of production, the technical complexity and the resources available.  If these elements are mapped out thoroughly before the project is started then you will have a greater understanding of what needs to be done to complete the production.    Whilst individual projects will require different production strategies, there is a rough process that can be adhered to. This process is comprised of three parts, production planning, production estimates and creating a production schedule (O’Rourke 1998). These three components are vital in ensuring that the production is feasible in the set budget, deadline and technical complexity.

My next post will delve further into production planning.

Reference List:

Kerlow, I 2000, ‘THE ART OF 3-D COMPUER ANIMATION AND IMAGING’, 2nd  edn, John Wiley & Sons, Inc, Cambridge, USA.

O/Rourke, M 1998, ‘Principles of Three Dimensional Computer Animation’, W.W. Norton & Company, New York.

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