How Long Does It Take To Make An Animated Film? Timelines Explained

Creating your first cartoon can take months, if not years! That’s why it is so important to plan ahead. By having a solid idea process before you get started, you will save yourself time in the long run.

The most common way to start animating is by creating a story board. A story board is like a flowchart that helps organize all of the scenes for your film. You can create them as either digital or paper versions.

A lot of people begin drawing cartoons with hand drawn illustrations, but this takes very experienced artists who have formal training. Most creative professionals start working in animation using computer generated imagery (CGI) designs instead.

This article will go into more detail about both types of story boards and how to use them. We will also talk about some other ways to develop your movie before designing your actual characters and environments.

Fund the project

Before you even begin animating, you will need to find your inspiration and start planning how to make your film. You can do this by creating a movie notebook or journal where you brainstorm different ideas for your story and characters.

You also need to know what kind of camera you want to use to capture your stories. This could be fully digital or hand-held. Having these resources makes filming more efficient as you don’t have to search for equipment or ask people if you can borrow theirs.

At this stage you should also look into getting appropriate licenses for any songs or films you plan to use in your videos.

Write the script

Writing is the most important part of film making. Not only does it serve as the basis for everything else, like filming or editing, but it’s what gives you the opportunity to tell your story.

A good screenplay is built off of strong characters that people connect with. An interesting plot will not matter if the movie isn’t well written.

With this in mind, how long it takes to make an animated feature film can sometimes be mistaken for whether or not someone has enough talent to do animation.

It doesn’t take much talent to produce an animated short (which are very popular these days), but creating a full length feature requires more than just passion for cartoons.

You need to know how to write stories and dialogue and you have to be able to convey those points clearly. You also have to be willing to put in the effort needed to hone your writing skills while also investing time into developing your storytelling ability.

Examine the script for flaws

The second way to tell if your story can be told in animated form is by looking at the story itself and determining if there are any signs that it could actually be animated.

Many stories begin with what we call a “Inciting Incident”, which is usually something significant that sets off a series of events leading up to the climax. For example, in the movie Ratatouille, Remy gets his first taste of chocolate and he instantly falls in love with it!

This incident serves as the jumping-off point for the rest of the film, because it establishes a theme (chocolate makes things delicious) and a character arc (Remy learns about himself through experiences and relationships).

If you look at the opening scenes of Your Face or Mine, you will see that there is no real buildup before the murder takes place. In fact, the scene is mostly dialogue between two people, neither of whom seems particularly excited about what is happening next.

It would work just fine as a one-and-a-half hour TV episode, but it doesn't seem like a very interesting starting point for a feature length movie. If you were making this movie yourself, you might want to try reworking those initial stages to strengthen the plot.

Plan out the storyboard

Before you can even begin animating your film, you have to create a storyboard! A storyboard is like a roadmap for the movie you want to make. You will draw all of the scenes in order and connect them together with some narrative.

Your first step towards making your own animated feature is planning out how the film would be broken down into individual scenes. This process is called storyboarding.

You will need lots of paper and pencils to do this well so buy yourself some new supplies before you get started.

Many people use PowerPoint or Google Docs to organize their storyboards. Both are very easy to use and effective ways to start storytelling.

Once you have everything organized, you can then begin drawing and developing your storyline.

Make the movie

After creating the characters, writing the script, casting the actors, recording the soundtrack, editing the film, and then marketing it, it can take anywhere from months to years until you get your first glimpse of your animated film.

That’s the hardest part!

It takes time to make an animated feature film because there are so many steps involved in producing it. You have to write the script, find the right directors and producers, shoot the scenes, edit the film, market it, and then repeat all that for multiple rounds before everyone agrees it is good enough to release it.

And even after it is released, it takes lots of work to keep it afloat - by going to screenings and meetings, answering media questions, and supporting it at events.

Edit the film

After filming has finished, the next step is editing! This is typically done with video editors such as Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro. These programs have advanced features that allow you to edit both sound and image content down in size.

These software packages usually have several different ways of exporting your movie. The most common way is “export as YouTube videos” which are then uploaded to a website for distribution. Others may export into Netflix-compatible formats like MXG or MP4s.

Some people also upload their movies through websites that let you create free accounts, such as Imgur or Vimeo. An increasingly popular method is using mobile apps such as Youmov and Animoto, where anyone can make a short movie (usually under 5 minutes) and then distribute it via their app.

By taking time after filming to edit your movie, you will give yourself more time to spread your film! And hopefully, people will be able to enjoy yours soon too.

Publish the film

After filming your main feature, you’ll need to edit it down into its final form- this is called the ‘film’.

Editing a movie starts with the editing suite, where all of the footage for the movie is organized and put together. This process is very in depth and requires many different skills and people to be done properly.

Once everything is edited together, the next step is to export the file so that you can view the movie outside of the studio! This is where things get tricky because there are so many ways to do this!

There are several software packages that have various levels of exporting settings and features. Some are free while others cost money, but most offer enough functionality to create great looking films.

Market the film

As mentioned before, creating your own movie can take a long time! This is not necessarily a bad thing as it gives you the opportunity to really focus on what you love and learn how to make movies from scratch. Plus, you get to keep all of the profits!

If you are thinking about making your own movie, then first start by marketting yourself. Create a great social media profile that highlights who you are as a person and includes lots of pictures of you so people can get a sense of who you are.

Start sharing your creative work via Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. You do not have to use these sites for marketing yoursif you do not like them- but having at least one should help others discover your talent.

Running out of ideas? Do something related to your field or genre and add some flavor to it! The more ways you spread your message, the better chance someone will find you and connect with you.

And lastly, stay organized! Keep receipts, notes, and invoices in separate folders to facilitate quick access.