Short answer: For a typical animated explainer video, you should allow for several weeks from kickoff to final delivery. In the UK, most 60-90 second animated videos take roughly 4-8 weeks to produce from start to finish. A 2-minute animation might lean toward the upper end of that range (around 5-6 weeks), while a short 30-60 second piece can often be completed in about a month. Of course, timelines vary with complexity, a simple 10-second social media animation could be turned around in a day or two, whereas a detailed, custom 2-minute video might need 6+ weeks.
The key for B2B teams is to plan ahead: understand what factors affect the timeline and set realistic expectations. Below, we break down typical production timelines (with real numbers), explain what can speed up or slow down a project, and show you how to forecast your animation production schedule with confidence.
Typical Animation Production Timelines by Video Length
Creating an animated video involves multiple stages (scripting, storyboarding, design, animation, etc.), each taking time. Here are typical timeline ranges for common video lengths using a 2D animation workflow. These assume a bespoke (from-scratch) production with one round of revisions at each stage:
10-second simple animation (social media clip): ~ 1-3 days
Yes, very short content can sometimes be produced in a day or two if it’s just a logo animation or a quick GIF-style graphic. However, even a 10s video still requires planning and editing, so 2-3 days is more common.
60-second (1 minute) 2D animated video: ~ 3-4 weeks.
This is the typical length for a concise explainer or product video. About a calendar month is a realistic timeline for a one-minute animation, covering all stages from briefing to final edits. Some simpler one-minute videos can be done a bit faster (around 3 weeks) if everything goes smoothly and the style is straightforward.
90-second (1½ minute) 2D animated video: ~ 4-5 weeks.
With the extra 30 seconds of content, you’ll need additional scripting, illustrations, and animation work. Most 90s videos land around the 4- to 5-week mark for production. The process is similar to a 60s video but expect an extra week or so for the increased content and possibly more scenes to review.
120-second (2 minute) 2D animated video: ~ 5-6 weeks.
Two minutes of animation is fairly content-rich, likely 15+ illustrated scenes or segments. It’s wise to allow at least five weeks for a high-quality 2-minute animated video, and six weeks is not uncommon, especially if the style is detailed or if multiple stakeholders need to give feedback. Many studios in the UK would quote roughly 6±1 weeks for this length, assuming a standard explainer style. (For example, one UK animation team notes that a typical 60-90s explainer often takes around 4-8 weeks overall, so two minutes tends toward the higher end of that spectrum.)
These ranges assume a 2D motion graphics or simple character style. If your video uses 3D animation or very intricate artwork, expect longer timelines (more on that below). For instance, a 60-second 3D animated video might take on the order of 4-5 weeks instead of 3-4, due to extra steps like 3D modeling and rendering. Extremely complex 3D projects (with photorealistic details or advanced physics) can take multiple months for just a minute or two of footage. Always consider the style and complexity alongside length when estimating time.
What Affects an Animated Video Timeline?
Why might one 2-minute video take 5 weeks and another 8 weeks? The production timeline for an animated video isn’t one-size-fits-all. Several key factors influence how long your project will take:
Scriptwriting and Concept Development
Every video starts with an idea and a script. If you already have a crystal-clear script and concept, you’ve essentially jumped past a big first step. But if not, budget time for creative development. Writing a compelling script (especially for B2B messaging) can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks including brainstorming and revisions. A straightforward script might be finalized in 3-5 days, whereas a more complex narrative or multiple approval cycles could stretch the scripting phase to 1-2 weeks. Rushing this stage is risky, it’s much easier to tweak words on a page now than to fix an animated scene later. So, a solid script is worth the time.
Storyboarding and Visual Planning
The storyboard is essentially the blueprint of your animation, sketching out scenes shot-by-shot. Creating and approving a storyboard usually takes about 1-2 weeks in a typical project. If your video is simple (e.g. mostly text and icons), the storyboard might come together faster, in just a few days. But if you need custom illustrations, characters, or complex transitions visualized, it could take longer. Plan on at least a week for the first storyboard draft, then add a few days for feedback and tweaks. This step is crucial because changes here are far easier (and less time-consuming) than changes during animation.
Design Style and Complexity
The visual style you choose has a huge impact on timeline. A clean 2D motion graphic style (think simple icons, typography, and minimalistic illustrations) is relatively quick to produce. In contrast, a character animation with detailed, hand-drawn scenes or a frame-by-frame “cartoon” look will require more labour. As an example, simple motion graphics animations will be much faster to produce than complex frame-by-frame character animation. Likewise, 3D animation adds significant time: there are additional steps for modeling, texturing, lighting, and rendering 3D scenes. Expect 3D projects to take longer, sometimes double the time of an equivalent 2D project if the 3D detail is high. It’s important to decide on the style early, as this sets the realistic timeframe. (Tip: If you’re after a high-end 3D look, be prepared to allow extra weeks or even months. A simple 2D explainer might be done in ~4 weeks, but a richly detailed 3D animated video of the same length could easily take 8+ weeks due to the added complexity.)
Animation Duration (Length of Video)
This one’s obvious but worth stating, longer videos take more time. A 30-second animation might have, say, 5-7 scenes to animate; a 2-minute video could have 20+ scenes. The relationship isn’t perfectly linear, but generally every additional second of final video means more illustrations to draw and more frames to animate. This is why a 90-second video usually needs a bit more time than a 60-second one, even if all other factors are equal. When planning, don’t assume you can simply double the work and halve the time by throwing more people at it; certain steps (like voiceover recording or consolidating feedback) don’t parallelize well. It’s safer to schedule proportionally more time for longer videos.
Number of Stakeholders and Feedback Cycles
Review and revision rounds are built into any professional animation process, but how they’re handled can make or break your timeline. If you (the client) can turn around feedback quickly, say within 24-48 hours for each draft, the project keeps moving. However, if feedback takes a week each time, those weeks add up fast. Additionally, projects with multiple stakeholders reviewing (e.g. your marketing lead, product manager, and CEO all want input) often face delays gathering everyone’s approval. One industry best practice is to consolidate feedback: collect one set of agreed changes rather than trickling in separate opinions. Also, clarify how many revision rounds are included in the timeline. (Mooviemakers, for instance, includes unlimited revisions at each key stage but requires sign-off before moving to the next stage, this ensures that changes are addressed in the proper phase and avoids late-stage rework). Building in a buffer for at least one extra revision cycle is wise, especially for B2B projects where committee feedback is common. In short, efficient feedback and clear decision-making on the client side can significantly speed up delivery, whereas indecision or repeated major changes will prolong the timeline.
Voiceover and Audio
Don’t overlook the audio aspect. If your video requires a professional voiceover, you need to account for casting the voice actor, scheduling the recording, and possibly re-recording if the script changes. The voiceover itself usually only takes a day or two to turn around once you’ve selected a voice (many voice artists in the UK can record and deliver audio in 24-48 hours). However, searching for the right voice and getting approvals can add a few days. It’s smart to start voiceover early, often the script can be sent to voice talent as soon as it’s approved, and you can work on visuals in parallel. Background music and sound design are typically faster steps (often done in a couple of days at the end), but if you need custom music or specific sound effects, that could require extra time.
Client Preparedness and Asset Provision
If the animation requires specific inputs from you, for example, brand assets (logos, fonts, brand colour codes), product screenshots, or data for infographics, having those ready at the kickoff will prevent delays. Often a project stalls not in the studio, but on the client’s side due to waiting for content or approvals. One common holdup is when key decision-makers are unavailable (on holiday, etc.) during the project. Align your team’s availability with the production schedule. Also, if you anticipate any bureaucratic steps (e.g. legal approval for messaging), bake those into the timeline or get them done upfront. A well-prepared client can shave days off the schedule simply by providing clear direction and all necessary materials from the get-go.
Concurrent Projects or Workload
Finally, consider the context, both yours and the studio’s. If you need multiple videos (e.g. a series of explainers), producing them sequentially will take longer than overlapping certain tasks or using a subscription model. At Mooviemakers, for example, clients on our Unlimited Video subscription can request videos back-to-back and get first drafts within 1-2 business days for each, thanks to a dedicated team and concurrent workflow. Similarly, if a studio has a heavy workload or you hire them during peak season, the start of your project might be queued for a bit. Always discuss availability and whether the team can start right away or needs some lead time. If you have a firm deadline, communicate that upfront so the production company can allocate resources accordingly (or tell you honestly if the turnaround isn’t feasible).
In summary, a 60-second animated video might be finished in 3 weeks or 7 weeks, the spread largely comes down to the factors above. A complex style, iterative scripting, or slow feedback can push the timeline out, whereas a focused scope, clear communication, and efficient workflow can compress it. Next, we’ll look at how to set expectations and keep your project on schedule, especially in a B2B context where timing often ties into bigger plans.
B2B Timeline Expectations: Planning Ahead and Staying on Schedule
When you’re a marketing manager or product lead commissioning an animated video for your business, timelines aren’t just abstract dates, they affect campaign launches, product release plans, and budget cycles. Here’s how to approach animation production timelines from a B2B decision-maker’s perspective:
Start with a Realistic Baseline
As outlined above, a typical animated explainer (1-2 minutes) generally takes around 4-6 weeks in production under normal conditions. This is a good planning baseline. If you have a hard deadline (e.g. a conference, product launch, or quarterly board meeting), count backwards at least 6-8 weeks from that date for starting the project. That buffer accounts for potential delays or extra revisions. It’s always better to finish a bit early than to be scrambling at the last minute. Remember, even if you see some providers claiming “2-week delivery,” that often assumes a very limited scope or template-based production. For a truly custom, high-quality B2B video, plan on multiple weeks, not days. Industry surveys often cite ~6 weeks as the median timeline for an animated video project, so if you plan in that range you’ll be aligning with standard practice.
Ask for a Detailed Timeline Breakdown
When engaging an animation studio, don’t be shy about asking, “What is the estimated timeline for completion?”. A professional team should provide a breakdown of each phase (script, storyboard, animation, etc.) with expected dates. This not only gives you confidence in their process but also helps you schedule your own involvement (e.g. knowing which week you’ll need to dedicate time to feedback). Make sure the timeline includes contingencies for feedback and any potential hiccups. For example, Mooviemakers typically builds in a few days of padding in case a revision takes longer or an unexpected delay occurs. As a client, you should also communicate any known constraints upfront, say your manager can only review the storyboard on Thursdays, or your team will be offline during certain holidays, so the schedule can accommodate that. A clear timeline is a two-way agreement: the studio commits to interim deliverables, and you commit to reviewing in a timely manner. This mutual accountability keeps the project on track.
Align on Feedback Processes
In a B2B setting, one of the biggest timeline wildcards is the internal feedback loop. To avoid endless rounds of edits, align with the production company on how revisions will be handled. Ideally, you want to batch feedback (as mentioned earlier) and limit major changes after certain milestones. For instance, once the script is approved and voiceover is recorded, any drastic script change will cause re-work (and delay) in later stages. Good studios will warn you about that. It’s wise to set internal deadlines for your team’s feedback e.g. “We’ll return consolidated feedback within 2 business days of each draft”. Many agencies actually specify in contracts that client feedback should come within X days to keep the timeline valid. If your organisation’s approval process is slower, discuss this with the studio; they might adjust the timeline or recommend splitting the project into phases. The goal is to prevent a scenario where the production team is idle for a week waiting for your comments, that idle time is essentially lost time.
Understand What Can Speed Up vs. Delay Delivery
Besides the obvious factors (complexity, etc.), B2B clients often ask “Is there any way to get it faster?” The honest answer is yes, but at a cost. You can expedite an animated video by allocating more resources (e.g. paying for a rush service, which might mean the studio adds more animators to work in parallel or works overtime). Some studios offer “priority” production for an extra fee, cutting timelines by ~30% or so. As an example, one animation provider’s priority plan cites a 60-second video can be done in 2-4 weeks instead of 3-7 under normal scheduling. However, rushing can only go so far, certain steps like voiceover or client review simply can’t be done simultaneously. Also, be aware that an ultra-compressed timeline can sometimes limit creativity or polish (there’s less time for iteration and fine-tuning). Conversely, know what causes delays: late asset delivery, unclear feedback, scope creep (adding new scenes or changing the brief mid-project), and stakeholder indecision are common culprits. Avoid these by finalizing your core requirements early and sticking to the agreed plan as much as possible. In sum, you can accelerate a video project with enough determination (and budget), but it’s usually best to start early and pace it reasonably. This ensures the quality doesn’t suffer and your team isn’t stressed.
Communicate Business Deadlines Clearly
If your animated video needs to go live by a certain date (for example, to align with a product launch or an event), tell the production team right away. They can then structure the timeline backwards from that deadline and flag any risk of not meeting it. Sometimes, to hit a tight launch date, you might prioritise certain tasks, for instance, you might lock the script faster and proceed to animation with a placeholder voiceover if needed, then swap in the final VO later. Or you might agree to simplify some scenes to save time. These are trade-offs that can be discussed. The studio can also advise which steps must not be rushed (perhaps the animation phase needs a minimum of X days to maintain quality). The earlier you share your timing needs, the more options you have to adjust the workflow smartly. And once a schedule is set, hold a quick check-in each week to ensure milestones are being hit. In B2B projects, project management is key, treat your video like any other deliverable with status updates, and you’ll catch potential delays before they snowball.
Ultimately, business clients value predictability. By understanding the typical timeline and actively managing the process, you can confidently forecast when your animated video will be ready. Next, let’s look at a few concrete examples of timelines for different types of animation projects, and then a week-by-week breakdown of how a project typically unfolds.
Examples: How Style and Complexity Impact Timeline
To make this more tangible, here are a few worked examples of animation projects and how long each took (or would likely take) to complete. These illustrate how varying the style or requirements changes the timeline:
Example 1 – “Simple & Streamlined”: 60-Second Motion Graphics Explainer
A fintech startup wants a 1-minute explainer video for their homepage. They opt for a clean 2D motion graphics style (think animated icons, text, and subtle illustrations), with no character animation. The messaging is straightforward. In this case, the timeline can be on the shorter side: about 3 weeks from start to finish.
Why so fast? The script might be only ~150 words and was provided by the client (just needing minor tweaks). The visual style uses basic iconography that the studio’s designers can produce quickly. For instance, Week 1 covers script refinement (a few days) and immediate storyboard creation (another few days). By the end of Week 1, the storyboard is agreed upon because there are no complex scenes. Week 2 involves designing the assets in the approved style and recording the voiceover (which the client booked on Day 2).
Because the style is simple, the team can create all the necessary graphics within a week. Week 3 is focused on animation, moving those graphics around in After Effects with kinetic typography and transitions. After a mid-week internal review, a first cut of the full 60s video is delivered around Day 18. Only minor tweaks (like adjusting a transition timing and swapping a logo) are needed, which are turned around in a couple of days. By Day ~21 (end of week 3), the final animated video is delivered. This scenario highlights that short, simple videos can be very quick when there’s a clear plan and minimal rework. (Notably, this assumes the client was extremely prompt with feedback, reviewing each deliverable within 24 hours. Any delay on the client side would push it into a fourth week.)
Example 2 – “Standard (Typical) Project”: 90-Second Explainer with Custom Characters
Now consider a 90-second (1½ minute) explainer video for a B2B software company. This one uses a character animation approach, there’s a cartoon character representing the user, and a few scenes of that character interacting with the software interface, plus some animated charts. The style is bespoke to the company’s brand (custom illustrated backgrounds and a unique character design). The story is a bit more involved than Example 1. For a project like this, a realistic timeline is about 5 weeks.
Here’s how it breaks down: In Week 1, the studio works on the script (which is ~220 words), they spend a few days drafting it and incorporate feedback from the client’s team by week’s end. Parallel to finalising the script, initial character design concepts are drawn (because the character’s look needs client approval early). Week 2 focuses on the storyboard: sketching out ~12-15 key scenes featuring the character and UI illustrations. Character design is finalised mid-week 2 (after a round of tweaks to match the company’s branding and preferences).
By the end of Week 2, the storyboard (now with approved character style and rough visuals) is signed off. Week 3 moves into full design: the illustrators create polished artwork for each scene, this can take a good chunk of time since it’s custom art.
Let’s say by Week 3’s end, all scene illustrations and assets (characters in various poses, background scenes, interface mockups) are ready. The voiceover is also recorded this week once the script was locked, perhaps on Day 3 or 4, so the audio is in hand for animation.
Week 4 is dedicated to animation production. Animating a character (even a simple one) and syncing with the voiceover takes time; the animator might tackle roughly 15-30 seconds of animation per week depending on complexity. By the end of Week 4, they have the first 60-70 seconds animated and maybe share a sneak peek of a section with the client to ensure the style feels right.
Week 5 continues and completes the animation for all 90 seconds, and the team adds sound design (background music, a few sound effects like “whoosh” for transitions). Mid-way through Week 5, the client receives a full first draft video. Given our scenario, let’s assume there are a few minor revisions (e.g. “make our logo appear a bit earlier” or “the character’s shirt should be our brand blue, not green”), those are addressed in a couple of days. By the end of Week 5 (or very early Week 6), the final high-quality video is delivered. This example shows a common scenario for a custom 90s explainer: about five weeks with a moderate level of complexity. The custom character and detailed scenes added a bit more time, but overlapping some tasks (design and voiceover) helped keep it near the low end of the range.
Example 3 – “Complex & High-End”: 60-Second 3D Product Animation
Imagine a company needs a 60-second 3D animated video showcasing a new product (let’s say a gadget or a piece of industrial equipment). The video involves 3D models of the product, realistic lighting and textures, and animated camera moves to show the product from different angles. There’s no character or cartoon element, but the realism itself is the challenge. A project like this typically takes longer than a comparable 2D video. Expect around 6-8 weeks for a one-minute high-quality 3D animation. What does the timeline look like? In the beginning, there’s still a script (or at least a narrative structure) which might take a week including storyboard/concept approval, even 3D animations need planning of what will be shown when. The studio will likely produce a 3D animatic or previz in Week 2 or 3, a rough, low-detail 3D sequence to block out the timing of each shot. A lot of time in 3D goes into asset creation: the product might need to be modelled in 3D if CAD files aren’t provided. Let’s say in Weeks 2-3 the team is modelling and texturing the product and any environment or additional elements.
By Week 4, they start producing final animation shots, this includes setting up lighting, camera movement, and any visual effects. Rendering (exporting the finished frames from 3D software) can also be time-consuming; sometimes each second of footage might take hours of computer processing. So Week 5 might be partly rendering the first half while animating the second half. By Week 6, the whole video’s animated and rendered in draft form. It’s reviewed for any adjustments (maybe the rotation speed of the product is tweaked, or a texture needs more shine). Because changes in 3D can be labor-intensive, ideally major ones were caught at animatic stage. The team then does final high-resolution renders (which could be another several days of computing).
Week 7 would cover compositing (finetuning colors, adding labels or on-screen text overlays) and adding the voiceover narration and music. If all went well, a first full cut is delivered around the end of Week 7. Given the complexity, it’s common to have a few notes e.g. “can we slow down the spin in scene 3 to see the logo better?” which might require re-rendering a shot. That could add a few extra days, pushing final delivery into Week 8. This 3D example underscores that even for a video that’s the same length as Example 1, the timeline is roughly double due to the intricacy of 3D work. It’s not unusual for studios to quote 2-3 months for high-end 3D animations of one minute. (In fact, one U.S. studio notes a 30-second 3D animated segment can take a couple of months by itself.) The payoff is a visually impressive result, but you’ll need to allow that extra time in your planning.
These examples cover a range of scenarios, from a fast-turnaround simple video to a lengthy complex production. Most business projects will fall somewhere in between. The takeaway: style and complexity are as important as video length in judging timeline. By knowing where your project lies on the spectrum, you can better anticipate how many weeks the production will require.
Week-by-Week Animation Production Timeline (Sample Schedule)
It can be helpful to see how an animated video project unfolds over time. Below is a simple week-by-week breakdown for a typical project, let’s say a ~90-second custom 2D animated explainer, aimed to be completed in about 5 weeks. This assumes a fairly smooth process with one revision cycle at each major stage:
Week 1: Kickoff & Scripting
We start the project with a kickoff meeting (Day 1) to clarify the brief, target message, and style direction. The studio’s scriptwriter then develops a draft script (Day 2-3). By mid-week, the draft is shared with you. You gather any stakeholder feedback and by Day 5 we have a revised, approved script. (Meanwhile, if any reference videos or brand assets were needed, you’ve provided those in this week.) The foundation is now set: we know the narrative and the length (~90 seconds of voiceover, which is ~220 words).
Week 2: Storyboard & Style Frames
With the approved script, the creative team sketches out a storyboard. This is like a comic strip version of the video, showing each scene or key moment with simple visuals and notes. Simultaneously, the designers work on a couple of style frames (sample visuals) to nail down the look and feel (colours, illustration style, character design if any). By mid Week 2, you receive the storyboard panels and style frame proposals. We schedule a review call around Day 3 or 4 of this week to walk through the storyboard together. Let’s say you request a few tweaks, for example, “Scene 5 is unclear, can we show a graph instead of an icon?” and perhaps choose Style Frame B over A. We adjust those and by the end of Week 2, the storyboard and visual style are approved. Now everyone knows exactly what will be animated, and how it will look. This stage is critical, and we’ve allocated roughly the full week to get it right (which is typical, storyboarding often takes 1-2 weeks).
Week 3: Asset Design & Voiceover
Now the project moves into design production. Using the approved style, the design team creates all the detailed assets/illustrations for each scene in the storyboard. For a 90-second video, this might be 12-15 unique scenes or key visuals to produce. Characters are drawn in all the poses needed, icons or graphs are designed, backgrounds illustrated, etc. This is a heads-down design week. While that’s happening, the script is sent out to a voiceover artist (if narration is needed). We likely would have helped you select a voice actor at the end of Week 1 or during Week 2 (sometimes we even get auditions or samples to choose from). The VO recording session happens this week, often we get the final voice audio back within 1-2 days after booking the talent. (For instance, if we confirmed the voice on Monday, we might have the recorded voiceover by Wednesday.) By the end of Week 3, two major things are complete: all visual assets are ready and approved internally, and the professional voiceover is in hand. We can even do a quick checkpoint with you to show some of the final artwork for a scene or two, just to reconfirm you love the style in full color. Assuming all looks good, we move forward to animation.
Week 4: Animation (First Draft)
This week, the animators get to work bringing everything to life. They take the layered artwork and storyboard from Week 3 and start creating the motion, synced with the voiceover timing. Typically, in a one-week span, our animator might animate roughly half to two-thirds of a 90s video. So by mid-to-late Week 4, we might have, say, the first 60 seconds animated and internally reviewed. We often like to share an early snippet or a “first 30 seconds” preview with the client around this time, especially on longer projects. This lets you see the style in motion and ensures we’re on the right track. Let’s say we do that on Day 3 of Week 4, you watch the first 30s and give a thumbs up that it’s looking great. Encouraged, we animate the remaining scenes. By the end of Week 4 or very early Week 5, we render out a full first draft of the 90-second video and deliver it to you for review. This draft includes the voiceover synced, all animations in place, and probably a temporary music track (or multiple music options for you to consider).
Week 5: Revisions, Sound Design & Final Delivery
Now it’s your turn to review the first full cut. Imagine you have a few notes: e.g. “In scene 8, the chart moves too fast to read , can we slow that down?” and “The ending could use our logo animation, can we add that?” and perhaps you choose one of the music options and say “use Music Track 2, but lower the volume during the voice parts.” These are all fairly standard revision requests. We gather your feedback (let’s assume we got it by Day 2 of Week 5). The production team then spends a couple of days addressing the changes: re-timing that chart animation, inserting a logo animation at the end (which we might have already prepared, since we know to end with branding), and mixing the selected background music at an appropriate volume. Because we plan for an iteration, these tweaks are completed by Day 4 or 5 of Week 5. We also do a final round of quality checks, watching the video through several times to ensure there are no visual glitches, all text is spelled correctly (in UK English as needed), and the audio is perfectly synced. By the end of Week 5, we deliver the final approved video in the formats you need (e.g. a 1080p HD video file, plus maybe a subtitle file or a few resized versions for social media, as agreed in scope).
In this sample timeline, our hypothetical 90-second video was finished in 5 weeks flat, which aligns with the earlier estimate of 4-5 weeks for this kind of project. Notice how each week had a focus, but some tasks overlapped (voiceover and design, for instance). Also notice that the client’s timely feedback was crucial for Week 5 to conclude on time. If an extra revision were needed, it might extend a few days into Week 6, which is why we often advise clients to start at least 6+ weeks before a hard deadline for a 90s video, just in case.
Your project’s week-by-week might differ (some stages might take longer and others shorter), but having this mapped out from the start is immensely helpful. It sets expectations on both sides: you know when to expect deliverables in your inbox, and the studio knows when you’ll be reviewing them. When everyone sticks to the timeline, the process can be remarkably smooth.
How Mooviemakers Delivers Faster (Without Cutting Corners)
Let’s face it: in business, timelines are often tight. The good news is that a well-organised production process can save a lot of time without sacrificing quality. At Mooviemakers, we’ve honed our workflow to streamline animation projects as much as possible, so you get a fantastic video on schedule. Here are a few ways our approach helps shorten timelines (while still hitting all the quality checkpoints):
Refined Step-by-Step Process
We follow a clear six-stage process (Brief > Script > Storyboard > Voiceover > Animation > Delivery) that has been refined over years of production work. Because each stage is well-defined, there’s no guesswork about what happens next or who’s responsible, this eliminates delays that often occur when a process is ad-hoc. Our team knows how to efficiently hand off from one stage to the next. Importantly, we don’t skip crucial steps; we just execute them in a focused way. The result is no missed deadlines and no surprises, as our motto goes, it’s “a smooth, collaborative experience from start to finish”. By having this structure in place, even complex projects move forward like clockwork.
Parallel Work Streams
One of the advantages of working with an experienced studio like ours is that we can overlap tasks intelligently. For example, as soon as the script is approved, we might kick off the voiceover recording and the style frame design simultaneously. While the voice artist is recording the narration (which might take a day or two), our designers are already crafting the visual style and starting on storyboards. This parallel processing can shave days off the schedule. We also often prepare multiple elements in advance, need an animated logo at the end? We’ll start drafting that while the main animation is underway. By running certain steps in parallel (where it makes sense), we compress the overall timeline without rushing any individual task.
In-House Multidisciplinary Team
Our studio has all the key talent under one roof, writers, illustrators, animators, voiceover coordinators, etc. This tight integration means we don’t waste time searching for freelancers or waiting on third parties. If a change is needed, our team can often turn it around the same day. For instance, if during animation we realize we need an extra illustration, our illustrator is right there to create it. Having a dedicated team also fosters good communication, so everyone stays on the same page about the project goals and timeline. The benefit to you is a faster turnaround compared to patchwork teams, and fewer delays due to miscommunication.
Robust Feedback System
A common source of delay in video projects is iterative feedback, back-and-forth emails that drag on. We mitigate this by using a structured feedback system (often a combination of annotated video tools and scheduled review calls). We prompt for consolidated feedback at each stage and clarify anything unclear right away. Our approach of unlimited revisions at each stage means you’re welcome to request changes, but by capping revisions to each stage before sign-off, we prevent the project from sliding backwards. We also encourage real-time feedback sessions (say, hopping on a call to review the storyboard together) to resolve comments in one go, rather than over several days of email. This proactive communication keeps the project sprinting instead of stalling.
Experience with B2B Deadlines
We’ve delivered videos for product launches, big trade shows, and major campaign kickoffs, we know how critical those dates are. Our project managers are adept at back-planning from your deadline and highlighting any timeline risks early. If challenges arise (for example, a sudden script change or a voiceover artist falling ill), we’ll immediately inform you and present solutions, maybe bringing in an extra animator to catch up time, or adjusting the scope slightly, to ensure we still deliver on time. Our track record is built on hitting dates without last-minute panics. Part of this is also advising clients honestly: if you come to us with an extremely tight deadline, we’ll tell you upfront what’s achievable and what might need compromise. In short, we treat your deadline as our own and go the extra mile to meet it.
Optional Unlimited Subscription for Ongoing Needs
If you anticipate needing lots of video content with quick turnarounds, our Unlimited Video subscription is designed for you. With a flat monthly fee, you can request as many videos as you like, and we’ll queue them up. The first proof of each video is delivered within 1-2 business days, which is incredibly fast. How is that possible? Essentially, we operate as your on-call animation team, and because we’re continuously working with you, we know your brand inside out, there’s virtually no onboarding time for each new video. This is a huge advantage if you have, say, weekly product feature videos or a series of training modules to produce. While this is a specific offering and may go beyond the scope of a one-off project timeline, it demonstrates our commitment to efficiency. Even for one-off projects, we apply the same level of dedication to speed and responsiveness.
By combining efficient processes, a talented team, and a commitment to communication, Mooviemakers is able to deliver high-quality animated videos faster than the old industry norm, all without cutting corners on creativity or polish. We firmly believe that you shouldn’t have to choose between speed and quality. With the right approach, you can have both.
Ready to Get Started?
An animated video can be a game-changer for your marketing, but it does require careful timing. The bottom line: plan ahead, choose the right partner, and keep the process collaborative. If you’re looking to create an animated video in the UK, use the guidelines above to map out your production timeline, and consider giving Mooviemakers a try. We pride ourselves on making the process direct, transparent, and fast (when you need it to be), all while delivering top-notch results that wow your audience.
Let’s turn your idea into an engaging animated story, on your schedule. Feel free to see our pricing for different video packages and turnaround options, or just get in touch to discuss your project’s needs. We’ll help you nail down a timeline that works for you, and then we’ll handle the rest.
Your message is important, let’s make it move (and get it in front of your audience right on time).
