4 Things to Know Before Producing an Animated Explainer Video
When marketing your business, animated explainer videos are one of the best ways to get your brand out there. These videos can be a great way to explain complex ideas interestingly and engagingly. But before you start making an animated video, there are a few things you should know first.
1. Use storytelling to make your video more interesting.
In the same way, a novel or movie has many different stories; your animated explainer video will be better if it also has multiple storylines. You can use these stories to:
- Keep your audience engaged: If consumers are interested in what’s happening in one part of your video, they may not want to skip ahead and miss out on what happens next!
- Make your video more memorable: By using multiple stories within a single video (like “The Three Little Pigs” or “Alice In Wonderland”), you give viewers something new each time they watch it again—and again!
This ensures that audiences remember the essential details from every section and how everything fits into one big picture at the end.
- Make your video more engaging by breaking down complex concepts into bite-sized pieces so everyone can understand exactly why they should care about working with you instead of your competition!
2. Write a script that everyone can understand.
Getting carried away with your script is obvious, but you should keep it short and straightforward. Use plain language that anyone can understand—don’t try to impress with industry jargon, mainly if your video is intended for a general audience.
Write the script after you’ve already recorded the narration. This allows you to understand how long each section will take to read. If not, at least ensure you leave enough time between sentences so they can be clearly understood. This will help keep the viewer engaged throughout the video.
It’s also important that each sentence leads naturally into the next one without awkward pauses or breaks in flow—this makes it easier for people who are listening along as they watch on their screens at home or work (e.g., on YouTube).
3. Keep your storyboard brief and easy to follow.
It’s tempting to create a comic book-style storyboard that contains minute details, but this is the wrong approach. Instead, keep things simple with a consistent style throughout your video.
For example, if you have a character in one scene who’s wearing an orange shirt and blue pants, they shouldn’t change into green clothes in the next scene. Use a simple storyline.
If you have too many scenes or characters competing for attention at once, viewers will get confused or bored and stop watching before they’ve reached your call-to-action (CTA).
The most vital thing here is consistency: if you want viewers to remember what products or services are available from your business over time, then use the same colors for text boxes, fonts, backgrounds, etc.
4. A few good resources are all you need to get started
The thing to keep in mind when choosing your animation style is that it should match the purpose of your video.
If you’re making an explainer to help people understand what your product or service does, then you need a style that’s clear and simple to follow. On the other hand, if you want to use animation for entertainment purposes—like a short film or game—then go for something more playful and fun!
One way to do this is by creating a storyboard. A storyboard helps you plan how the animation will look from beginning to end before actually starting on it. It shows how each scene flows into another one, so there are no mistakes when production begins (yes, even animated videos require careful planning!).
Your animator probably won’t work from scratch; instead, they’ll probably use some of these images to inspire their ideas about how best to present each concept visually within those frames!
Know what you want before you start making an animated video.
Before you start creating your animated explainer video, you must know exactly what you want. This means ensuring that everyone involved in the project understands what you want to achieve with the video. Of course, your client needs to be on board with this, too, as they are ultimately responsible for approving the finished product.
If you want your animation to sell a product or service and generate leads, ensure this is clear from the outset. You can also use animated explainer videos for other purposes, such as explaining how something works or demonstrating features of a new product or service.
Final words!
The key takeaway is that you should know what you want to achieve before starting your animated video. The other thing to remember is that it doesn’t have to be perfect from the start—you can always go back and make changes or rework stuff if necessary. It all comes down to creating something compelling for people to watch, learn from, and remember!
