Technical animation videos have been around for years and are mostly used in the industrial machinery sector. Creating one such video requires a lot of technical knowledge about the product, its parts, the way it works and how it can be used.
In this little guide, we’ll explain what you need to think about before contacting technical animation services. Your collaboration is the key to making great technical animated videos. So, let’s get started.
What is Technical Animation Video?
A technical animation video is a video in which you explain how a certain product works. It serves as an education tool for the viewer. For instance, if you’re selling cameras, the video will show what they’re made of, how they work and why the viewer needs them.
Making Great Technical Animation Videos
1. Think About Your Visual Theme
A visual theme, professionally called mise-en-scène, refers to a single scene you’ll going to show. Just like songs or stories have topics, the video should have one big topic around which revolves its concept.
Think about what should be inside a frame. Is it only the product? Is it the surroundings in which you can find the product when in use? These questions will make it easier for the animator to know what will be the base for the video.
2. Start with a Bang
Every great story starts with a bang. In other words, you have to engage the viewer in the first few seconds of the video. Now, as you’re probably not an expert in technical animation, it will be complicated to come up with a scene that will pull the future customer into the story.
Luckily, a little bit of creativity and brainstorming from you and the animator can do wonders. Let’s say you sell a box packaging machine. If there’s the box displayed in the first scene, it’s the old way of presenting a product. What you have to come up with is an unexpected frame composition and go from there. In literature, they call it In medias res, or into the middle of things, where you plunge into the main idea and start explaining it afterwards.
3. 3D is Always a Good Idea
3D videos are essential to showcase technical aspects of products. Especially when you need to go through each component separately.
Technical animation videos and 3D go well together due to the visual nature of it. An explanation in 3D is simpler to process and understand by the viewer. A few tips about 3D animation could come in handy if you decide to go down that road.
4. Explain Your Product
After envisioning In medias res, you should ask the animator to devise a narrative. It can be either a few scenes showing the key parts of the device, a short visual explanation of it or a step-by-step video on how to use it. All you should do is to put a few main ideas on paper and present them to the person in charge of making the video.
By explaining about the product, you’re implanting the visual idea in the viewer’s mind. By understanding how something works, they will remember the video and may purchase the product in the future.
5. Show Why the Customer Needs the Product
What makes a technical animation videos awesome is the lack of words, meaning they will have an effect on the viewer’s subconscious level. In order to tackle that level of thought, make sure you show the product’s use in context.
For example, if your niche is construction machinery, you will need to place the scene on the construction site. The intention is to assure the viewer that the product you’re offering is perfect for their business. Check out construction animation and industrial animation companies that specialize in machinery and equipment animation videos to find the animator you need.
6. Let the Viewer Feel at Ease
Following that, it’s imperative to instill confidence in the viewer regarding the product’s adherence to the highest safety and quality standards. Collaboration with the animator is essential at this stage to determine the most effective approach. Whether you opt to incorporate a brief display of safety and quality certifications at the video’s conclusion or convey the same information through animated frames is your decision.
The primary goal is to reassure the viewer that they can utilize your product with absolute confidence, backed by a guarantee of safety and quality. This assurance is vital in cultivating trust and encouraging potential customers to engage with your product confidently.
7. Communicate with the Animator
Communication is what you’ll need the most if you want to create a special video. Discussing the project with the animator should come in between each of the steps we mentioned.
Most importantly, when you dislike your animator’s move, make sure to tell them right away. Otherwise, the plan or the whole video could go terribly wrong. It is in your best interest to avoid getting a technical animation video useless for marketing purposes.
8. Get Your Point Across Fast
No viewer will have the time to sit through a 10-minute video, especially if they own a large business and have a busy schedule. You will need to present them the product in two minutes or less.
The benefits of short videos include faster conversion rate, efficient presentation and less money spent in the end. Even if you have an idea that’s scattered through pages of documents, let the animator know how you want the video to look. They are knowledgable enough to shorten it and get the point across faster.
9. Stay Consistent and Clear
Jumping from one idea to another is a feature of the bad video-making process. Having one big idea from which you’ll show every other aspect of the product is the way to go.
As said, you can start with a scene that leaves the future customer confused and in need of an explanation. After the initial shock, make sure to present the product’s components. As the video progresses, there’s a third part, which is the product’s use in context. Lastly, you should assure the viewer of your company’s high quality and safety standards in a clear and simple approach.
10. End with a Splash of Emotions
When you hear the word “emotions”, you most likely think about love, hate, sadness etc. However, you should make use of an array of emotions such as awe, shock, or comfort in your technical animation video.
Yeah, yeah, you’re must be thinking that there’s no room for complex emotions in a technical animation video. Luckily, there is. Be it a frame with the end product or a frame with happy customers, it has to entice the future customer to take action.
Conclusion
Technical animation videos might seem raw and emotionless. Nonetheless, your job is to give them life through the steps we mentioned. Thinking about the visual theme will place the object of the video in context. Second, starting with a shocking frame and by explaining why the user needs the product, you will implant the notion of the product in their head. Lastly, by explaining in detail and adding a splash of emotions, a viewer will become convinced that what you have to offer is perfect for them.
Technical animation can transform the way people look at your product. If you’re still unsure of how it will affect your business, let us know. Contact us at PinkSquare to know more about technical animation and find out whether your company needs it.
