HoBSoft implements a tracking system which is integrated with the automatic processes and the artist’s deliveries.

The fact that the tracking system is integrated makes it possible to automatically collect 100% accurate tracking data and always be 100% up to date.

Overview

While many films have been produced by tracking the state and responsibilities of typically 1500 scenes and more than 50000 tasks in gigantic Excel spreadsheets, a modern producer is expected to provide a tracking system which can be simultaneously accessed by many users.

We install a tracking system for your animation production which can be accessed by an unlimited number of users via a secure web interface.

The primary advantage of a HoBSoft tracking system over other tracking systems is that the tracking data are collected automatically and therefore by definition always correct.

Progress status reports are available as live online reports showing the progressed production together with simulated future.

Problems with old school setups

A database will always be limited to describe reality according to the data we enter in to it. It is practically impossible to achieve a completely accurate picture of the status in a classic workflow where the tracking system is separated from the artists FTP’ing, emailing, chat and phone calls.

Even 90% accuracy may seem overambitious when you try to track reality in a standalone tracking system.

The classic procedure is to upload a movie file to an FTP

server followed by an email. The assistant to the director will then download the movie and read the email. Unfortunately none of all this activity is recorded in a standalone tracking system, not to mention all the notes in the e-mail which are not tracked either.

The production management will ask the various departments for status reports but they will not have it automatically. A tracking system in such a setup will never be 100% accurate.

We have seen examples where the line producer and an assistant were spending every Friday contacting every studio on the production to ask for updated status reports in order to generate an updated overview.

Not only did it cost the producer two full time salaries a week (150 working days) but he was also limited by having only one weekly report which were already old news by the time he got it.

Integrated tracking

HoBSoft’s “trick” is that movies and other files are transferred by the tracking system itself because it is integrated with the automatic production system.

Therefore the HoBSoft system never has problems keeping up with reality, simply because the system itself is the reality.

On the feature film production of “Brendan & the Secret of Kells”, we had organized all the model sheets as large pdf files in the HoBSoft system.

Breakdown of assets

A typical animated feature film may have 80 sequences, 1,500 scenes and 5,000 storyboard panels.

In order to get flying as fast as possible, we assists you in the initial creation of assets such as characters, props, efx’s,

background and locations in the database. You will have to provide us with lists in any suitable digital format and we will use a combination of scripts and spreadsheet magic to feed the database with your assets.

During the production you can add further assets to the database via the web interface.

All assets can have a large picture and a model sheet as a pdf file linked to it.

Breakdown of animatic

HoBSoft has developed a special technique where we use your editing system to break down an animatic into sequences, scenes and story board panels.

HoBSoft’s techniques work equally well with each of the two market leading editing systems Avid and Final Cut Pro.

We have developed software which can create sequences, scenes, storyboard panels, audio files, movie files, lipsync etc. in the database by the use of the output from your editing system.

Automatically updated HoBSoft timeline in Avid.

During the production you can add further scenes and sequences to the database via the web interface.