How do you plan and manage your animation projects and deadlines?

1 Define your scope and goals

The first step in any animation project is to define your scope and goals. What is the purpose of your animation? Who is your target audience? What is the message or story you want to convey? How long and complex will your animation be? What are the technical specifications and constraints you need to follow? Answering these questions will help you establish a clear vision and direction for your animation, as well as a realistic estimate of the time and resources you will need.

2 Break down your tasks and milestones

The next step is to break down your animation project into smaller and manageable tasks and milestones. Depending on the type and scale of your animation, you may need to divide your work into different stages, such as pre-production, production, and post-production. Each stage may involve different tasks, such as scriptwriting, storyboarding, concept art, modeling, rigging, animating, rendering, editing, sound design, and so on. For each task, you should assign a priority, a deadline, and a responsible person or role. You should also identify the dependencies and deliverables between the tasks and the milestones.

3 Choose your tools and workflows

Another important step is to choose the tools and workflows that suit your animation project and your personal or team preferences. There are many software and hardware options available for animation, ranging from free and open source to professional and expensive. You should consider the features, compatibility, and performance of the tools you use, as well as the ease of learning and using them. You should also establish the workflows and standards that will ensure the quality and consistency of your animation, such as naming conventions, file formats, version control, backup systems, feedback mechanisms, and so on.

4 Track your progress and adjust your plan

Once you start working on your animation project, you need to track your progress and adjust your plan accordingly. You should monitor the status of your tasks and milestones, as well as the time and resources you spend on them. You should also communicate regularly with your clients, collaborators, or stakeholders, and update them on your achievements, challenges, and changes. You should be flexible and adaptable to deal with unexpected issues, delays, or requests, but also firm and realistic about the scope and goals of your animation project.

5 Test and refine your animation

Before you finalize and deliver your animation project, you need to test and refine it to ensure it meets your expectations and requirements. You should review your animation from different perspectives, such as technical, artistic, narrative, and emotional. You should also solicit feedback from your clients, collaborators, or audience, and incorporate their suggestions and critiques. You should be open to criticism and improvement, but also confident and proud of your work.

6 Celebrate and learn from your experience

The last step in your animation project is to celebrate and learn from your experience. You should acknowledge and appreciate your efforts and achievements, as well as the contributions and support of others. You should also reflect on your strengths and weaknesses, your successes and failures, your joys and frustrations. You should identify the lessons learned and the best practices that you can apply to your future animation projects. You should also share your animation with others and showcase your skills and creativity.

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?