If your brand is looking to make a strong impression, video marketing is one of the best ways to do so. While there are lots of different video types that you could create, the animated video is a proven tool for marketing and sales success. When committing to creating an animation, it’s important to keep in mind that any strong animation will have a structured process behind it, meaning that completing an animation will take time.
How long, you ask? Well, it depends on how long you get through each of the following steps.
Video marketing 411: the animated video process
Define the goal of the animation. Are you looking to create awareness of a product or service, promote your brand or a product, educate your audience, or drive engagement with your brand?
Write the script. This isn’t as easy as you might think. A typical video reads at about 125-150 words per minute, and even if you’re expecting your video to be two minutes long (a bit higher than we typically see), it can be tough to serve a compelling message in less than 400 words. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to ask for help—a lot of clients lean on their agency or production partners to help write scripts, especially if they’re doing it for the first time. Or just use our handy script tipsheet to guide you through the process. It also includes a storyboard template. Speaking of storyboards…
Create the storyboard. A simple storyboard could be hand drawn and very rough and may take less than a day for an animator to create, but we see less and less of these types of storyboards. We produce full-color, detailed storyboards to help take the guesswork out of what the final product will look like. As an added benefit, creating the digital assets during the storyboard phase saves time in production.
If there’s a voice-over required for the animation, hire a voice actor. Voices.com is a robust resource that can connect you with voice actors throughout the world, and it’s our go-to site for hiring voice talent.
Create the animation. The first round of an animation can take a week to create, and possibly longer depending on the assets involved and length of the video, so while getting the work started is important, patience is, too.
Post the video to your site and social channels as needed.
Revise, revise, and revise again
Animation is a collaborative process, so frequent communication between animator and client is key. Once the storyboard is completed, the animator will look to your team to provide feedback on revisions to get the end product looking exactly how you want it. While this process might take two to three weeks for the animator, delays in feedback can push the timeline out by weeks. Edits requested to previously approved assets can further complicate the process. For example, we frequently see clients make changes to an approved script during the storyboard process, which is why we wait until the storyboard is locked down to record the voice-over. The most common edits during the animation phase have to do with timing, such as adding brief pauses or speeding up certain animations.
So how long does it take to create an animated video?
The time required to produce a finished animation varies based upon the type of production. A good rule of thumb is to allow 40-60 hours (typically 2-4 weeks, depending on a producer’s workload) for each minute of finished animation, although it may take longer than that if there is a lot of feedback on the storyboard and animation. At Raka, we use tools like Adobe Illustrator and Adobe After Effects to turn around animated videos as quickly as we can, but other animators may use different tools of their own.
If you’re interested in learning more about how Raka can help you produce your brand’s next animated video, contact us today to discuss what we can create together.
