Troy Collins has been working in the animation industry for the past five years. He’s worked on feature films The Star, Wonder Park, and currently serves as the Script Coordinator on the film Vivo, which comes out next year for Sony Pictures Animation. Troy is a budding comedy writer who has written for shows at the Comedy Central Stage, UCB, Second City, and iO West. Creative Screenwriting Magazine spoke with him about the animation process.

Describe your role at Sony Pictures Animation.

My official title is Script Coordinator, which basically means I am the gatekeeper of the script. Whenever we get a rewrite or notes, it is my job to track it all and make sure our production is up to date with the latest pages. Even if there is a small update to one line of dialogue, it is my job to know where it is and make sure the current draft is revised with that small fix.

Once we get a new screenplay, I’ll work with the Story team and the directors to find out where we can put “sequence breaks.”

A “sequence” is a small section of the script that we will assign to a storyboard artist to board. Usually, animated scripts are broken out into 30-40 sequences. Once the board artist has boarded their sequence, I will see if they’ve changed any dialogue or action, per the director’s approval, and update their sequence in the script pages. We are constantly updating sequences based on storyboard and edit notes, so I have to make sure each sequence is properly represented in the script.

Outside of script upkeep, I am also in charge of prepping for recording sessions. When we’re ready to record talent, I will make anywhere from 8-12 binders of all the lines that we need to pick up for the talent’s character that day. These binders will go to the directors, producers, sound engineers, and anyone else at the record, so I have to meticulously check these to make sure they all match and that we are recording the proper lines. I will then sit-in on recording sessions and line the script.

When I line the script, I am counting how many takes we get of each line, and circling the takes that the directors and producers call out as their favorites. I will then head back to my office and cross-check to see if there were any “ALT” lines, AKA ad-libbed lines, we got in the room and then update the script accordingly.

Being a Script Coordinator requires you to be painstakingly organized. So, if you’re a fellow Type A personality like me, you’ll love it!

How did you get here?

This industry is ninety-nine percent being in the right place at the right time, and animation is no exception.

I was working as a Studio Page at Paramount when I ran into a former Page and acquaintance of mine at the studio Coffee Bean. She mentioned they were looking for PAs in the animation department, so I sent her my resume and, the following week, I was interviewing with animation juggernaut and the nicest guy on earth, Don Hahn.

I was then offered a PA job working on the film Wonder Park, which Don came on early to produce. The film just came out this past month, so check it out!

After working on Wonder Park for two years, I moved over to Sony Animation to be a Production Coordinator on a Christmas feature called The Star. After The Star, Sony liked me enough to keep me around and moved me to the Script department of Vivo, the feature that I’m currently working on.

What is unique about the development process in animation films?

Animation is such a long process overall, and it is certainly mirrored in the development stage. Many, many projects might have initial artwork created and outlines or script pages written. Storyboards to visualize certain “beats” of the project will also be produced. Everything is then gathered up and pitched to the higher-ups at the studio for them to decide if this is a project they want to move forward with or a project that should be shelved.

The reality is that this happens with most animated features, and the harsh reality is that a lot of animated features that once looked promising will never see the light of day.

Is there a typical sequence of steps from idea to screen?

Animation production can be quite confusing and messy at (most!) times. But, to put it simply, feature animation is broken out into two phases; “front-end” and “back-end.” The front-end is where I have majority of my experience. It involves writing the screenplay, story artists boarding the script, and visual development artists designing sets, characters, and props found in the script. Once we get an approval on the script, boards, and designs, we enter the back-end of the process. This involves sending the designs and storyboards to a vendor, companies like Imageworks and Reel FX, to animate the movie.

In a perfect world, the front-end and back-end of the process work in perfect harmony. However, in most cases, you will be rewriting the script while assets and boards have been shipped off to the vendor to be animated. Those are fun days where the vendor absolutely loves you, but it’s the nature of the beast!

How long does a typical animation feature take to produce?

It varies from show to show, but I’d say the average is 3 years. On The Star, we knew we wanted to get a Christmas movie to audiences quick, so we did it in under 2 years. Wonder Park  took about 5 or 6 years to make. I left the production early, but it had more starts and stops than most animated films.

Do you have any insight into how the writers’ rooms work?

As the Script Coordinator, I’m taking notes in all the script meetings, so I’m in there with the directors, producers, and screenwriters as they figure out the story. I imagine our room is similar to most writers rooms. The team will beat out the story in the room, and then the writers will go off to their little offices or coffee shops, or wherever, to write the script.

Sometimes they’re rewriting the whole screenplay, but most of the time it’s rewriting certain sequences to make the script flow better. Since it’s such a long production schedule, we will repeat this process several times as more and more notes come in for review.

Apart from the format, what makes animated stories different to live action?

The attention to detail in animated stories is what always boggles my mind, and is what really sets animation apart from live action films. Every set, prop, and background character have to be individually created and designed from the ground up. It’s amazing what animation artists can do. They are some of the most creative people I’ve ever met.

Everything you see on screen lived in an artist’s head at one point in time, and they put pen to paper to create it. In live action, you can location scout to see what setting best fits your movie. But in animation, you have to actually build the set yourself.

How many drafts does a typical animation script go through?

The script is constantly morphing based on notes and collaboration with the story artists who are boarding the script sequences. We go through several total screenplay rewrites, and countless minor fixes throughout the length of the film. The actual number depends on the production itself, but it’s always more than you think.

How does this compare to live action?

I’ve never worked in live action features, but I imagine it’s similar. The screenplay always needs rewrites, whether you agree with it or not…

What are the specific qualities an animation writer has compared to a live action writer?

Surprisingly, we have a lot of live action screenwriters come in and work on animated features. I’ve seen writers from TV sitcoms, dramas, live action features, and short films come in and write projects for animated studios. Just like in any other medium, the only specific quality we look for is if the writer can write well!

What are the specific challenges to writing animation?

I feel that writing animation is no different than writing any other piece of literature. Yes, the end product will have more visual prose, but just like any other script, the story boils down to characters and conflict. The challenges we face in the writers’ room are no different than the challenges on any other feature film. The screenplay has to be engaging, with vibrant characters, rich conflict, and clear-cut motivation.

How do you characterize the state of animation industry right now?

The animation industry is booming right now. With the addition of streaming services like Netflix having their own animation arm, there are so many outlets for animated work to get produced. Compare that with twenty years ago when it was just Disney running the game. It’s an exciting time to be working in this field!

Do you have any thoughts on how screenwriters can break into animation?

Breaking into animation is no different than breaking into any other field in this industry. Keep writing and making connections. I had no idea I’d be working in animation when I first moved to Los Angeles. But one connection led to another, and here I am in the writers’ room as the Script Coordinator at Sony Pictures Animation. Pretty cool!

Get your foot in the door in any way possible. And once you have your foot in the door, make sure you do your job to the best of your ability. I cannot stress this enough. I was a Production Office Coordinator on The Star and I made sure to execute that job the best I could. My producers and Sony Pictures noticed, and they made sure to move me into a position in which I could thrive on the next project.

They knew I wanted to pursue writing, so they put me up for the Script Coordinator position so that I could be close to the action. Since then, I’ve had fellow coworkers, producers, and directors, read my work here at Sony, as they know I want to pursue writing full time. So yes, it’s all about who you know in the industry, but only if you’re competent.