To animate, or not to animate?

 Often overlooked as a piece of your marketing armoury – animation can be an engaging and punchy way to engage with your chosen audience and stand out in a crowded marketplace. But with so many options available when it comes to content creation, it can sometimes be hard to make an informed decision about what approach is right for you. 

So, what is the difference between live action videography and animation, and what are the key pros and cons of each?

What is the difference?

Simply put, animation involves the use of digital, physical, or hybrid approaches to get your message across. This can range from approachable, cartoonish styles to truly striking, artistic approaches – allowing your work to stand out with true vibrancy.

Working without animation involves digital videography, recording clients on site or providing voiceovers to cover the capture of key imagery from your business. Inventive editing and post-production techniques can produce engaging long-form content, short sharable clips, or something in-between that is truly and uniquely you.

Both of these methods are highly flexible and can be used in isolation, in combination, or by taking an innovative approach depending on the task at hand. This allows you an incredible range of choice when it comes to tackling your specific business needs – enabling you to create content that consolidates your brand, conveys your message effectively, and sticks in people’s memories.

Choosing the right approach can help secure social shares, consolidate your value proposition in people’s minds, and – perhaps most importantly – get people talking about you online.

What are some key pros and cons?

When it comes to picking out what style is right for your content, there are some key factors to consider. These include-

Animation

Pros 

Increased Options: Animation is able to be deployed in a range of ways. This can involve the use of CG, rotoscoping, hand-drawn art, stop-motion and much more. This gives you a huge range of material choice when it comes to getting your message across. Choosing the right format – or combination of – can allow you to stand head and shoulders above your competition and capture views, clicks, and the engagement you need. This is perfect for businesses that want to stand out from the crowd, shout about what they’re doing, and showcase their creativity and unique identity. 

Reduced Costs: Choosing to use animation can significantly cut back on your spending on a project due to the amount of work that is carried out on-site by a dedicated animation team. This allows you to save on the use of cameras, crew hire, locations management, and the other range of costs that can potentially mount up on a physical shoot. 

Cons

Time Requirements: Given the nature of animation, producing long and short-form content can be time consuming to plan, produce, and refine. While video is relatively straightforward to capture, animation is a painstaking process that requires planning, co-ordination, and a great deal of professional insight to carry out correctly. 

Thematic Suitability: While animation can be in a range of formats and styles, some businesses may not find it suitable for their brand image. While it can be used to empathetically connect with brands and characters, sometimes a project may just work better as film – making it essential to thoroughly walk through your options and settle on an approach that is right for your unique brand identity. 

Video

Pros

Increased Professionalism: A well shot promotional video or piece of content will allow your service to be put on display in the best possible light. Finding the right team can allow you to put your best foot forward and capture your content in a way that is perfect for your brand and business proposition. This makes it ideal for legal firms, accountancy practices, or companies that want to create a strong, reliable brand image. 

Detailed Storytelling: One of the key strengths of video filming is its incredible capacity to tell your story in a way that works for you. This can be as simple as promoting the product or service that you’re looking to publicise, showcasing projects, or providing insight into your unique brand identity This can take the form of simple approachable aesthetics, eye-grabbing special effects, or to emulate and improve upon an approach that you’ve seen competitors use.

Cons

Potentially Expensive: Filming on location can be expensive, with a range of potential complications often causing project costs to rise. While finding the right professional provider and project manager can help keep expenditure to a minimum – sourcing actors, crew, equipment, recording space etc can come with a significant price tag. Thankfully, there are many tips and tricks that can allow you to change your approach to match your budget, timeframe, or available resources. 

Significant Post-Production: When it comes to delivering the final product, there can be a great deal of post-production involved. Having a carefully planned shoot can help keep expenditure to a minimum, but audio, editing, grading, and other elements have to be tweaked in order for the project to appear right. While it is possible to skimp on this stage, the end result will often suffer because of it.

What next?

If you want to learn more about the options available to you when commissioning content, our team at Eight Engines is here to help. With many years’ experience providing a range of materials for clients, we understand the importance of crafting content that meets your specific goals and brand identity.