What is an Animation Proposal?
Animation project proposals are the first step towards winning work for your animation business or studio. The project proposal outlines the client’s problem and gives all the detail needed to describe your proposed solution. Animation proposals are usually agreed and signed after a little negotiation to define the project’s parameters and desired outcomes.
Starting with a comprehensive animation project proposal reduces the time spent in conversation, meaning you’ll be able to get to work faster. Using an animation proposal template ensures nothing is left out. Above all else, your project proposal is a persuasive document that serves several purposes, it should:
- Succinctly define the potential client’s problem
- Outline your solution and provides details of the animation project
- Give examples of your previous work, experience, and display your animation style
- Provide a schedule for the project with key milestones along the way
- Answer prospective clients’ questions about the process and your creative skill
Sign up to Bonsai and download a free animation proposal template to customize for your project today!
What to Include in the Animation Proposal
Your animation project proposal needs to give a brief overview as well as provide full detail on the different elements of the multimedia project. A comprehensive animation project proposal leaves little room for misunderstanding. It also appears more professional, presenting your services in the best light and increasing your chances of winning projects.
Introduction
Your proposal needs to sell your skills and business services. You should let potential clients know who you are, briefly explain the services you provide and let them know what your animation specialties are. Focus on your strengths and incorporate testimonials from past and existing clients. Include examples of your work on similar projects, or at the very least, a link to your portfolio.
Define the Project Objectives and Deliverables
Briefly outline the client’s problem. This shows you understand the clients’ needs and have a firm grasp of what the project needs to accomplish. Follow this with a short overview of how your animated videos will solve their issue.
Animation videos can be used in multiple ways - from storytelling to instructional ‘how to’ clips and on to educational explainers that increase brand visibility. Businesses who use animation videos to advertise products have seen increases in sales by as much as 40%. Details and statistics such as this should be used when stating the company objectives and deliverables in your video proposal.
Define the Audience and Competition
When creating a video, it’s important to understand who the intended audience is and any other businesses with similar content in the same vertical. Your animation proposal must define the audience the video is for. Note the following demographics:
- Age range
- Expected mindset the audience has when watching
- Stage of the marketing funnel if creating a marketing video
- Tone of voice for the brand and intended video
Knowing what the competition is up to is also important. This will help you create a better video. It also gives your client some food for thought in terms of what they do and don’t like about competitor’s clips and how you might do better. Noting the competition also has the benefit of showing the client you care about growing their business and builds trust.
Solution Development and Expected Outcomes
This is the most important and detailed part of your proposal. Now is the time to get really creative. You’ll also need to clearly describe how your animation project will meet the potential client’s needs and the results they can expect to get.
Animation is a medium that can be used to explain and illustrate almost any idea or concept. However, all video content follows a similar process for bringing ideas to life. When developing your solution, structure it around the key steps of the animation stages. Include the details of each responsible team member throughout the process from researchers to the producer.
Research
This may take the form of a client questionnaire, a call between the client and the creative team, industry research, or all of the above. The aim of all research is to develop a clear vision of what the video needs to achieve and the best way it can do that.
Scripting and Storyboarding
Animators need to base their work on a strong script. This is the foundation for every other element of the video you make. Include who will be writing the script, how characters will express emotions and the story format you intend to follow - character driven, conflict and resolution, educational or something else.
After scripting, it’s time to put images with the words. This works like a visual script and provides a guide for the team working on the film. You’ll need to include assigned responsibilities for this stage from the designer through to the script writer and any other relevant member of the production team.
Voiceover and Sound Effects
Nearly all animations need sound and a voice over to give life to the characters or describe what the pictures are showing. If you have a vision for the ideal voice to accompany a corporate video or perfect sound effects for your movie, it should be included in your proposal here.
Styling
All the copy and content comes together and gets refined by the designer at this stage of the animation process. Detailed backgrounds, additional inanimate objects, more character definition, branding logos, text and icons also appear. This is an ideal time for client feedback and a milestone in the animation project that fits well with invoicing.
Animation
Now the illustrations come to life! Once the client has approved the storyboarding and styling, movement is added to create the powerful message the client wants. Animation takes time, so make sure you schedule enough time for the final parts to be done without pressure.
Schedule and Milestones
Giving clarity of when and who will deliver the different elements of the animation project helps new clients understand what to expect. This also helps your animation studio schedule work and resources for the project, ensuring you remain on track with the production of the video. The proposal you create can be used as a map to guide the project when you win the work.
Pricing
It’s important to detail your charges for services and payment terms - where money is to be deposited when you invoice and how long clients have to pay. Pricing should be presented in a way that shows the value you deliver to clients and doesn’t undervalue your time, work or skills.
Although budget is a factor in deciding if your team are the right animators for the job, it’s not the only factor. Your ideas, experience in the animation industry, ability to create tales that engage the audience and the results they can expect are equally important.
Agreement
After putting all that effort into writing a complete animation project proposal, it would be remiss to forget the acceptance element of your proposal. When done well, a client can sign their agreement of your project proposal and this can segway neatly into a binding contract. Using a downloadable animation proposal template is a simple way to ensure this crucial element is done well.
It can be very helpful to create a copy of the animation proposal that you write and strip out the specific project elements to create an animation project proposal template that can be used for future pitching and tender requests.
How to write a Animation proposal
Writing a project proposal takes a bit of time and effort, but when done well it’s worth it. Your animation proposal can guide you through the project stages and present your animation studio’s work and experience in the best possible light, winning work along with the client’s confidence.
There is no need to write a project proposal in the order that it will be presented in. In fact, in most cases, it is easier and faster to begin with the project objectives and deliverables. Then move onto the full detail about your animation proposal. Finish up with the other elements. You can re-structure your proposal document when finished to deliver it in the accepted layout for proposals.
Determine client needs for the animation project proposal
In order to come up with an appropriate outline for the project you are pitching for, you need to have a deep understanding of the client’s aims, objectives and problem. Schedule time for an introductory call or at the very least an email contact asking pertinent questions. Your proposal will fail if you don’t answer the prospective client’s needs.
Project Description
Chances are this section will take the most time to write. The more detail you include, the better. A detailed animation project proposal provides a map for your to follow when you win the work, shows the client that you understand the project and ensures there is less chance of misunderstandings when the work commences.
Highlight Your Strengths and Include Animation Examples
Remember your proposal is a persuasive document that needs to build the client’s confidence and trust in your skills. Your project porosal should play to your strengths, include past client testimonials and at least one example of your work on similar animation projects. Either embed a video or include a link to your portfolio of work.
Standard Proposal Elements
Payment terms, your introduction, and finally the agreement sections of the proposal can be completed easily after the other parts have been written. These parts of your proposal won’t change often, so it makes sense to keep them as part of your project proposal template. Make sure they are reviewed annually to ensure they are in keeping with the projects your animation studio are pitching for.
Although proposals can be time consuming to write, once done you have the perfect material to build your own proposal template. Make sure you review and check for mistakes before you send it to the client.
Creating an Animation proposal is simple with Bonsai
Writing project proposals can be nerve-wracking! Making sure every aspect of the project is covered in your proposal in a professional and creative way that keeps the client interested is crucial to be chosen for the project. An animation project proposal is a key stage of the sales process.
Your own free animation proposal template can be quickly downloaded and customized for any project as soon as you sign up with Bonsai.
Working from a template provides the assurance you need that every aspect of your project proposal is covered and you stand out for all the right reasons. It’s also a much faster way of submitting a project proposal for tenders and other requests for pitches from animators.
Animation proposal FAQs
Why Are Tools Important in Conceptualizing an Animation Project?
Although some animations are still made the traditional way - with pencils, paint, and paper - animation has grown and developed to encompass many different types of digital art - 3D animated film, 2d animation, virtual reality, games and video are just some of the kinds of animation that rely on an array of digital tools to bring them to life.
Will Animation be Automated?
Artistic and creative roles and industries are less likely to be disrupted by automation. This is because they tend not to have steps and processes that can be easily copied with an algorithm. However, some of the more repetitive and mundane tasks necessary for animation to come to life may be automated in the future, giving animators and digital artists more time to focus on creative ideas and reducing animation studios’ overheads.
