Pre-Production
Pre-production is the planning phase of an animation project, covering script, storyboard, character design, design frames, and budget approval before any animation is produced.
Investing time in pre-production saves time and money later. It is cheaper to fix a storyboard than to re-animate a scene. At Myth Studio, a solid pre-production phase ensures everyone is aligned before the heavier stages of production begin. Learn more about what affects animation costs.
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Frequently asked questions
How long does pre-production usually take?
On a typical 60-90 second brand piece, pre-production runs three to five weeks: a week on script and concept, a week on storyboards, one to two weeks on design frames, and a final week for revisions and sign-off. Bigger broadcast jobs can run two to three months in pre-production. Faster timelines are possible but tend to compress review rounds.
What deliverables come out of pre-production?
An approved script, a storyboard, an animatic, character and environment design sheets, design frames showing the locked visual style, and a production schedule. On 3D jobs you also get a previs and an asset list. The point of these deliverables is that production can start with no open creative questions, only execution work.
Can we skip pre-production to save time?
We do not recommend it. Skipping pre-production tends to push problems into animation, where they cost five to ten times more to fix. If a deadline is tight, the cheaper move is to keep pre-production short but complete: small script, simple storyboard, one or two design frames, and clear sign-off, then move into production with a locked plan.
Sources (3)
Academic papers, recognised industry standards, and canonical industry texts that back up claims in this entry.
- Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life. Thomas, Johnston, Abbeville Press, 1981Supports: planning phase definition
- The Animator's Survival Kit. Williams, Faber & Faber, 2001Supports: cheaper to fix storyboard
- Computer Animation: Algorithms and Techniques. Parent, Springer, 2012Supports: pre-production pipeline
