How Long It Takes To Create Shows

Sambucha

27 Jan 202400:57

Summary

TLDRThe script highlights the wide variation in production time across popular TV shows and films. Hand-drawn animation like Family Guy takes 10 months per episode while computer animation like South Park finishes in just 6 days. Filmed shows like Friends take only 5 hours but require weeks of prep. Epics like Game of Thrones need 200 days per episode to build intricate sets. Movies average 1.5 years but outliers like Boyhood stretched to 12 years. Anime episodes normally take 2 months but can go up to a year. Finally, Saturday Night Live defies expectations by creating each episode in just 6 days.

Takeaways

😲 Hand-drawn animated shows like Family Guy take up to 10 months per episode
📺 Shows using computer animation like South Park take just 6 days per episode
🎥 Filming Friends in front of a live audience takes about 5 hours per episode
🐉 Game of Thrones episodes take 200 days due to intricate sets and weather dependence
🎞 Standard Hollywood movies take 1.5 years to make
🎬 Boyhood took 12 years and The Other Side of the Wind took 48 years to make movies
🔁 Most anime episodes take 2 months, but Attack on Titan can take a full year
🎤 Saturday Night Live episodes take 6 days to complete
😄 Most shows work on multiple episodes concurrently to meet deadlines
🏃‍♂️ Live shows have quicker turnarounds, while complex productions take much longer

Q & A

How long does it take to create a single episode of a hand-drawn animated show like Family Guy or SpongeBob?
-A single episode of a hand-drawn animated show like Family Guy or SpongeBob can take up to 10 months to complete.
How can shows that use hand-drawn animation like Family Guy meet their deadlines?
-Hand-drawn animated shows work on multiple episodes concurrently so that while one episode is being animated, others are in earlier stages of the production pipeline.
Why are shows that use computer animation like South Park able to be produced quickly?
-Shows that leverage computer animation like South Park can be produced in as little as 6 days or less because computer animation is much faster than hand-drawn animation.
How long does it generally take to create an episode of a multi-camera show like Friends filmed in front of a live audience?
-An episode of a multi-camera sitcom like Friends filmed in front of a live audience generally takes about 5 hours to film. Additional weeks may be required for scripting and rehearsals beforehand.
What factors cause an episode of Game of Thrones to take about 200 days to produce?
-Game of Thrones takes a long time due to optimizing filming around weather and the intricate set builds required, especially for large-scale scenes.
Why does a standard Hollywood movie take around 1.5 years to make?
-A standard Hollywood movie requires extensive planning, filming, and post-production work spanning over 1.5 years on average.
How long does it take to produce a single episode of most anime shows?
-Most anime episodes take about 2 months to complete, although especially complex shows like Attack on Titan can take up to a year per episode.
Why does Saturday Night Live only take 6 days to produce an episode?
-Saturday Night Live has an efficient production pipeline refined over decades to allow new episodes to be created in just one week.
What was the shortest production time for the examples given?
-The shortest production time mentioned is South Park, which can produce an entire animated episode in 6 days or less by leveraging computer animation.
What was the longest production time for the examples given?
-The longest production time is 48 years for The Other Side of the Wind, followed by 12 years for the film Boyhood which filmed its story over the main actor's childhood.

Outlines

00:00

🎥 How Long It Takes to Make Episodes of Popular TV Shows

The paragraph discusses the production timelines for various TV show genres. Hand-drawn animated shows like Family Guy take about 10 months per episode. Computer animated shows like South Park take only 6 days. Multi-camera sitcoms like Friends film each episode in 5 hours plus a few weeks of writing. Complex shows like Game of Thrones require about 200 days per episode. Most Hollywood movies take 1.5 years, with some exceptions that took over a decade. Anime episodes usually need 2 months, though some like Attack on Titan stretch to a full year per episode. Saturday Night Live takes 6 days from writing to airing.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡animated

Animated refers to shows that use hand-drawn or computer generated imagery. As explained in the transcript, hand-drawn animated shows like Family Guy can take up to 10 months per episode because each frame has to be individually drawn. Meanwhile, computer animated shows like South Park can be produced much quicker, in just 6 days, because the animation is generated digitally.

💡live studio audience

A live studio audience refers to shows filmed in front of a live audience, like the sitcom Friends. As the transcript mentions, filming in front of a live audience means an episode of Friends can be created in just 5 hours. However, additional weeks are needed for scripting and rehearsals before the live taping.

💡cinematography

Cinematography refers to the filming techniques and visual style of movies and shows. The transcript points out that big budget movies require extensive work for cinematography, with projects like Game of Thrones taking 200 days per episode to optimize lighting and build intricate sets.

💡post-production

Post-production refers to the editing process after filming is complete. As noted in the transcript, even fast turnaround shows like Saturday Night Live require 6 days of post-production to edit together footage from multiple sketches and segments into one complete episode.

💡concurrent production

Concurrent production means working on multiple episodes at the same time. As explained for animated shows, concurrent production enables deadlines to be met, with up to 10 episodes being worked on simultaneously.

💡principal photography

Principal photography refers to the primary filming period of a production. The transcript notes how long this takes for different projects - 1.5 years for a standard Hollywood movie, 200 days for an episode of Game of Thrones, etc.

💡pre-production

Pre-production includes planning and design stages before main filming begins. The transcript points out additional weeks of pre-production needed for scripting and rehearsals on multi-camera shows like Friends.

💡practical effects

Practical effects are on-set physical or mechanical effects, like animatronics or pyrotechnics. The intricate, weather-dependent sets in Game of Thrones likely involved extensive practical effects planning and execution.

💡post-production

Post-production involves editing, visual effects, and sound design after main filming wraps. Even fast-turnaround shows like South Park dedicate significant time to post-production, according to the transcript.

💡production schedule

The production schedule outlines the timeline and major milestones for creating an episode or film. As the transcript overview indicates, production schedules vary greatly, from 6 days for South Park to 10 months for hand-drawn animation.

Highlights

Handdrawn animated shows like Family Guy and SpongeBob take up to 10 months to complete an episode

Shows using computer animation like South Park take 6 days or less to make an episode

Filmed shows like Friends take about 5 hours to film an episode plus a few weeks for scripting

Elaborate shows like Game of Thrones take about 200 days per episode

Standard Hollywood movies take about 1.5 years to make

Most anime episodes take 2 months, some like Attack on Titan take a full year

Saturday Night Live takes 6 days to make an episode

Handdrawn animation is very time consuming at 10 months per episode

Computer animation is much faster, South Park makes episodes in 6 days

Filmed shows have short filming times but more prep work

Elaborate fantasy shows require intricate set building over months

Even fast productions like SNL still take nearly a week per episode

Anime can vary greatly in production time from 2 months to 1 year

Some outliers like Boyhood took an extreme 12 years to make

Another outlier took 48 years from start to final release