Animated Explainer Video
Table of Contents
This is Video Igniter‘s comprehensive FAQ about animated explainer videos. We get a lot of questions about how to make and use animated explainer videos. So, we decided to create a writeup with answers to the questions everyone is asking.
Video Igniter’s Animated Explainer Video FAQ answers questions like:
- What is an animated explainer video?
- Why do businesses use animated explainer videos?
- How do you make an animated explainer video?
- How do you hire an animator to make an animated explainer video?
- How can I save money on my animated explainer video production budget?
Examples Of Explainer Videos You Can Get From Video Igniter
Video Igniter can create any kind of 2D or 3D animated video for you. Check out our animation portfolio here. Request access to our demo reels and price sheet here.
Contact us or schedule a call to start making your explainer video.
Are you looking for an example of a different style of animation? Send us a message to let us know what kind of animation example you want to see and we will follow up with relevant production samples.
What Is An Animated Explainer Video?
Animated explainer videos are short entertaining educational videos that make it easy to learn and remember new information. Businesses, publications and organizations create animated explainer videos because they simplify complex topics and use beautiful animated images to hold the viewer’s attention while teaching them something new.
When should I use an animated explainer video?
Animated explainer videos can improve business outcomes at every level of your sales and marketing funnel. We recommend using animated explainer videos if you want to:
Gain Awareness
Animated explainer videos are great for grabbing people’s attention because they’re colorful, they move, and they concisely articulate your brand’s key messages. If people are intrigued by your short 15 – 30 second explainer video, they’re more likely to visit your website to watch a longer more in depth video.
Increase Conversions, Acquire More Leads and Close More Sales
Animated explainer videos have been shown to increase conversion rates on landing pages. Explainer videos can be used to increase sales on your website or increase the % of people who opt to give you their email address for future marketing messages.
Educate Customers
Animated video explainers hold people’s attention better than regular, live-action videos. The combination of colorful animated images synced with a voiceover creates a self-reinforcing educational experience. Viewers are more likely to understand the information and remember it longer than if they had merely read it.
How can I make an animated explainer video online?
Pick Your Producer
Before production can begin, you need to figure out who is going to produce your animated video. Are you going to make it? Or do you want to hire an animated video production company like Video Igniter? You could also hire an animation studio or a freelancer. For more tips on how to pick a video animator, scroll down to the section titled: “How do I find an animator to make my animated explainer video?”
We also recommend checking out this article on the different types of Online Animated Video Makers.
Script
Production starts with a questionnaire to learn about the video you want to create. Your production team will review your responses and then draft a script for your animated explainer video. If you want, you can write the script yourself to save some money on your explainer video production cost.
When the first draft of your script is ready, review it with your internal team and members of your target audience (if available). Collect everyone’s feedback and send it to your animation team. They will revise your script and send it back to you to review and approve. Video Igniter will continue to work with you to refine your script until you are completely satisfied with it.
Free Download: Thinking of writing the script yourself? Our free scriptwriting resources teach you how to write your script + you can download our free explainer video script writing template.
Storyboard
Once the script is approved, we will create your storyboard. The storyboard is the blueprint for your animated explainer video. It contains all the production instructions the illustrators and animators need in order to know what they are creating.
Give the storyboard a detailed to review to make sure all your ideas and key talking points are clearly articulated in the storyboard. It’s important to get all the details documented in the storyboard before production moves forward. If your storyboard isn’t complete or lacks enough detail, it could lead to a budget increase because important production details weren’t specified in the storyboard before the illustrators and animators got to work.
VoiceOver
After the script and storyboard are signed off, we will get the voiceover(s) recorded. We’ll start by getting voiceover auditions from several voiceover artists that we feel will deliver the right tone and energy for your animated video.
Tell us which audition(s) you prefer and we’ll get the full voiceover(s) recorded.
What if you’re not in love with any of the auditions? Just let us know why! We’ll happily order up some new voiceover auditions.
When the full voiceover is recorded, we’ll send it to you to review. You will get an opportunity to request revisions before you approve the voiceover for production.
Soundtrack
We will also help select some soundtracks that will enhance the presentation of your animated explainer video.
If one of the soundtrack options stands out to you, let us know and we’ll buy the license so you can legally use the music in your video. If you can’t decide which soundtrack you like best, let us know. We’ll help you preview them when the first draft of your animated explainer video is ready.
For more tips on soundtrack selection, check out this guide for selecting an animated video soundtrack.
Illustrations
Now it is time to illustrate! After the storyboard is approved, our art director will start creating concept art for your animated video. The art director will review your company‘s branding and style references you provided. Then, they will select a key scene from your storyboard and create concept art for it using one or more different visual styles. They will send you the concepts to review and wait for your feedback.
If you love one of the concepts exactly as it is, tell the art director. They will get the illustration team started on creating all of the art for your video, using the selected concept art as a style reference.
Suppose you like aspects of multiple pieces of concept art? Just let us know which parts you like and we will combine your favorite parts into a new piece of concept art. We will continue to work with you to refine aspects of the visual style until you love it. Then, we’ll create all of the illustrations for your video using the same visual style.
What if you aren’t satisfied with any of the concepts? That’s ok. Just let us know your honest feedback. We’ll use it to create a completely new concept for you to review and iterate on until you love it.
Animation
Now that everything is approved, it’s time to animate! It takes about 1 week to animate a 60 second animation. If your project is longer than a few minutes, we will add additional animators to the project to speed up the production process. Once the first draft is ready, we recommend you give it a review with your internal team and members of your target audience (if available). Organize everyone’s feedback and send it to your animation production team to incorporate your edits and render out the final draft.
How do I find an animator to make my animated explainer video?
Picking the right producer for your explainer video is a key decision in the animated video production workflow. Here are some resources to help you find the right animated explainer video producer to produce your animation’s ideal visual style, project deadline and budget:
– 9 Things to Look For When Hiring An Animator to create an animated explainer video.
– How do you hire an animator?
– How do you outsource an animated explainer video project?
– Pros and Cons of Different Animation Styles
– What goes into production cost of an explainer video?
– Learn the types of online animated video makers.
– What’s the difference between hiring an animation studio, a freelance animator and Video Igniter?
– What is Video Igniter Animation?
– Need your video fast? Learn about rush delivery.
Where can I hire an animated explainer video producer?
Are there different types of animated explainer videos?
There are many types of animated videos you can create. We’ve written FAQ guides for most of them. To learn more about how to make and use specific types of animated explainer videos, check out the following animated video production resources:
Corporate Explainer Videos
How To Make Animated Corporate Videos:
https://videoigniter.com/animated-corporate-video/
How To Make An Animated Advertisement:
https://videoigniter.com/how-to-make-animated-advertisement-video/
How To Make An Animated Company Video:
https://videoigniter.com/animated-company-video/
Educational Videos
How To Make Animated Educational Videos:
https://videoigniter.com/animated-educational-video/
Cartoon Explainer Video
How To Make An Animated Cartoon Video:
https://videoigniter.com/animated-cartoon-video/
Free / Cheap Explainer Video
How to make animated videos for free:
https://videoigniter.com/free-animated-video/
Animated Infographic Explainer Video
How To Make An Animated Infographic Video:
https://videoigniter.com/animated-infographic-video/
Animated Product Explainer Video
How To Make An Animated Product Video:
https://videoigniter.com/animated-product-video/
2D Animated Explainer Video
How To Make A 2D Animated Video:
https://videoigniter.com/2d-animated-video/
3D Explainer Video
How To Make A 3D Animated Video:
https://videoigniter.com/3d-animation-maker/
Marketing Templates & Resources
Is your animated explainer video being created to support a business objective? If so, the following templates and resources will help you maximize the impact your explainer video has on your business outcomes:
– 6 Ways to get high viewer engagement for your animated videos.
– How to use animated videos to improve your sales and marketing efforts.
– 7 Tips for using and improving your business’ explainer video.
– How to grow your business with visual content marketing.
– Learn how to interpret your video’s viewer stats to see if it needs improvement.
– How to use a sales animation video to increase sales.
– A/B Test variations of your animated video to improve its conversion rate.
– How to use animated videos to generate leads.
– Learn how an animated sales video can improve your bottom line.
– What are the benefits of using animated videos for digital marketing?
What does a high end animated explainer video look like?
This is the kind of quality you can expect if your budget is over $7500/minute:
What does a low cost animated explainer video look like?
This is the kind of quality you can expect if your budget is in the $1250-$2000/min range:
What does production quality look like for an ‘average’ production budget?
The average production budget for an animated explainer video is $3,000-$5,000 for a 60 second animation. Here are some examples to see what level of production quality you can expect for this budget level.
How Long Does Take To Make An Animated Video Explainer?
It takes 3-8 weeks to create a 1-2 minute 2D animation. It takes about twice as long to make a 3D animated video.
Need to speed up production for a deadline? You can save some time by writing your script and building your storyboard. Rush delivery animation is available if you need to speed up production even more. Use our ‘get a custom quote‘ form to contact us and let us know you are interested in rush delivery.
How long should my animated explainer video be?
If your goal is to get awareness
Aim for a length of 5-60 seconds. Most awareness videos are in the 5-30 second range. The purpose isn’t to tell people your whole story. It’s just to get them intrigued enough to want to learn more and share your story. In many cases, the shorter the better.
If your goal is to educate your leads and prospective clients
For leads and prospects that have already heard about you and want to learn more, your videos should be about 1-2 minutes long.
Long videos are usually reserved for customer education and retention. Longer videos can be used to give an in depth look at your product/service to show how it works. It can also be longer feature-length content that would be of interest to your target market. Consequently, this feature-length content could be used to gain awareness among new potential customers as well as delighting your existing clients.
Is it possible to speed up production for an animated explainer video?
Do you need to make your animation fast? Video Igniter offers rush delivery animation to help speed up production for your deadline.
What Does It Cost To Make An Animated Explainer Video?
Animated explainer videos cost between $1,500-$7,500 to create a standard 60 second 2D animated video. 3D animated explainer videos cost about 2-4x as much. It is possible to make cheap animated explainer videos but the reduced production quality can lead to a poor educational experience for the viewer and decreases the perception of your brand. For a detailed overview of animated video production costs, this article teaches what goes into the cost of an animated video.
Interested in pricing information for your animated explainer video?
Request access to our current price sheet.
How many revisions do I get on my animated explainer video project?
In general, 2D animation studios and freelance animators offer 1-2 rounds of revisions in the price they quote. If you are paying by the hour instead of the project, you get as many revisions as you want – but the price keeps going up.
Video Igniter offers unlimited revision on our Simple and Standard Animation projects. This means your project won’t go over budget if you ask for more than 1-2 rounds of revisions. We will revise any asset we create for your project an unlimited number of times until you mark it as approved.
Check out the FAQ about our unlimited revisions policy to learn more about it.
How can I keep my video production costs down?
Write Your Script
You can save hundreds or thousands of dollars off of your explainer video’s production cost by writing the script yourself. Your script doesn’t have to be perfect; if you can write the first draft of your script, your animation production team can help you polish it to make it production ready. Here are some resources to help you write the script for your animated explainer video:
How to write a script for an animated explainer video.
Examples of explainer video scripts.
Tips to supercharge your video script writing.
Download our free script writing template.
Create Your Storyboard
Making the storyboard for your animated video is another way you can save hundreds or thousands of dollars off the cost of your video. Use our free downloadable storyboard creation PDF and check out these resources to help you create your own storyboard:
What is a storyboard? And why do you need one?
How to create a storyboard for an animated video?
Tips for building a great storyboard for your video.
Download our free storyboard creation template.
Record The VoiceOver
Did you know you can record professional sounding voiceovers in the office or at home for free? You don’t need to buy any expensive equipment or fancy software. Just watch 1:31 in this episode of The Video Igniter Show about voiceovers to learn how you can record your own high quality voiceover for free.
Consider Using Stock Assets
Video Igniter makes custom animated videos. But your animated explainer video doesn’t need to be 100% custom made. It’s possible to use stock assets like icons, text, 3D models, stock images and videos to decrease your production budget.
Use Free (Legal) Music
Incompetech lets people to use their songs in their videos for free – as long as you credit the artist. Facebook’s Sound Collection also offers free music you can use in your animated promotional videos.
What should I be aware of before I start production on an animated explainer video?
Some things to think about before you hire an animation studio, freelancer or Video Igniter to create your animated explainer video:
– Review our explainer video explainer video tips.
– Learn about the different styles of animation.
– Pick the right visual style for your animated video.
– How to figure out the right pricing option for your animated video.
– 9 Things to look for when hiring an animation studio, freelancer or Video Igniter.
Still have questions about animated explainer videos?
Do you have a question about animated explainer videos that wasn’t answered in this FAQ? Use this form to contact us with your question. We’ll send you a response via email and post the question + answer to this FAQ.
Why Hire Video Igniter To Make Your Custom Animated Explainer Video?
World class animation and design talent at prices startups can afford.
We can make any kind of 2D or 3D animated video you can imagine. Check out our portfolio!
+20 reasons companies love hiring us to create animated videos.
Animated Explainer Video Demo Reel
Looking For An Animated Explainer Video Company In The U.S.A.?
Video Igniter is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.
Custom Explainer Video Production Success Stories And Testimonials
“Video Igniter offered us the critical combination of creative value, clear communication, and patience with stakeholder feedback. We ended up with truly high-quality design assets for our video series largely due to the extra level of commitment — and the right balance of efficiencies with flexibility in the process when called for.”
Larry Schlessinger – Sr. Creative Program Manager, Amazon Web Services
“Video Igniter came to us with a number of creative and engaging ideas and were able to create an exciting, impactful video in a short period of time. And the best part was that it cost much less than other options of similar quality. The video they made is a great marketing tool for us.”
Alex Raymond – Founder, Kapta Systems
“I am beyond satisfied with my experience with Video Igniter. The first drafts of the work were almost exactly what I had in my head when developing the concept. After that each step along the way was seamless until arriving at a perfect finished product. And all this at a tremendous value. Anyone who has considered creating a marketing video should check out Video Igniter.”
Anonymous Customer Feedback
How To Hire Video Igniter: The Animated Explainer Video Production Company
Get a quote for us to create your animated explainer video.
Schedule a call to discuss your video project with our team.
Request access to our newest price sheet.
Create your Video Igniter account, fill out a creative brief, and we’ll start creating your animated explainer video.
