Live Action...or Animation?

If you're planning any campaign or organisational film, one of the first things to consider is whether your needs are best met by live-action film, by animation, or by a mixture of the two. I'm going to take an introductory look at animation for people who might not have considered it before.

What's best for you?

People often assume that animation is more complex and expensive than live-action filming, however this need not be the case. As with everything else, there are different styles of animation (see below) to suit every budget.

Some of the advantages of animation are: 

• Visually it doesn’t date as fast as film footage (i.e. in terms of people featured and filming styles used). 
• It can be easier to update later if you need to make changes. 
• Animated characters are often more memorable than human presenters / brand ambassadors.
• Assets produced for animations can easily be used elsewhere in cross-platform campaigns, e.g. in print or online. 

Styles of animation 

Traditional hand-drawn animation (think original Disney) requires up to 24 still images for every second of film produced; the same is true of 'stop-motion' animation used in films like Wallace & Gromit. These types of animation are very labour intensive and therefore expensive.

Contemporary computer-generated 2D and 3D animation uses software to mimic hand-drawn animation, or to automate the movements of what are essentially 'puppets'. Because movements can be automated and repeated, this is a much more cost-effective way to produce animation.

Animation doesn’t have to always look like a kids’ TV programme. There are many different styles to suit different topics or moods. 3D animation is generally more complex (and therefore costly) than 2D animation, but it can be ideal for modelling complicated processes, and for really packing a visual punch. It is possible to combine 2D and 3D styles in the same film - have a look at this film that we made for Vistair.

Combining live-action footage and animation 

Combining the two forms can give you the best of both worlds. A-ha had a lot of fun with this back in 1985!

You can present real people and voices through live-action film, using animation to illustrate and explain more abstract or complex issues. For example, this video for facilities management company Mitie makes use of 3D animation overlaid over live action footage to illustrate the benefits of a new app.

Many animations incorporate the voices of real people, who might otherwise not want to be visible on camera. Have a look at this animation depicting one woman's experiences with bipolar disorder.

If you need to film or audio-record anyone for a project, make sure you've had a look at my previous post on film production workflow. Next week, I'm going to take a look at the typical workflow for animation projects.

What's been your experience of using live action footage and / or animation in the past? What challenges have you encountered? I'd love you to share your experiences in the comments below, along with any questions you might have.