But why are animators choosing Unreal Engine over the more traditional solutions? 

We talked to the award-winning writer/director and animator, Martin Bell to find out why he uses Unreal Engine. Bell is the first real time-visualization supervisor at DNEG 360 and has worked on 20+ blockbuster movies including No Time to Die, The Little Mermaid, and Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine. His short animated film Prazinburk Ridge earned multiple awards for Best Animated Film and Best Animation.

What is Unreal Engine?

Unreal Engine was developed by Epic Games in 1998 as a 3D graphics game engine. The first UE projects were PC first-person shooter video games. In 2014, Guinness World Records named it the world’s “most successful videogame engine.” Since then, technology has evolved and so has the software. 

The latest version, Unreal Engine 5, came out in April 2022. It excels at real-time 3D content and features enhanced animation and development tools. The new 3D animation toolset now includes Control Rig, which lets you share rigs between characters and Full-Body IK solver which lets you save and apply body poses. 

Who Uses Unreal Engine Animation Tools? 

The primary audience for Unreal Engine is game developers at Epic and beyond. Gears of War, Final Fantasy VII, Yoshi’s CraftedWorld and Fortnite all make use of UE. But professionals in other industries have also embraced the technology.

Bell has worked on projects like Deadpool & Wolverine and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom entirely in UE. He animated shots and sequences to help the on-set team plan their shoot. The video below shows clips from Bell’s work alongside finished shots from Fallen Kingdom. 

Now Bell works with Dimension Studio and DNEG creating real-time visualizations live in Unreal Engine. How work allows filmmakers to see and manipulate the visual effects for their projects on set, without waiting for post-production. This cuts down on editing costs and keeps production schedules on track. 

Is it a Good Choice for Indie Creators?

Although big-budget studios have embraced UE for feature film development, the technology may be particularly valuable for indie creators. “We will be coming to a point soon where an indie sci-fi movie will look like a big budget movie and they’ll do it on a fraction of a budget,” Bell said. 

The tools built into UE allow small teams, or even individual creators, to develop quality video projects quickly. Bell used an earlier version of UE to create Prazinburk Ridge, an award-winning ten-minute short film written, directed and animated entirely by Bell. He did the bulk of the layout and development in Unreal Engine, only exporting to Maya to polish important details. 

What Does Unreal Engine Do Well?

Unreal Engine is great for layout and storyboarding. Users can do their own motion capture or use the extensive UE library. Then you can “stick those animations onto a character and blend them together.” The software includes tools to put in a control rig and create in-depth animation, although it may not be as fast as other options. 

UE can speed up the production process by streamlining the rough layout step. Bell was able to complete a rough visualization for Prazinburk Ridge in just a few weeks working entirely alone. 

What Are the Potential Drawbacks of Using Unreal Engine?

Where Unreal Engine falters is in the finish work. There are few editing options for those pre-built animations, and you can sometimes tell where the blending is happening. Bell’s solution is to export shots with vital details into Maya, which has more robust finishing tools. 

Of course, these capabilities and limitations may change as the software is updated. Bell describes UE as “a permanent beta project.” Like most software providers, Epic Games continuously rolls out new updates. Often these updates move tools around or change how they can be used. Changing versions midway through a project could break your animation. 

“That’s how I came to that look, that post-processed look for Prazinburk Ridge,” says Bell. “I needed a way to make everything sit together.” 

Who Should Learn It? 

“If you’re an animator and all you care about is animating, you don’t need to learn it. If you’re an animation director and you want to get film laid out very quickly, you want to learn it,” Bell said.

Anyone in the animation or film industries who is worried about the job market might want to jump on the Unreal Engine bandwagon. Proficiency with UE can help industry professionals stand out, since there aren’t that many who know how to use it. 

Is Unreal Engine Animation Easy to Learn?

At this point, you may be wondering if Unreal Engine is easy to learn. Bell says the answer depends on your background. He started learning UE in 2020 when he had some extra time on his hands due to pandemic lockdowns. 

“I watched two video tutorials and then I was away,” Bell said. Of course, Martin had training in video creation in general and animation specifically. So your results may vary. 

“If you’re not from a real-time background, it’s weird.” Bell said the software feels like a video game, reminding him of when he was a 13-year-old gamer creating custom levels for his favorite 3D video games. Animators who come from Blender, Maya or 3Ds Max may find the software a little more challenging to learn. 

Bell’s advice for animators learning Unreal Engine is simple: “Start with something achievable as your first project and finish it.” 

For more animation industry insights check out 3 Ways Video Creation AI Needs to Improve Before Pros Will Use It. And subscribe to our newsletter below so you never miss an update. 

The post Why Industry Pros and Indie Creators Use Unreal Engine Animation appeared first on IdeaRocket.

Many brands assume that good on-page SEO is all they need to get videos to rank. But video optimization has its own set of rules different from traditional search engine optimization. Follow these seven proven strategies to dominate the search results and achieve your video goals.

Why Aim For the The First Page of Google?

75% of users never scroll past the first page of Google search results. So if your video isn’t showing up on the first page, it might as well not show up at all. Since Google accounts for more than 91% of worldwide search volume, it’s worth focusing on that search engine specifically.

Keep in mind that no amount of video SEO wizardry can absolutely guarantee that your video will top video search results (no matter what the tech guru’s tell you). But smart SEO strategy can significantly improve your chances.

Google results are based on about 200 Google search ranking factors. Fortunately, only a few of these directly impact video SEO. So, we’ll focus on a few key factors that you can control. 

Where Does Video Show Up In Search?

Over the last few years, search engine results pages (SERP) have changed a lot. Now, competition for the first page is even more fierce, but there are also some new opportunities.  Instead of a list of text-based links, SERP may feature images, videos, “people also ask”, or AI overviews. 

Featured videos are most likely to appear in response to a “how to” query. They can also show up under people also ask. 

For example when we searched for “how to draw a rocket” we got one YouTube video as a standard SERP result. And each of the “people also ask” results was a different video. 

Make your videos more attractive to the algorithm by: 

• creating a focused video that answers a single question
• keyword optimizing video titles and descriptions
• including a time stamped transcript, usually in the form of an SRT file

Ranking on Google video search isn’t an exact science, but the right video SEO tactics can at least make sure your video has a fighting chance.

How Search Engines Work

Google ranks and indexes pages using a piece of code known as a web crawler that scans through your website and gathers information about it.

You can imagine a web crawler as an associate in a massive DVD warehouse. His job is to tag each video so he can quickly find the ones customers ask for. If the associate does his job well, a customer can say, “Bring me cat videos,” and the associate can quickly pull a dozen cat videos for the customer to peruse.

Here’s where it gets tricky. The associate doesn’t have a DVD player, so he can’t watch the videos. Instead, he has to rely on the information written on the DVD case to organize the collection. Oh, and every minute he gets 175 new websites to catalog. 

Videos get left out of search results if the title doesn’t make sense, the description is unclear, or there isn’t enough copy for the web crawler to categorize the video. On the other hand, if all of your information is in order, the web crawler can quickly understand what your video is about and you’ll be able to rank higher. 

Video SEO Tips to Try Now

Here are seven ways to improve your odds of reaching first-page rank on Google search results:

1. Get Smart About Hosting

Where you host your video changes how you’ll be indexed. Some hosting sites automatically include metadata to facilitate site indexing, while others require you to insert this information manually. If you’re not a professional web developer, that process can be difficult and time consuming. Look for a host that takes care of your video schema. Wistia, YouTube and Vimeo all fit the bill.

As you consider your hosting options, you may hear some experts claim that it’s a lot harder to get self-hosted videos to rank, because Google owns YouTube and has an interest in promoting YouTube results first. 

And that’s probably true, but maybe not for the reasons they claim. Any relevant video can rank on Google, even if it’s not posted on YouTube, as long as it has strong SEO. Strong video SEO starts with making sure video is the main content of the page. That means not including a bunch of extra images and interactive elements. 

If your goal is to increase awareness of your product or service, YouTube is a fine place to host your videos. However, if your goal is to drive traffic to your website, YouTube might not be the best choice.

2. Include Transcripts to Boost Video SEO

Remember, can’t view videos but they can read. Including a transcript massively increases the amount of data the web crawler can access. All of that extra information helps match your video relevant search terms. Include timestamps in your transcript to increase the odds that Google will serve a section of your video as a featured snippet.

If you don’t have the resources to make a transcription, at least include a well-written summary that references relevant keywords. The web crawler will still be able to find useful information. For planned videos, publish your video script. 

Captions alone are not enough! Since web crawlers can’t watch your video, they can’t read auto generated captions either. But If you upload “closed captions” as an SRT file, the web crawler views these as text. Ask your video creation company for a Subrip or SRT file for the best video SEO. 

That’s not to say auto generated captions are useless. They can still contribute to your video SEO by improving the viewing experience. The better the experience, the longer viewers will spend watching your video and increased watch time naturally boosts your SEO. So include captions whenever you can.

3. Invite A Click With Thumbnails and Titles

Google takes view rates and clicks into account, so make sure people actually want to click on your video. Choose a thumbnail that is inviting and as relevant as possible. Smiling faces are always a good choice. 

Your hosting platform might auto-generate a thumbnail for you, but you don’t have to use it. Instead, comb through your video to find an image that truly conveys what the video is about. You can also create a custom thumbnail that includes a text overlay, several scenes from the video, or anything else you can fit in a graphic.

Your descriptions and title should tell the user exactly what the video is about and whether it’s relevant to them. Be creative, but make sure that whatever your title promises your video delivers. So if you promise 7 tips for ranking on the first page of Google, you must have seven tips and they must be about Google ranking. Otherwise, people will bail out before the end of your video, and your ranking may suffer.

4. Use Keywords to Boost Video SEO

We’ve touched on this in some of the tips above, but it’s important enough to get its own section: Use keywords in your title, description, and any accompanying page copy. Just as you would research keywords for a blog post, you should also research and use keywords in the copy surrounding your video. Keywords should be relevant to the video and reflect user search patterns.

However, don’t get so wrapped up in keywords that you forget who you’re writing for. Yes, the web crawler needs to understand what your video is about, but so do users. Use correct grammar and spelling. Most importantly, avoid using the keyword over and over in an attempt to sound relevant. That’s called keyword stuffing, and search engines are on to that trick. It won’t fool users either.

5. Promote Your Video

Video views have a compounding effect on ranking. The more views your video gets, the more popular it appears, and the higher it will rank. The higher it ranks, the more people are likely to discover it, improving rank even more. Give your video a leg up by promoting it as much as you can. Send it out in email, link to it in a blog post, and share it across your social media platforms.

If you have the budget, you might also invest in social or search ads to direct traffic to your video. Building relationships with other blogs and websites may also help improve SEO with link-building. The more often a well-ranked site links to yours, the better your page will rank. So, invite bloggers, journalists, and other content creators to link back to your video.

If you have a local business, you might consider working with local marketing firms in your area, as they’ll better understand what your audience wants. For example, if you live in North Carolina an SEO firm in Charlotte might be better equipped to serve you than a New York or Los Angeles firm.

6. Organize Your Content

Even if you have several videos on the same topic, limit yourself to one per page. Remember that Google will only rank a video if it’s the main content of the page. The second, third, and fourth videos in your series might actually make the page less rankable. 

Make sure the video appears “above the fold.” That means it’s close to the top of the page. Users shouldn’t have to scroll through a bunch of text to find it. The ideal setup is: title, followed by video, followed by description or transcript.

Multiple pages also give you the option for internal linking, which can give you an SEO boost. In your transcript and supporting text content, don’t be afraid to add internal links to other pages on your site wherever they are relevant. Linking out to relevant third-party sites with good page authority can also help boost your SEO.

7. Make A Video Worthy of the First Page

None of the SEO strategies above will work without a high-quality video. Google search ranking is about more than whether your descriptions match the keyword. Engagement is part of the equation. So, if your description promises one thing and your video delivers another, you’ll fall in the rankings. If your description matches the search term but your video has poor audio, a disjointed storyline, or other quality issues, you’ll fall in the rankings.

On the other hand, if you have a high-quality video surrounded by relevant text, you’ll rise quickly. Staying on the first page of Google search results starts with a great video. If you’re ready to create high-quality video, contact IdeaRocket to get started.

The post How To Get on the First Page of Google With Smarter Video SEO appeared first on IdeaRocket.

In other words, video analytics don’t just help you measure video ROI. They can also show you how to improve your content and target videos effectively. Here’s a 5-step process to leverage the data you have to get the results you want with added insight from video marketing experts.

Step #1: Define Video Marketing Objectives

Your overarching goal may be to increase sales, but understanding whether your video is doing that is “rarely simple” according to Matt Erikson, Marketing Director of National Positions. 

Tracing a sale back to a specific campaign can be difficult. The results are often cumulative over time. In the short term, it’s much easier to track progress toward campaign goals. 

Basically, video campaigns can have one of two high-level marketing objectives: 

• Knowledge-based campaigns boost brand awareness or educate people about your brand. They speak to customers at the top of the funnel. Metrics like reach, impressions, engagement, click-through-rates (CTR), social shares, and website visits can help you measure success for these campaigns.
  
• Action-based campaigns inspire viewers to take a specific action. You might ask them to buy, download a piece of content, or request more information. To measure success, you can track downloads, leads, cost-per-lead or even sales.

In short, first decide whether you’re trying to tell people about your brand or encourage them to take action. Then, make those goals as clear and specific as possible. More on that in step 2. 

Step #2: Set KPIs Before Launching Any Video Campaign

Analytics are most useful when they’re measured against something. Many campaign managers track performance against both benchmarks and key performance indicators (KPIs). 

Benchmarks are industry averages. They help you understand how your content is performing compared to competitors. For example, if you know the average video play rate for a >1 minute website video is 23% and only getting 12%, you know there’s work to be done. 

KPIs are the metrics you track to measure progress toward your goals. For example, you might track average video play rate if your goal is increased awareness of your offerings. How to set KPIs from existing campaigns: Before you launch a new video, note the performance of your existing campaigns. Check your website metrics, bounce rate, and conversion rate. Each of those numbers could serve as a KPI depending on your goals.

Pick the KPIs that best align with your goals. Some of the most useful metrics for KPIs include: 

• Video Play Rate: What number of people viewed your video? 
• Website Metrics: Are video ads driving people to the website?
• Video Engagement: When do viewers stop watching? 
• Bounce Rate: Do viewers stay on the site after watching?
• Shares: What are people saying about the video? Where and how are they sharing it?
• Conversions: Do people take action after watching the video?

If the goal is to get people to request your whitepaper, conversions is a better metric to track than shares. For awareness campaigns, shares might be the right choice.

Gathering initial data on these metrics might also reveal performance gaps on websites or ads. “Try adding video content to that page and test these metrics again in 30 days,” Erickson said.

Step #3: Target and Optimize Video Analytics

Monitor your video marketing metrics to refine your strategy and content over time. Regularly checking on video metrics can reveal insights that improve future videos. For example:

“If you are running a YouTube video campaign, see where the majority of users are dropping off from watching, and use this information when building your next video,” Erickson said. “If 67 percent of viewers are skipping after watching 20 seconds of your ad, see what message is happening that is causing this, create a new edit, and test again.” 

Use play and engagement metrics to learn what kinds of content interests your audience. Try A/B testing different videos to understand which videos perform best for which target audience. 

Stacy Caprio, Founder, Accelerated Growth Marketing recommends tagging video links with UTM codes. These useful bits of code let you track which clicks resulted in product page views and sales.

As you get to know your audience, you can create videos to target them at different levels of the marketing funnel. You might even create a lead scoring system to understand where viewers are in the funnel based on what videos they watch. 

Avoid common pitfalls: 

• Change one thing at a time: If you revamp the text, change the call to action (CTA), and add a new video all at once, you won’t know which change made a difference.
  
• Beware vanity metrics: No single metric should be the sole indicator of video success. Numbers like view count easily become vanity metrics if you narrow your focus too much.

Step #4: Continuously Update and Analyze Video Analytics Reports 

“Create a report with specific numbers and data, which you can usually gather from your video hosting platform, and present this data using a compelling story to leadership to prove ROI,” said Caprio.

Task someone on your team with updating and analyzing reports at least monthly. If you’re publishing on social media, weekly or even more frequent analysis might be worthwhile.

Long-term records let your marketing team spot trends in audience behavior that may shift over time.Sharing performance records with leadership can help you make the case for video marketing. It can also help justify spend. 

Best practices for video analytics reports: 

• Keep it simple: share only the most useful information
• Make it consistent: track the same information month after month
• Include insights: avoid raw data that could confuse, and share insights or key takeaways instead

Step #5: Make Even Better Content

When used strategically, video can elevate your marketing strategy. Marketing analytics help prioritize your efforts so you get the results you want. Remember, the strongest campaigns start with quality video. 

Use everything you’ve learned from tracking video analytics to inform your next video project. For help creating an explainer video or animated commercial for Healthcare, SaaS, Human Resources or pretty much any other industry, contact the video experts at IdeaRocket. 

The post How to Track, Test and Optimize Video Analytics for Marketing Success appeared first on IdeaRocket.

When you autoplay video on websites, the content becomes unmissable. Which is good. Visitors may stick around longer too. But autoplay can also be really annoying, especially if your video includes sound. We’ve all had the experience of scrambling for the back button to stop unexpected audio in a shared space.

Despite its pitfalls, autoplay can be effective if done well. That’s why so many social media platforms are embracing it. Let’s look at how you can use autoplay to your best advantage.

Why Choose to Autoplay Video on Websites

There’s no doubt that autoplay has its drawbacks, but many content creators still choose to use it because of the benefits it can deliver. Benefits like:

1.  The element of surprise

In the world of on-demand media, viewers are in control. They stream their favorite show, turn on a video podcast, or flip through TikTok videos at will. Autoplay flips that script by starting up content as soon as viewers arrive. Injecting the element of surprise can spark curiosity and  invite your audience to explore more.

2. Grabbing audience attention

Autoplay is the next stage of the battle for audience views. As people get better at tuning out or avoiding advertising, autoplay can be a way to snag a sliver of their attention. That’s why Facebook videos autoplay as you flip through your feed. Users might not click on a video advertisement on purpose, but if it starts to play you might have a chance to capture their attention.

3. Ease of use

Autoplay saves visitors the trouble of clicking. If they came to the page to see a video, why make them go through extra steps? Just serve them exactly what they came for. This is especially true for mobile video, where small screens can make clicking a pain.

The Drawbacks of Autoplay Videos on Websites

Of course, it’s never a good idea to focus only on the positive aspects of a technology and ignore the negatives. Autoplay certainly has its share of drawbacks. 

1. Not everyone likes surprises – especially noisy ones

Content bursting forth without your consent can be annoying. Especially if it comes with loud music or voiceover that blares unexpectedly into your quiet office. It robs users of the autonomy to direct their attention. Many see that as a bad thing.

2. People are really good at avoiding ads

Research has correlated video with the rising use of ad blockers. PageFair’s 2017 Adblock Report found that interruptive ad formats were one of the leading motivations for adblock use. While the 2020 edition of the report found that the rise of mobile is leading to a decline in ad blocking, people are pretty good at tuning out what doesn’t interest them. That can include autoplay videos.

3. It can annoy repeat visitors

When someone is researching your product or otherwise visits your website frequently, autoplay video quickly becomes annoying. The element of surprise is lost, since users already know what to expect. Rather than grabbing their attention, you’re driving them to leave the page or scroll by as quickly as possible. 

4. You lose a datapoint

If you set a video to autoplay you can’t tell if customers were interested enough to click. You can probably still collect data on how long they watched, but that doesn’t tell you about the effectiveness of your thumbnail or headline. Plus, there may be some viewers who would have watched if they’d had the choice but bailed because of loud music or other surprises.

Should you join the autoplay revolution?

Ask ten random people on the street whether they’re in favor of videos playing automatically, and you’ll probably hear a lot of nos. Digiday called autoplay video the Most Hated Digital Ad Tactic. Yet many social media platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have enabled autoplay by default. Then there’s Netflix, where video previews autoplay as you’re trying to read the show description.

What gives? If users hate autoplay video so much, why are huge content platforms still doing it?

It might seem like a case of platforms not listening to what users want, but it’s actually more complicated than that. When users complain about autoplay, it’s usually because a website has focused only on the benefits and failed to correct for the drawbacks.

You can avoid this fate by learning from what social media platforms and other big content producers are doing. Many platforms have introduced tools and settings that make autoplay more palatable. For example, pretty much every social media platform allows users to shut off autoplay by adjusting their settings. Others default to mute when videos autoplay.

You may have noticed that on Facebook and Instagram, you have to click on a video to make it play sound, but once you do, other videos you come across will play with sound as well. You might adopt similar settings on your own website. The silent video trend might be your friend here.

Best Practices for Autoplaying videos

If you do decide to autoplay videos on your website, a few best practices will help you keep visitors happy:

1. Autoplay without sound – A moving picture will catch the eye, but blaring sound sends visitors scrambling for the back button. Set your videos to autoplay without sound. And remember to include captions!
   
2. Offer an easy escape – The back button is easy to find. Your escape route should be even easier. Include a button, or scroll feature that allows users to bail out quickly without leaving the page.
   
3. Only autoplay what is relevant – If your video offers the information or experience that users were looking for, they won’t mind that it autoplays. Before you set a video to play on entry, make sure it’s exactly what visitors were looking for.

There was a time when we had an autoplay video on the IdeaRocket homepage. We’ve since replaced it with a play video button prominently displayed on the home page. 

The bottom line is this: Autoplay is neither good or bad, but thinking makes it so. If you’re thoughtful about how you use this tool, you can gain the benefits without annoying your audience.

Contact our video experts at IdeaRocket to start making a video that’s worth autoplaying. At IdeaRocket we’re experts in making quality explainer videos and animated commercials in 2D, 3D, whiteboard, motion graphics, mixed media animation and even live action. Contact us to get started.

The post To Autoplay Video on Websites, Or Not to Autoplay? Best Advice appeared first on IdeaRocket.

Video production is no exception, especially now that OpenAI is working on the Sora AI video generator, which creates video from text prompts. 

IdeaRocket Founder and CEO, Will Gadea, has been keeping an eye on video creation AI tools as they develop. Based on his years of video production and animation experience, he’s spotted a few ways AI must improve to make it useful for video production professionals. We asked some other creative professionals and video producers to share their insights as well. 

1. Increase scene and character consistency

We’ve all seen AI generated images with human figures that have too many fingers, or extra arms growing out of their torsos. Issues like those are only the tip of the iceberg. When dealing with moving images, there are many more details that can go wrong from scene to scene. 

Ronny Young, President and Founder of Polymath Motion, said “AI has a very specific look in video right now. Things slide in and out of each other; things are rarely “on model” (to steal a Disney Animation term).”

AI developers will need to build in controls that maintain consistency of character and background from frame-to-frame and scene to scene. Companies like RunwayML are already working on this problem — investigating how AI systems can “understand and simulate the world and its dynamics. 

In June, Luma Labs released the Dream Machine which, “makes high quality, realistic and fantastical videos from text instructions and images.” Their website is sparse so far, but you can try the technology for yourself. 

2. Model for Real-World Physics

The physical world is governed by the laws of physics. We all know that what goes up, must come down, arms bend at the elbow, and we can’t walk through walls. Most AI models don’t seem to be sophisticated enough to match that reality. 

Mike Vannelli, Creative Director at Envy Creative, said, “The results can sometimes be comical or disturbingly off-mark, lacking the subtlety and depth that human touch provides.” 

He points out that video creation AI tools also generally fail to replicate human nuance and emotional resonance. “Professional video production demands seamless transitions and coherent storytelling, which current AI tools struggle to deliver consistently.” 

IdeaRocket Founder William Gadea thinks the first step to improving AI video would be to first create the world out of text, then create a 3d model out of it. “In 3d, we have already solved the physics problem. The physics of liquids, solids and gasses are simulated all the time.” Once the world is modeled, characters can move more realistically through the space. Human creativity will always be needed to guide storytelling and infuse real emotion.

3. Reduce the Potential For Harm

Any new technology comes with an array of ethical and legal questions. Laws need to be written or modified to cover the scope of what the new tech can do. Meanwhile, professionals and the public must come to some agreement on what ethical use looks like. 

Lawsuits challenging how AI tools are built and used have already been filed by YouTube creators, Music Labels, and the New York Times. Meanwhile, Elon Musk has reopened his lawsuit against OpenAI, which he co-founded. The suit includes accusations that the company misrepresented itself to get money from him. Recently, voice actors and Hollywood stars have raised concerns about how their voices may be cloned or otherwise used without their consent. 

Regardless of the legal outcome of these suits, the ethical questions remain. Edward Tian, CEO of GPTZero, a tool that checks for AI in written content, called for stronger limitations on how AI can be used. 

“We have already seen massive harm done by AI video generation, for example generating false but realistic-looking videos of celebrities doing explicit activities,” Tian said. “It should not be so easy for people to create this kind of content. If the limitations for AI in this regard aren’t handled better, the potential for harm caused to any one person could be profound.” 

Some video creators may choose to stay away from generative AI until the legal issues are resolved and the ethics are more clear.

How Creators Are Using Video Creation AI Today

Despite all the areas for improvement, some creators have found ways to use AI video production tools in their workflow. Most say they use it to generate visual ideas, create moodboards, for early drafts of scripts and to handle basic editing tasks. Along the way, creative professionals adjust, edit, and infuse their unique perspective into the work. 

A decade ago, the generative AI tools we have today would have looked like the fever dream of a science fiction writer. AI will almost certainly evolve over the next few years, posing new challenges and opportunities for video creators. 

In short, quality video production still requires the expertise and creativity of real people with unique perspectives. For more on how video creation and video marketing are evolving, join our newsletter. To start your video project today, contact the video production experts at IdeaRocket. 

The post 3 Ways Video Creation AI Needs to Improve Before Pros Will Use It appeared first on IdeaRocket.

Social media juggernauts like Facebook have embraced vertical video formats in recent years. Even YouTube dabbles in vertical video. The newer generation of social media apps, like Snapchat and Tik Tok, use vertical video almost exclusively. 

While most platforms now prefer vertical video, they each have different standards for vertical video dimensions. Here’s a quick look at the guidelines for each one.

Vertical Video Dimensions and Aspect Ratios

Before we get to specific social media platforms, it might be worth clearing up one potential point of confusion. When we talk about the size of something in the physical world, we usually talk about its dimensions in feet, meters, or inches. You might have an 8 x 10 inch school photo hanging on your wall, for example.

In the digital world, dimensions are usually noted in pixels. For example, Facebook requires that videos on their platform be no smaller than 120px by 120px. But we also talk about aspect ratio, that is the relation between the width of an image and its height. You might hear people use the terms dimensions and aspect ratio interchangeably, but professional video creators know the difference.

Using the right dimensions and aspect ratio helps your video display correctly and prevents distortion or clipping. People are more likely to watch a video that seems high quality, so you want to get the size right.

Vertical Video Recording Tips

If you’re recording with a phone, recording vertical video for social media is easy. Most smartphones automatically record in 9:16 aspect ratio if you hold them vertically. If you’re using a camera, you may need to adjust settings or edit to the correct aspect ratio after the shoot.

It’s possible to record in horizontal mode and edit to vertical, but that’s the most difficult option best left to professional videographers and video editing experts. If you do decide to shoot horizontally, make sure you keep the subject of your video in the center of the frame so you can easily cut it down without losing anything important.

Tips for shooting vertical video:

• Avoid too much horizontal movement or fast pans. These seem more intense when the field of view is narrower
• Fill the space. Text and other graphics can help fill the taller frame
• Focus on the subject. Vertical video is up close and personal, don’t be afraid to zoom in on the details

Of course, if you’re creating an animation, you can set your aspect ratio from the beginning to ensure that your finished video looks exactly as you expect.

Why Go Vertical on Facebook

Facebook hosts a variety of aspect ratios including vertical, landscape and square. Yet vertical in generally the preferred format. When Facebook A/B tested vertical video against square ratio video using the same creative, video length, targeting, budget and bid, they discovered that vertical video resulted in brand lift 70% of the time. Viewers even reported a 3 to 9 point increase in ad recall.

The images below show the ad they used for testing. Notice how the vertical video takes up the whole screen while the horizontal video leaves room for more distractions.

What’s even more interesting is that vertical video changes how users watch ads. In the Facebook test, 70% of video watch time, including video ads, was with the sound on. Typically Facebook mobile viewers prefer muted video. However, full screen vertical video is engaging enough to encourage audio. And Facebook isn’t alone in their findings.

An independent test by Annenberg Media found that vertical video reached 25,000 more people on Facebook, beating both square and horizontal formats. It’s clear that vertical video is great for engagement.

Facebook Vertical Video Guide

Here are the technical specs for Facebook vertical video:

• Facebook feeds: 1280 x 720 is recommended, minimum 1200 pixels on longest edge
• Facebook stories: 1080 x 1920 px gives you an aspect ratio of 9:16. Aim for at least 1080 on the shortest edge.
• Video carousel format: 1080 x 1920 px is recommended. Videos must be no smaller than 500 px on their shortest edge.
• Audience Network & in-stream video: 9:16 to 16:9 with shortest side no less than 1080 px. 

The important takeaway is that vertical video is supported on both desktop and mobile players. It’s also presented without letter-boxing as long as you choose supported dimensions. The lack of that annoying black border increases engagement rates for vertical video on Facebook.

Instagram Vertical Video Dimensions

Over the last couple of years, Instagram has tested different kinds of video. In-feed video ads most often appear in square format, while videos from Instagram reals use 9:16, the same dimensions as stories. Reels should be no smaller than 720 px. 

The image below shows the difference between a vertical Reels post from the Quicken feed compared to a square ad. 

When creating video for Instagram, consider where you’ll be sharing the video to decide what aspect ratio is best. If you plan to use your video in both places, make sure to keep your subject vertically centered so you can crop from the top and bottom without losing anything important.

Should You Use Vertical Video On YouTube?

With more than 87% of global Youtube visits coming from mobile devices, YouTube is also adapting to vertical video. Since 2020, they’ve had a special format called “Shorts.” These exclusively vertical videos can be up to 60 seconds long and are designed to aid discovery. 

According to YouTube’s A/B test results of ads for one SUV model, vertical ads saw a 33% percent lift in brand awareness and a nearly 12% lift in consideration over their horizontal counterparts. 

If your viewers are watching on a phone or tablet using the YouTube app, vertical videos will automatically fill the screen. But if they’re watching on a television or desktop computer the format can look a little strange. Check your Audience metrics on YouTube to decide if vertical video is the right choice for your YouTube channel.

For YouTube shorts, you can technically go as small as 426 x 240, but the recommended standard is 1920 x 1080 px or higher.

Snapchat Vertical Video Guide

You can’t talk about vertical video without mentioning Snapchat. Horizontal formats do not play well there. News outlets and major media companies like Vice and ESPN, create 10-second vertical video ads that see hundreds of thousands— if not millions of viewers each day. Vertical is the default content format for Snapchat Discover as well.

The standard dimensions of 1080 x 1920 apply across Snapchat. You want to fill the whole screen, no letterboxes, no weird borders.

TikTok: The New Home of Vertical Video

TikTok was built on vertical video. Use of this platform has exploded since 2018, and advertisers have found all kinds of ways to use TikTok for advertising. Brands like Red Bull were the first to jump on the TikTok bandwagon. The audience on TikTok is young, engaged, and always looking for great videos to watch.

Nothing but 1080 x 1920 will do here. Don’t even try to use horizontal videos, users are likely to scroll on by. You might be able to get away with square if you surround it with strong captions and music.

The Takeaway for Vertical Video Dimensions

If you want to use your video across social media platforms, 1080 x 1920 should be your go-to video dimensions. They work almost anywhere and allow your content to fill the screen. That increases engagement which leads to vertical video success.

At IdeaRocket, we make videos in every dimension and our clients often ask for delivery in more than one aspect ratio. Contact us to learn how we can help deliver your message in video fit for any platform.

The post Vertical Video Dimensions To Fit Every Social Media Platform appeared first on IdeaRocket.

When you say “this is who we are” you’re also saying “this is who should shop with us.” There’s no better way to make that kind of brand statement than with video. 

In our years of video production, we’ve made our share of brand videos. Here are a few of our favorite examples, along with tips on how to create your own brand video.

Brand Video Examples Worth Emulating

AirBnB – the Bélo

This video has an audacious goal – to introduce a new symbol into our visual vocabulary. You don’t see that new symbol right away. It’s actually 30-seconds in before it first appears on the screen as the symbol on a postage stamp

The folksy music and simple animation evoke a hominess that feels comfortable and familiar, even as the video offers you something new — the Bélo 

While researching for this article we watched a lot of brand videos, and we started to notice a trend. Many brand videos deliver a BOLD MESSAGE by relying on big text and intense music. The archetypal version of this may be the Ogilvy brand video from 2018. 

Ogilvy – Change

Ogilvy walks a fine line in this video. They’re trying to convey modernity and a commitment to change, while also drawing on their decades of industry experience. Whether you like this style of video or not, the values they’re espousing are clear.

Yet we would argue that a story—with characters—is more compelling than even the BIGGEST font. Take, for example, the Lyft Origin Story video. 

Lyft Origin Story

Lyft presents a perfect example of a character-driven brand video. It offers relatable characters and a quirky story that seamlessly transitions from the past into the future. All with a voiceover that would sound right at home in a blockbuster movie. 

It’s fun and playful, yet the message is clear. Amidst the music and the bright color scheme, this video carefully positions Lyft as the rideshare company for everyone. 

It makes you imagine a world where individual car ownership is obsolete, without giving you time to wonder how Lyft would work without the nearly 2 million individual automobile owners that make up its driver base. This isn’t a quarterly shareholder’s meeting, it’s a brand statement video. And it works because it’s full of relatable characters that are part of a compelling storyline.

IdeaRocket – Our Founder’s Story Video

In our own Founder’s Story video, we wanted to bring out the characters behind our brand — that is, the real people who make IdeaRocket Animation the production studio of choice for Healthcare, SaaS, Human Resources, and others who need explainer videos and animated commercials that tell their unique brand stories. 

We told the story of IdeaRocket by following our Founder, Will Gadea from his childhood in Peru through film school in New York, and into the future of what we hope IdeaRocket will be. It’s voiced by Will himself – giving the whole video a personal feel. 

Getac Branding

Of course, much as we love animation, we recognize that it is possible to create a compelling brand statement primarily using live action video. This Getac Branding video introduces the new Getac Select brand. Everything in this video, from the music to the voiceover, to the clips and transitions, is designed to convey strength and dependability. The 3D animated segments tie in seamlessly to give the video a modern, technical feel. 

Tips for Creating Your Own Brand Videos

1. Build on your values – As mentioned above, most customers (including B2B customers) want to do business with brands that match your values. Try to refine your values into a single, clear brand statement. Use this to guide your video production process.

2. Focus on story, not costumes – audiences don’t really care about your new fonts and logo. They need to know the values and ideas that drove your decisions. If you find yourself focusing on your “new typeface” it’s time for a rethink.
   
3. Remember, every element is a brand element – The colors, animation style, characters, and music in your video should all work together to present a harmonious image of your brand. Grab your brand style guide and make sure everything aligns.
   
4. Choose your music wisely – Music may be the most underappreciated part of video creation. Your soundtrack sets the pace and tone for your whole video. Don’t let it be an afterthought. Choose the perfect music.

Want some support as you turn your brand statement into a compelling video that shares your values? The video marketing experts at IdeaRocket are here to help. We make 2d animation, 3d animation, whiteboard, motion graphics, mixed media animation and even live action videos to help brands shine. Contact us today to get started.

The post Make Better Brand Videos To Excite Your Audience (with Examples) appeared first on IdeaRocket.

You want to find the perfect company to execute your next video project on deadline and on budget with maximum creativity. The best way to do that is to not write an RFP at all. 

We’re not just saying that to be edgy. The truth is that publishing a formal request for proposal can actually lead you astray. It can waste time and artificially limit your pool of potential partners. There’s a more effective way to find a video creation company that fits your needs and project.

3 Reasons Not to Write a Video Production RFP

Many organizations write requests for proposals because it’s what they’ve always done or because they think they’re supposed to. But here are three compelling reasons not to bother.

1. Writing an RFP is Labor-Intensive

You’ll have to plan and write a complex document, then edit and publish it. All of that takes time. Organizations that put out requests for proposals spend hours writing, editing and reviewing the request. Most require layers of approvals and multiple meetings. 

Once responses start rolling in, you’ll spend even more time wading through proposals before you can start working on the project you’re trying to accomplish.

When you write a formal video RFP you give your already busy team a ton of extra work. Unfortunately, that work might not pay off.

2. It Tests the Wrong Skills

A compelling and well-written proposal doesn’t necessarily prove that the responder is great at making videos. All it shows is that they’re skilled at responding to RFPs. 

Many companies hone their RFP response skills to be exactly what you’re looking for. But these responses, often created by a marketing professional or even a freelance RFP response writer, don’t necessarily represent the team who will actually work on your project.

3. The Best Might Not Apply

Responding to an RFP also takes a ton of effort. Quality video producers that are already busy with projects may not bother to respond.

Rightly or wrongly, many studios figure that if you are publishing your requirements you are probably distributing them widely – potentially to dozens of vendors. Many of the busiest studios will simply pass rather than sink resources into a bidding process that often means a contest for the lowest price. 

But if RFPs are so problematic, how can you find the video creation company for your project?

Here’s What To Do Instead

They say a video is worth 1.8 million words. That’s more than any response to a proposal could ever include. Throw out that RFP template and send an email instead. 

Instead of spending weeks creating a complex document, take matters into your own hands. Spend an hour or two skimming through the portfolios of video production companies that might fit your budget. You can often find these on platforms like Vimeo, Behance, or on the company’s website. 

Look for videos that match the style and format you’re after. Bonus points if the production company has created videos for others in your industry. It may mean they’re more in tune with your needs.

Pick  a couple of companies that look like they might be a good fit and send them a message. If they’re responsive and open to talking with you, they’re probably a good prospect.

Your selection process will move more quickly. And you’ll probably end up with a better video in the end, too.

But How Will They Learn About Your Project?

Professional production companies will ask you all the right questions. They might even ask you about things you never would have thought to include in your RFP in the first place. The quality of their questions is another good indicator as to whether they’ll be the right fit for your project.

Expect to answer questions like:

• What are your goals for the video? How will you know if you’ve achieved them?
• Who is your audience? Do you have demographics and psychographics you can share?
• How do you like to represent your brand?
• Do you style sheets or video branding guidelines?
• How do you intend to distribute this video?
• What is your budget?
• What is your timeline?
• Do you have an internal review process we should be aware of?

If you don’t have answers to all of these questions, a good production company should be able to help guide you in the right direction. By the end of the conversation, you’ll know what they can offer. You should have a good sense of their process and what it will be like to work with them.

If You Absolutely Must Write a Video Production RFP

With all that being said, we know that sometimes you have no choice. Maybe you work for a government agency or a large organization with strict rules about how projects must be run. An RFP may be a non-negotiable part of your process. If that’s the case, follow your industry and organizational guidelines but also make sure that you include everything on the list above. It will save time in the long run.

Keep the RFP as brief as possible. And ask the proposing organizations to keep their answers brief as well. Reviewing responses to RFPs can be a time-intensive process. Keep RFP requests as short so you can make your decision quickly.

Ask for samples. Ultimately, the goal of an RFP isn’t to find a company that’s good at answering requests. You’re trying to pick a video production partner. Samples of previous work speak louder than any written response ever could.

Is it okay to ask for spec work? Some studios will do a creative proposal for no charge, but if you expect a very elaborate presentation know that you will usually only get it in the higher price ranges: higher five- or six-figure jobs. Also, keep in mind that the cost of that elaborate pitch (and failed pitches to other companies) will be included in their fee structure.

Ask whether they have worked with companies of your size and sector before. Sometimes, client references can help you find the true professionals.

When in Doubt, Reach Out

At IdeaRocket, we’re always happy to discuss projects with potential partners. We create videos in 2d, 3d, whiteboard and live action techniques for a wide range of industries, including technology and healthcare. We make videos not just for marketing purposes, but also for internal, employee-facing communication. Reach out to set up a conversation.

The post How to Write a Video Production RFP the Smart and Simple Way appeared first on IdeaRocket.

Viewers expect a consistent experience from your YouTube channel whether they’re watching on their smartphone, CTV or desktop. Here’s how to deliver what they’re looking for to set your channel up for success. 

Step 1: Activate Brand Account

Although you can create a YouTube channel connected to any Google email, it’s smart to create a brand account if your business is bigger than just you — or if you hope to grow! A brand account lets multiple people access and manage your YouTube channel without signing in to your personal account. 

To activate your brand account, you basically need to create two accounts and merge them together. The process sounds complicated when written down, but this video from North Digital explains it pretty clearly. 

Step 2: Upload a Profile Picture and Banner Image

Your brand home page includes spaces for a profile picture and banner image. Don’t skip these steps! Having attractive graphics here will help draw people in and properly brand your page. 

According to guidelines published by Google, your banner should have an aspect ratio of 16:9 and be no smaller than 2048 x 1152 px. Your profile picture should be 800 x 800 px. We recommend using your logo or another image that visitors will easily associate with your brand. 

For your banner, create something that aligns with your branding guidelines and clearly shows viewers what you do. You want viewers to be sure at a glance that they’ve found the right channel. If you use text, make sure it’s short and easy to read whether the image is on a small phone or big-screen TV. 

Step 3: Craft a Description of your Channel

Your channel description appears below your banner image. You want something short and clear that describes your brand and invites viewers to engage. YouTube gives you up to 1,000 characters to make your point, but keep in mind that the first line is all that will show up unless visitors click the read more chevron. So make the most of those first few words. 

The best YouTube channel descriptions include keywords that viewers are likely to be searching for. Remember, YouTube is basically a giant video search engine — it’s the second-most popular search engine in the world in fact. So bring the same SEO focus here as you do to your website content.

Step 4: Add Links to Your Website and Social Profiles

YouTube gives you the opportunity to share your website and links to other social media channels. Take them up on this offer. Sharing links makes it easier for users to follow you on social media and access important information on your website. You can choose up to 15 links that go pretty much anywhere you want.

Step 5: Add a Custom Trailer

Now we come to the first video on your YouTube channel — the trailer. Just like a movie trailer, your YouTube trailer should give viewers a glimpse of what they’ll experience if they take time to really engage with your videos. This is a great place to showcase your explainer video or you can create a custom highlight reel especially for YouTube.

This is also your first chance to ask viewers to like and subscribe. You can include the request in the script, on-screen or both.

Keep in mind that your trailer can (and should!) change over time. For example, the video below from the GoPro YouTube channel takes the trailer spot to announce a new product. You can do the same to talk about a new product launch, video series, or just what’s coming up in the next few months. 

Step 6: Create and Upload Quality Video

The most important part of setting up a YouTube channel is, of course, the videos. YouTube is trending more and more toward cinematic, high quality content. With video technology so readily available, viewers expect a certain quality standard. With more than 500 hours of content being uploaded to YouTube every minute, they have plenty of options, too. 

Catch and keep user attention with high quality video that tells a story. To maximize discoverability and user experience make sure that for each video you:

• SEO optimize video titles and descriptions
• Choose relevant tags
• Select a custom thumbnail
• Upload subtitles and captions
• Add end-screens with calls-to-action.

End screens are overlays added to the end of any YouTube video. You do this after upload to promote other videos, ask viewers to subscribe, or feature a playlist.

Pro Tip: Use a consistent thumbnail style from the very beginning. That way, your grid will look attractive and cohesive as you build your library.

Step 7: Encourage Engagement

Consider channel-building through an SEO lens. Research the topics and keywords that viewers are wondering about then create content to answer their questions. You can use free tools like Google Keyword Planner, or paid options like Semrush.

Also, remember to read through the comments section. Viewers may ask questions or provide feedback that sparks ideas for new content. Of course, take some time to respond to comments and answer questions too. 

As with any social media platform, responding to comments makes people more likely to engage. It’s a small investment that can make a big difference to channel growth over time. 

Step 8: Build Playlists

Once you’ve shared a few videos on your channel, you can start making playlists. Playlists organize your content into groups so viewers can more easily find what they’re looking for. 

On the IdeaRocket YouTube channel, we have playlists for Social Media Tips, The 12 Principles of Animation, and various client types like Healthcare or Technology. Over on the Salesforce channel, they have playlists for their various conferences and events. You might build a playlist for a particular product, video series, or customer profile. 

Setting Up a YouTube Channel? Start here. 

Of course, when you’re setting up a YouTube channel, it’s smart to have something to share on it. You might even want to create four or five videos before you start so you can launch your channel with some great content all ready to go. 

The video experts at IdeaRocket can help you create quality brand video in 2d, 3d, whiteboard, mixed media, motion graphics or live action. Contact us to get started.

The post 8 Tips For Setting Up A YouTube Channel for Business Success appeared first on IdeaRocket.

Avoid the last-minute panic (and questionable rhymes) by planning your corporate Christmas video early. As video creators, we’ve seen, and helped make, all kinds of videos. This guide is our Christmas in July gift to you. It walks you through everything you need to plan, make, and distribute a holiday video your whole team will be proud to share.

Step 1: Start Planning Your Corporate Christmas Video Early

Creating a quality video takes longer than you might think. That’s one reason so many businesses produce boring, low-quality holiday videos. Or don’t make one at all. They wait until December to even think about it, yet a high-quality animated video can take three months to produce. 

If you hope to work with a skilled video production company, it’s best to get on their calendar early. Even if you don’t start production in July, you can at least have the project scheduled and start brainstorming.

Step 2: Identify an Idea that Stays On-Brand

Some brands seem to undergo a Grinch-like transformation over the holidays. A brand that delivers serious, authoritative content the other 11 months of the year suddenly drops a silly holiday message. The audience is left wondering “who was that?” 

While a corporate christmas video is usually not the place for a hard sell, it should support brand awareness. A winning holiday video idea is one that gets into the holiday spirit while enhancing your overall brand image. Measure each idea against your branding guidelines. 

Ask yourself:

• What does this video say about our brand?
• How does it affirm our brand values?
• Does the message and presentation sound like us?

Step 3: Consider Distribution

You might be surprised to see distribution so early in this list. Actually, the best time to think about how you’ll share your video is during the early development stage. When, where, and how you’ll share your video can influence the design and timeline. At least, it should if you want to get the most out of your video.

Think about:

• Timeline – If you’re a B2B company, you probably don’t want to send your video on Christmas week. Get it out early enough that people are still in the office. Even in B2C your video should be circulating several weeks before Christmas.
  
• Campaign – Will this video stand alone, or will it be part of a broader marketing campaign? Consider how your video fits into your overall holiday marketing strategy and what that means for when and how it should be distributed.
  
• Platform – Most social media platforms prefer short, vertical videos. Youtube, email, or your website can accommodate longer, horizontal content. Plan for how you might adjust or cut down the video to fit each platform.

Step 3: Script and Character Design Give Them a Reason to Watch

A video that is nothing more than a long-form ecard doesn’t give viewers a reason to watch. If you want them to press play and then stay engaged, you need to give them a reason to watch. As you draft your script (we have a free template) and design your characters, aim for a story and design that will resonate with your audience. 

The best holiday videos include: 

• An engaging storyline
• Relatable characters
• A pinch of nostalgia or a dash of humor
• Music and sound design that brings it all together

If that sounds like a lot to cram into one script, don’t worry. We’ve given you a few examples below so you can see how other brands brought it all together. 

Types of Corporate Christmas Videos

Every brand puts its own spin on the holiday video, but they tend to cluster into a few key categories. Which one you choose depends on your brand voice, goals, and audience. 

The Heart Warmer

Videos like this one from Apple deliver an emotional message that goes right for the heart. It’s an ideal style for consumer brands or nonprofits that want to create emotional resonance with their audience. This video succeeds because it brings a tear to the eye and shows how the iPhone can be a part of your family holiday experience. 

Behind the Scenes

Exactly what they sound like, behind-the-scenes videos like this one from WonderWeb take your audience into your workspace to show them the real people behind your product or service. This is a good choice for B2B brands with a more formal communication style, because it humanizes the brand. 

Nostalgia with Bells On

The holidays are all about nostalgia for many people. Videos like this one from Kroger tap into the memory of holidays gone by. The hope is that your brand becomes linked with positive memories in the viewers mind. If done well, this style can work for almost any brand.

Thank You

Many brands take the holidays as an opportunity to thank customers or employees. If you choose to make a thank-you video, be sure that you have enough substance to make the video worth watching. This is a great choice for nonprofits and mission-driven organizations. Honestly the sheer commitment it took to shoot this multi-season, full-campus video for Johns Hopkins is pretty impressive. 

Fun and Festive

Videos like this iconic animation from hershey are just plain fun. They embrace the joy of the holiday. This type of video is ideal for a brand that already has a fun and playful tone. Hershey’s found a winning formula and stuck with it for decades. 

We Can Help Produce Your Corporate Christmas Video 

If you’re ready to start planning your corporate Christmas video, reach out. The video and animation experts at IdeaRocket are ready to help. We’ve created high quality animated commercials, HR videos, and explainer videos for healthcare, SaaS, startups and corporations. Let us help you tell your story this holiday season. Contact us today to get started.

The post Your Guide to Planning a Fantastic Corporate Christmas Video appeared first on IdeaRocket.