Making Animated Short Films is Easy
I make them all the time in between my full-time jobs because I love filmmaking and having a project to make life not so mundane. But you know, starting something new—making your very first animated film—is very daunting and very scary. It’s easier not to start because you don’t know how to start. And that’s where I come in!
I’m going to show you the process of my most recent short film, the fourth installment of my little Space Date series, to guide you on how to start your animated film. I’ll also sprinkle in some tips here and there for you. You too can make your short film in less than two weeks if you’re not too ambitious.
Step 1: Start with an Idea
That means chicken scratch on a page—some thumbnails maybe. When making your first story, aim for around 30 seconds. You don’t want to be too ambitious, and animating takes a super long time. Within 30 seconds, you can tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end.
Something has to happen that launches your protagonist into a type of conflict, and it has to get resolved. In this phase, you’d sketch out loose ideas, character sketches, a couple of thumbnails of your compositions, and some of your background designs.
Step 2: Storyboarding
I’m starting loosely, sketching out some of the storyboards. I’m using the Adobe suite for my project, so I’m using Adobe Animate to start drawing the concept in storyboards.
I start by establishing the scene:
- The characters are fixing a ship.
- The protagonist, a boy, accidentally cuts the ship in half.
- His conflict is trying to fix it before the girl sees it.
- In the end, the girl notices, and he says the punchline and brushes it off.
- The ship is breaking off in space.
It’s a very simple story with a beginning, middle, and end, and it can be simply told in one scene.
Storyboard Tips
Tip #1: Plan out your background at this stage so it’s clear where the characters will be. Focus on composition and framing—it’s easier to change now than later.
Tip #2: Focus on acting. You want the expressions of your characters to be clear. There’s a lot of comedy in my film, especially in the boys’ expression, so I make sure to nail it at this stage.
Step 3: Creating an Animatic
An animatic is basically your flat storyboards but timed with music and sound—it’s basically your entire film, but it looks ugly.
I throw all of my storyboards into Adobe Premiere, find sound effects on YouTube, and adjust the timing. Timing is crucial—if the timing’s not right, the tone won’t be right, the punchline won’t work, and the story might fall flat.
At the end of this stage, you should have a messy version of what you want your final film to look like.
Step 4: Concept Art & Character Design
I’ve made three Space Date films before, so I already know what these characters look like. But if you haven’t designed your characters yet, now is the time!
- Sketch out your characters in the idea phase.
- Create a turnaround (front, side, and back views).
- Make sure your character’s proportions stay consistent.
- Design props next to your character for size comparison.
- Choose colors for your character and check contrast against the background.
Step 5: Recording Audio
If you have dialogue, you need to record it before you start animating—because you have to lip-sync to your final audio.
I record in my makeshift sound studio, try many takes, and run the audio through Adobe Podcast to make it sound more professional.
Step 6: Rough Backgrounds & Rough Animation
You should have your backgrounds roughed out by now.
Animation Process
- Start animating over your storyboards.
- Draw key poses first.
- Make sure characters interact with their environment realistically.
- Tip #1: Don’t be afraid to break your model if needed.
- Tip #2: Animate in arcs, not straight lines.
Once the major poses are planned, you can in-between and refine the motion.
Step 7: Clean Backgrounds & Clean Animation
By this stage, backgrounds should be finished and inserted. My partner Antonio handles backgrounds, so I trust him with this part.
For clean animation, I keep my roughs tight so I don’t have to figure things out later.
Cleaning Tips
- Tip #1: Make sure your line weight is correct at the start.
- Tip #2: Copy and paste consistent elements (like the character’s head) to maintain accuracy.
Step 8: Coloring the Animation
This is the most tedious but easiest part. If you’ve come this far, you’re almost done—but not quite!
- Color your character over the background color to check contrast.
- Be mindful of small details (mouth interiors, shoe undersides, etc.).
Step 9: Compositing (My Favorite Part!)
This is where the film comes together in After Effects.
- Add effects, shadows, lighting, grain, noise, and glow.
- Add camera movements or shakes if needed.
- Create an engaging credits sequence—don’t skimp on it!
Step 10: Rendering & Sound Design
Once all visuals are done, it’s time to finalize the sound effects.
- I arrange sound effects from YouTube.
- I send the project to my musician friend Christy to balance everything.
Final Thoughts: You Can Do It!
And that’s how you make your own animated short! Of course, I skipped a few minor details, but this is the basic idea—enough to get you started without feeling overwhelmed.
The hardest part? Starting.
If you don’t have the Adobe Suite, don’t worry! There are free alternatives out there. I used TV Paint back in college, and it was affordable and great for animation.
Final Tips for Beginners
- Start with a simple idea (beginning, middle, and end).
- Stick to one or two locations.
- Keep it around 30 seconds long.
- Don’t get tunnel vision—step back and look at the big picture.
If you create a short film, drop the title in the comments so I can check it out!
Thanks for reading—see you next time! 👋
