Like any project, video production starts with creative decisions. What is my topic? Who is my audience? How can I best portray my message? And how can I do it within my budget? A large portion of the creative decision process for brands consists of deciding which medium to use for video—animation/motion graphics or live action video. To choose the right medium for your project means understanding the pros, cons, values, and costs of both and what they mean for your production process.
Let’s start with the basics: what is the difference between animation/motion graphics and live action video?
Animation + Motion Graphics vs. Live Action Video
Animation + Motion Graphics:
Starts with creating content using visuals that are hand-illustrated or computer-generated. Animation includes 2D or 3D, or a mix of both. Motion graphics are added to give movement to elements like logos, text, and charts. Using motion graphics and animation help captivate audiences, transform reality, and make complex ideas easy to understand.
Live Action:
Involves recording in real environments and using people–either professional paid actors or client-provided ‘actors’ on-site with a film crew. It includes sound and lighting to capture the interviews, film scripted scenes, and record supportive b-roll footage to help tell the story.
Both methods are valid. The decision is: which mode is right for your project?
Live Action Video
Many brands choose non-animated footage because of its ability to portray realism and authenticity. Because of its tangible feel, it’s great for showcasing notable people and products in action. Here are some of the reasons to opt for real-life video:
- Ability for quick turnaround: When you’re on a strict schedule, consider choosing live action. It can be quicker to plan and execute a video shoot than the time it takes to illustrate and animate an entire video.
- Showcasing real products: If the physical product, or the experience of using it, is a selling point for your brand, live action video helps audiences watch it in action. It also helps establish product and brand recognition for potential customers.
- Building connections: For many brands, their people are their story. Whether it is a CEO or business owner, a customer, a patient, or even a paid brand ambassador, people are often what customers remember most. When someone thinks of a favorite brand, they often think about the faces behind it. That’s why using real-life video remains one of the most powerful ways to tell your story. Video allows your customers to see your team, hear your message, and connect with your brand on a personal level. Authentic relationships build trust.
- Capture energy and emotion: There are some experiences that “you just had to be there” to feel the emotion. For these moments, live action is great at conveying the emotion of the experience more than animation. One great example is a stadium audience. Want to rev up the crowd? Let the fans see their favorite athletes on camera. Another great example is any sort of promotional video for an entertainment venue, whether it’s a theme park, concert venue, state fair park, or otherwise. The best promotional videos always showcase screaming fans, smiling audiences, excited carnival goers, or laughing kids enjoying their time at the event. Real human emotion draws audiences in and increases emotional association with your company, product, event, or venue.
Animation & Motion Graphics
While live action video excels at capturing authentic moments and building emotional connections, animation shines when it comes to creating evergreen content and simplifying complex ideas. Here are some common reasons clients choose animation over live action:
- The product doesn’t exist yet: Animation is an effective way to showcase and explain a product before a prototype is ready. Whether you’re presenting a concept to potential investors or generating excitement before a launch, animation brings your message to life. By creating visualizations of a concept, design, or product, you can tell your story before the finished version exists.
- Explaining complex ideas: Some products and services are complex and difficult to demonstrate in traditional video. Animation and motion graphics can break down abstract concepts in a way that’s easy to understand and remember. Animation can also be used for anything that would be too difficult to watch for the average viewer in live action, like a medical procedure or a breakdown of a crime.
- Creating evergreen content: Because animation isn’t tied to trends or fashion and is less impacted by changes in technology, it can feel less dated over time. And when it does need to be updated, animated content is often easier to revise after production. Swapping text, statistics, or language versions can be simpler than reshooting live footage, especially because animated characters don’t age.
- Greater creative possibilities: Animation allows brands to create worlds, characters, styles, and visuals that aren’t limited by reality. It allows you to visualize things that are impossible, impractical, or too expensive to capture in real life. It eliminates being tied down by the hurdles of live action production: fewer talent scheduling concerns, no location scouting, no weather concerns, and no traveling with the crew.
Whether you choose animation, live action, or a blend of both, the most effective videos are the ones that align the creative approach with the story you’re trying to tell. Animation can simplify complex ideas and unlock limitless creativity, while live action brings authenticity, emotion, and human connection. By understanding the strengths of each medium, your brand can make more intentional production decisions that not only fit your goals and audience but also create a more impactful final product.
Determining Costs
Now that you know more about the differences between a live action video and an animation project and what they entail, it’s easier to make an informed decision about which method is right for your video production project. Determining costs, however, is a deeper discussion. Depending on who you work with, how many production hours are required, deciding between stock and recorded footage, choosing 2D vs 3D animation, and a multitude of other production factors, a lot goes into choosing the right scope and scale for your project. Let us help you decide how to make your vision come to life.