SWANSONG

Savannah College of Art and Design (2024)

SWANSONG is a 2D animated feature currently in Post-Production. I became Production Manager during the middle of Pre-Production.

Logline: In pursuit of reviving his deceased girlfriend, a dancer becomes ensnared by a cunning shadow, leading him into the mysterious realm of shadows and away from the woman he loves.

Role Responsibilities:

Use Trello to track resources, assignments, and assign tasks to team members.

Use Google Sheets to track Production deadlines & the Animation Pipeline.

File Structure & Storage

I primarily used Google Suite to manage files and share information. I organized the file structure based on the 2D animation pipeline, with folders for each phase.

Communication Streams

Discord was the film's main communication channel. Since it was a small team, each artist had their own channel to post work in progress and communicate with the director, leads, and asset artists. Communication trickled down the server based on each stage of the 2D pipeline.

Production Sheet

I created a Production Sheet using Google Sheets with essential information to document production progress, tasks and updates. The adapted Production Chart can be viewed in the Production Sheet Excel below:

Click on the tabs to explore the spreadsheet

Challenges

A Global Team: While the rest of our team was based in Atlanta, a few of our team members were located all over the globe. We had to learn and navigate communication, given the time difference and communication streams.
A Rigid, Fast-Pased Production Schedule: We had to adapt a pre-determined production schedule to our individual needs, setting realistic milestones that prioritised the team's well-being and the quality of the film. We also had to balance both 2D and 3D pipelines within the production.
Multi-role Artists: Since we had a small team, many artists had to learn new roles and abilities to meet production needs. For example, I had to take on roles across management, character, background, prop design, and VFX. We had to learn quickly and step out of our comfort zones.