How to start your virtual animation studio
By: Bobby Beck
More and more people are setting up their virtual animation studios on Artella. As a result we’ve been asked to provide a simple, step-by-step guide for people looking to do this and we hope this helps out.
1. Step 1: Setup a new Artella account (it’s free) with your company’s name; i.e. Boutique 23, Keed, ArtSource Studio etc.
2. Step 2: Post work in your company’s profile to show members what you or your studio have created previously.
3. Step 3: Create “New Projects” (big green button in the upper right) logged in with your company profile as they will then show up on your company’s projects area.
4. Step 4: Invite people to your projects, and/or watch them apply to yours.
You can also have a personal profile on Artella, but if you want to run your studio through Artella the above steps will make this much easier as you can drive traffic to one place, your studio profile, and people can apply to the projects that interest them right from there.
Of course there are other important topics to cover when considering to start your animation studio; i.e. NDA’s for your team, incorporating your business, etc. We’ll cover these topics in future blog posts so long as you’d like to know more about them.
Important tips for a successful project:
1. When posting positions for your project do it in stages. A common mistake is to list EVERY position you think you need. The problem with this is that you’ll get people you need way later in your production much too early and, by the time you need them, they will have moved on or lost interest. The ideal is to list the TOP 3 – 4 positions you need right now on your production. This will allow you to dig in with this smaller team and tackle what you’re working on right in the stage you are at. As you near the end of that stage post up the next 3 – 4 positions you need and begin searching the community and reaching out to potential candidates.
2. The success or failure of a project is determined by the level of engagement of the creator/director. If you are going to start a project know that it’s going to take a lot of effort and attention. You are the captain of the ship. If you go missing, don’t answer messages, miss meetings, or give don’t feedback in a timely manner (24 hours max) the team will wane fast. You’re only human, so be sure to be clear to your team when you’ll be out. Appoint a stand in team member to take the lead if you must be out to cover and keep the production moving during any out times you may have.
3. Weekly team meetings. We highly recommend meeting with your team once a week and providing them with focused tasks for the upcoming week. You can also address any issues, challenges or concerns your team has at that time.
4. Answer your messages. You may get a lot of inquiry and applications to your project. It is common courtesy to reply back to applicants within a 24 – 48 hour window. Even if it’s not going to be a fit for your project it’s best to let people know so that they don’t sit around waiting to hear back… yes, they are waiting.
5. Here is a link to a production docs that have been used on DUEL, Thistle One and other Artella projects. Make a copy of the doc and use it as you wish. Let us know if you make improvements.
We hope this helps you get your production started in the right direction.
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