Freelance Motion Designer vs Animation Company: Pros and Cons

So you’ve realised the benefits of animated videos and you’ve decided that you want to create one. But do you choose to go with a reputable animation company, or a highly skilled freelance motion designer / animator?

As someone who’s worked in house as a member of staff and someone who currently works as a freelance motion designer, I’ll be able to give you some insight.

There are pros and cons to working with both and in this article, you will learn what’s best for you and your animated video project.

Animation Company

Pros

There’s just something about the word ‘company’ that fills you with confidence, right? And it certainly makes sense to feel this way. Animation companies have a team of people working on your project.

You could have an account manager, producer, creative director, illustrator, sound designer all working on your project, all in addition to the motion designer doing the main bulk of the work. All these individuals come together with their unique expertise and experiences to make sure your video is polished and professional.

In addition to this there is only so much that one person can do when compared to an animation company. Because animation companies have the benefit of a team, they will be able to offer you various options for your project and present more than one solution.

Also due to having a larger team and likely many in house animators and motion designers, they will always be able to take on your project. An in demand freelance motion designer might be too busy to work on your animation project.

Cons

Of course, with all these extras you will need to pay. When working with an animation company, depending on the kind of project, you are looking at paying within the 5 figure range. Animation companies need to pay all the team members, pay the office rent and so on.

Working with an animation company also offers a bit less flexibility when compared to a freelance motion designer / animator. Once the brief is signed off and the money is exchanged, every little change you may need to a video later down the line will cost more than working with a freelance motion designer.

You also get a less personal experience and communication could be an issue. The person you are communicating with at the company (project manager / producer) is rarely the person who is creating the video (animator / motion designer). This has the potential to cause your message to not get across clearly which can waste time and money.

Freelance Motion Designer

Pros

One of the main advantages of working with a freelance motion designer is that they are usually cheaper than working with an animation company. You get to save money without sacrificing on the quality of the work. All motion designers really need is a laptop and the software’s to do the work. You are essentially paying for the work and work alone.

You also get the benefit of a more personal and tailor-made experience. Freelance motion designers rarely work on more than 2 projects at one time. In fact, often times one project at a time. This ensures your project gets the undivided attention of the freelance motion designer.

Freelance motion designers are also more flexible. Freelancers are not restricted by office hours or location. They can jump on a project as and when required; be it the weekend or 11pm on a Friday night. Because of this flexibility freelancers are also easier to communicate with. You will get faster responses to emails which will help to speed up the process of completing the animation project.

Projects also take a shorter time to complete. Because most freelance motion designers work on 1 – 3 projects maximum at one time, they will have more time to dedicate to your project and speed up the process.

Another reason for fast turnaround times is because there are less eyes looking at the animation before it gets over to you. There are no middlemen; it goes straight from freelance motion designer to you, the end client.

At an animation company the project is viewed and discussed by various members of the team. For example, It could go from motion designer to creative director to project manager to senior project manager to client. With so many subjective opinions this has the huge potential to waste time when at the end of day, the most important opinion of the animation is you, the end client.

Cons

Whilst working with a freelancer can be a great and personal experience and may save you a significant amount of money, only one person can do so much.

Unorganised Freelancers can sometimes commit to too many projects and this could put your animation project in jeopardy. Project deadlines could be missed, and this can affect the objectives that you have with your video.

Another potential disadvantage of working with a freelance motion designer, is that if something unfortunate happens to them (like a broken hand or family emergency), there will be no one to finish your project. Whilst at an animation company, another motion designer can jump on the project and finish it off.

Availability can also be an issue. You might have discovered a really talented motion designer that you like but their fully booked. Also, the freelancer may not want to work with you for personal reasons. Perhaps you’re looking to create a video that clashes with their moral views and they may opt to not work with you. You’re more unlikely to run into this issue with an animation company.

Conclusion: Freelance Motion Designer or Animation Company

So who’s better to work with? In reality both freelance motion designers and reputable animation companies are both great options, it just depends on what you’re looking for at the moment.

If you’re looking for a bit more security, a more structured experience and have the budget for it, go with the animation company. If you’re looking for quality work for less money, a more personal experience and better flexibility go with the freelance motion designer. You can get the same quality of work from both.

If you decide to work with an animation company, contact a few that you like and compare quotes and timeframes. If you opt for a freelance motion designer, make sure their trustworthy, experienced and organised. Also check that they’re not working on too many projects so that yours gets the time and attention it deserves.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this topic, I’m all ears.

How To Write Awesome Scripts For Animated Explainer Videos

If you’re looking to explain your product or service in two minutes or less, animated explainer videos are the way to go. Explainer videos are great because they take complex information and compress them down into an easy to understand format that still gets your message across.

But before you start making your explainer video you need a script. Without the solid foundation of a great script your explainer video will fail in getting your message across to your audience.

So, how do you write an awesome script?

In this article I will break down the formula of explainer video scripts and explain how you can write effective scripts for your next video project.

Start Your Explainer Video By Identifying The Problem

When writing the script for your explainer video you first need to ask yourself, “What are the problems that my product/service aims to solve for my audience?”

Once you’ve nailed down the main problems, focus on carefully explaining the problem in detail. This is to really highlight the issue your audience has and emphasize the vacuum that you are looking to fill with your solution.

Whilst you want to articulate the problems in detail you don’t want to spend to long here. Most people tend to click off of a video within the first 30 seconds. Ideally you want to move to the next phase (the solution) within the first 30 seconds. Bear in mind that between 125 and 150 words is equal to about 1 minute of speaking.

If you spend too much time getting to the point people will click off of your explainer video and possibly move onto the competition.

Introduce Your Solution

Once you’ve clearly identified and highlighted the problem, you need to transition to your solution. Ask yourself, “How does my product/service solve the problem?” 

Highlight the benefits and key features of your offering. Write how they tackle the specific challenges you highlighted in the problems sections. Write about how your solution works bearing in mind that the animation will be able to demonstrate how it works as well. 

Do touch on the key features of your offering but focus more on the overall benefit your solution provides. You don’t want to weigh your audience down with too much technical jargon that they may not understand.

For example, if you’re creating an explainer video about an air purifier, instead talking about the efficiency of the motor, focus on saying things like, “Our air purifiers clean your home, leaving it clear of allergens and harmful bacteria.”

Remember that animated explainer videos are supposed to draw your audience in to find out more information and encourage them to take action. You don’t need to include every single feature and benefit in your explainer video. You can list all the technical features on your website.

Remember that you don’t want the length of the video to be longer than 2 minutes. The longer the video the more viewers will drop off.

Close WIth The Call To Action

Now that you’ve clearly identified the problem and explained how you solve it, it’s time to invite your viewers to take action.

Within the explainer video script, clearly state what you want your viewers to do. That could be to purchase your product, download your app or get in touch with you. If you’re explainer video did a good job explaining how you can help them, your viewers will be interested in next steps, so make it clear.

Conclusion

The script is the most important part of the animated explainer video process. Don’t rush it and take your time. Visuals are important but they are really supposed to compliment a clear and solid message.

Watch good explainer videos to see this formula in action and learn more. Most good explainer scripts follow what I’ve covered in this article.

Once you’ve written the script, read it out loud to test how friendly and conversational it feels. This will also help you to see if it generally makes sense and flows well. If the script feels too dull and boring, work on it a bit more.

Thank you for reading and I hope you found this article useful. If you have any questions about scripts or animated explainer videos in general, feel free to shoot me an email.

3 Scientific Reasons Your Business Needs an Animated Video

Did you know that our most dominant sense is vision? Did you also know that visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text? This means that you can communicate a message to your audience much faster by simply showing them an image. Just imagine what an animation can do. Here are 3 scientific reasons your business needs an animated video.

1. Animated Videos Are Memorable

People remember pictures better than words, particularly over the long term. This is known as the Picture Superiority Effect. According to molecular biologist John J. Medina, “when we read text alone, we are likely to remember only 10 percent of the information 3 days later. If that information is presented to us as text combined with a relevant image, we are likely to remember 65 percent of the information 3 days later.”

Animated videos are made up of thousands of images and compressed into a short space of time, just imagine how effective a video can be at helping people remember your business and your message.

2. Animated Videos Grab Attention

For as long as humans have walked the earth movement has grabbed our attention. If the option to watch an animated video is available then 60% of visitors will watch it before they read any text. According to Dr. Michael Lewis of the University of Pittsburgh, “Research has found that animated characters are capable of capturing users” attention, engaging them in active tasks and entertaining them. People today are bombarded with information, if you want to grab the attention of your audience there is no better way than an animated video.

3. Animated Videos Are The Most Effective Way To Educate

There are 3 modes through which people learn. Visually, audibly and kinesthetically. Some people learn best by, ‘seeing’ it, for example a video presentation. Other people learn by ‘hearing’ it, like listening to a speaker. And others by feeling or using. Animation is the only medium that can activate all three modes of learning simultaneously. How is this possible? Animated videos have vibrant imagery to tap into the ‘visual’ learning mode. To activate the ‘audio’ learning mode, animated videos come with professional voice over’s, sound effects and beautiful background music. Animation is also associated with feel good emotions, like happiness, entertainment and fun. Animated videos are the most effective medium you can use to educate your audience about what you want to communicate.

Conclusion

The scientific information above proves that animated videos need to be a key part of your business. Animation has the power to grab the attention of your audience, educate your audience effectively, and animation can help people to remember you business and your message. If you haven’t dipped your toes into the world of animated videos and motion graphics, maybe now is the time.