How does a large animation studio like Pixar maintain consistency when dozens of people with varying artistic tastes are working on a single project?
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I was in this industry for years….
Early on in an animation project, there will be a previsualization phase where the high-level details are flushed out. This might include 2d hand-drawn storyboards or even rough 3d models thrown together quickly to show scene layout, character blocking, props, and simple animation within any sequence. This sets the overall look for a particular project and is referenced by all artists, known as TDs, working on the production. Directors are indeed a single point of approval for all TD work. They typically start their day with ‘dailies’ which is a review of the work that was generated the night before on the render farm. Any TD who deviates from the look will get “notes” back from dailies, which is feedback on their work, and will be expected to make changes for the next dailies to adhere to the director’s vision. There is an entire production team (Producer, AP, PM, PA) that manages and coordinates TDs toward this end. Basically one person with one vision delegates to an entire crew who makes sure that all assigned work is being done as expected. TDs are typically able to focus on just the shots or assets (character models) they are assigned.
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