The Lifecycle of an Animated Video at Digital Brew

Ah, the birth of an animated video. It truly is a beautiful thing. Here at Digital Brew, we craft each and every video we make with creativity, love, and a whole lot of catchy phrases to help you market your brand. 

So where does the conception of an animated video start? At Digital Brew, we make sure you’re heavily involved in each step of the process so the final result goes above and beyond your expectations. 

So, let’s get into it.

Step 1: Creative Brief

The first step to brewing your perfect video is our initial meeting we call the Creative Brief. Here, you’ll have a thorough one-on-one chat with our Creative Director, Michael Cardwell. You’ll go over the story of your company, and what goals you’ve set out to achieve with an animated video. This conversation helps our team get to know your brand voice, aspirations, overall feel. Most importantly, it helps us write the script – a crucial part to creating an animated video that truly amalgamates with your brand. 

Step 2: Script

Onto the script! We have a few talented scriptwriters on our team who take that juicy info you gave us in the creative brief to create the blueprints of your video. Most of the videos we produce run anywhere from 30 to 90 seconds, but whatever length of video you need, our writers will make sure your script fits well within your timeframe. Then, we send it off to you for approval. Whether it’s perfect on the first go, or you have a couple edits here and there, we’ll work with you to make sure your script perfectly fits what you had in mind for you video.

Step 3: Mood Board

A mood board is a collection of sample images we put together for art inspiration for your video. The main objective of the mood board is to gather your feedback on different styles of art. We then apply it to your custom artwork that we create specifically for your branded video.

Step 4: Style Frames

Once we get a handle on the art style you like based on the mood board, we’ll use that look to create your custom concept art.  At Digital Brew, we pride ourselves in making each animated video customized and unique for all our clients, and that all starts with concept art. We work with a wide range of clients, some know exactly what look and feel they want in their video and others need a little help brainstorming. We can also use any existing art your company may already have and base our illustrations and animations around that to keep your branding consistent. 

Step 5: Storyboards

Got the look? Great! Now we move to storyboarding, which is basically the roadmap for your video. Here we create the assets for production, and present them to you in a clear, crisp storyboard. This is where we really hash out the details for what will be animated, because it is much easier (and quicker) to change in the storyboard phase as opposed to after it has been animated. 

Step 6: Voiceover

This is the part of the process where we help you choose that actual voice of your brand by assisting with voiceover casting. We hold a voiceover casting call over the web, where those auditioning will read excerpts from your script. From the many that audition, we select around 5 of the best ones that fit your style and send them off to you to make the final casting decision. Once you select your favorite VO artist, we’ll all hop on a conference call and listen while they record the voiceover. That way, you can provide any feedback you may have for the artists so we can get the best audio take possible for your video.

Step 7: Animation

Time to get moving! This is where the magic truly happens. One everything has been approved, our animators get to work, piecing together your perfect, on-brand video. We’ll continue to work closely with you to make sure each frame is animated exactly as you envisioned. 

Step 8: Delivery

And now comes the fun part. Just like a beautiful bouncing baby delivered by Mr. Stork, we rocket your brand new, stunning animated video right to your digital doorstep. And thus another (potentially Emmy award winning) video has been made! But that’s not where this process ends. After you get your goods, we’ll coach you on the best ways to use your newest marketing tool (video), and provide you with the latest and greatest tips in the video marketing world!

Easy peasy, right? If you’re ready to start the new year off right, with an animated video in your marketing arsenal, you’ve come to the right place. Chat with us about your video marketing goals for 2020!

Let’s brew this!