Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for animation studios.
A checklist built from how animation studios work, to print or save as a PDF and bring to any supplier meeting.
What the software should cover
Tick each one that matters to your business.
- Bid and budget by shot
- Script, storyboard and animatic
- Shot list and status board
- Asset library and versions
- Artist booking and timesheets
- Review notes and retakes
- Render queue and delivery
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For producers
- For production managers and coordinators
- For directors and supervisors
- For artists
- For pipeline and render technicians
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Bid against actual cost by sequence
- Shots by stage and past due
- Retakes per sequence and artist
- Artist bookings and free capacity
- Render hours and farm charges by shot
- Freelance hours payable by period
- Delivery checklist status by client
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- Spreadsheet import
- Accounting export
- Cloud storage links
- Calendar
- Chat notifications
- Shot-tracking tool import
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Is this a pipeline tool or a studio management system?
- Can it work with 2D and 3D productions?
- How are retakes tracked?
- How does it handle freelancers abroad?
- Can we see cost per shot?
- Can we import an existing shot spreadsheet?
- What do voice actors and sound studios need?
- Who owns our production data?
- What does it cost?
- Do we need this for a very small team?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Shot status lives in a spreadsheet
- Assets are used in the wrong version
- Retake notes are scattered
- Artist bookings clash
- Cost per shot is unknown until the end
Prefer to talk it through? See the animation studios page.