The global animation market is huge and is valued at over two hundred and fifty billion dollars. If you are an animation enthusiast and want to enter the industry, you first need to start with small steps. This includes creating short animated videos of your own that can enthrall your audience, help build your portfolio, and attract businesses in the animation industry.
But, creating the perfect animation video can be a challenging task. Whether you want to do it yourself or have a team, the task can become daunting if you do not have a clearly-defined process. So, how do you start? Don’t worry. Here is a step-by-step guide to help you out.
Write an Excellent Script
The script is the foundation for your animated video. Thus, you should have a stellar script, to begin with if you want to make a successful animated promotional video production. Writing a script can seem like a difficult task, but it can become easy with a bit of homework. Here are some things that you need to focus on before starting with the script-writing process:
- Who is the target audience?
- What core message will the video convey?
- What actions will the audience take after watching the video?
Next, the core message of the video needs to be converted into a simple, short, and engaging storyline.
Make a Storyboard
A storyboard consists of illustrations or images that provide an idea of how the final video will look like even before you start creating it. It also allows you to make changes to your script, including visuals, to create the best video possible. In simple words, a storyboard is like a comic strip of your animation video that helps you organize it scene by scene.
You can use various online tools to create a storyboard or even do it with the pen and paper method.
Decide the Software
Next, you need to decide the software you will use to create the video based on the final storyboard. There are hundreds of software, paid and free, that will help you bring your animation video to life. Depending on your preferences, you can choose one for your project.
You also need to decide on the video animation style. Not every style will suit your video needs. The various commonly used types of animations include:
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2D animation
This is the most common type of video animation used and is easy to do. It involves sequencing images in gradual steps to simulate motion. The hardware and software requirements, too, for such videos are basic, and the video production time is also comparatively less.
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3D animation
This involves creating 3D moving images in a digital environment and is more similar to a real-life environment. The hardware and software requirements are significant compared to creating a 2D animation. Similarly, the time required for video production, too, is longer than 2D animation.
You can also mix and match different animation styles and visual elements to make your video more engaging.
Animate the Video
Now that you have decided on the software and the type of video you want to create, you need to animate it. You can do it either all by yourself or collaborate with others. You will also need to decide on the background music, voice-over, texts, subtitles, and other elements that can help improve the video quality. Here are some ways you can animate the video:
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Doing it yourself
All you need is a computer, animation software, and the knowledge to create an animation video. This process is task-consuming and requires access to medium to high-end hardware and software. Similarly, you will also need to handle various other tasks yourself, such as the voice-over, subtitling, and adding background music, to name a few.
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Collaborating with others
You can hire an in-house team of scriptwriters, voice-over artists, and animators or collaborate with friends on the project. The quality and the production time will be dependent on the team, and collaborating with others can get tricky sometimes.
You can also hire an animation studio to make the video. You will have to provide them with your idea and vision regarding the video. However, this method will prove to be costlier than others, and the output quality will depend on the studio and how well you have communicated your idea.
We hope that this blog will help you create an amazing animation video. Once you become experienced, these tips will become second-nature. Just make sure that you create every animation video with the same level of enthusiasm and dedication as you did with the first one.
