While cartoons might be kids’ stuff, creating animation is a time-consuming and expensive process which requires careful management of finances and personnel. Meeting deadlines is essential to a successful project but doing so can be costly if animators are required to work overtime.

The most crucial part of any animation project is the creation of the story and its translation into storyboards, as that is the structure of the entire piece. Everything else is based around the storyboards. As this is the case, it is possible to outsource every step after the basic design has been laid out. This can significantly reduce the investment required for a project and dramatically increase the project’s efficiency. It would also allow the firm to pursue a wider range of projects than they would otherwise be able to.

Some studios create rough animations for the outsourcing team to work from, while others do not. The important thing is for the storyboards to be clear to ensure that the outsourcing team understands what is desired without needing to constantly ask for clarification. Before storyboards are sent to the outsourcing team, the studio should ensure that keyframes have been developed. These are the main poses in animation, and getting them to look right is crucial. The outsourcing team needs these keyframes along with the storyboards to know exactly what the movement between frames should look like. When they have these, they will be able to get to work on the time consuming process, allowing the animation team to focus on finishing the project.

Having a good outsourcing team will increase the productivity of animation studios by a great deal. It allows the studio to focus on more important things before moving on. By not having to worry about the thousands of individual cells required, they will be able to complete projects on time and in budget. Prices of outsourcing teams vary, with most television studios sending work overseas. For smaller studios, it is possible to find animation outsourcing teams online, though it is critical to see samples of their work before hiring them.

Image: Popeye and Olive Oyl in ”A Date to Skate” (1938)