If most of your video content is talking heads, making an animation for the first time could seem quite daunting, and it’s not unusual to not know where to start.
With animation, you can let your imagination run away. Here are our top reasons why it’s worth considering:
1) People
Animated characters don’t get camera shy, they aren’t off sick on the day of filming and they don’t hand their notice in just after you’ve launched a film with them being interviewed in it. In fact, the best approach for your internal message might not involve characters at all, there is a huge range of techniques and styles available to get the message across in the best possible way. Voiceovers are carefully scripted and delivered by professionals, who more often than not with some acting experience.
2) Locations
If you have multiple locations in your business and you want to be as inclusive as possible that’s likely to mean taking a crew to each office. With animation, there are lots of ways to show scale and geography across the UK or around the world. You’ve also got flexibility to easily add a location or venue to repurpose the film when circumstances change. You can be creative and dream up locations.
3) Flexibility
Because of the lack of logistical barriers, animation gives you a blank canvas to play with. You can stick to your brand guidelines, go off-piste, or blend elements together. You can jump around in time – a common technique is to explain what something was like, and before skipping forwards to view the effect of change. The way animation is crafted means each project creates new assets, but also ones that can be reused or built upon next time. Animation can work with and compliments other mediums in a campaign really well because it’s so flexible.
4) Tonality
One of the best things about communicating through animation is the ability to change gears during a film, to shift from one tone to another. We’ve been able to tackle business-critical information and tricky subject matter in a way that people feel comfortable with. The narrative is usually more considered too – you aren’t reliant on what you can film on the day, and every frame is carefully picked apart and constructed for maximum effect.
5) Engagement
Often the biggest challenge with internal communications is getting people to engage with the material being delivered. Animation is a great leveller, using humour, metaphors and universal themes to bring staff closer to the message.
Animation tends to feel more inclusive rather than just top-down and that means films encourage repeat viewings, sharing with others and ultimately spark conversation and discussion that might not have happened naturally otherwise. One of the most recurrent pieces of feedback we have is that people find animated content to be a refreshing alternative that’s far less patronising than other methods.
So get in touch let Giggle bring your ideas to life: jon@studiogiggle.co.uk
