Capture Video – Not Quite Pixar

Not Quite Pixar

A word that isn’t always understood the same way between videographers and customers is ‘animation’. Animation just means graphics that move. Many people jump straight to dancing teapots.

Not that dancing teapots can’t tell a good story; using animated characters to tell a story works very well and can be a great way to simply explain a complex subject. What we think of as cartoons are often created on a low budget using 2D animation (think South Park), but have recently started being created using the more expensive 3D animation (think Coraline). Still, most companies are not going to want to present their product, service, or information using a cartoon. A 2D or 3D animation using corporate branding might serve to deliver the message more effectively.

2d animated graphics are the most common type of graphic used in corporate video. 2D, meaning two dimensional, graphics are great for conveying information: in text, as in title screens and lower thirds; or in graphics, as in taking still images and moving them across the screen, or adding moving text to a still image.

3d, or three dimensional, animation can be invaluable when explaining complicated subjects, particularly where a 2d image can’t show the whole story. For example, creating a 3 dimensional rendering of a product that can be rotated 360 degrees to show all sides and special features of the product. We have used 3d graphics to show a construction process where things were happening underground and weren’t accessible to cameras. 3d is also used to conceptualize images of things that don’t exist yet, except in the minds of your design team.

3d animation and graphics are a lot more technically demanding, so they’re more expensive. They require programming with specialty software and a higher skill level in animation. 2d animation is more common and is used, at least a little, in most video productions. Either way, graphics generally take longer than you’d think to create and perfect.

As always, it comes down to what story you are trying to tell and what points you need to make. What will make the most sense to your audience? It could be a dancing teapot, but probably isn’t.