Brilliant ideas, amazing art, and exciting stories don’t just appear out of nowhere like magic. They are the result of hard work, dedication, time, and passion. In other words, they come from a process.
Whether you’re a writer, painter, choreographer, or architect, everyone has their own way of creating. This involves steps like planning, brainstorming, drafting, and refining—basically, getting ready to create something awesome.
The same goes for animation. Making cool animations with fun characters and stories involves both technical skills and a creative process. There are three main stages in animation: pre-production, production, and post-production.
Let’s dive into the pre-production stage. What can animators do to create amazing work? Here are some tips to help you set up a great pre-production workflow for your project. Let’s say we’re going to make a GIF.
Ideas are like living things—they grow and change as you work on them. A great way to develop an idea is through brainstorming. Spend five minutes writing down everything that comes to mind without stopping. Ask yourself questions like: What do I enjoy? What are my favorite colors? What story do I want to tell? What mood do I want to create? What music inspires me?
After brainstorming, look at what you’ve written. Can you find an idea in there?
Now, it’s time to clearly express your idea. Give your project a title and summarize the story or action in one or two sentences. This is called a logline. It’s not meant to be fancy; it’s just to help you understand and communicate your idea. For example, I’ll call mine “Banana Man,” and my logline is “A banana man dances happily.” Simple as that.
A storyboard is a series of drawings that show the action in each frame of your animation. Storyboards are used in all kinds of productions, like movies, music videos, and commercials. Since I’m making a frame-by-frame GIF, I can quickly sketch each frame that will be in the animation. How will the banana man move and dance? What animation techniques will I use to bring him to life?
Once you’re satisfied with your storyboard and can see the action clearly in each frame, you’re ready to start animating. You can use this same creative process for other projects, like writing a short story or filming a movie with your friends.
Gather your classmates and have a brainstorming session. Spend five minutes writing down everything that comes to mind about a topic of your choice. Focus on what you enjoy, your favorite colors, or a story you want to tell. Share your ideas with the group and see if you can find a common theme or idea to develop further.
Think of a simple story or action you want to animate or write about. Give your project a title and write a one or two-sentence logline that summarizes your idea. Share your logline with a partner and discuss how it helps clarify your concept.
Draw a simple storyboard for a short animation or story. Use stick figures or simple sketches to plan out each scene. Focus on the sequence of events and how each frame will transition to the next. Present your storyboard to the class and explain the action in each frame.
Research different animation techniques, such as stop-motion, hand-drawn, or digital animation. Create a short presentation or poster about one technique and demonstrate it with a simple animation or example. Share your findings with the class.
Work in small groups to create a short animation. Assign roles such as writer, storyboard artist, and animator. Use the creative process steps—brainstorming, logline creation, and storyboarding—to guide your project. Present your final animation to the class and discuss the creative process you followed.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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Brilliant ideas, magnificent works of art, and thrilling stories don’t just fall out of people as shiny gold nuggets of creative genius. They are created through a combination of work, dedication, time, and love. In other words, they are the end result of a process.
From writers to abstract painters, and choreographers to architects, people working in different fields have their own creative processes. This includes the steps they take to achieve a final creation, which involves planning, brainstorming, drafting, and refining—good old-fashioned preparation.
The same goes for animation. Creating beautiful motion, lovable characters, and bringing stories to life involves combining technical skills with an effective creative process. There are three main stages that make up the animation process: pre-production, production, and post-production.
In this discussion, we will focus on the pre-production stage. What tools and strategies can animators embrace to create wonderful work? Here are some tips to establish a good pre-production workflow for your project. In this case, I’m going to create a GIF.
**Step One: Forming an Idea**
Ideas are not stagnant; they move, grow, flow, and develop as we build them. A good way to develop an idea is through brainstorming. Let your thoughts flow onto paper for five minutes without stopping—just keep your pencil moving. Consider these questions: What things do I like? What are my favorite colors? What story do I want to tell? What mood do I want to convey? What music inspires me?
Once you’ve finished brainstorming, take a look at what you’ve got. Can you pull an idea from it?
**Step Two: Writing a Logline**
Now it’s time to articulate your idea very simply. Give your project a title and summarize the story or action in one or two sentences. We call this a logline. It’s not poetry; it’s just there to communicate and clarify your idea. For example, I’m going to title mine “Banana Man,” and my logline is “A banana man dances happily.” Simple as that.
**Step Three: Creating a Storyboard**
A storyboard is a sequence of drawings that directs and guides the animator on the action taking place in each frame. Storyboards are used across all types of production, like blockbuster films, music videos, and TV commercials. Since I’m making a frame-by-frame GIF, I can quickly sketch out each frame that will feature in the animation. How will the banana man move and dance? What animation principles will I use to bring him to life?
Once you’re happy with your storyboard and can clearly see your action broken down across each frame, you’re ready to get animating. You can apply this same creative process to other projects, like writing a short story or shooting a film with your friends.
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This version maintains the original content’s essence while ensuring clarity and appropriateness.
Creative – Having the ability to make new things or think of new ideas – The artist was very creative, using different colors and shapes to express emotions in her paintings.
Process – A series of actions or steps taken to achieve a particular end – The process of making a sculpture involves designing, carving, and polishing the material.
Animation – The technique of photographing successive drawings or positions of models to create an illusion of movement – The animation in the movie brought the characters to life, making them seem real and dynamic.
Ideas – Thoughts or suggestions as to a possible course of action – The director had many ideas for the play, including unique costumes and set designs.
Brainstorming – A method of generating ideas by free association of thoughts – During the brainstorming session, the team came up with several innovative concepts for their dance performance.
Storyboard – A sequence of drawings representing the shots planned for a film or television production – The filmmaker used a storyboard to plan each scene of the movie before filming began.
Production – The process of creating a play, movie, or other artistic work – The production of the school play involved many students working together on acting, set design, and lighting.
Pre-production – The planning phase of a film, play, or other performance before actual production begins – During pre-production, the team finalized the script and scouted locations for filming.
Music – Vocal or instrumental sounds combined to produce harmony and expression of emotion – The music in the ballet performance added depth and emotion to the dancers’ movements.
Art – The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form – The art exhibit featured paintings and sculptures that explored themes of nature and humanity.
