How can you effectively incorporate research into your animation production schedule?

1 Define your goals

Before you start researching, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your animation. What is the story, message, or purpose of your animation? Who is your target audience and what are their expectations? What are the technical and artistic constraints and requirements of your animation? By defining your goals, you can narrow down your research scope and focus on the most relevant and useful information.

2 Choose your sources

Research can come from various sources, such as books, articles, videos, images, interviews, surveys, or your own observations and experiences. Depending on your goals, you may need to use different types of sources and methods to gather and analyze data. For example, if you want to animate a realistic animal, you may need to study its anatomy, behavior, and movement from videos or photos. If you want to animate a fantasy creature, you may need to use your imagination and combine elements from different sources. The key is to choose sources that are reliable, accurate, and diverse.

3 Organize your findings

Once you have collected enough data, you need to organize it in a way that makes sense for your animation. You can use tools such as folders, spreadsheets, mind maps, or mood boards to categorize and visualize your findings. You can also create summaries, notes, or sketches to highlight the key points and details. Organizing your findings will help you access and review them easily when you need them.

4 Create references

References are the specific materials that you use to guide your animation process. They can be images, videos, audio clips, or scripts that show how something looks, sounds, or moves. You can create references from your own findings or from existing sources. For example, you can record yourself or someone else performing an action or emotion that you want to animate. You can also use software or apps to create 3D models, rigs, or simulations. Creating references will help you achieve consistency and accuracy in your animation.

5 Test and refine

Research is not a one-time activity that you do before you start animating. It is an ongoing process that you need to revisit and revise as you animate. You need to test your animation against your references and see if it matches your goals and expectations. You also need to get feedback from others and see if your animation communicates effectively and convincingly. Testing and refining will help you improve your animation quality and solve any problems or issues.

6 Manage your time

Research can be fun and rewarding, but it can also be challenging and stressful. You need to manage your time wisely and balance your research with your animation tasks. You need to set realistic and flexible deadlines for your research and animation stages. You also need to prioritize and allocate your time according to the importance and complexity of your research and animation needs. Managing your time will help you avoid procrastination and burnout and deliver your animation on time and on budget.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?