By Rory Green
One of the big trends in the world of video today is animated video. You more tech savvy individuals will know it as infographic or explainer video. This blog will take a look at why they are popular, how they can be used to enhance your PR campaign and when not to use them.
One style of an animated video that is currently extremely popular is infographic videos. Even if you do not know what infographic means, the chances are you would have seen one. They are used frequently in order to get lots of facts across in a simple and engaging way.
As you can see from the example below, the text and the images are extremely simple and clear, yet you get quite a lot of hard facts in a relatively short time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvJzMHKxLr4
Nowadays we live in a multi-platform culture, meaning that audiences can check their phones while watching TV and check their tablets while working on their laptops! Therefore simplicity is extremely important, as the video has to work just as well when watched on a mobile device as it does when watched on a television screen.
Sound is also significant, sometimes because there isn’t any! Many social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter autoplay videos silently. This means that the video should work without sound. This could mean using subtitles or using text that sum up what the voice over is saying. Either way you should still be mindful that the text needs to work when viewed on multiple devices.
The images themselves also need to be engaging for the audience. Although the video autoplays silently, the video will play with sound if it is clicked on (or tapped if viewing on a mobile device), by using engaging images you are more likely to watch the full version of your video.
Shout! has recently been working on a video for the NHS, which is to be used both online and in GP waiting rooms. Therefore the video would have to work with sound for online usage and without sound when played in the waiting rooms. To counteract this, we used bold images and simple text to engage viewers and still get the message across without the aid of a voiceover.
Animation is also an attractive option if you do not have access to a spokesperson or if it is impossible to film what your video is about! We recently worked on a video for a client based in Singapore. Unfortunately for me the budget did not stretch to an overseas filming trip! Instead, we sourced a UK based presenter for the voice over and created an animated video to promote the company’s new product.
Green screen can also be a very handy tool to use in this situation. However that is a huge subject in itself, which I have written a blog about which you can find here…
https://shoutcommunications.co.uk/blog/top-tips-for-green-screen/
As soon as you propose animation many people baulk at the idea as they presume that the cost will be massive. However like most things, animation can be done on any type of budget. Obviously if your client is looking to create Pixar standard animation on a tiny budget expectations may need to be managed, but it is more than possible to create an engaging animated piece on a small budget.
There are various websites that offer reasonable, template based software which can be used to really improve your video. Some websites even offer stock images which can then be edited in graphics programmes such as Adobe After Effects. The use of stock images and graphics is much more cost effective than creating bespoke images.
A final point to make (and this is a point that rings true for all video) is to make sure the content for the video fits the style of the animation that you are using. For instance if you are dealing with a serious subject you would want to steer clear of anything funny and cartoony.
At Shout! we have experience in all types of video content, so if you would like a chat about your next video (animated or not!) give us a call on 02072407373.
