This course will be taught from the perspective of a producer and will examine the key elements required to produce a project from conception to final delivery. One of the goals will be to encourage students to think beyond the creative mindset and learn the basics of production, business and finance issues that are also critical to producing a project. An overview of the animation industry will be given, and the skills necessary to become a successful producer will be discussed. Topics include: pitching an idea, forming a production plan, budgeting, scheduling and preproduction through postproduction. In addition, we will visit a working production and meet key production people in New York. By the end of the course, students will have enough knowledge to plan, schedule and budget an animated project.
NOTE: Suggested reading for this course is Producing Animation by Catherine Winder and Zhara Dowlatabadi.