How comic book animations are made?

Do you like animated Snapchat filters? Imagine your typical chat background transforming into a stunning comic book with special effects, where characters spring to life, and the lead character is... you.

But what goes on behind this animation? What's concealed behind the scenes, and how long does it take to render a short (less than one minute!) video? Don't know? Well, we'll tell you right now.

What was our objective?

As you may have guessed, we received a request for a comic book-style animation. The client intended to use it on Snapchat, so, in addition to the video itself, we needed to prepare character faces for user masks.

The client lent us a hand; they had developed the script in advance and provided references, giving us a foundation to build upon. With only 12 days at our disposal, which included full rendering and animation, his preparations proved to be invaluable.

The Lengthy Preparatory Stage

First, we sketched on paper and created a mood board. We designed scenes, penned scripts and frames, and highlighted focal points. We outlined animation features, emphasized angles, and fine-tuned timing. We created color and shape samples, along with character poses and expressions.

By the way, we forgot to mention the comic's theme! It revolved around clothing and lifestyle, so we meticulously selected room designs, sought intriguing poses and compositions. We digitally illustrated one scene with the hero and interior style for customer approval.

But our efforts didn't stop there; we continuously explored innovative solutions and coordinated them with the client. We examined numerous references and produced 19 shots from scratch. We modified the characters' clothing style five (!) times. Essentially, throughout this period, we played the roles of stylists, dressing the protagonists of the future comic. This stage consumed 10 days.

And Finally – Animation!

12-10=2. That's how many days remained for the final stage. We were confident in our ability to deliver, thanks to our talented specialist. While the task wasn't easy, we had faith in our capabilities.

In addition to the animator, our team included an illustrator, an art director, an account director, and, in the final stages, a voice-over professional joined the ranks. Music selection occurred simultaneously with animation coordination to ensure every animated element fit seamlessly into the rhythm.

Two days for full animation is quite limited, but our determination and the fact that comics don't require character animation worked in our favor. Nevertheless, there was ample work, from text rendering to special effects like lightning and smoke. All of this had to be executed swiftly, adhering to the comic book style.

A challenge emerged unexpectedly. The client had approved everything, leaving only minor details – selecting suitable emotion-bearing photographs. Seemingly trivial, given the abundance of stock images. However, try to find two characters with identical faces...

Long story short, stock hunting became an arduous task. But the assignment couldn't be avoided. However, our trusty team member, Ksenia, stepped in to be photographed from the correct angles with appropriate lighting. This ensured the character's anatomy remained consistent, and her facial expressions conveyed the necessary emotions for program recognition. Even in such situations, our specialists go the extra mile to ensure client satisfaction.

We delivered the video and character faces for custom masks on time. The client was pleased, and truth be told, so were we. We enjoy watching comics, but creating them is even more enjoyable. In just 12 days, with a team of two, we achieved this remarkable animated result!