The pre-production of animation assignments first takes into account whether the end product will be part of a larger assignment, such as video. In such cases, careful coordination must be made to synchronize the completion of the animation with the editing phase of the video. The animation may also need to be matched to the video in color, pace, style and content. The most difficult part of executing an animation is the act of visualizing the final product for a client who may not be familiar with the animation process. This familiarization process begins early, during the bid phase, long before a contract is signed. Essentially, pre-production on an animation begins before the sale and therefore places a greater burden on the vendor, who must finance a portion of every animation pre-production regardless of whether he closes the deal or not.

In order to familiarize the client with this process, a document, such as this one you are reading, is given to the client, usually in the bid stage.

Another tool that helps the client visualize the final product is a "storyboard." This is a hand sketched, cartoon-like, document, usually presented on 18" x 24" cardboard sheets or, in the case of "thumbnail" storyboards, on an 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper. The storyboard depicts each key frame of the animation in sequential order. Beside each picture is printed the script text that accompanies that frame, any additional sound features, such as music or effects, and an estimated length of time that the frame occupies in the finished animation. Since animations are usually bid on a project or fixed price basis, the accurate depiction of the storyboard is essential for both vendor and client to avoid misunderstandings and consequential cost adjustments.

Storyboards are expensive to produce, but are essential elements in the bid process. Following award of the bid, the storyboard may be revised several times as the client and Producer refine the specifics of the animation. The more accurate a storyboard is, before production, the more economical the production will be, since the animators will have concrete plans from which to work and will not have to waste time revising on expensive computer workstations.

In tandem with the storyboard process, the producer also keeps a running account of the assets the animation will require in terms of labor, stock elements and computer time. Although many of the tasks in computer animation are automated, the process is still very labor intensive. A single second of animation, requiring between 24 and 30 separate frames, may take hours to create and perfect. Estimating those hours accurately is the task of the Producer.

Animation involves the creation of something that is not real, often in a way that makes it indistinguisable from the real. As the storyboard takes form, the Producer must determine what elements have to be created from scratch and what elements can be obtained from stock sources. For instance, on a recent assignment, Avekta had to create a realistic cheetah. No such model existed in any 3-D stock library. We did not, however, have to design a cheetah from scratch, because there were stock 3-D models of female lions for sale. Purchasing the stock lion and converting it to a cheetah took about 30% of the time that would have been required to create a cheetah from scratch. A current knowledge of all available stock sources, their prices and licensing terms is an essential necessity of the animation Producer.

Finally, a Producer must adequately estimate the use of computers in the animation process. Obviously, at least one computer (and sometimes two) per animator will be required to design the animation and produce sample frames and motions. But once a design is completed, it must be tested and rendered. Rendering is a time consuming assignment requiring no human support. Therefore, rendering is usually done at night, when all the computers in the shop can be networked together and assigned various, robotic tasks. Careful planning must then be applied to estimate how many animators are required during the day, how much rendering they will require overnight (or during the day for interim results) and making sure that all facilities are allocated to the maximum without developing backlogs.

Once the client approves the storyboard and an acceptable plan of execution has been devised by the Producer, the pre-production phase ends and production of the animation begins.