by Jace Vernon | May 21, 2013 | Explainer Video, Video Scribing, Whiteboard animation, Whiteboard Video, Ydraw
The Whiteboard Video Making Process – The Ydraw Way
Here at Ydraw we get asked about the process of making a whiteboard video all the time. Truth is, it seems so simple that often people get the mentality that they could probably do it themselves if they had some sort of guideline. Good news: here’s that guideline. Bad news: you might not be as good at video scribing on your own as you think.
There’s a lot of thought, work, sweat, blood, and heartache that goes into the production of a whiteboard animation video. Well, not really, but it is a process – and a process best left to the professionals.
First, the script: no doubt you’ve heard all about the importance of script: Content is King! We have a slew of talented and professional writers ready and waiting to help you create your perfect script. Come up with a few ideas of what you want viewers to take away from the video, and our writers will work back and forth with you to create and revise a script until you feel it is exactly what you’re looking for.
Why you need a pro: Writers are writers for the same reason doctors are doctors. They’ve done the schooling and are passionate about their career choice. You don’t need some hoo-ha doing your script writing because they’re the cheapest option, you need someone in the biz that knows how things work and has experience helping produce successful videos.
Next, the artist: The artists we employ have been in the business for 20 years and have worked for big names like Disney, Marvel, and Cartoon Network – so you know they’re the best. They are creative geniuses, and together with the writers will brainstorm and plan the scenes. You’ll receive samples of the art so you can decide what you like and what you like even more, along with the script and scene plan – making it easy to oversee everything and make changes as necessary.
Why you need a pro: Sure, stick figures get the job done – but do they get the job done? You want your audience to be enthralled with you video; don’t make them feel like they’re watching their three-year-old niece draw another picture for them. If you skimp on artwork, chances are your message will stay in their brains just about as long as that picture will stay on their fridge.
And… we’re rolling: After the script and artists have worked their magic, it’s time to record. We’ll set up our fancy-pants camera and let the artist go to work. Once the artwork is recorded and any digital inserts have been added, it’s time to pick a voice and music. Our voice-over actors are all professionals and sound like it, too. We also have a large library of background music selections as well as sound effects – pick all your favorites and we’re on our way to finalizing a stellar whiteboard video.
Why you need a pro: Beside the fact that not many people have access to the quality of cameras we use, not a lot of people realize the importance of having a professional voice-over. Voice actors have been trained in the art of voice. When you hire a professional, you won’t get any noisy breathing, obnoxious lip smacks, popping consonants, shrill ‘S’ sounds, over-articulation, or insecurity. A professional will always sound like he knows exactly what he’s doing, even if he doesn’t.
Finally, you’ve been scribitized! We’ll send a USB drive right to your address with a .MOV and .Mp4 version of your video. Even if you need a different format we’ll happily oblige. We will also provide you with marketing ideas and even show you how to use and upload your video to Youtube, Vimeo and other video hosting sites. Now you can show your brand new whiteboard video to all your friends and family who will be so proud of you – and your customers will be amazed, too!
+Jessica Anderson
by Jace Vernon | May 17, 2013 | video
Get More Facebook Fans – Employee Highlights
Let’s face it—people aren’t on Facebook to be sold on your new product or service. Facebook is a virtual escape from work and responsibilities. It’s a place to get updates on friends, post your passions, and share the latest viral YouTube video. So how do businesses like us fit into the mix? One of the hardest aspects of social marketing is breaking through the social barrier of Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites. After every attempt at Facebook interaction falling short, we decided to get creative with our employee highlights and see what happened. We have a few employees who do photography on the side and asked them to get creative with our “About Us” page. They set up studio with a green screen and went to work. Here is what they came up with:
The first time we met Rex Jones was two days after a broken clavicle surgery. He walked into our office for a job interview with his arm wrapped in a sling, ice pack on shoulder, and a little tipsy on Lortab. Naturally, we gave him the job. There is no question Rex’s life quest for the perfect body, willingness to bomb hills on his bike, and complete disregard for his own safety has given him some guts. Rex’s job description includes editing whiteboard animation videos and video effects. He is the Photoshop expert in the office and has a passion for photography (he is actually pretty amazing at it too!). We don’t know how to say this but… Rex is kind of a big deal. His hobbies range from acting, to ceramics, and even some wood working on the side. Oh, did we mention he spends his time away from extreme sports pursuing a larger vocabulary? We love Rex and he helps make Ydraw the bomb. Thanks Rex!
Our Facebook interaction thrived. Not only did we receive interaction from our fans, we received likes and shares from family members and friends of the employee. Any small business marketing on Facebook knows this is no easy task. We were no longer selling them a product, we were socializing with them. You can see in the screen shot below that our fan reach is booming and still on the rise.
This is what we learned. People want to be connected with through true genuine interaction, not have products thrown at them all day. At times we can be hesitant to get creative and go the safe professional route but our reach was further when we took some risk. By giving our employees creative freedom they gave us an awesome product that displays their personality and personifies our business. Our intention for creating these profiles was giving companies one more reason to pick us over the competition but we found that Facebook interaction was a huge plus.
+Wesley Bledsoe
by Jace Vernon | May 16, 2013 | Animated Whiteboard Videos, dry erase board animation, Explainer Video, explanation animation, scribed video, Video Scribing, Whiteboard animation, Whiteboard Video
Whiteboard is not just for classrooms anymore. What once was used to explain complicated concepts in math, science and English is now used to explain complex features of a very helpful product. Say you have a product or service that has the potential to make millions of lives easier – but no one is buying simply because they don’t quite understand what you do. Creating a whiteboard explainer video is perhaps the most efficient way to incorporate a narrative explanation along with images and sound effects in order to maximize impact and ease of understanding. Suddenly, the light bulb flickers on – your audience gets it. And your audience wants it.
In the past, whiteboard videos were primarily a way to inform or explain complicated concepts without necessarily pushing or selling. However, with the attention-grabbing and memory retention tactics used in whiteboard explainer videos, viewers can often be sold to without even realizing it. To the viewer, watching a whiteboard animation is a fun and painless way to get more information on a topic they’re interested in. But because whiteboard animation utilizes memory retention techniques – such as appealing to each type of learner, incorporating humor, and combining fast-paced visual information with sound – they walk away from the video with tons of information about your company tucked away in their long-term memory; easily accessible next time they run into a problem your product or service can fix.
The reasons your business needs a whiteboard video are several, but simple. In fact, if it were any more complicated we could probably create a whiteboard explainer video about whiteboard explainer videos. But I’ll tell you what – just in case you’re a little confused or still not convinced, we have made an explainer video about explainer videos, and you can watch it here.
+Jessica Anderson
by Jace Vernon | May 13, 2013 | Animated Whiteboard Videos, Creative Marketing, Marketing, Memory, Video Marketing, video online marketing, Video Scribing, Whiteboard animation, Whiteboard Video, Writing a Script, Ydraw
Writing whiteboard video scripts using Ethos, Pathos and Logos
When you sit down to begin writing the script for your online marketing video, you want to keep three little words in your mind: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. These are the modes of persuasion. When trying to persuade somebody to do something – say, buy your product – you need to make sure we sound credible, appeal to the emotions, and prove certain truths about our company and product. If you’re a good marketer, you’ve obviously lived by the E.P.L mantra, but with whiteboard animation things can be a little different. Here’s some information on how using ethos, pathos and logos in a whiteboard video can work for you:
Ethos is the integrity of the presenter. It is how qualified the presenter appears to be to the audience. When writing a script for a marketing video such as a whiteboard animation video, you have to rely more heavily on everything other than body language or presence to get your message across. If you’re trying to sell something, have an image of the CEO telling viewers all about the company. Write a part with some testimonials. Whoever your main character is, make sure they look the part, and that the audience can tell they are a notable figure and have vested interest in the company or product.
Pathos is triggering emotions. In your whiteboard video, throw in a metaphor or simile, or deliver your message powerfully and passionately. Make the audience feel something, whether it is sadness for the characters who don’t have your product, joy for the characters who do, or excitement at the prospect of purchasing your product themselves. Pathos may also be used to provoke fear in order to sway viewers – but it is always better for whiteboard videos to focus on the fun, positive aspects. Try to play on viewers’ hopes and dreams by describing how their life could be when they follow the call to action.
Logos is the logical appeal used when describing facts and figures that support your cause. Logos and ethos are sort of related – in the sense that using logos can strengthen your ethos by making you look even more knowledgeable on the subject. However, be tasteful in your use of logos when making a whiteboard video – you want your audience to retain information with ease. If you use charts and figures, make sure to incorporate it into the theme of the video, and don’t throw so many statistics at them that they can’t remember why they clicked play.
These are what you need to keep in mind when writing. Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. Thanks Aristotle.
by Jace Vernon | May 1, 2013 | Video Scribing, Whiteboard animation, Whiteboard Video
What is Video Scribing? What does Video Scribing Mean?
Video Scribing – Let’s break it down:
So what does Video Scribing even mean? It’s actually pretty simple: it’s the term used to define someone acting as a scribe to the narration while being videoed. Simple enough, right? Video scribing is the Chef’s Surprise of an artist’s style mixed with videography, sound engineering, animation and stop motion photography – but this time the results are delicious and you want more.
Video scribing is one of the most engaging forms of visual story telling. With the dwindling attention span of the average consumer, it’s important to create something that your viewers will watch all the way through. Video scribing is an exciting, multi-sensory experience, using audio, video and third party interaction all in one package – It’s video based story telling.
Video scribing is like whiteboard animation or illustration. The video starts with a story, captured in a steady stream for easy editing, and the end product is flexible and easy to modify if needs be. The video is edited to speed up the movement with special video production software, leaving a crisp, clean video that is almost always less expensive than any other video type.
Ydraw creates the best video scribing videos around. We’ve had a lot of practice doing this, and have learned through trial and error the best way to create a video scribing video that holds the audiences attention. People are fascinated by video scribing videos, it’s like a storybook that has been brought to life. Who doesn’t wanna watch that?
No matter how you spin it, in the end, video scribing is an experience. There’s no time for becoming bored – just when you’re tempted to fast forward something new happens and you’re hooked again. You’ve been scribitized!
Contact Ydraw with any questions or additional information that you may have.
Ydraw creates video scribing videos
