Animation Production Process

Our Process

Hatch Studios has been producing animated content for over 20 years, perfecting a smooth and effective video production process that keeps you engaged throughout every step. Let’s dive into the process.

A typical 1-2 minute explainer or marketing video takes an average of 4-6 weeks to complete, with more complex projects requiring additional time, and simpler ones requiring less. Ultimately, the following three key factors will determine the cost and time required for production: complexity, length and style. Complexity refers to how detailed the visuals and animation need to be. Length refers to the video duration. Style, more accurately called technique, refers to the medium such as 3D animation, 2D animation, motion graphics, stop-motion, whiteboard, etc. To learn more about different animation styles, take a look at our examples. If your project needs to be done in a rush, we’re always open to accommodating schedules based on our team’s availability and budget.

Although every project is unique and different animation styles may require fewer or more stages, the outline below is a general guideline that supports most project types.

Get started with a Free Consultation.

1. Initial Consultation

We start with a free video consultation in which we introduce ourselves, learn about your business, and understand the purpose behind your video. If you have a script, we review it at this time or we’ll discuss in detail what you’re looking to achieve. Together, we define clear goals and establish realistic timelines to ensure a smooth production process.

Drawing from our experience, we offer suggestions and options into the best approach for creating impactful video content that delivers results. We discuss production costs and provide a detailed quote outlining every stage of production, how many reviews are included, and more. Once we align on vision, budget, and schedule, we move forward.

From there, we finalize the contract, collect the initial deposit, and officially kick off your project!

2. Concept Development

Concept development is the foundation of any successful project, shaping the story, style, and overall vision before production begins.

This stage involves brainstorming ideas, defining the target audience, and outlining key themes to ensure a clear and compelling narrative. It includes research and development, followed by designing characters (if any) and environments (if any) that align with the project’s goals. Because the forthcoming animation stage is so laborious, a well-defined concept development helps streamline production by setting a cohesive artistic direction and avoiding costly revisions later.

This stage also includes asset collection. This involves acquiring any media from the client that will need to be used (if any) including images, video, and branding guidelines. Additionally, this stage may also involve purchasing assets such as stock media, 3D models, music and more.

3. Storyboard Development

The storyboard is a series of sketches arranged scene by scene, accompanied by dialogue and action notes. It serves as a blueprint, giving you a clear idea of how we plan to bring the story to life. Depending on the project, schedule, and budget, it may be a written storyboard, a visual storyboard or a video storyboard (called an animatic).

Similar to a film in production, the storyboard provides a structured preview of the final video. It can be refined and adjusted based on your feedback and our creative input until we achieve the desired messaging.

The storyboard doesn’t have to be fully locked as the visuals at this stage are meant to be a rough guideline representing the final video’s structure. Like most creative projects, it can (and often will) evolve throughout production depending on discretion.

Depending on the project type, we may also create style frames and illustrations in this stage.

4. Voiceover

If your video requires a voiceover, it’s essential to choose the right talent, as it serves as the driving force behind your message. The voiceover should convey the appropriate tone, emotion, and inflection to ensure a strong connection with your audience.

A well-chosen voice enhances clarity and engagement, making your message more impactful. We have decades of experience working with hundreds of voice talents worldwide and we have a solid understanding of what works best for different projects.

Once we align on the desired tone and gender of the voice, and we have an approved script, we’ll provide a selection of recommended voice talents for you to choose from. Of course, if you already have a preferred voiceover artist, you’re welcome to use them.

5. Animation

The animation stage is where all graphics, images, and text come to life, carefully placed on a timeline and animated to create the final video. This process demands creativity, precision, and attention to detail, making it one of the most time-consuming, lengthiest and laborious phases of production. All our preproduction stages up until now have been implemented in order to ensure we avoid changes in this stage, which can lead to costly overages.

The animation process will differ according to the style. For example, 3D animation must be produced using complex 3D programs, motion graphics must be done in video compositing applications and 2D animation must be done by hand, with paper and pencil, and afterwards scanned.

Depending on the requirements, a single animator may be enough although more complex projects often require teams of 3-10 or more. Combining multiple animation styles typically requires larger teams, higher budgets, and more flexible timelines.

6. Compositing

Once the animation is complete, we enter our final stage: compositing.

This stage involves seamlessly combining our completed animation with voiceover, sound effects, and background music to produce the final rendered vide. It requires integrating multiple visual elements into a single cohesive frame to create the final look. It also includes post production, special effects, titles, legals, and color corrections to achieve a slick, polished result.

Compositing ensures that all elements blend naturally, enhancing depth, realism, and visual appeal. It applies to all types of animation, whether it be 3D and 2D animation, stop-motion, etc. These details play a crucial role in bringing our animated project to life with a professional and cinematic finish.

7. Delivery

At last, you receive your completed video in a high-quality format optimized for your target platform. We can deliver it in any format that best suits your needs – whether for television, social media, or other digital platforms. Videos intended for TV require different formatting than those designed exclusively for online use and may require a finishing post-production house. Check out our portfolio to explore some of our recent projects!

The most popular delivery formats are MP4 using the h264 / h265 video codec. There are many technical complexities involved including resolution, framerate, and bitrate, all of which we’ll address based on where it will be used.

You’ll have 100% full ownership of the completed video, in perpetuity. We maintain the right to display it in our gallery and social media.

Let’s Bring Your Ideas To Life!

To get started, send us an email outlining your project details and we’ll get back to you in less than 24 hours. Alternately, give us a call for a friendly introduction to the basics. This is often the best way to start your project.