Why you should consider using animation.

02 Mar Why you should consider using animation.

Evolving Animation…

In the distant past, animation was a time consuming and expensive form of video to make, but modern day software and techniques have allowed it to compete with live action video content in terms of price and ease of production. So, with no innate barrier between animation and your average person or business commissioning video, choosing which form of video content to use becomes a question of relative cost, ease and most importantly of content outcomes. Animation has some benefits that make it uniquely appropriate for certain projects, this blog explores some of these.

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Impactful messaging without the hefty price tag. 

Animation allows for some messages to be delivered to audiences in a cost effective way. Take infomercials for example, a commonly used form of informative ad which we’re well-versed in here at Clear As Day. Infomercials are a cost effective way of getting messages across to audiences which either have no real life visual reference, or would be otherwise be expensive or challenging to put to film. Using simple animation we can create a succinct infomercials which will engage and inform your audience in a visually exciting manner.

See this informercial below that we made for the Zero Carbon Campaign. In this infomercial, animation allows us to navigate themes of climate change with ease, using symbols and text to deliver the campaign’s message effectively.

Convenient and Covid-friendly. 

Money isn’t everything, a unique advantage of animation is that is can be made remotely; teams can work together from afar. This frees animators, (voice) actors and anyone else involved in production to work to their own schedules, mitigating usual dilemmas around scheduling and tight on-set filming times. Covid-19 really brought these benefits to the spotlight, for example, when we were tasked with making an ad relating to PPE (seen below) during the first UK lockdown. In this instance, animation allowed us to make what was an important and informative video for DOES at a time when on-set filming wasn’t an option.

Educate & Inform effectively with animation.

Animation can be especially useful for informative videos, often these are commissioned within the corporate and commercial sectors to educate their employees about certain practises and so on, or they might be used to raise awareness about a subject or product within the charity and marketing video fields.

See our informercial for Duplo International as an example of how animation can be used to inform audiences on new products/services in a way that’s visually compelling, on an otherwise unexciting subject matter. 

Animation can be used to break down quite dense information into more digestible parts. People do this all the time, you may remember your history teacher breaking down vast chunks of time on the white/blackboard into essential dates and events that had to be remembered. Well, animation can do the same but through motion, one event or visual cue can lead to another, rather than just giving your audience a static ‘mind-map’ of information, you can take audiences through processes step by step, providing memorable visual stimuli along the way and giving explanations to each part as you go along. In effect, it helps audiences understand and remember key messages that you need to communicate to them.

An empathetic way of navigating difficult subjects.

Sometimes content needs to be made which tackles sensitive issues. While difficult, spreading information relating to physical, sexual and mental health for example, is an area where animation can provide a unique service to businesses, charities and the world generally. Discussing issues such as Cancer can be extremely distressing for those who have experienced such an illness, either themselves or through a loved one. Animation allows for these subjects to be explored in a gentler, euphemistic way, it can withdraw a subject from reality somewhat, not undermining the brevity of the subject but being informative whilst staying empathetic to sensitive individuals. By divorcing the moving image from reality, animation allows video production to display health conditions which would otherwise be emotionally triggering for effected or sensitive persons. Take this (seen below) charity video we were tasked to make for IITB, through animation, as well as some tongue in cheek humour, the sensitive process of checking yourself for testicular cancer is made tolerable for audiences through this process. Filming such a video live would make for an uncomfortable viewing experience for your average audience…

Get in touch…

If you’re interesting commissioning a video advertisement for your business, get in touch. At Clear as Day Productions we work with companies of all shapes and sizes, we provide a free no-obligation, first consultation. if you’d like to find out more, we would be more than happy to arrange a coffee and chat about your next project.