Remote animation team - Top tips on effective, remote team-working
In the space of a few short days working life for many has been completely turned upside down. 'Only leave the house to go to work if you cannot work from home'... the words swept the land, leaving some of us dumbfounded and wondering how we were all going forward. If there are any silver linings to this cloud, then human spirit and adaptability are surely it.
Working from home, you say? Cool... save on fuel, work where you like (even in bed, if that's your thing) food and drinks on tap etc. For what more could you ask?
Sometimes it's a little too comfortable working from home, making it easy to forget that we still have a job to do.
But fret not, the Stormy Studio team have taken to working 'chez-moi' like a duck to water and have put together; our Stormy Studio - top tips on effective, remote animtion team-working.
So from our business to your business; here is how we are managing projects, working together, apart.
COMMUNICATION IS KEY
As with most things in life, the first tip to effective, remote animation team-working is communication.
Not being face to face with your team can make it easy to crack on with a project but equally, ideas and guidelines may not get mentioned when perhaps they should.
Set up a daily meeting via video link or conference call to make sure that the project or objective is clear to everyone.
Additionally, allow everyone to have a say, whether that be to make suggestions, ask for clarity or to pass on to the group exactly what they plan on achieving throughout the day.
There are alot of concerfence call software options out there, though for our Stormy team we typically use Zoom, but are equally happy joingin clients via GotoMeeting, Microsoft Teams, Skype or Google Hangouts.
REMOTE ANIMATION TEAM: MESSAGING
We are all aufait with the convenience and speed of texting. Without doubt, using messaging while working from home is no exception.
The remote animation team here at Stormy Studio use the messaging platform Slack. Solely for its user-friendly interface and straightforward integration with other software.
Having a messaging platform running in the background on your desktop (or lappie) means that if someone pings you, you are instantly alerted.
Slack also lets you make calls (and if you have a paid service, you can share your screen).
It's been great for our UK animation studio team to be able to quickly share images, videos and have a good moan when things get troublesome.
HAPPY ANIMATOR FACES: With video calls
Skype and Facetime spring to the minds of most when on the subject of video calls. They're fantastic to catch up with friends and family. However, can be glitchy and unreliable which, when you are trying to talk business, can be extremely frustrating.
Zoom.us is optimised for its purpose meaning that you'll get an extraordinarily smooth video stream and audio as clear as a bell. As a result, it boasts some high-flying corporations as endorsers.
This sleek app will do everything from messaging to webinars. Rather than calling people up you assign a date and time to meet with someone or a group of up to 100 people plus, on the basic (free) package, email them a link to the meeting room and bobs your uncle.
We use it alongside Slack, with our remote animation team and simply typing '/zoom' in a slack chat can setup a Zoom video call for everyone to jump into with a single click.
REMOTE ANIMATION TEAM: File management with Dropbox
At Stormy Studio we've used Dropbox for years. It really is the perfect way to share files, not just with your colleagues but also with clients.
Shared folders can be synced and edited wherever you are, preventing the frustration of having to compress and email large files as attachments.
Colleagues and managers can have access to files you are working on, making it easy to keep track of projects.
IN SHORT
Despite the apparent obstacles which come with a remote animation team working around the county, nation or globe. Digital advances mean we can carry on as if we were all in the animaiton studio together.
In fact, some would say they work even harder in a bid to prove that home-working is something they can be trusted to do. Effective, remote team working gets easier plus there are options to be able to have conversations on record, meaning even less get missed. Check out the record option available on skype and zoom. Plus any information passed on via Slack will all be available. No more note-taking.
We are busy, with project deadlines and quotes and all the designers and producers at Stormy Studio are currently successfully working remotely.
Our daily video-meeting allows us to check in with each other socially as well as professionally.
Not to mention, being able to look each other in the eye. As humans, this still seems to be an essential social aspect which makes you all feel closer to one another.
Stay safe and please get in touch if you'd like to discuss a business aniamtion production.