Creating a top-notch animation (and other media) starts with writing a clear briefing.
At Minimatie® we work with a clear briefing form that we have refined over the years. We use this briefing form not only for our animations, but also for our video and design projects.
The briefing includes all the questions you need to ask yourself in order to come up with a powerful strategy. Once completed, the document is a good foundation to build on during the project. This way, everyone is pointed in the same direction and you will achieve the animation of your dreams.
You can get the full briefing by contacting us. In this blog, we will briefly go through the 5 most important elements.
1. Why do you want to have an animation made?
It may sound obvious, but you must be clear about the purpose of your animation. What do you want to achieve with the animation? What is your business situation? And what problem do you want to solve with the animation?
Don't be afraid to be specific. Write down your goal(s) as concretely as possible. For example: getting more traffic to your website, influencing the behaviour of employees (and in what way?) or informing people about a certain subject. It is even better if you can link a success measurement to it. For example, you want an x number of registrations on your website. Based on this information, you will know exactly what the animation has delivered for you.
The whole production and planning process of your animation depends on your final objectives, so make sure you know for sure what you want to achieve.
2. Who are you talking to?
You have to consider your target group. Who will watch your animation? Will it be leads, customers, employees or other stakeholders?
Map out what the average viewer looks like, from profession to personality. The clearer this description is, the easier it is to appeal to the target group.
In addition, it is especially important to note what you want the viewer to think, feel and do after watching the video.
3. What do you want to convey?
What should the animation be about? Try to keep it as simple as possible. Therefore, formulate one core message. In some cases, two key messages are also possible, but you have to be careful with that. If you cram too much information into an animation, the viewer may not be able to process it all.
Once you know what the core message is, it can be useful to divide it into sub-messages. This ensures that it can be processed in a clear and structured way in the script.
4. Where is the animation viewed?
How the animation is distributed and presented also influences how it should be made. Do you want to place the animation on your website, show it on television or share it online? If you know this in advance, you can anticipate it. Make sure it is a place where your target audience is already located.
Do you want to share the animation on social media? Keep it as short as possible and provide a clear call-to-action. Is the animation part of a presentation? Be as complete as possible, even if it takes a little longer.
5. What is your deadline and budget?
Last but not least, it is very wise to have an idea of what budget you have and when the video needs to be finished.
The budget determines to a large extent how complex the animation can become. Incidentally, a complex animation does not necessarily mean that it is better. You should mainly look at the degree of complexity you need to get your message across. In most cases, a simple animation (minimisation) is more than sufficient.
In addition to the budget, the deadline is also important. The further away the deadline is, the more possibilities there are.
Do you want something simple and fast? In that case we recommend a Minimation®. Do you have more to spend? Then we would like to have a look with you at the advantages of a more complex animation. We offer something for everyone. We just do it a little differently.
Finally: Make a complete briefing
These were the 5 most important elements of a briefing. If you can answer all these points, you already have your briefing 90% in order.
Remember, the more carefully and in detail you fill in the briefing, the greater the chance of success your animation has!
Still can't work it out? Feel free to contact us. We are happy to think along with you.
