Multiple Scenes Workflow

Report · Aug 27, 2023

Hello Community,

As a newbie to AE I tried to find an existing answer in the forum, but was unfortunately unsuccessful and now ask for someone to help me.

Context:
I have some experience with Premiere and film production, but it is hard to figure out what is the best workflow working with animation and a rigged character.

I want to create an approx 2 min cartoon animation (pen drawings in AI) with multiple scenes, where one character (a very simple line drawing) appears in multiple positions/sizes. See Storyboard attached.
What is the best workflow to do this (all in AE, Scene by Scene in AE and Cutting in Premiere, other options)? And in detail - what about the following questions.

1. Should I create one composition with the full length of the film and create each scene as one seperate composition, controlling its appearance with a) transparency keyframes or b) cutting them (Cmd+Shift+D), creating more layers?

2. What should I do with my simply rigged character? in some scenes (e.g. scene 1) it will be large (scale 100%), in another it should be far away and then come closer (e.g. Scene 2 - Scale 20% to 50%) and in another one it does not appear at all.

3. Also in scene 2 I want to show an establisher of my landscape and afterwards (Scene 3, 4, 5) details of it. Is it best to just scale the vector drawing in the same composition to fit the screen appropriately and then place the character inside of it or are there better alternatives?

4. Should the charater be animated/keyframed as one composition through the whole film, everchanging scale, position, etc and rigging keyframes?

I hope these questions make sense,
looking forward to starting animating,
Daniel

Report · Aug 29, 2023

I take it from the missing avanlache of replies that my question/topic either makes no sense or has been answered many times.

Please point me at least into the direction of an answer.
(The search only shows me similar topics for other software, but I would like to stick to AI and AE if possible.)

Thanks in advance,
Daniel

Report · Aug 29, 2023

Hi Daniel,

I can't answer for anyone else, but I missed your question on the 27th. Ultimately, while there are probably "right" ways to do this, the real answer is "whatever works for you".

Personally:

I would create a precomp for the character and I'd make this quite large. I can then add this as a layer into each scene and scale it appropriately. Depending on what the character is doing, it might be best to create the precomp as an Essential Graphic. That way you have one character comp, but can treat it as if you had many duplicates, animating it from the parent comps.
I'd also set up each scene as it's own comp. That way you're only focussing on each scene and not dealing with transitions which might affect keyframes. Sure, you can use Hold keyframes, but you're ultimately setting up more work for yourself.
For your landscape querstion, I think its the same answer as the character. You may as well have one large version, which you can scale up or down depending on the shot required. Given the cartoon nature of your project, I'm tempted to suggest you don't worry about detail in the wide shots. Most wouldn't be picked up and it is surprising what you can get away with keeping it low detail.

Report · Aug 29, 2023

Thank you.

I have managed the following:

Create a composition with my rigged character in it.
Create another composition with scene 1, which contains the character moving its rig around, saying hello.
Also I have created one composition which contains the soundtrack and have positioned scene 1 inside of it.

When I now create a new Comp for scene 2, i fail to "copy" my rigged character into it. When I put it in, it always contains the keyframes and motions from scene 1... (I have tried to create an essential graphic, but AE says: "this motion graphic template is not supported"). Could you explain how this might work?

(If I can help with some files or screenshot, of course I am willing to provide it - just let me know what might help)

Report · Aug 29, 2023

Update: I just managed to copy my rigged character comp with Cmd+D, creating a new comp for scene 2.
Please just let me know if this is bad practise, because for now it seems to do the trick.

One more thing: By setting up a "large version" do you mean covering the whole window size? As the landscape is a vector from ai, I can always make it larger for a specific scene if needed, correct?

Report · Aug 29, 2023

Nice one. Yes. Duplicating the comp using CMD + D is perfectly fine. Ideally essential graphics would have worked. I don't mind if you want to PM me and we can discuss you sharing your project and I can see if I can make it an EG.

If your landscape is literally just the vector, then you don't need to place it in a precomp and can just use it scaled as you wish.

Report · Aug 29, 2023

One project file for a 2-minute animated movie is not a bad idea. One composition for a 2-minute animated movie is a terrible idea. Work the way big studios do it. Follow the workflow for animated movies that have been used since about 1895. Here's the workflow:

Write some kind of script
Create some kind of storyboard that shows every shot (this can be just a description, a pencil sketch, or something you build on Pro-create and an iPad
Number the shots you will need, and start creating compositions for each shot.
Create the Key poses for each shot, then work on the tweening (in-between frames)
If the shot has audio, use a scratch (temporary) track to sync things up
When the action is right, add the foreground and background elements
Do the initial color correction
When the shot is working - Render It
Move on to the next shot
When you have the shots rendered do the final editing in Premiere Pro

This is how movies and animations are made by professionals. After Effects is not a video editing app.

Once you are in Premiere Pro, you can finetune the cuts between scenes, polish the audio, easily add sound effects, and do the final color grading. If you decide you need to change Shot 3 in Scene 1, all you have to do is open the AEP, Duplicate the Shot 3 comp in the project panel so you have a backup, then fix Shot 3 and render it again. Shot 3 will automatically change in Premiere Pro and you are ready to continue editing and polishing the final movie.

One more note. If a movie I am working on has more than one scene, I create a new AEP for every scene. Some of the scenes I have worked on have fifty or sixty shots. Most have less than 10. A standardized folder, file, shot, and scene naming structure is required to keep things organized. I've used the same system since I started in the movie business a little over fifty years ago. It was taught to me by a producer and editor who learned it when he started. It is almost identical to the same system that was used in the first feature film I worked on when I was 20.

I hope this helps.

Report · Aug 30, 2023

Yes, both answers do help immense. I will go about setting up all the shots in comps and see if other challenges come up.

Thanks fo the insight into professional workflow, very valuable information understandably explained.
@Rick Gerard do you think my storyboard is not detailed enough?

Thank you both again.

Report · Aug 30, 2023

I would put at least a sentence describing the shot's narrative goals under each frame. If you have written a script, the narration always helps you figure out how long the shot is and where the action needs to go. All I see from the storyboard are some sample frames. I don't get any real sense of the story.

Report · Aug 31, 2023

Great advice, (I kept desciptions and pictures seperate this time) will do.