7 Steps to a Motion Graphics Video

Motion graphics, whether it be part of a live-action video or a fully animated piece, can be an elusive process. But don’t get me wrong, if you’re not using motion graphics, you should be.

I will break down the process in seven steps to make it more transparent.

	Understanding the scope of your project During this stage we will ask you a lot of questions: Who’s your audience? Where will you use this video? What are your goals for this video? Do you have a tone or style in mind? What is your budget? What is your deadline? The answers to these questions will help us determine the scope and how to approach your video. Does it need a script with a voice over? Is this going to be humorous or serious? We like to have all the details up front so no one gets surprised in the end. We also like to obtain any assets you may already have that could help us. This could be brand guidelines, vector graphics and logos, or branded photos. Collecting all of these assets will help us to better understand your brand, your audience and create a more successful video. If you don’t have any of these assets, we will create them during the animation process.
	Scripting If a script is needed, we need to write it at the beginning of the process. This will give us time to select a voice over artist and create storyboards before animation begins. There will probably be a couple rounds of revisions, so the sooner we get the script locked in, the better. The script will also influence the tone and look of your video and the Yeti scriptwriters will work with you match your brand and vision.
	Storyboarding Once the script is approved, we can move onto storyboards or style frames. Storyboards will map out the visuals that correspond with the approved script. Some projects don’t call for full storyboards and just need style frames. Style frames will demonstrate the overall look of your video with colors, fonts and iconography.
	Voice Over Now that we have an approved script and storyboard we can move on to selecting a voice over artist. This could be a professional or someone within your company. If you need a professional voice over artist, we will send a sample of the script to different voice over artists for auditions for you to choose from. That person will then record the whole script with multiple takes. Our editor will pick the best takes and edit them together for your approval.
	Animation We have all of the assets, a script, storyboards and a voice over. All of the questions and rounds of approvals have finally culminated in seeing your vision come to life. It’s time to animate! But this takes time. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Animating will include not only making everything move, but transitioning from one scene to the next. Timing is everything! That’s why it’s important to have the voice over completed and approved before we get to this step. Animating might also include creating assets. Our motion designer will create what is needed and it will be brand specific.
	Sound Mixing Most likely, when you see your video for the first time there will be a music track. However, this last step is the stage when we will finalize music and add sound effects, if warranted. This is when everything really comes together and it feels like a finished, polished product.
	Delivery We may have gone through a couple different rounds of approvals, but now everything is approved and finalized. You have a finished motion graphics video!