Can Corporate Be Creative?
Low budgets, tight deadlines and more jargon than a Star Wars convention – not three things that spark the creative appetites of an animator.
Or are they?
When a young animator makes their first hesitant steps into the industry, it is rarely because they have a burning desire to create what are generally termed ‘corporate films.’ Yet character animation jobs for film and TV are few and far between, and the never-ending need to pay bills and eat food has driven many a skilled animator into that world.
This is in no way to diminish corporate films. The corporate video can allow animators and directors to experiment with different styles and ways of communicating ideas. In addition to this, the low budgets, fast turn overs and need to stand out in the highly competitive online world, where an audience’s attention is by no means guaranteed, has resulted in some unique and inspiring films.
Simon Tibbs, Champion Brand
One very fresh and creative example of this is Champion Brand by Simon Tibbs. He uses After Effects and Cinema 4D to create an innovative and engaging video that appeals not only to the business world but also to the creative. The simple designs of his characters bring to life the ideas quickly and succinctly, and the sharp colours and appealing designs help make the video pop. Something to really notice is the use of the camera. The quick double zoom, in another wise static shot, is a very clever way to spice it up and keep the audience’s engagement levels high.
Tolm, Bytelife
Another example is Bytelife from Estonian studio Tolm, which demonstrates how far you can go with little more than great character design and a distinctive style. Aware that their audience is rarely hanging on tenterhooks for the next riveting piece of IT advice, Tolm have created a film that engages the audience with the characters and set up, and manages to educate while entertaining.
VeracityColab. Adobe: CMO Eplainer
Explainer videos are another strand to the animated corporate world. This creation by Veracity Colab for Adobe keeps it simple and creates a clean and crisp look in order to relate back to the product. The red ball does so much in keeping the audience hooked and cleverly links important information with visuals. Other grey balls enter to create a simple message of community and with expert timing the story flows with different messages popping up at key moments to further communicate to the audience.
The RSA. The Economic Constitutions of Mr Brown
Over the last 5 years corporate animation has really skyrocketed and this is partly due to people getting bored of powerpoint presentations and endless talking. It is statistically proven that people are more likely to learn and stay engaged when watching something that is visually stimulating and even better, able to tell a story. The RSA (Royal Society of Arts) really captured this in the white board animations they produced, beginning in 2009, with The Economic Constitutions of Mr Brown animated by Andrew Park. This quite literally opened the door to animations for the corporate world. Companies quickly realised that this medium could engage an audience, even on the heaviest of subjects, and now, it was cost effective. Within the animation industry this has quickly developed from simple whiteboard animation to attractive character and story led films.
Walt Disney used his short films to develop and evaluate new techniques; such as the multi-plane camera, water reflections and colour. Today, Pixar are famous for their short films at the beginning of each feature, which helps the animators practise not only their technical skills, but also their ability to tell a story and to engage an audience. Most studios can’t afford to make shorts without the hope of a financial return, but they can (and do) produce corporate films to achieve the same goals.
Corporate films are an opportunity to try something new, push some boundaries and meet some new clients.
If you have any great corporate, company or explainer videos that you feel should be shown the light of day then head over to the ‘Corporate Animation Showcase’ group on Vimeo. Add your video and let the world share in all your hard work. Along with this there will be a monthly showcase on the Skwigly website, exhibiting some of the best films for all to see.
