Animated videos have officially gone mainstream. From startups to starlets, it’s almost unheard not to have an animated video under your belt. Animation flooded the Oscars this year, and animated video is the darling of mobile browsing, so it’s worth looking at the animation industry when everyone seems to be jumping on board.
Is it the right time for you to make an animated video? And is bigger always better? We take a quick look at the changing landscape of animated video production in this week’s Friday Roundup.
Idea Blog Recap
Monday: Why I Didn’t Watch Your Video: It’s Way Too Long
Tuesday: An Entrepreneur’s Advice to His Younger Self
Thursday: Using ZBrush for Sculpting 3D CGI Forms
ICYMI: Mobile Video is Here: Is Your Video Ready for 2017?
Lean Production is the Future of Animation
When big budget animations like “Piper” from Pixar take home the Oscar for best animated short, it’s not a huge surprise. Pixar has garnered 13 nominations in the past few decades, and they’re sure to wrack up another baker’s dozen before I finish this sentence. But are big budget animation studios really that dominant?
Massive budgets usually reap impressive results, but there’s a new trend in animated films and business animation toward smaller, leaner production teams. New technology, software, 3D rendering tools, and a host of other factors are bringing the more impressive elements of big budget animation to the little guys. And the results are stunning.
Small Studios Equal Continuity
When you work with a small animation team, everyone does double or even triple duty. The creative director updates the script. The producer approves the animatic. The lead animator works out the kinks with the storyboard and the soundtrack. Small budgets mean constant, consistent involvement from everyone in the studio. The problem with big budgets is segmentation.
Cinderella the Cat director Cappiello explains boutique animated video production:
“The problem is, if you segment the [production] pipeline, you end up having people go away when they’ve done their job. Instead, we try to form one complete artist.”
Everyone’s involved at every stage instead of segmented into their own production silo, and the result is a more cohesive finished product. “We try to build a story that we can handle with the budget we have,” concluded Cappiello.
The advantage of working with the little guys is that you get the whole team, the whole time.
Chico & Rita, a small studio production, scrapped with the big boys in the Oscar race in 2012 and proved that budget productions can be just as good, and even better than slick big budget studios.
Animation Culture
Seriously, though. In Case You Missed it: Piper Wins the Oscar for Best Animated Short
Go for a Hellish Ride with Sweet Character Design: Zombillenium
The future of animation is a constantly moving target. Stay tuned for more animation news, culture, and video marketing tips every week!
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