We don’t automatically think of animation as a promotional tool. Maybe it’s because, when we think of animation, we often think of stuff we watched as kids. However, animation is being used more widely than you might think and, when used in the right way, animated videos can shine over live action.
Check out animation videos on our services page to read an in-depth look into how our Melbourne video production studio approaches animation.
There are basically four ways in which animation can be used in a promotional video:
Animated elements are moving graphics like titles and lower thirds (graphics that appear at the bottom of the screen during an interview which feature the interviewee’s name and company logo). These can have complex movements and transitions that become an integral part of many promotional videos. Check out the promotional video for Click Engage Convert Conference to see animated titles in actions.
More involved are Motion Graphics, which includes animated type and infographics. These are usually very complex movement of graphics choreographed to music with a voiceover to carry the images along. Motion graphics are perfect for explainer videos (more on this in next week’s blog), especially if you are dealing with complex figures and statistics.
Character animation and stop motion animation are what people think about when they consider classic animation. Just like Walt Disney and Bugs Bunny it involves designing characters and animating them so that they come to life on the screen. Check out our promo for the Heart Foundation's Get Active Campaign as an example of character animation.
Stop motion animation is one of the oldest forms of animation. This is basically when puppets or figures are moved frame by frame to form the animation. Again very labor intensive and mostly superseded by computer animation, though studios like Aardman are still producing this form of animation today.
So what's great about animation for promotional videos?
Apart from making complex ideas more watchable, animation is one of the best mediums for making confronting subject matter more easily accessible. If your message deals with taboo subject matter, when done right animation videos can soften the delivery of the message.
Here is an example of a video we did dealing with the traditionally taboo subject of menstruation:
Animation was also the perfect medium for this brief because we could create archetypal characters that can appeal to a broader audience making it possible to break through multicultural boundaries.
You might not have considered animation videos as an option but if you do a little exploring online, you’ll see how pervasive and powerful animation is.
For more information check out our Animation Videos page or feel free to contact us.
Next week: Training, Instructional and Explainer videos, what’s the difference and why are they so important?
Have a great week.