How Long It Takes To Create Shows

Summary

The 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.