A Guide to Mastering Animation Production Planning

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Creating an animation production plan is crucial to the success of every filmmaking project, as it outlines critical elements such as delivery dates, formats, schedules, quotas, budgets, crew plans, and contingency strategies.

Careful planning ensures your creative vision is brought to life while meeting deadlines, managing resources effectively, and foreseeing the unforeseen challenges that are part and parcel of the filmmaking process. Doing all of this while maintaining high production quality, and of course, staying within budget. On the same subject; this blog is all about the role of the Project Manager in Production and Team Managment for Animation films.

Good planning begins with your list of assumptions. This list is specific towards animation but there are lessons here that you can stretch to filmmaking in general.

These concepts I first came across in Producing Animation by Catherine Winder and Zahra Dowlatabadi, a must read that is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to work in the production side of animation.

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List of Assumptions for your Production Plan

A list of assumptions is a detailed map or checklist that will keep your project on track before it has even begun, and ensures every aspect aligns with its creative, technical, and financial goals. Below is a checklist of the most critical assumptions to consider:

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1. Delivery Date

The delivery date defines your entire timeline and ensures your project is completed on schedule, whether it’s for a streaming platform, TV broadcast, or theatrical release.

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2. Schedule

Map out the timeline for pre-production, production, and post-production while incorporating milestones and extra time for potential delays.

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3. Delivery Format and Platform

Specify the content type (e.g., short, series, feature) and delivery platform (e.g., mobile, Youtube TV, VR etc...) to understand what technical and creative specifications are required.

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4. Length and Technique

Define the total runtime (e.g., 22-minute episodes or a 90-minute feature) and choose the animation technique—CG, 2D, stop motion, or hybrid—that fits your project.

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5. Thinking in Frames

Plan animations frame-by-frame. Every frame counts and every frame takes time. Work out the length of the scenes, number of shots, length of the shots, set your frame rate (e.g., 24fps) and work out exactly how many frames this is.

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6. Quotas

Set clear production quotas, such as weekly seconds-per-animator or number of frames. This helps to maintain pacing and align creative expectations with resource availability, and then as these small quotas/ targets are hit or not hit, you can work out how you are progressing in relation to the schedule. If one animator misses their target their work could potentially be reallocated to another animator.

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7. Complexity Analysis

Assess the level of complexity in characters, props, environments, and effects to ensure accurate budgeting and scheduling. This is best to be done with consultancy of an expert in the challenges and subjects you're facing.

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8. Script Breakdown and Content Analysis

Break down your script into detailed lists of required assets, such as characters, props, and locations, to determine production demands.

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9. Style/Art Direction and Design

Using elements like concept art, mood boards, references etc... define the visual style and art direction to guide the creative team and align with budget constraints.

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10. Average Number of Characters per Shot

Calculate how many characters are animated per shot to estimate the complexity and required resources for each scene.

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11. Production Methodology

Establish a detailed production pipeline that outlines workflows, milestones, and approval processes.

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12. Research and Development

Allocate time and resources for testing new techniques, software, or artistic styles. Are you using complicated effects? Are you combining 2D and 3D? Test these beforehand to make sure they work effectively.

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13. Crew Plan

Plan staffing needs for all production phases, including start and end dates for roles, training needs, and overtime considerations. Here you can find all the crew members needed for an animation production.

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14. Level of Talent

Define the level of experience required for key roles, such as animators, voice actors, and directors, to meet creative and financial expectations.

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15. Roles of Key Personnel

Clearly assign responsibilities to producers, directors, and department leads to ensure accountability and efficiency.

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16. Creative Checkpoints

Set approval milestones, such as script sign-offs, animatic reviews, design approval (e.g. chants per design) and final animation screenings, to ensure quality, alignment and timekeeping.

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17. Buyer’s Responsibilities

Clarify what costs or decisions the buyer will cover, such as late script changes, re-casting, or additional production elements.

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18. Payment Schedule and Cash Flow

Design a payment schedule tied to production milestones to ensure smooth cash flow throughout the project.

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19. Physical Production Plan

Account for infrastructure needs, such as office space, hardware, and software, to support in-house or remote teams.

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20. Recruiting and Relocation (If Applicable)

Include costs for hiring, relocating, and onboarding talent, particularly for specialised roles or international hires. For example, do you need to organise flights and housing for international talent?

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21. Reference and Research Material

Budget for research trips, expert consultations, or libraries that support design and storytelling. Do you need to research, photograph or scan a real location to be used in your animation?

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22. Training

If necessary, provide training opportunities to ensure your team stays competitive with new techniques or tools.

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23. Travel

Account for travel expenses for key personnel.

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24. Digital Security and Archiving

Protect assets from leaks and piracy, and archive materials efficiently for future use or sequels.

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25. Contingency

And lastly, always set aside 5–10% of your budget to cover unexpected challenges, such as creative revisions, technology failures, or retakes. Something will go wrong. Have the funds there to put out any fires.

For more tools on production budgeting, you could check out our free to download Budget Topsheet Template.

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Why Assumptions Are Important to Production Planning

A thorough list of assumptions ensures that every stage of production is aligned with your creative goals and financial constraints. From managing tight deadlines to planning for contingencies, these assumptions provide the structure needed to keep your project on track.

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Conclusion

A well-crafted production plan isn’t just for fun! It’s your project’s blueprint for success.

There is a fair amount of guesstimating work at this stage of the production, and with experience your list of assumptions will get easier and more accurate, but having at least a rough idea of all these aspects will help keep everyone involved on the same page, and can also help get additional funding where necessary as it is clear proof you know what you are doing! By addressing every detail in your assumptions list, you’ll ensure your animation project stays on schedule, on budget, and most importantly, allows you to make the film you want to make.

What sort of issues have you had making a film? Did your lack planning cause any fires or did your strong planning douse them before anything got burnt?!

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