Animation · Process
From style frame to animatic in two weeks
A two-week sprint we run on every project before locking the shot list — and the worksheet behind it.
01 · The two-week sprint
Before we lock a shot list, every project gets a two-week pre-production window. Two weeks. No more, no less. The deliverable at the end is a complete animatic with locked timing, audio, and at least one fully developed style frame per sequence.
02 · The worksheet
We use a single shared worksheet — sequences down, columns across for thumbnail, beat, dialogue, timing, FX notes, transitions. It is boring on purpose. Boring spreadsheets make exciting shots.
"Two weeks. No more, no less."
— Hina Yamada, Lead 2D Animator
03 · Why animatic over boards
Storyboards are easier to make and harder to argue about. Animatics force decisions on timing, pacing, and music — which is where most projects unravel later.
04 · The handoff
At the end of week two we lock the animatic in a single meeting. Everyone signs. Anyone who shows up with a note after that meeting has to bring it through the producer.
