The Mighty Method
Many teams who come to us haven't commissioned animation or motion design before. Or they have, and it didn't go well. Missed dates, a supplier who went quiet between milestones, a "final" cut that didn't match what was approved.
Nobody asks "how much hand-holding do you provide?" because they want to be babied. They ask because they don't yet know what a good process looks like, or because they've seen a bad one. That isn't solved by reassurance. It's solved by a process specific enough that you always know where you are, what you're signing off next, and whose job it is to keep things moving.
That process is the Mighty Method: six steps, a clear deliverable at each one, and a named producer with you from first call to final file.
Below is our guide, which you can read, or you can skip the read and head to the bottom of the page for our
Step 1_ Clarity First
Every Mighty Method project starts by identifying the one thing standing between your audience and understanding. That means the specific sticking point, not the topic in general. For Jaguar Land Rover it wasn't "explain the I-PACE"; it was range anxiety. We work out who the film needs to speak to, where it will live, and what it has to achieve. If you're not sure yet, that's normal. Helping you answer those questions is the point of this step.
What you get: a written scope document, a production plan with milestones and sign-off points, and a fixed quote.
What you decide: whether to go ahead, with no obligation beyond this step.
Typical length: around two weeks.
Step 2_ Look & Story
We develop the visual world with you: moodboards, art direction, animation style, and whether the film needs characters, 3D models, or both. Alongside that, we write the script. It can come from us, or you can bring one you already have and we'll refine it with you in a script clinic. The script locks down the structure for everything that follows.
What you get: moodboards, style options, and a script ready for sign-off.
What you decide: the visual direction and the final script.
Typical length: around two weeks.
Step 3_ Storyboard & Animatic
The storyboard pins down how the story will be told, shot by shot. Rough boards can be hard to read, so we also share styleframes: a few finished-quality frames that show exactly what the film will look like. Revisions are expected here; nobody commits to full animation off a single take-it-or-leave-it board. Once the boards are agreed, we cut them into an animatic, a timed rough version of the film (with a guide voiceover if there is one), so you can judge pace and timing before production starts.
What you get: storyboard, styleframes, animatic.
What you decide: sign-off on the story and the timing. This is the most important approval in the Mighty Method, because changes after it cost more time and money. We'll always tell you which changes do.
Typical length: One week for simpler projects, three or more for complex ones.
Step 4_ Production
This is the stage clients worry about most, because it's the one they can't see. So the Mighty Method makes it visible, with no scary surprises. You'll see work-in-progress (WIP) at the milestones set out in your production plan, shared on video review platforms, where you can comment and draw directly on the frame. Voiceover, sound design and music come in towards the end of this step.
What you get: Scheduled WIP reviews, and a producer who tells you before a date is at risk, not after.
What you decide: Feedback at each milestone.
Typical length: 3 weeks for a quick job. Several weeks, or even months for a bigger job. But we let you know this from the outset.
Step 5_ Review & Sign-off
The people approving a film are rarely in one room, and they're rarely animation people. Marketing, a director and legal may each need to sign off. So we don't just send a link and wait. For each review round you get a stakeholder review pack: the cut, a short note on what has changed since last time, what we need feedback on, and what is already locked. That makes it easy to share internally and keeps everyone commenting on the right thing.
The number of feedback rounds is agreed during Clarity First, so there are no surprises: typically two for a short, fast-turnaround project, and six or more for a larger one.
What you get: a stakeholder review pack for every round, with all comments tracked in one place.
What you decide: Final sign-off.
Step 6_ Delivery & Beyond
Final renders are delivered in every format and size you need: broadcast, cinema (we'll deliver direct to the projection company), web, conference screens and social cut-downs. The files are yours to keep, with no ongoing costs. If you also need the working project files, we'll agree that up front, as it may involve an additional cost.
In the Mighty Method, delivery isn't where the conversation ends. Many of our projects are built as reusable assets: Solomon Commercials' 3D world now covers their whole fleet, and ITV Tonight's titles became a templated kit their social team still uses.
What you get: Final files, the agreed versions and formats.
Watch the Mighty Method
A short motion design & 3D animation about the process of an animation project.
Can we help?
Never commissioned animation before? The Mighty Method was built for exactly that.
