lunarbluestudio 0 Report post Posted October 21, 2011 So is it really out of the question to tell a client that you need at least 2 weeks to complete a 4 minute animation video?? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dan_hin 0 Report post Posted October 21, 2011 No. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the_Monkey 8 Report post Posted October 21, 2011 I've worked on a :60 sec spot for 2 months. It's all relative to the final quality. -m Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
anothername 0 Report post Posted October 21, 2011 Um...it really depends on what's in the video. I've spent anywhere from four hours to four months to complete four minutes of finished work. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fred Camino 0 Report post Posted October 21, 2011 No. But your timeline should be based on factors that you can easily explain to the client Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
daveglanz 0 Report post Posted October 21, 2011 Fred's right - you need to be able to break down the project to explain why it'll take that long. Your potential client may have had someone pump something out that fast for them before. That studio might have had more people, more resources, etc. I would ask to see an example of what they expect to see within a certain timeline, and be realistic with what you can provide for their budget. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nick Campbell 0 Report post Posted October 21, 2011 It's up to you as the designer to know how long this will take and explain it to the client. Most clients have no idea. Maybe two weeks is fine for this job, maybe it's ridiculous. But, only you know the factors involved. Things like your skill level, the scope of the animation, the clients ability to give prompt feedback and things mentioned by others above all come in to consideration. It's not an easy thing to do, but in the end, it's only up to you to decide what you can deliver and how long it takes. Under Promise. Over Deliver. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aaron Scott 0 Report post Posted October 21, 2011 Under Promise. Over Deliver. These are words to live by. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lunarbluestudio 0 Report post Posted October 21, 2011 Great advice guys, thanks! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kitkats 0 Report post Posted October 25, 2011 I've been using a time-tracking app for the last 12 months or so with the idea of getting a clearer picture of the work hours (and billing) per second of content produced on different types of job. Idea being I end up with a go-to scale in my mind for when I'm discussing initial ballparks with clients. But it should also be a useful enough business analytics tool whenever I find time to take a look at that side of things. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
florio 0 Report post Posted October 26, 2011 I've worked on a :60 sec spot for 2 months. It's all relative to the final quality. Yeah I've worked on 30 second spots for 6+ weeks ... Depending on what your doing (3d or 2d) it can vary the amount of time you'll need. If you need x amount of time to do something, make sure you get x amount of time or make sure the client knows the project will suffer. Hope this helps ~Florio Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lunarbluestudio 0 Report post Posted October 27, 2011 Thanks for the input Kitkats and florio! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
son.of.simon 0 Report post Posted October 27, 2011 Don't forget to give yourself a contingency on time as well, you could always run into problems along the way. And don't forget about time for notes. It may take you 3 1/2 weeks to complete, don't be afraid to tell the client that it takes as long as it does. Don't set expectations that put you in a bind or are unachievable. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mintyfresh 0 Report post Posted October 30, 2011 what simon said. beat me to it. factor in a buffer for that typically slow last 5% of the way the trick is how to distribute that buffer. its hard to write into a budget - so in a way every hours rate should have that in there or you should estimate an extra .3 of hours or so... but its all about trust and communicating well with the client from the beginning Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jon 0 Report post Posted November 2, 2011 ... the clients ability to give prompt feedback... THIS diamond will be a major player in blowing your timeline estimations out of the water. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites