Planning your animation project

Understand that a successful animation project requires a lot of advance planning. Creating an animation is a commitment to many hours of labor. The work can be an individual effort, but there are benefits to making it a team effort. See if you can work with others to create a winning entry.

The steps to making an animated short film:

• Brainstorm different story ideas
• Ask yourself, “Is this entertaining?”
• Does it have “a moral to the story?”

• Draw out rough sketches of characters and backgrounds. If you are doing a 3D project, do a search for pre-made models and backgrounds you can use.

• Write a script
• Make sure it has a beginning, middle and end.
• Create characters that are interesting
• Keep your story short. Three minutes or less is best.

• Storyboard
• Either sketch out each scene or use a software program like MovieStorm.
• Make sure you use Long Shots, Medium Shots and Close-Ups. Beginners often frame everything as a Long Shot.

• Record audio tracks
• Cast actors to create character voices (if needed).

• Compose or select music
• Music adds an important emotional dimension, make sure it fits and doesn’t distract.

• Create or find the right sound effects
• Sound effects include things like the sound of a ringing phone.
• Ambient noise from the environment, such as the sound of the room is very important.
• Foley is the sound made by the characters. This includes footsteps, objects being handled and the rustling of clothing.

• Mix all the audio tracks
• The audio track is typically completed first and then the animation is timed to fit it.

• Time out the action and the number of frames needed for each shot
• In video there are 30 frames a second.
• For claymation your should shoot 10 frames a second. One minute will equal 600 photos.

• Animate

• Edit

• Promote your work
• Submit it to a youth film festival.
• Upload it to YouTube.