Do you need help communicating your message with your audience effectively? An animated explainer video may answer your content creation queries perfectly.
Animated explainer videos are a powerful, effective yet affordable option for content creation. It allows you to create interpretable as well as engaging video content. Such animated videos communicate information in a visually appealing and easy-to-understand manner.
Let’s explore why choosing animated explainer videos over a live-action video for content creation could be a great decision.
What is an Animated Explainer Video?
An animated explainer video is a visual medium used to explain any concept. Businesses use animations and voiceovers to convey information. Such video content engages the viewers in an entertaining and informative way.
Animated explainer videos simplify complex ideas into informative and entertaining content for the target audience. They are less costly and allow content creators to elaborate complex concepts easily.
What is Live Action Video?
A live-action video involves video content using live camera shooting with real actors, scripts, locations, and props. It has been a popular medium for storytelling. With live-action videos, businesses can explain various subjects, project ideas, and pitch products through films, television, commercials, and online content.
Why Choose an Animated Explainer Video Over Live Action?
Animated explainer videos are eye-catching and attention-grabbing. To capture the viewer’s attention and keep them hooked, animated video creators use vibrant colors and engaging graphics. As a result, it leads the audience to a better understanding of the subtle message.
In today’s fast-paced world, it is essential to have exciting video content for a higher retention rate. These videos are the perfect choice for content creation, especially for businesses looking to enter the local or international market with an impact.
Another reason to choose an animated explainer video for your business is that they allow you to be more creative and expressive. With animations, there are no creative limitations to whatever you want to do.
For example, you can create any character or environment in your imagination; even you can animate abstract ideas with these videos. However, all of this might be challenging through live-action videos.
Animated Explainer Video Pros & Cons
Pros
1. Power of Animated Explainer Video: Creators can communicate complex ideas to the target audience more simply using animated videos.
2. Customize Animated Video as per Branding & Marketing: Animated video allows businesses endless customization options. You can be as creative and as flexible to align with your brand.
3. Longer Shelf Life: Animated videos can be easily updated over time. In case your goal or product updates in the future, it is possible to modify a script by adding or removing something.
4. Increase Conversion Rate: With animated videos, businesses have observed an 80% increase in conversion rate.
5. High Creativity with Animations: Never-ending creativity and the ability to create any scenario or character with animations and special effects.
6. Flexibility with Post-Production: Most elements, including voiceover, sound effects, visual effects, color correction, editing, and animations, can be added in the post-production phase, making it flexible for video content creators.
7. Comparatively Affordable Production Cost: Typically, animated explainer videos are budget-friendly. There are only a few factors to consider while estimating the cost of these videos; you only need to hire a graphic designer or animator to create them.
Cons
1. Lengthy Production Process of Animated Videos: Creating high-quality animated videos from scratch requires careful planning and designing; therefore, production time can be long sometimes. On average, it takes 8-10 weeks to create an engaging animation that lasts for about 60-90 seconds.
2. Not So Personalized Video: Some viewers might find animated videos less personal in certain situations.
Live-Action Video Pros & Cons
Pros
1. Adding the Human Element: Live-action videos let you include real people and places. It makes it easier for audiences to relate and engage with the video’s message.
2. Reflecting a Sense of Authenticity: Such videos naturally give viewers a sense of authenticity as they have real actors.
3. Content Creation on the Go: Live-action videos can be quick and easy, even with a smartphone. As long as the message and execution are clear, these videos can perform well online.
Cons
1. Live-Action Videos can be too Costly: They typically have higher production costs; the more high-quality the video, the more costly it can be. It is due to the additional costs of crew, actors, location, editing, and many other factors.
2. Difficult to Update: Live-action videos are hard to edit as getting the original actors, crew, and setup back together become impossible sometimes.
3. Limited Creativity: Real-life locations and actors restrict live-action video creativity.
4. Post-Production: Voiceovers, music, and sound effects must be recorded on set. In the post-production phase, elements can be added, but they will add to the overall production cost.
5. Low Conversion Rate: Marketing experts have observed low conversion rates of live-action videos compared to animated explainer videos.
Should You Choose an Animated Explainer Video Over Live Action?
There are multiple factors to consider when it comes to animated vs live action videos. One key consideration is the level of creativity, flexibility, and affordability in animated explainer videos for businesses to promote their product or service.
As an animated explainer video can be more impactful, it gives you enough room for flexibility in explaining complicated concepts and features. It allows the creators to start from scratch on the abstract idea and produce immensely engaging video content.
Here the pivotal question arises, is animation cheaper than live action? Well, animated videos are undoubtedly a more affordable option for businesses than live action.
On the other hand, live-action videos can be a costly and time-consuming method for content creation. It requires hiring actors, setting up and lighting a set, and potentially paying for location rentals. Therefore, choosing an animated explainer video over a live-action video is recommended.
Final Verdict
An animated explainer video is the most efficient and effective option to communicate a message, idea, or product for businesses with limited budgets. It gives the creative freedom to experiment independently with ideas. You can hire a professional animated explainer video production company to help you create a video that perfectly aligns with your product’s branding and marketing strategy.
