ShotGrid implementation in TELEVISOR - the Post Production and Animation studio

TELEVISOR is a Polish post-production and animation studio specializing in animation and motion design. It serves top clients in Poland and executes prestigious foreign projects. Permanently cooperates with such important clients as Kompania Piwowarska, Allegro, T-mobile, PLUS, at the same time increasing the number of foreign clients all the time. The effects of their work can also be seen in commercials for IKEA, Pracuj.pl, McDonalds or the Adidas brand.

Formerly, TELEVISOR's studio was much smaller and used in-house project management software by the R&D department and fTrack. Today, the TELEVISOR team is a large group of highly creative, skilled artists, with experience in various animation techniques and 3D graphics, animation and VFX software.

TELEVISOR studio creates both large animations and quick and small projects. It has several departments working in different programs, tied together by a coordination and post-production department:

• Character Animation department with animators and fur and hair specialists,
• VFX department based on Houdini,
• Motion Design department bringing together the most talented artists on the market,
• Compo and online departments.

To execute high-quality commercials and deliver them on time, all departments need efficient communication and management from anywhere. In 2019, TELEVISOR Studio began to notice the need to implement an advanced program to manage projects and organize work.

"TELEVISOR studio was always based on project management solutions, but they were tailored for smaller organizations. It was also a perennial problem that artists worked on different programs and not everyone fit into the pipeline developed by the studio."

- Michal Truszkowski, Studio Head at TELEVISOR

One of TELEVISOR's main goals is to bring clients' visions to life by providing creative solutions to their problems. In order for this to be done, there is a need for efficient handling of projects large and small, as well as constant client review - allowing clients to provide the feedback the studio needs to make the client-studio relationship work well. This way, both parties will know what's working, the current status of a stage or project, and what the upcoming plans and strategies are.

TELEVISOR Studio is also focused on the company's continued growth, expanding the number of employees and collaborating artists to increase the number of clients served and the number of projects completed.

TELEVISOR has used Autodesk's industry-leading Autodesk 3ds Max and Autodesk Maya solutions on a daily basis since the studio's inception (2007). Autodesk Maya is the main tool in the studio. All advanced heavy 3D projects are created in Autodesk Maya software. 3ds Max is a secondary tool.

Why Autodesk ShotGrid?

The natural direction was to check out other industry tools proposed by Autodesk, including those for managing production and creative processes in the film, game and special effects industries. The choice of the Autodesk ShotGrid solution was approved fairly soon after the need was noted, in 2019. From the beginning, TELEVISOR studios invested in internal training to speed up the ShotGrid implementation process.

Autodesk ShotGrid advantages cited by TELEVISOR Studio:

• Autodesk ShotGrid is the only solution that meets the needs of post and animation studios;
• Industry standard that gives the ability to work with studios around the world;
• Provides the possibility of client review, the use of which is already something common in the industry;
• The openness of the system and the ability to integrate Autodesk ShotGrid with slack (instant messaging for teams);
• Autodesk ShotGrid is a source of invaluable data not only for design, but also for business.

"The character models of our sheep crew and rig were created in Autodesk Maya software. Due to time constraints, we used Marian's base mesh (sheep) to create the other characters, changing their faces and silhouettes using blend shapes."

The changes that followed the implementation of Autodesk ShotGrid's project management solution are enormous:

• The company has grown considerably over the past few years, and smooth collaboration has enabled new orders for large clients both in Poland and abroad. Methodologically, this is impossible to measure.
• TELEVISOR immediately recognized Autodesk ShotGrid's capabilities on large projects and the improvements it provides when working with artists outside the studio.
• Autodesk ShotGrid's 'industry standards' allowed it to work seamlessly with other studios around the world.
• Increased day-to-day project control has allowed for better execution of projects under time pressure and great time savings.
• There have been significant changes in TELEVISOR's internal processes: Autodesk ShotGrid has been integrated with the studio's financial system.
• Autodesk ShotGrid has made it possible to obtain statistical data to help the company grow.

Autodesk ShotGrid requires a time commitment at the beginning and during a project, but it is impossible to imagine working without it and the data it provides. The earlier artists are introduced to the use of Autodesk ShotGrid, the better the studio's chances of growing, attracting new clients and commissions.

As the studio grows, TELEVISOR is discovering more possibilities that Autodesk ShotGrid gives them. They are currently looking for solutions to work even more flexibly on smaller projects, where more accurate crew planning is needed, taking into account smaller time frames than one day.

"Autodesk ShotGrid is such a powerful tool that TELEVISOR's studio continues to use more soft features as it grows.(...) We can't imagine working without Autodesk ShotGrid, especially since it is part of a larger ecosystem connected to finance."

- Michal Truszkowski, Studio Head at TELEVISOR