Duration: Approximately 1 week after script lock
The initial script is a column-view outline of your future animation. You'll start by describing the "essential message" you want communicated, along with the voiceover text that will be spoken for this visual moment. We'll suggest any edits that may help best communicate your story, then create a visual description of how the on-screen action will appear.
Milestone: Script (voiceover and description) approval
From your approved script, we'll create a storyboard with simple sketches to illustrate our proposed on-screen description. This is the visual direction we will use for illustration.
Milestone: Storyboard approval
The storyboard will then be scanned and turned into a video slide-show we call an animatic. We'll do a temporary "scratch" track of the voice-over, and pair it with a stock music suggestion we think will work well with the piece. When we're finished with the Story Phase, we'll have a full-length movie that allows you to review the story you're telling in it's entirety through pencil sketches, voice-over, and music. The intent here is to capture your message's pace and emotional feel for your approval before we've committed any time resources to the heavy lifting of illustration and animation.
Milestone: Animatic approval
Duration: Approximately 2 weeks
Together, we'll grab examples of photos, illustrations, colors, animations, and music that inspire us and in some way capture the feel you'd like. This will become a "mood board" that helps direct our initial design style. Antifreeze will initially design one or more key scenes from your script to capture your desired look and feel. These will become the key visual guide for the rest of the animation.
Milestone: Art style approval
We'll create artwork for each scene, and then replace our animatic's pencil sketches with our created artwork so you get a better view of how the drawing translates into clean colors and shapes. This is our opportunity to make sure you're satisfied with the overall aesthetic look.
Milestone: Art approval
The key design style artwork will be animated to give you a clear view of the proposed pacing, action and style of movement. Are camera movements quick or gentle? Does text bounce in, or reveal through a cloudy transition? This is where we'll create these ideas for your approval.
Milestone: Motion style approval
Duration: Approximately 4 weeks
At this stage we begin our major animation work. The largest amount of time will be spent here, where we animate the scenes and transitions with their major action for your approval.
Milestone: Primary animation approval
We'll address requested adjustments to the primary animation if necessary. Then we'll give the sequence the sound-effect design and extra polish that makes it special.
Milestone: Final animation approval
We'll create any necessary alternate edits or formats and deliver your finished animation ready for additional editing, web viewing, and archiving. Typical output sizes are HD for web or 4K for presentations. Compressions may include .mp4, ProRes, or other outputs.
Milestone: Delivery
