Introduction to LAIKA Studio and its Production Process
LAIKA, a renowned stop-motion feature animation studio located near Portland, Oregon, has been utilizing Autodesk's Shotgun project management software to streamline and automate various aspects of production for the past decade. From iconic films like Coraline to the upcoming Missing Link, LAIKA has relied on Shotgun to manage the design and manufacturing of assets that bring their imaginative worlds to life on the big screen. With Shotgun, LAIKA has successfully tracked production data, from scheduling through final delivery, while also enhancing their overall production pipeline efficiency.
LAIKA's Innovative Approach to Film Production
Founded in 2005 by President & CEO Travis Knight, LAIKA has received accolades for its innovative blend of traditional stop-motion artistry and cutting-edge technologies. With films like Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, and Kubo and the Two Strings receiving critical acclaim and award nominations, LAIKA continues to push boundaries in storytelling and animation. Their next project, Missing Link, illustrates LAIKA's commitment to melding physical construction with digital artistry to create visually stunning and captivating films.
Integration of Shotgun into LAIKA's Production Workflow
Shotgun's flexible user interface and robust data storage backend have allowed LAIKA to integrate the software seamlessly into their production process. From offering artists a collaborative media wrangling tool to providing coordinators and managers with task scheduling capabilities, Shotgun serves as a one-stop solution for production tracking, resource management, and executive-level tracking at LAIKA. As LAIKA's production needs have evolved, Shotgun has grown with them, becoming an indispensable part of their workflows.
Departments and Workflows at LAIKA
At LAIKA, different departments and sub-departments work collaboratively to bring a film to life, following a structured workflow that breaks down tasks into manageable pieces. With departments like Art, Puppets, VFX, and Animation overseeing various aspects of production, Shotgun's customizable entities like Tasks, Notes, Sequences, Shots, Assets, and Versions help streamline the process. Each department at LAIKA follows a well-defined flow from concept and look development to final delivery and maintenance.
Utilizing Shotgun Features for Efficient Task Management
LAIKA's utilization of Shotgun's Pipeline Steps and Task Templates has optimized their task management process. Pipeline Steps serve as grouping mechanisms to organize tasks based on their progress and dependencies, while Task Templates streamline the creation of default tasks linked to specific entities like Shots and Assets. LAIKA's approach to task management using Shotgun reflects their commitment to precision, efficiency, and collaboration throughout the production lifecycle.