Need help starting animation committee

[Fio003]

For the creative process, my team has a very streamlined system; I recommend it. Set aside a few hours for this, and tell them to focus and get it done in one quick run through. First, make a big list of everything anyone on the team has ever liked. It sounds very vague, yes, but it gets the creative juices flowing. We end up with stuff like "flashy lights" and "sunsets." Have someone take notes. Then, from there, list the theme and the ideals of FIRST, and start making scenes. Not necessarily full animations, but just create some themes or some cool locations. End the process by compiling these into full blown animations, complete with time lines and a general message to convey. We usually end up with 2 or 3. Vote on which one you want to do, based on ease of creation, the message, how it sticks to the theme, etc. And, there you are, you have your animation!

Easier said than done, of course. We spend the next 3-4 weeks modeling all the parts, and then the 4-5 week is spent animating and adding effects. The last week is saved for rendering and emergencies.

I also recommend having a deadset leader. Also, remind people of three things: a) they won't be any good if they don't practice b) you can't pull a realistic model out of nowhere...always uses references! and c) no one is forcing them to be there, so if they aren't going to animate, they should leave. That last one does a good job of keeping discipline on my team; it instills a sense of responsibility. Anyways, this post is long enough. Good luck!