Concept & Boards

What this stage covers

Concept and boards is where an idea becomes a plan. We write a short treatment that describes the story, tone and look of the film, then design the characters and the world they live in. From there our story team draws storyboards, panel by panel, showing every shot, camera angle and key pose.

A color script follows: a strip of small paintings that maps the emotional arc of the film through color and light. It tells the whole crew how each scene should feel, from a cool, quiet opening to a warm and joyful finish.

Animatics

Once the boards are approved, we cut them together into an animatic, a rough moving version of the film timed to temporary sound or music. The animatic is where we find out whether the story works. It is far cheaper to fix a confusing beat in a sketch than on a finished stop-motion set, so we take this step seriously.

Brand storytelling and ads

For brand work, this stage also includes creative concepting. We can respond to an existing script, develop a few routes from a looser brief, or work with your agency on an idea already in progress. We plan cutdowns and alternate aspect ratios here too, so vertical and square versions are designed shots rather than crops.

• Script treatment and creative routes
• Character and world design
• Storyboards and shot lists
• Color scripts and mood frames
• Animatics with temp sound
• Framing guides for 16:9, 9:16 and 1:1

What we need from you

A clear sense of who the film is for, what it should make them feel, where it will be seen and any brand guidelines we must respect. A rough budget range helps us suggest an approach that fits.

Typical timing

For a short commercial, concept and boards typically take one to two weeks, including a round or two of feedback. Original shorts and series take longer, because the story itself is still being discovered. Every schedule is confirmed in writing after an intro call.