If you're thinking of commissioning an explainer, then understanding how animated videos are made can be priceless.
Knowing what's going on behind the scenes puts you in a strong position to actively collaborate with your chosen agency. And to help better steer the process.
We'll walk you through the explainer video production steps. From the intial discovery session—right the way through to animation and sound design.
Our goal is to provide you with tangible insights that you can actively use to maximise ROI. And to ensure you avoid the many explainer video mistakes we see on a daily basis.
Let's get started.
Not all agencies will follow the same workflow, but largely the animation production process can be broken up into six steps.
The animation production company will set out these steps on a animation project timeline, clearly showing when creative will be delivered. They'll also include a feedback/amends window and a final sign-off date.
It's crucial that each step is fully signed-off before proceeding to the next stage. Changing aspects of the creative post sign-off can cause major ripples later (and eat into your production budget).
For example, if at the visual storyboard stage a change to the script is requested, new visuals might need to be created that haven't been accounted for in the budget.
But fear not, a good production agency will have your back. If they've done their job well, the process goes very smoothy.
We'll cover this in more detail in the steps below. We'll also sprinkle some finished animations througout the article, so you can get a sense for how it all comes together.
A discovery session is designed to create a rock-solid video brief. It's the cornerstone of the whole production process.
In a discovery session, the agency will explore what success looks like, understand your target audience, and how you intend to use the video.
But these are not tick box exercises. For example, you might initially have an idea of who you want to target. However, in discovery it's uncovered that there is an audience sub-set that will respond most favourably to your message. We've covered this in a previous blog about the danger of targeting too broadly—and a discovery session is designed precisely to avoid low engagement.
We'll also be exploring the types of videos you like (and which you don't), because whilst your brand guidelines play a crucial role, so too do your preferences.
Other aspects a discovery session will cover is: where you will publish the video (other aspect ratios, or shorts for social), your brand ToV, and who the key stakeholders are.
All-in-all, this stage is designed to ensure all other stages of animation production are on rock-solid ground. And it's the same process regardless of if you're producing a technical explainer, brand story, or PR video. They key takeaway is explore all aspects fully.
Key insight:
Leave no rock unturned. Challenge your assumptions. Question deeply. Put yourself in the audiences shoes.
Following the discovery session we'll now have a clear idea of exactly who we are targeting, how they think, and what will resonate most with them. These are all the key components to create a compelling script.
Although the creative approach to script writing is quite literally endless. There is a typical explainer video structure that works exceptionally well. You can think of this like a flow for a high performing landing page—there are key building blocks, but you can furnish them however you like.
The structure is as follows:
The opening line or two is super important. If you get it right, the audience should be nodding along thinking "Yep, you totally get where I'm coming from". If you've done the work to define your audience, this should be obvious. However, how it's presented is where things can get creative!
Now you've got the audience hooked, it's time to show them you have the solution they're looking for. This is often a single line (or two). It's not trying to explain, only to show you have the solution they're looking for.
Simply—how can you prove you can deliver on what you've just promised? However, there's a nuance here. The most engaging scripts build credibility, but they avoid over explaining. In the discovery session, we'll have already uncovered the top 3-4 things that will resonate most. Here is the place for them.
The audience are fully engaged. They've got the end of the video interested, but eager to know more. You haven't bamboozled them, or bored them. They are keen, but they have questions. Perfect. What do you want them to do next?
Script writing for animation is not like any other form of copyrighting. There's an art and science to it. Check out our blog on the why animated videos work so well.
Key insight:
Ensure you're clear on who you are targeting and what will resonate with them. Also be clear on your brand ToV, including any key terms you prefer to use.
With the animated explainer script locked down, it's time to move on to the written storyboard. It is as it sounds: a written description of what is proposed to be illustrated.
Typically, the agency will break the script into very short sections. Sometimes just a word or two. This is to ensure both clarity in the messaging, and good pacing.
If a visual is on-screen too long, the audience's attention can wane. Similarly, if the storyboard is too ambitious, you'll confuse the viewer.
We'll also be exploring how the visuals can add to the narrative, without creating cognitive overload. For example, if you're a SaaS company, then showing a simplified version of your platform can be a great move.
Your budget, brand guidelines and personal preferences will all play a role in how the agency approaches this step. If you're unsure on what your budget can buy, download our guide which includes animation examples.
Key insight:
Share with the agency any relevant marketing materials, ai. files and anything else that might prove useful. For example, sales decks.
We've included this as a standalone step, but in reality it's best delivered with the written storyboard. We take one or more parts of the written storyboard and show you how the animation will look.
This isn't a mock-up. What's being shown is exactly how your animated explainer will depicted. The style frame then forms the basis for every other scene. It acts like a template for the visual identity.
What will it look like? In the discovery session, the agency will have already discussed this with you, so there'll be no big surprises. That said, a great deal of skill and creativity goes into style development. Brand guidelines rarely outline animation visual approaches and things like budget and preferences can have a huge impact.
Here is a useful resource if you're struggling to identify an animation stylistic direction for your brand.
Key insight:
Share examples of animations you like (and don't like). Ensure your budget matches your expectations—for example, if you'd like 3D, do you have the correct budget?
We're at the penultimate stage—the animation visual storyboard. A client of ours once described the visual storyboard as a flip-book. Whilst it's not quite that involved, the visual storyboard should leave you super clear on how the animation will play out.
Each line of the script (or even sometimes a word or two) will have an accompanying visual. This is the final check before moving to animation. It's our opportunity to catch anything that is incorrect, or otherwise 'not quite right'.
This stage should leave you feeling very confident (and excited) to see it in motion.
Key insight:
Changing the visuals post animation is very costly, so make sure you're completely happy before you provide sign-off. If any key stakeholders need to be involved, this is a golden opportunity to show them.
Finally we set the wheels in motion. The team get to work on crafting a compelling watch. We're not just looking at how elements move, but also at pacing, transitions and incorporating sound design.
For example, we might purposely create a gap in the voice over so the sound design can create emphasis, or simply to help a script line land with more impact.
On occasion, the agency might produce an animatic prior to moving into full animation. This is essentially the still visual storyboard frames set against the VO. It's not usually necessary, but it can be helpful for complex projects.
At Outmost, we always present the final animation to our clients including sound design and music. Why? Because this is the final product, and asking you to comment on something unfinished confuses the production process.
We can always change the music or sound design within the feedback/amends period, but this will give you the full effect. You'll see the animation as your audience will see it. This puts you in a prime position to assess the goods.
Key insight:
Sit back and get excited. If all the steps above have been maximised, you're in for a treat.
In the discovery phase, we'll have confirmed the formats needed. For example, 16:9, 1:1, 9:16. The video can be adapted post-animation, but it's more efficient to be clear on requirements early on.
This is also the time to decide which sections of the animation might work well as shorts. These are produced into succinct (sub 20 second) snippets. Even better if they seamlessly loop. Following this strategy will ensure the shorts auto-loop to maximise engagement.
You might also want to ask for the .ai files so you can repurpose them for other marketing collateral.
One of the wonderful aspects of our work is how collaborative the process is. It's a play between agency and client designed to get you the best result.
With a little insider knowledge, however, you can avoid the usual pitfalls, sidestep miscommunications, and take your productions to a whole new level.
Hopefully we've given you just the right amount of insight, without being overwhelming. Best of luck with the project. It's a highly enjoyable process indeed.
