Here are the resources referenced throughout The Lean Explainer Video. They’ll help you visualize the lessons from the book, and take action. Hope you enjoy!
Selecting a Producer
Few companies take the time to evaluate the important elements of the producer work they’re evaluating, and as a result they end up with subpar videos. You will avoid this pitfall by zooming in on the aspects that matter. This means taking a close look at scripts, design, animation, sound, and relevant experience. You’ll compare price too, but this will come at the end because it’s important to get the lay of the quality landscape first.
Use this Studio Comparison Spreadsheet to help you out. In the Google interface, click “file”, then “make a copy” to input your own data.
Video Marketplaces
Video producer marketplaces offer a helpful turnkey solution for finding and hiring. Most monetize by taking a commision from the studio when they’re engaged, and for this reason many producers don’t join these hubs. Also, some marketplaces limit your ability to converse with prospective producers before hiring. With all this in mind, you should use a marketplace in conjunction with your independent research.
Here are a few of the top marketplaces:
Video Brewery
This is the leading site. To start a project, you enter some basic information, input your contact details, submit a $10 deposit, and Video Brewery sources companies.
Wooshii
This one has a very sleek and intuitive interface. You can use a slider to adjust the length and your budget, and Wooshii gives you a real time estimate for how many proposals you can expect to bid.
Vidaao
This is more of a listing service, or aggregator. Vidaao is a helpful research tool. You input your location and the site returns a multitude of studios with prices and ratings.
DreamItReel
A live action focused platform, DreamItReel streamlines the editing the process on the cheap.
Techniques
The folly of stale and unsuccessful explainers is not usually lack of time, effort, or budget, but rather lack of imagination. In this chapter, you’ll learn about the compelling techniques most companies don’t know about. Even if your budget is limited and the fanciest of these styles is out of reach, you can use them to inspire visual ideas and think beyond the formulaic. Referencing concrete examples to your producer will help them create a memorable piece. Without falling into the technical weeds, this means understanding the mechanics a little so you can talk the talk.
Puppet Animation
This technique, sometimes known as vector animation, is perhaps the most common explainer video style. It’s typified by the manipulation of static characters and other still visuals. It’s referred to as “puppet” because limbs and other elements are moved about robotically.
Whiteboard Animation
This technique is very popular because it does an excellent job encapsulating an enormous amount of detail. While many explainers are vibrant and exciting, whiteboard exudes coolness, and it makes complex subjects digestible. If you have an intimidating product or service, it might be an ideal fit.
Motion Graphics
One of the most modern-looking techniques, motion graphics offers a ton of creative options. If your brand is sleek and tech-oriented, then this style is worth considering. Also, if you’ve created infographics, this technique will let you put them into motion and expand their power.
Kinetic Typography
Does your marketing strategy center on trade shows or other noisy events? If so, a kinetic typography, or “dynamic text”, video might be a good fit. Kinetic typography refers to the art and technique of expression with animated text (source: JohnnyLee.net).
Mixed Media
The next few techniques require quite a bit of expertise and labor, and they may be out of reach for startups and entrepreneurs with tight budgets. Still, it’s valuable to have them on your radar because they will inspire ideas during your production process, and you can keep them in mind as future possibilities.
Traditional 2D Character
What if you could capture the storytelling power of the classic studios like Warner Bros. and Disney? Although traditional 2D character animation is no small investment, it’s much more accessible than it once was.
>This technique doesn’t have to look childish. All sorts of grown-up companies leverage this approach to add drama and life to their offerings. This technique is IdeaRocket’s speciality, and during my time there we used it for tech startups, management consulting firms, and Fortune 500s. To stay on-brand, sometimes we went for the wry and sophisticated angle by designing in the style of The New Yorker and other buttoned-up editorial inspirations.
3D
When you think of 3D animation, the incredible movies of Pixar and Dreamworks might come to mind. These productions require millions of dollars and years of labor. Although stacking up against 3D blockbusters is probably beyond your needs and capabilities, using 3D technology to create truly a memorable explainer is well within reach for many established companies. All the same, few organizations think to go this route. At IdeaRocket, we got the opportunity to create 3D videos for a number of companies, and the style served as a major differentiator.
Stop Motion
If you really want to be unconventional, stop motion is worth a look. Claymation is the common example, but you can use just about any physical object to create a video using this technique.
The process entails hard work, patience, and expertise. It involves filming a physical object, usually on a flat surface, moving it slightly into a new pose, and filming it again. This is done thousands of times, and then edited together to create the choppy and hypnotic effect.
Audio/Visual Script Template
Using an audio-visual template will help you organize your writing and structure it by scene. Also, it will let you draft visual ideas textually. You can use the first row to set the stage by describing the audio tone and general visual approach.
You can reference and repurpose IdeaRocket’s “Animation Is…” explainer script.
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Video Production Resources
