Do you remember that Swiss Army knife you had as a kid? Need to cut a strand of thread from your shirt… snip! Want to sharpen a pencil when there’s no sharpener in sight…sharpened! Want to pick that pesky morsel of food stuck in between your molars… picked! It does everything you want to do and things you didn’t even know it could.

What does a Swiss Army knife have to do with a Video Production Company?

It’s a great way to introduce you to the Explainer Video. The Explainer Video is the Swiss Army knife of the Employee Training Video Production world.

This is why having an Explainer Video company at your side will be of great benefit to you and your company.

So bring your Swiss Army knife as we snip, sharpen, and pick our way through the 7 different types of Explainer Videos an Explainer Video Company can craft for you.

 

 

Live Action Explainer Video

 

Lights, Camera, Live Action!

The first stop along our adventure is the Live Action Explainer Video. This type of Explainer Video films a product, object, or a place.  Live Action Explainer Videos can also contain people in them.This can be an actor or an employee who has great screen presence, or a shot of them talking to camera or using your product.

These videos can be a big undertaking, because you will be working with on-set talent, a script, teleprompter, lights, and camera.

It’s pretty easy to spot someone who is overwhelmed in creating a Live Action Explainer Video. The on-screen talent is nervous, the lighting or sound isn’t the best quality, or there’s a person talking straight into camera the entire time.

That is what we like to call “The Talking Head”. The talking head video is not what you want from your Explainer Video Company.

The talking head video lacks everything you want a Live Action Explainer Video to be. A live action explainer video should be engaging. You should feel a connection to the human on your screen speaking and there should be, what is known in the Video Production Company business as, “B-roll”.

B-roll will display what you want to demonstrate or want the audience to learn. It will also keep the visual aspect appealing but cutting away to it at different times to keep the video from feeling too static.

You can use the Live Action Explainer video when you find yourself answering the same question over and over on your company’s website for a product feature, or on your company’s internal policies and procedure.

A live action explainer video can clear up any questions a customer or coworker has in a way that feels human, engaging, and informative.

An Explainer Video Company can help find the right message to send to your company or customers. There isn’t any reason why your message should be unclear or confusing in this day and age. We can make sure your Explainer Video’s message is received as clear and concise as possible.

 

 

Screencast Explainer Video

 

I Screen, you Screen, we all Screen for Screencasts.

The next stop on this adventure is to the land of Screencasting. Screencasting is a way to record your screen to show the actions or process you wish your viewers to learn. It can also be a way to show off a cool new feature from your website.

Screencasting is specifically meant to record computer monitors and places that are difficult for a video camera to reach within the digital space of your computer.

You can set up a camera in front of your monitor and record, but it comes out looking like you set up a camera in front of your monitor. Sometimes you get a flicker because of refresh rates or lines across your screen. It’s not the most aesthetic solution to filming your computer screen.

Chances are you’ve already seen a Screencast and not even realized you were watching one.

Some of the better Screencasts include music and narration to really drive a point or a feeling home. The screen being recorded can also be made to swivel or pivot giving it a more visually alluring feel.

Screencasting allows you to show your customer how to fill out an order form, or troubleshoot an issue. It can also be used internally to teach employees things like submitting forms to other departments, or how to use that snazzy new piece of software your company just purchased.

Good Screencasting software can be a little pricey. Learning how to add music, record narrations, and edit can be a long, tedious process. Let an Explainer Video Company take the mystery out of it and deliver you an amazing Screencast for the world (or your company) to see.

There are also ways to “punch up” or make a screencast better by adding in live action “bumpers”. Bumpers refer to the beginning and end of a piece of video.

Blending these two types of Explainer Videos will give the viewer a human to connect with at the beginning and the end of the video in order to create more engagement.

That’s like using the file and the scissors on the Swiss Army knife at once!

 

Mercury Flight Screencast Example

 

 

Whiteboard Animation Explainer Video

 

 

Whiteboard Animation – Markers need not apply

Another very popular type of explainer video is the Whiteboard Animation Video.  This type of video shows the viewer a sequence of animations being drawn in real-time on a whiteboard as a narrator speaks.

These Whiteboard Animation Video will usually show the “artist’s” hand drawing on the whiteboard.

Don’t let the name fool you. The background color and color of the markers can be customized to fit your brand. These type of explainer videos are very clean, sleek, and clever.

They usually describe a physical process or a process that can easily be communicated in a drawing. For example, if you are coaching a baseball team team that doesn’t know where their positions on the baseball diamond are located, a Whiteboard Animation Video will quickly show them a drawing of a baseball diamond, mark and label where the different positions go.

This type of Explainer Video is also ideal if you have statistics you want to share regarding company growth, company vision, or even historical data. No one wants to sit and create a PowerPoint deck and no one wants to sit and watch a PowerPoint slideshow.

To avoid this, we can do an audio recording about your company/business and where it stands today, how far you’ve come, and what you are trying to achieve. This will be set to a whiteboard animation showing the viewer an illustrated representation of what you’re saying.

Viewers will have the ability to see and hear your vision. With an Explainer Video we can help you craft, record, and animate a whiteboard video to your specific liking. This will increase retention and engagement from your viewers.

 

Whiteboard Animation Explainer Example

 

 

Typography Explainer Video

 

 

What’s your Type(ography)?

For our next destination we don’t have to travel far, but we leave the whiteboard behind and keep the animation. This is the Typography Explainer Video.

This video still uses animation but leans more on the actual words that are being spoken by a narrator than illustrations representing what the narrator is saying.

It’s a very stylized version of an Explainer Video, because every word you hear appears on screen and is animated to seamlessly flow into the next word or phrase.

For example, if your typography video narrator says the line “the train goes through tunnels” it would be animated. You would see the entire line appear on the screen and perhaps the view zooms in on the “o” in goes as if it is your point of view going into a tunnel or even transform the line as written into a train that pulls in the next line in from the narration. The Typography Video seamlessly blends in the next line from the narrator.

Typography Videos are great as part of a commercials showcasing your product or service, or to create anticipation for an upcoming event or product launch. These types of videos can be tedious to do on your own because of the animation involved and creativity it takes to use the words as the “characters” in the video.

This is why having an explainer video company to help you craft and curate a message is highly recommended. If you have no experience in Typography Video, we can help you avoid a lot of headaches down the road.

Both Typography and Whiteboard Explainer Video use animations to a degree, but we have come to a fork in the road on our journey. We have a choice to make. Do we go down the motion graphics path or down the path of illustration.

Before we make that choice, let’s take a closer look at each one and make some distinctions.

 

Motion Graphic Explainer Video

 

 

We, Like Literally, Motioned a Graphic.

In the video world, the terms “motion graphics” and “illustrations” seem as if they are interchangeable and mean the same thing. They don’t.

Motion graphics means we put a graphic such as a logo, picture or words, into motion. That’s why it’s called a motion graphic.

Think of it as taking anything that is already created and making it move. Like Frankenstein’s Monster, but with less dead parts and electricity. Maniacal laughter is completely optional though.

Graphic Motion Explainer Videos are great on their own or mixed in with another type of Explainer Video. They can make a call to action more likely to stick with the viewer than static images.

Illustrations are custom two-dimensional (2D) animations that we can create for you. The easiest way to remember this is by thinking of cartoons. It’s original content that did not exist before that is now animated.

Even though the example of a cartoon is being used, it doesn’t mean your video will come out looking cartoonish, unless that is what you are going for.

If you’re observant, you’ll notice “2D” has been strategically placed above when describing illustrations. It’s because three-dimensional (3D) animations are a HUGE undertaking for Explainer Video Companies and very costly in time and money.

There are a few reasons for this, but first let’s see what the difference is.

Think of the animated film, “Bambi”. Good movie, we won’t talk about the sad part, but that is two-dimensional animation. Despite all the great drawing, Bambi and friends still appear flat on the screen. 

Now think of Moana. Those animations are completely filled in and feel as if they are moving in a real space, a three-dimensional space. There is more weight to them and their world. You can see contours that 2D animations simply can’t show you.

3D animations take a lot of computing power to produce. Some Explainer Video Companies can and will do 3D animation, but they sorely lack any real visual value. Think of daytime commercials when they use 3D animations. It looks bad and makes the company look cheap even though they probably spent a lot of money for that bad animation.

It also costs a lot to create 3D animation because of the sheer time it takes to create, animate, and render. You only really get quality 3D animations from big movie studios like Disney, Dreamworks, and Pixar. They work with millions of dollars in budgets.

Unless you are absolutely sure you want 3D animation, we don’t recommend it at this moment, whether it is through us or another company. Be wary of any video company boasting how great their 3D animation is, and ask to see a good sampling of their work before committing to anything.

 

Motion Graphic Explainer Video Sample

 

 

Website Presentation Explainer Video

 

 

My Websight is 20/20

As we wind down our journey, we come to the peaceful landscape of the Website Presentation Video. Don’t let it’s calm facade deceive you-this type of video has some serious punch to it.

This video can zoom in and out, pan left and right, on different aspects of your website. You can have the viewer focus on what you decide is of most importance.

Website Presentation Videos also can be made to music, narration, or both.

These videos are great to show a quick feature of your website or a program you use within your company with motion and angles that can keep your viewers visually and mentally engaged.

There is software out there that allows you to do website presentations for cheap or even free, but as the case with most cheap or free software, you get what you pay for.

Those options are limited in the different things they can do. The free ones are usually branded with a watermark for the company that makes the software.

This is done on purpose because they want to lure you to buy the software by unlocking more features and options.

Don’t be lured in by those gimmicks. Unless you plan on having a full time department dedicated to design and presentations, your best option is to hire an Explainer Video Company to get the job done right.

 

Website Presentation Explainer Video

 

To review, let’s look back at some of the finer points of Explainer Videos so we can help you choose the one that best fits your needs.

Live Action Explainer Video:

• Shot with a video camera on a set
• Used to show product, explain a process, handle FAQs
• Engages viewer especially if there is person in front of camera

Screencast Explainer Video:

• Records computer screens seamlessly
• Ideal for software/online process training
• Can record where a video camera cannot

Whiteboard Animation Explainer Video:

• Visualizes narrator’s words
• Makes audio recordings more dynamic to watch
• Easy to follow along with narration for easy retention

Typography Explainer Video:

• Animates words on-screen for more visual appeal
• Ideal for quick bursts of information or adding to live action
• Viewer can read and hear words for better retention

Motion Graphics Explainer Video:

• Animates content that is already created (logos, words, pictures)
• Great for presentations or promoting company
• Moving graphics compel the viewer to watch until the end of video

Illustrations (2D) Explainer Video:

• Animates original custom-made content
• Great for various types of situations
• Grabs viewers attention immediately

Website Presentation Explainer Video:

• Website recordings with movement and angles
• Great for online tutorials
• Visually enticing to watch

With so many options to choose from, you can see why the Explainer Video is the Swiss Army Knife of the Employee Training Video Production world.

The great thing about explainer videos is that you can also mix and match the different types to get the most engagement out of your viewers.

We want to make sure you choose the ones that are right for you or your company.

No matter what message you want to get out there on your journey, we have the right tools to get that message across to your desired audience. Contact us today to see how we can help you.