Directing for Indie Animation

Creating your own animated production without the assistance of a large studio or school support can be daunting, but NOT impossible. This workshop series features six pre-recorded lessons and tutorials covering the top to bottom process of developing and producing an independent animated project for emerging creatives.
 
COURSE OUTLINE:
 
Class 1: Development
•    How to move from concept to story
•    What is your theme, and why studios get this wrong
•    What is a script treatment and how to build one
•    How to put together a pitch deck
•    How much concept art do you need before you start production?
 
Class 2: Recruitment
•    How to write contracts and NDA’s
•    Writing and posting job applications
•    What am I looking for in hiring an indie animation team?
•    How to interview artists: dos and don’ts
•    The ethics of volunteer work for indie productions
 
Class 3: Pre-Production
•    The industry-standard pipeline and how to make it work for indie
•    How to budget, and what metrics do I use to pay for artists?
•    Getting funds for your project: grants, Kickstarters, merch and savings
•    What to do with the money: banking, taxes, and important documentation
 
Class 4: Production Part 1 - Producing
•    Organizing your production server
•    Naming files and how to perform turnovers
•    Templates, trackers, and other day to day documenting
 
Class 5: Production Part 2 - Directing
•    How to get your team on the same page: your production’s north star
•    How to give constructive feedback and notes to your artists
•    Turning pressure into gold: responsibility vs creativity
•    Balancing professionalism with indie fun
 
Class 6: Post-Production
•    Working with editorial: how many animatic passes should we do?
•    Getting notes and how to implement them (and how to know when not to)
•    Mastering the producer-director relationship
•    Running a production post-mortem and why it’s important