When it comes to shot creation, a lot of planning goes into the process before (and even after) it is completed. This includes the writing of a script, which is then translated to storyboards, brought into previs(ualization), ending with the final animation process.
Due to time constraints, I had to skip the scriptwriting process and skip straight to storyboarding. My storyboards essentially illustrate my shots and their compositions. Many iterations of these boards were created before being finalized. Here, you can see how, with each iteration, the story becomes more concrete than the last.
The step that follows is blockout. This serves as both the start of the final animation phase as well as a visualization tool to help you get an idea of how your characters will move around in a scene and the timing of it all. This part of the process can also help you finalize your ideas and how the story should flow. You can also put this into a rough edit to catch a glimpse into what the final product might look like.
The final step comprises the spline and polish phases. These stages are almost a fight with the computer and its automatic interpolation capabilities, but once you are able to overcome it your animation is finished—voilà!