Step 2 - Creating something

So I have decided that I want to make a limited animation short. Below are the general outline steps that I am taking. My wife hasn't cleared it all yet, but shes swamped with other duties and trusts that i am not going too crazy.

"If no one will invest in you, invest in yourself"



Short Film
What does it need?

Story:
Decide on what kind of story medium you wish? Short story, script , poem, completely visual.
I actually write all the time. Though most of it is just funny conversations or ideas that come from my brain. (theres about 100 post in this blog to testify to that). Writing something that is meant to be produced is only something that I have done for work.  This is the first thing to tackle and get right. After i figure this out I can start working on the other aspects.

Audio:
How will the information be delivered? Voice over, acting,
Do we need music? Probably
Who would write/produce the music? Probably me because its cheapest and our first project needs to be made with a highly limited budget. I may be able to find someone whos looking for reel work. I do know a lot of people in the games and tv industry. Perhaps I can leverage that.

Visual:
What medium should the visuals be? Video, stills, limited animation, full animation?
Art is not my strong suit. Can it be? This is the area that I am worried about the most. I have never had much time to sit and learn art, in fact i am terrified of art. Maybe that is what makes it a good thing to try and do on my own. Like audio this may be something I have to outsource. If I keep it simple, I may be able to hire someone with a small budget but they can also use it as a published work.

Editing:
I should have all the things I need to bring the pieces together and edit the short myself. This is probably the strongest thing out of all of them.

Post project:
What do I do with a project like this once its finished?
Things I can do easily, post to youtube, FB, social media.
I guess if I am able to get this far that are some major choices to make. Do I think its good enough to enter some kind of contests and get some exposure. Do I use it as an example of what I can do, and try to gather other like minded people together to create something else. Is that even something I want?

Post Mortem:
Look back on the project and figure out; what went wrong, what went wrong, and what will we change going forward.