Get Animated
Videography, photography, graphic design, animations: at Supersky we produce a wide variety of content. Despite the diversity, there’s a lot of overlap among these productions. After all, an animation is basically a type of video (moving images), a video can’t do without a beautifully animated intro/outro and an animation relies on a strong graphic design. However, the difference between video and animation is huge. Not only in production method and technique but also in possibilities and experience.
A video is captured with a camera and then edited together, whereas for an animation, we create all graphic elements, every movement and each frame ourselves. And that’s exactly what excites us at Supersky: motion graphics, character animations, explainers - the sky’s the limit! And here we want to discuss the Why, How and What. Why would you want an animation to be created? How is an animation constructed and what does the process look like? And finally we’ll explore six different types of animations.
Why
Sometimes you an idea in your mind that’s difficult to execute in a video. Perhaps you have a concept or product that you want to pitch, but it doesn’t yet exist, so you can’t capture real footage of it. Maybe your company has cool infographics that you want to distribute via social media. Or you want to showcase your workflow without having to film at 58 different locations. In all these cases, animation (surprise!) is a great solution. With animation we can transform concept art (design/prototype) into a visual story. Or translate all the statistics into visuals, making them easy to understand. And for example, show the entire processs from raw materials, production, quality control, to export all at once. In other words, with animation we can visualize any story you want to share. So how cool are animations, the possibilities are endless!
How
The foundation of any visual story is the content and the purpose. Who do you want to tell it to and for what purpose? Once that’s clear, we can start thinking about the script, first narratively and then visually. A good narrative story has a beginning, middle and end, taking the viewer through an accessible structure. Visually, with animation, you can (really!) go in any direction, but some key rules are important:
Keep it short to keep the attention. We usually aim for something between 30 seconds and 2 minutes, depending on the message and audience.
The style should resonate with the viewer. A younger audience craves originality and some experimentation because they’ve seen a lot already. An older audience responds better to a slower pace and somewhat realistic elements (for example, they find blue character strange).
We combine three key elements: visual, sound and timing. It’s always a balance between the pace of the animation and what’s being shown; that’s how we tell a story. Too much and too fast and you can’t make heads or tails of it. Too slow and too little, and the viewer is off to something else after five seconds.
We create all visual elements entirely from scratch. To start, we often grab a paper and pencil. Not very modern, but it quickly gets many ideas down on paper. These sketches serve as a solid foundation when we transition to digital work. Every element that appears on the screen is illustrated using one of our programs. Background? Illustrated. Character? Illustrated. The character’s cup of coffee? Illustrated. The steam rising from the character’s coffee cup? That’s right, illustrated. An animation can easily consist of over 1,000 individual components. Fortunately, we can often cleverly combine and duplicate elements during the animation process.
We sketch out the main lines (or key scenes) in a storyboard so that both we and the client can litterally see what the animation will look like. In addition to the animation itself, a voice-over is often indispensable. A good voice enhances the visual storytelling tremendously. For example, if there’s a list of five terms mentioned, we show five corresponding icons. If the terms are abstract, the icons may also be slightly abstract. We time it so that the icon appears on screen as soon as the voice-over mentions it. The viewer then immediately associates that term with the visual.
Alright, next up, the real deal: animation! Essentially, it involves adjusting time and visuals. The starting point is he composition of the scene as envisioned. Then, we animate everything ‘into view’, showing how it appears. During the animation, something will likely happen; we emphasize something: a character moves, we see a pop-up, or something similar. Then, we move all the elements ‘out of view’ and move on to the next scene. Press play, and voilá, a piece of animation! Repeat this a few hundred times (as there are 25 of these time moments in a second = a frame), and you have something beautiful to watch!
“Since we create all graphic elements ourselves, we can immediately align them with your brand identity!”
What?
Finally, let’s discuss the different types of animation. Different purposes also mean different types of animation. if you want to show human emotions, otp for character animation. You can effectively convey a lot of information in a short amount of time with an infographic. However, aside from the objective, the desired style can also determine the type of animation. A 3D animation can evoke a realistic or techy feeling. While it’s not an exact science, we’re always happy to provide advice! Here are six types of styles (a small selection) to give you an idea of the range of options available.
Six animation styles
1. The ‘Explainer’ animation
This type of animation does exactly what it says: it explains something. This could be a new concept you want to promote as a company, a service you want to provide more information about, or the specifications of a product you want to delve into further. The main focus here is on informing the audience, with a touch of entertainment to keep them engaged. We prefer to keep it graphic with a good voice-over, ensuring that the focus remains on the story.
Source: Coosto
2. Character animation
One of our most popular requests for animation. Secretly, we also refer to these as doll animations. It’s challenging to evoke a certain feeling in the viewer with just an animation. However, with a character, viewers can more easily relate and follow the story you have in mind. We can see how the character reacts in a particular situation. Body language and facial expressions tell a lot. Drooping shoulders and a frown? Proud posture and a big smile? As viewers, it’s easy for us to attach to these cues.
3. Infographic animation
Mostly sleek vector animations packed with information. These animations feature crisp design, numerous moving graphic elements, and statistics and information displayed on-screen. The concept behind an infographic animation is to present statistics in a smart and objective manner for the viewer. This allows viewers to gain insights into the subject matter you want ot showcase. By presenting the right data in a clever way, viewers can form their opinions. For example, they might think, “Perhaps I should refill my water bottle with tap water more often instead of buying more new bottles.”
4. 3D animation
As mentioned earlier, style can also determine the type of animation. If you want to showcase more towards tech or prototypes that are not in production yet? Great! Then we’ll work with 3D (no glasses needed like in the cinema). Here we move away from any graphic style and move more towards computer graphics or realism. It becomes recognizable for the viewer with the advantage of animation that the content doesn’t need to be realistic. However, 3D animations often require more time than their 2D counterparts. Modeling all the components and edding the extra dimension to the final product require additional work. But you’ll get a lot in return!
5. Compositing
We’re heavily involved in video production and animation can really enhance the features of video. If you could “photoshop” a video, you’d end up with compositing. Sometimes it’s a small element, like a logo animation or a lower third. Other times, it’s more significant, such as adding a new logo to a new product or adjusting packaging. The idea here is primarily to support the video. Ideally, we only add animations to complement it. As the example shows, it makes it so much easier to replicate the dish.
6. Mixed media animation
Finally, a mix. At Supersky we create everything from corporate films to branding, photography to animation. It’s no surprise then that some of our animations contain various types of media. While in compositing we add animation to a video, in mixed media animation we use other products as components. This can include photos, videos or stock material. Here it’s more of a “the end justifies the means” idea. What do we need to effectively convey the message? In this example, we used provided product photos and video elements. Additionally, there’s a portion of 3d animation alongside a good dose of “regular” animation. But what’s normal when you can do everything with animations?
Source: StyleScript
And then there’s this. What always brings us joy are the little jokes you can incorporate into an animation. Things that don’t contribute to the overall message but make the animation more enjoyable for the viewer. Did you notice the sunglasses on the koala in the YOUNG animation? Entertainment remains a crucial part of digital content, especially now that the range of videos and animations is endless!