At NoSuchThing we believe that each animation should be unique, as each story to tell and each client is different. The process to achieve a good result however is largely the same. We follow a process that works best for creating a solid animation in the most efficient way. Each phase is accompanied with a moment where we ask you to sign off the stage, so that we're clear on what's going to happen throughout the whole production.
We start with a brainstorm with the client. We talk about goals and objective, the brand, tone of voice… What do we want to tell our viewer? We’ll also be talking about specific calls to action, your product or service and what kind of style is going to be involved. Based on this information we will develop a concept that’s going to be the base for our animation.
With the concept crisp and clear, we can start fleshing out the story and script. The treatment will tell us exactly what is going to happen on screen, and the script is all about what’s going to be said by the voice actor(s). When the script is approved we will start looking for the right voice over as well as a tune to go along with the animation.
The next step is drawing roughs around the script, with the concept in the back of our minds. This will show us how the characters will be placed in the camera view, what they’ll do and where they’ll go. That way we can design and animate without having to guess what’s going where and why.
Now that the is storyboard approved, we can start on research for style development. This means we’ll create moodboards, and style frames. Based on these, we will start designing environments as well as characters. Because we have a clear picture in mind of what goes where, the design process is proven very efficient.
As we have all the ingredients in place we can start devoting our time to actually start animating. First we make a first draft, which is kind of like a rough animation. Most of the movements are relatively generic, but give a good idea of the pace and timing in which the animation is moving. We make a rough draft first so that changes can still be made, without having to lose a lot of time. Making the final draft with all the movements made smooth takes a little more time, and we don’t want to lose any precious time in this stage.
Finally, the animation is almost done! we’ll be adding some sound effects, tighten up the edit and polish the animation so that it's pixel perfect. Almost there!
Time to hit the render button! based on your technical requirements we will deliver the animation in the proper format, ready to be shared with the world!
Wooh boy!
