As I continue learning from studios like Powerhouse Animation Studios and Blur Studio—where animated projects can take years to bring to life—I’ve been thinking more about timelines and deadlines in our own work.
For those of you working in 2D animation, do your projects usually stay on strict deadlines? Or have you found that flexibility is often necessary?
How do you or your team manage staying on track with client work—especially when creativity, revisions, and unforeseen challenges come into play?
I’d love to hear how others are balancing structure and creative flow in their animation pipelines.
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I love this question Cyrus Sales - animation, to me, is fascinating because it's almost like a team sport. It is all parts that equal a whole and I've always wondered HOW to keep things rolling on strict deadlines. Especially when you are at the mercy of digital animation, tools that are beyond your control, exporting times, etc. I'm curious to hear of others responses to your question here.
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Amanda Toney is really is a team sport. I work with 5 animators and it's always fascinating watching them work together to create the different stages of the animation. I do agree and have learned there's so many things that are out of your control and you have to be quick on your feet and pivot. I'm looking forward to getting feedback as I'm truly interested in others experience.
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You got to set a deadline obviously. Stuff that isn't paying you doesn't come first. I would also stop taking money when the project is completed and no sight of going anywhere.
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Vincent Turner - yes of course set deadlines. How flexible are your deadlines especially in the realm of animation, I ask because I've seen bigger studios with the budget, man power and resources have to push their deadline back by months if not years to accomplish a complete animation.
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Most studios (even the smaller ones) start with the deadline (or release date) and work backwards. It's an over-simplification and varies whether you are on a series, feature or commercial.
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Laurie Ashbourne That's how we typically do it (reverse engineer) and add in a few buffers just in case.
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Every studio I have worked at has a full schedule allocated to the different phases of production, and at some point, those phases will overlap. Client work is usually scheduled to meet the client's milestones and deadlines. Rarely are they very flexible once set.
I schedule personal projects based on goals of what to accomplish and when, allowing myself wiggle room if a paying gig or life event comes up, but then try my best to get back on track.