Pre-Production Part 1 - Is the project a fit?

Now we are starting to get to the meat of it all. Before we even get into production there are several steps that come first. So I will have to break this into several posts. This one is: So, a client has said "I have some money, let's do this"

Being offered work is fantastic! But you have to know when a project is just not a fit. Several factors can come into play on the road to saying "yay or nay".

Sometimes, you and the client really want to work together but you just can't make your budget, schedule or labor balance out. If you leave that client with a good feeling. That you really tried to make that project work. They will probably reach out to you in the future with terms that will fit you better. I have seen, and had this happen. Remember the post on "connections"? It all leads back to making connections, keeping connections. So this part of the Pre-production journey is the "Will it fit?" (teehee) part. The upcoming parts will be:

• Part 2 - Contracts
• Part 3 - Schedules
• Part 4 - Setting up Trackers
• Part 5 - Finding the right artist for the right job

Some things to consider before you say YES to that project.

More explained thoughts to ponder while deciding if that project is a good fit.

1. The budget. Usually it will be the client telling you what they have to spend. Now, after you have broken down:Schedule, labor, overhead and profit you know if you have to go back to the client to negotiate. If you have broken down the project you really know the in's and out's and can defend your position of raising the budget. Every year that passes the budget's seem to get smaller and smaller.

2. How long will the project take to complete? A rough schedule will help you decide if this is a "regular job" or "rush job" How many hours will each process take. Which will tell you how many people it will take. Hours(X)People=Final output. The schedule is what I always use to figure out my rates, overhead and profit.

3. Once I know how many hours this job will take. That helps me calculate how many people I will need for the project. Then I can take the budget and calculate a fair rate. Since I have actually worked in most departments I am pretty good at calculating how long each process will take. If I don't know...I ask. Better to be more informed and to treat your workers fairly. So once I know how many hours each process will take. I then can figure out how much a person can earn "per hour" on this project. Then I know its a fair livable wage. You don't have to pay hourly. I just like to have that at my base. Each project is different you could have employees, freelance, contract. Then you can decide how to break down payment dates for the contract. I like to do it per Milestone delivery in my schedule. That way each worker is motivated to hit that Milestone.

4. Now calculate what your overhead will be(overhead would be calculating the bills you need to pay out during the duration of the project - Power, phone, taxes and then the all important profit). Now flesh out the schedule to make sure you and the client can come to an agreement.

In regards to the problems we have all seen in the industry. I can't even say "recent problems" as a story like Telltale seems to pop up every six months or so. Studio's letting artists go with no notice. Studio's closing and more focused on getting that last show/game out. Burning artists out.

Now sometimes a project will be a tough one. Due to client demands, scheduling errors etc. If you find you work at a studio where "OMG WE NEED TO GET THIS DONE ASAP" is a constant theme. You will find yourself no longer loving what you do. Becoming numb. That is called burnout. Believe it or not. Not every studio is like that and you need to find out what studio fits your lifestyle. There are all kinds out there. Listen to word of mouth from other artists. They will tell you the real deal. But make sure you talk to more than one person. As an artist myself I can tell you sometimes we love to blow up a story. That's what we are at our heart...storytellers. Don't forget that...and do NOT forget your worth.

Time for a history break

Post switch! Before I start my next post about pre-production I wanted to dip into the past a little bit. We can't move forward fully until we appreciate the past. So, how about a mini history lesson? Now this is a history lesson I foolishly thought would be simple. Women who have inspired me! Now I have taken inspiration from both Male and Female artists, but it was so easy to find info on the male artists. I just want to have a short post about what pushed me to say "hey I want to be a full time artist" I will focus on just one or two women at a time. So in-between my usual production posts I will also be sharing these posts on women in the arts.

Let's talk about female artist/producers that have helped to move the medium forward. With all those art blogs, books and history buffs out there I thought "hey this will be easy".

But it twas not the case. I had to do serious digging to find background info on some of these wonderful ladies. I am not a historian in anyway. Any mistakes are my own. What I found out is just the tip of the iceberg to entice you to look up more about these pioneering women.

Some women even used male names to help with discrimination. So finding info was so difficult partly because of that. Who has inspired you? From the past? Or even right now! Leave a comment, I would love to learn about them.

Today's post I start with the incomparable

Mary Blair

If we are going to talk about women in the industry that have personally changed me. Then I just  have to start with Mary Blair. I am starting with her because when I was very young she was an influence to me before I even knew her name.  I had come across one of those behind the scenes videos on T.V and it showed her concept art I believe for  It's a small world ride and I just knew I wanted to do what she did.  She is classified as an American artist, animator, and designer. I think she is so much more. I like to think of her as an "Emotional Dr." able to make you feel and  think with her art.

She was is most well know for producing art and animation for The Walt Disney Company, drawing concept art for such films as Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Song of the South and Cinderella. Blair also created character designs for enduring attractions such as Disneyland's It's a Small World, the fiesta scene in El Rio del Tiempo in the Mexico pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase, and an enormous mosaic inside Disney's Contemporary Resort.

Last year I had the pleasure of taking the "It's a small world" ride at Disney World. I know my teenage son was bored. But I could NOT contain my excitement.

As you can see from my picture people still line up to go on this ride and experience the world through Mary Blair's eyes.

Not my picture. It's hard to take a picture in a slow moving boat!

But she was more than just a Disney artist. She later created cards for Hallmark and you may not have known that she illustrated a whole series of Little Golden books that really set the style you know and love for the series. I am often on the hunt for those books. I think they are planning a reprint. If you know where I can get these

Some of her Hallmark cards

Does this Golden Book illustrated by Mary Blair bring back memories?

Let's now learn about a less known but still important artist

Lotte Reiniger

Charlotte "Lotte" Reiniger was a German film director and the foremost pioneer of silhouette animation. Her best known films are The Adventures of Prince Achmed, from 1926—thought to be one of the oldest surviving feature-length animated films—and Papageno

Prince Achmed was just a stunning film. In my opinion if you can tell a story in silhouette and it reads properly and people can tell what is going on. That is all you need to have to elevate your story telling. She managed to tell her stories using just card and wire....all moved by hand.

A screen shot from Prince Achmed

Here is a short gif of her "Sleeping beauty" from 1954.

Let's end with the future!

The future of women in the industry. Here all the lovely ladies I work with day to day. I couldn't ask for a better group of women to lead the way. I learn something everyday from them.

(left to right) Melanie Albert, Josie Cable-Russell, Jessica Beckett, Christine Richard, Kelly Hay Hambrook)


So let your inspiration be your guide!

Connections. Not just for airports.

Today we are going to delve into the often murky world of sales and marketing. Before a producer can do their job someone else must do their's! Today we will talk with Gene Fowler, owner, creative director, executive producer of Loogaroo. Sit back, relax and listen to our dulcet tones.

Some points we will be talking about:

• How does a project cross your desk
• How do you find your very own clients?
• How important is getting out there? 

Hit play. You know you want to. And lets talk about connections. 

Hey Look I have a small fancy Bio too!

What is a producer? What do they do?

𝕎𝕖𝕝𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖!

If you managed to find your way here, then you might be looking for the answer to that question. Or your fingers slipped on google or maybe you came over from Loogaroo's Facebook group. Regardless how you found me, welcome! My name is Jessica and I work primarily in 2D animation for a boutique animation shop called Loogaroo in N.B, Canada. 

You can find more about us here -->>> Loogaroo  

So, I hope the focus of this blog will be to share my knowledge on how I produce projects for Loogaroo. My way may be different or very much the same as what you know or have seen. I will also be cracking the window into the day to day of a small animation studio. What goes on? What kind of people work here? Maybe some of these lovely artists will even come on and guest write an article on how they do what they do.

Look at that crazy crew enjoying some grub.

So what do I do? I mainly help bring to life t.v shows, commercials and even games. As of today have been producing for almost 8 years now. Although it feels closer to 20(Like dog years).  I am pretty sure my family doesn't know what I do. To be fair, I have also noticed students right out of school still don't know exactly what a producer is. And they really should.

 I want to use this blog to share some knowledge I have learned over the years. Some tips and tricks on how to run a project. How to track, schedule and set a project up. How to deal with clients. How to overcome issues and help your team be the best they can be. Be prepared to read or watch me explain how to break down a project, set a budget and choose your team.

   I want to offer this as I have been told I can run a pretty organized project. I pride myself on being on schedule and on budget. Because I started in the industry as an artist I can easily slide into any position and help. I think it helps team moral to know you can get in there and get your hands dirty in the trenches with them.

So, a producer. Who are these elusive creatures?

The skinny     

• A producer manages the team during a production
• They source and manage the budget
• They ensure the creative process goes smoothly and always to schedule right to the very end.

Wow, only three things on the list. You must be saying to yourself. Well, this  sounds like an easy job. Ha ha ha. No. And let me explain why.

So skills you should start out with

• Have plenty of experience from working in the animation industry(the more positions you have worked in the better)
• Have a good business sense
• Have a great understanding of finance
• Make sure creativity isn’t stifled regardless of budget and deadline
• Be able to keep yourself and your team motivated
• Be a good negotiator
• Solve problems in a creative and logical manner
• Have an in-depth understanding of the animation process
• Prepare and control the production budget
• Have excellent communication skills

I have a few more extra skills that need to be added to the list, as I work for a small studio I also have to be HR and Office manager. 

• Understand any new employee laws and guidelines
• Hiring and firing
• Managing the roles and expectations of employees
• Tracking and organizing all sick days and time off
• Preparing all payroll paperwork
• Be a liaison to to the landlord for any office fixes
• handle any technical issues (computer and software)

As you can see its not for the faint of heart. A lot of people who end up in the producing role sometimes end up burning out. It can be of pressure to put on one person. 

I have to admit it has gotten to me at times. We are all only human after all (for now anyway) So a Producer has overall control and responsibility over an animation project's production. They are typically in charge of managing the artists and directors, making sure everyone is working to the best of their abilities while staying within time and budget constraints. Its very important you know what a producer does as you can see.

Producers will also be in charge of sourcing all the assets needed for an animation project to be completed. Whether this is software or art materials, a Producer will need to know what’s needed, where to get it from and how much it will cost.

Because of the small size of our studio I am also in charge of negotiating and implementing all project contracts with clients/investors/broadcaster/government departments. I break down a project and give a quote to a client based on my knowledge of the time/skill requirements.

While a producer is the highest authority on a project, they would be directly underneath the executive producers at a studio, and would be their main point of contact. This means if the project is running over budget or is coming in late, the Producer will be the person in charge of explaining the situation and the causes to the executive producers. Basically if the team is dropping the ball the producer takes shit.

Despite that, a Producer’s real skill is being able to balance the clients demands and restraints on a project and also give the animation team artistic freedom and room for creativity. Being able to balance time, budget and a room full of buzzing creatives is a tough job, making a good producer a very valuable asset.

Now that you know the basics would you like to go on a journey with me as I share my knowledge.

Next week - How do you find a project to produce?