Looking to collaborate with an animator for a Short Film

Welcome!

There are frequently people coming here and making similar posts. Those projects rarely succeed.

You have just learned of Blender’s existence, so am I to assume you aren’t a 3D artist and have no idea of the amount of work involved? I want to temper your expectations of what’s possible. Here are a few points and questions I am thinking about.

  • First of all, do you have any knowledge of 3D animation from outside Blender? I want you to understand that it’s a lot of work and isn’t like AI generated video where you just push a button. Many outsiders seem to expect it to be magic where the computer does most of the work, but it really isn’t.

  • How long is your script? Is it for a short of a few minutes at most? I hope so, because a feature length movie would take at least a team of 15-20 artists a few years to make if you want any decent level of quality.

  • Does your movie have many characters? Characters are complicated and need lots of work. Especially human characters, they are unforgiving to animate and cannot be rushed.

  • If you ask for volunteers, you will most likely get begginers looking to gain experience. The experts know to avoid this kind of project and won’t work for free.

  • Do you have experience making any movie? Even something that’s not animated? I would want to know if you understand the logistics and organisation needed. You would need to handle the files and make backups of them. You would need to communicate and coordinate with the artists. You would need a plan to make sound, music and voice acting if needed.

  • If you work with volunteers, there is a risk that artists will leave the project and be replaced. This complicates things if you aren’t a Blender user yourself, because different artists might work with different mismatched techniques and styles. Any production of a decent size would usually have artistic and technical directors to deal with this and uniformize the production, but you can’t do it yourself if you aren’t a proficient user.

  • What level of quality are you expecting? There is a reason big animation studios need years to make a movie. Something more crude looking can be made much quicker, but will still be work.

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