The Animation Process

The Steps in Animated Video Creation

Whether you’re working with a video production company, or having a go at creating the animation yourself, it’s vital to understand the steps involved in making an animated video. First things first, let’s define what we mean by Animation…

What is Animation?

An animated video involves creating a film by applying motion effects to static images. As opposed to using a camera to film live action, animation involves artificially simulating this effect.

Important Steps in the Animation Process

1. Research
2. Concept Development and Script Writing
3. Storyboard
4. Guide Voiceover Recording
5. Music
6. Short Animated Segment
7. Animation
8. Feedback and Changes
9. Delivery

Research

As a video production company, our aim at this stage is to get a clear idea about:

• What your product or service is
• What makes it unique
• How it works
• Who it helps
• What it’s features and benefits are
• Who your audience is
• What their challenges are
• How you help solve them
• What action you want your audience to take

Other work undertaken in the Research phase involves viewing examples of existing videos to help identify the correct style and approach for your animation.

Concept Development and Script Writing

Based on what we learn from you and your needs in the Research phase we create the Concept and Script.

The Concept is a short summary of the idea behind the video, and how it will flow.

the Script is a detailed description of the animation.

The Script is broken up into 2 sections:

1. The Voiceover Script
2. The Visual Description

The Voiceover script is what we will hear from the voiceover artist, who will guide us through the animation

Once we’ve got the voiceover script right, and you have provided feedback, we then add the visual descrition.

The Visual Description is, as the name implies, a description of what the viewer will be seeing.

The Animation Storyboard

The Storyboard is a static visual depiction to give you an idea of what your animation will look like. It features still images of key moments in the sequence of your animation. This is to help confirm that the visual approach is correct. As well as the sequence of actions.

 

Guide Voiceover

At this stage, one of our in-house producers will record a guide voiceover. This will help to identify the correct tone and style of the voiceover. Our animator will use this to start animating the storyboard. We only record a guide voiceover at this stage because it allows for flexibility in case changes to the wording of the voiceover need to made. Sometimes content that reads well on the page doesn’t sound 100% right when read aloud. This is why we wait until near the end of the project to record the official voiceover.

Music

We select music from our extensive stock music library. The right music really helps to enhance the style and feel of the video, and increase the emotional impact.

Short Animated Segment

At this stage, rather that producing the full animation, we simply create a short animated segment, and then send it to you to get your feedback. This phase of the project is important because it helps to ensure that we’re on the same page. If there are changes required to the overall style and approach it’s better to pick them up at this stage rather than once the full animation has been completed.

The Animation Itself

Only at this stage do we actually create the animation. Our thorough preproduction process ensures that the requirements are clearly understood, and that you receive the animation video that you expect.

Feedback and Changes

We then send you the first draft of the animation, and you have the opportunity to provide feedback and changes.

 

Delivery

Once the animation video has been completed to your satisfaction then we send the completed work to you via a download link.