Prepare Before Work

#### **1. Character Rigs**

- **Base Rigs** – Fully rigged character models with proper hierarchy for smooth
movement.
- **Body Parts Separation** – Head, torso, arms, legs, hands, feet, and other parts
should be on separate layers for easy animation.
- **Facial Rig** – Includes moving eyes, eyebrows, and mouth shapes for expressions
and lip sync.
- **Hand Poses** – Pre-made hand shapes like open, fist, pointing, gripping, and
relaxed for various actions.

#### **2. Animation Library (Reusable Assets)**

- **Walk Cycles** – Pre-animated walking sequences for normal, happy, sad, angry,
and sneaky movements.
- **Run Cycles** – Fast, normal, and slow running animations.
- **Idle Animations** – Subtle character movements like breathing, blinking, and
shifting weight.
- **Turnarounds** – Front, side, back, and ¾ views of the character for smooth
rotation.
- **Basic Gestures** – Common actions like nodding, shaking head, pointing,
shrugging, and crossing arms.
- **Emotes** – Pre-made facial expressions like happy, sad, angry, surprised, and
smirking.

#### **3. Lip Sync Assets**

- **Phoneme Set** – Pre-designed mouth shapes for different sounds (A, E, O, M, F,
etc.) to match voiceovers.
- **Expressions with Lip Sync** – Talking with different moods like smiling, angry,
or sad speech.

#### **4. Scene Elements**

- **Backgrounds** – Static or layered settings like houses, streets, or nature,
with different time-of-day versions.
- **Props** – Objects the characters interact with, such as doors, chairs, food,
weapons, and gadgets.
- **FX Assets** – Special effects like smoke, fire, lightning, sparkles, and water
splashes.

#### **5. Camera & Composition Setup**

- **Camera Movements** – Pre-planned pans, zoom-ins, zoom-outs, and tracking shots
for dynamic storytelling.
- **Depth & Parallax Setup** – Layered backgrounds (foreground, midground,
background) for a 3D-like effect.
- **Scene Transitions** – Smooth cuts, fades, zooms, and wipes between shots.

#### **6. Sound & Voice Preparation**

- **Dialogue Tracks** – Pre-recorded voice lines ready for animation.
- **Sound Effects (SFX)** – Footsteps, doors, punches, rustling, and other ambient
sounds.
- **Music Score** – Background music and scene-specific soundtracks.

#### **7. Animation Guidelines**

- **Storyboard** – A shot-by-shot visual breakdown of the entire episode.
- **Animatic** – A rough animation version using storyboard images and voice-over
for timing.
- **Timing Charts** – Guides for movement speed, spacing, and keyframes.
- **Pose References** – Pre-defined key character poses to keep designs consistent.

#### **8. Export & Render Setup**

- **Frame Rate** – Standard 24fps for smooth animation, or 12fps for limited
animation.
- **Render Settings** – High-resolution PNG sequences or MP4 files for final
output.
- **Compositing Layers** – Separating characters, backgrounds, and effects for
better editing flexibility.

WorkTime

### **1. Standard Workload (6-8 Hours per Day, 5-6 Days a Week)**
- **Estimated Time:** **3.5 to 4 months**
- **Daily Hours:** 6-8 hours
- **Weekly Hours:** 36-48 hours
- **Best For:** A steady pace with room for small breaks.

---

### **Reality Check for a Solo Animator**

- A good balance is **8 hours a day with occasional long days** when needed.

If you want to **finish in 3-4 months**, a **6-8 hour daily work schedule** is the
most **sustainable and realistic**.

__PLAN__

### **Optimized Plan to Speed Up 2D Rig-Based Animation Production**

---

## **1. Pre-Production (Week 1-3) → Planning Saves Time**

### ✅ **Create a Simple Yet Effective Art Style**
- Avoid overly detailed designs; simpler characters move faster in animation.
- Use **fewer but expressive** mouth and eye shapes to reduce rigging time.
- Keep props and backgrounds **flat and minimalistic** (like "Bluey").

### ✅ **Make a Detailed Storyboard & Animatic (1-2 Weeks)**

- Plan every scene **before animating**—this prevents wasted work.
- Use an **animatic (rough timing of scenes with voice-over)** so animation only
happens where necessary.
- **Tip:** Spend time refining the animatic because it will guide everything else.

---

## **2. Asset Creation (Week 4-7) → Build a Library for Reuse**

### ✅ **Rig All Characters at Once (1-2 Weeks per Character)**
- Instead of rigging as you go, **set up everything upfront** (including alternate
outfits, hand poses, and lip sync).
- Use **Smart Bones** (if using Moho) or **Mesh Deformers** (if using Toon Boom or
After Effects) for smooth bending.
- **Tip:** Rig a **generic character template** so new characters can be based on
it.

### ✅ **Pre-Make an Animation Library (2 Weeks)**

- Create reusable **walk cycles, run cycles, idle poses, and gestures** for each
character.
- Save **pre-set face emotions** (happy, sad, angry, surprised, neutral) to speed
up expressions.
- **Tip:** Use **frame swaps** (instead of rigging everything) for quicker
expression changes.

### ✅ **Batch Create Backgrounds & Props (2 Weeks)**

- Design **modular backgrounds** (e.g., a house with interchangeable rooms).
- Use **parallax layers** for depth without extra animation work.
- **Tip:** Reuse background elements (trees, sky, furniture) across multiple
scenes.

---

## **3. Animation Phase (Week 8-14) → Work Smarter, Not Harder**

### ✅ **Lip Sync Efficiently (2-3 Days per Minute Instead of 3-5 Days)**
- Use **auto lip sync features** (available in Toon Boom, Moho, and Adobe Animate).
- Manually tweak only **important dialogue moments** (for stronger expressions).
- **Tip:** Use **motion tweening instead of frame-by-frame** to speed things up.

### ✅ **Use Reusable Actions for Body Movement (5 Days per Minute Instead of 10)**
- Instead of animating from scratch, reuse **pre-made walks, gestures, and cycles**
from your animation library.
- Only **animate unique actions manually**, like fight scenes or emotional moments.
- **Tip:** Pre-build **poses in the timeline** so you can copy-paste keyframes
instead of repositioning every time.

---

## **4. Post-Production (Week 15-16) → Final Touches Without Wasting Time**

### ✅ **Camera & FX Automation (3-5 Days Instead of 7-12)**
- Use **simple camera movements** (pans, zooms) to create depth without complex
animation.
- Use **pre-made effects** (like particle generators for smoke, fire, and dust).
- **Tip:** Download free-to-use **FX packs** to avoid animating them from scratch.

### ✅ **Fast Sound Sync & Rendering (3 Days Instead of 5-7)**

- Sync **voiceovers first**, then sound effects, then music.
- Render in **PNG sequences** (instead of full video) to allow faster fixes.
- **Tip:** Use **batch rendering** overnight to save time.
---

## **Final Optimized Timeline: 3-4 Months Instead of 6+**

| Phase | Standard Time | **Optimized Time** |
|--------|---------------|------------------|
| Pre-Production | 1 month | **2-3 weeks** |
| Asset Creation | 1.5-2 months | **4-5 weeks** |
| Animation | 2-3 months | **6-8 weeks** |
| Post-Production | 3-4 weeks | **2-3 weeks** |
| **Total** | **5-6 months** | **3-4 months** |

---

### **Key Takeaways to Speed Up Production**

1. **Plan everything before animating** – A strong **animatic** prevents wasted
animation.
2. **Pre-make a character rig & animation library** – Avoid reanimating common
movements.
3. **Use auto lip sync & pre-made FX** – Let software handle repetitive tasks.
4. **Reuse backgrounds & props** – Saves a ton of time for every episode.
5. **Optimize rendering workflow** – Render overnight and use batch processing.

---

By following this workflow, you can **cut production time by 30-50%**, making it
**realistic for a solo artist to produce a 10-15 minute episode in 3-4 months**
instead of 6+.