Animated Video vs Live Action Video: Which One is Better?

Nobody can deny the fact that video is a powerful marketing tool nowadays. You’ll find it everywhere you look, which is why you also need it to be a part of your strategy. Nevertheless, you may have no idea where to even get started. After all, there are many considerations to ponder, even when you’re asking what you’d think would be a simple question: Is animated or live action video better?

Advantages to Using Live Action Videos

The use of live action videos comes with many great benefits, including:

• Live action videos are more humanizing than animated videos, because you can quickly communicate emotions in this way. With live action videos you can be more authentic and instructional – yet have people relate to them with greater ease. All of this is thanks to our ability to read body language.
• These videos are faster to create, especially when you don’t include a lot of complex elements in them. Of course, the more writers, actors, locations and camera angles you choose to add to your video, the longer the video will take to create. However, the average, logistically light video can be completed within two to four weeks.
• One of the biggest advantages of live action videos is that you can use things that you already own. You can shoot the video in your home or at your workplace. Additionally, you may be able to get your friends and colleagues to act in it.
• Making any necessary adjustments is easy to do, even on the day of filming. This means you won’t have to worry about excessive changes later.

Drawbacks to Using Live Action Videos

Unfortunately, live action videos have their drawbacks, which include:

• The cost of the video can the biggest drawback here. Naturally, live action videos grow more expensive as they become more complex, reputable and of a higher quality.
• You must also remember that once the footage is recorded no major edits can be made. Therefore, if you miss a scene or a few words, it’s going to be a big challenge to correct these things. Remember, you’d need to get the crew, location and setup back together again – something that’s sometimes nearly impossible to do. It’s more straightforward to make amends and changes to animated videos.
• It’s also important to consider your resources (e.g. location, camera, sound gear, talent) when making a live action video. These things can be quite costly.

Advantages to Using Animated Videos

There are several great advantages to using animated videos, including:

• You won’t need to pay for expensive actors who need coddling or find the perfect location. This will save you money, time and energy.
• This is a great way to showcase abstract ideas and services, because you can simplify complex topics and bring them to life. You can see this being done by a lot of tech companies today, but animated videos are great for any complex topic.

Drawbacks to Using Animated Videos

As with anything in life, there are also some drawbacks to using animated videos, including:

• Animated videos do tend to feel more impersonal than a live action video does. However, this is something that you can do with explainer videos as well. In some cases, you may want to try both to see which your audience prefers. Sometimes you’ll see that live action videos will outperform animated videos by as much as 20% – something that can easily lead to a higher serve rate on YouTube.
• Depending on the length and complexity of the video you are creating for your business, it can take anywhere from three to seven weeks. When time isn’t in your favor, this is an important factor to remember.

Cost Considerations

Undoubtedly your business will have a budget that it needs to work within. How far you can stretch this budget is something that will vary depending upon the type of video you choose to create and the video production company that you hire.

Live action videos require various elements. You’ll start with needing to create a script and a storyboard for which you’ll probably want to hire some talent. Once these have been created, you’ll have to film the video. For this you’ll need to think about the location, set, props, cast, wardrobe and insurance. This isn’t the end though.

You can’t forget about editing, adding music and sound effects, and if you want to include any additional graphics – all of which will be an additional cost. If you’re set on this type of video, but find yourself working within a tight budget, it’s possible to create a DIY style live action video for less time and money. This means that ultimately the cost will depend on what resources you have available to utilize and what you need to source.

Animated videos have their own special set of cost considerations as well, including; writing a script, creating a storyboard, coming up with animation, as well as voice overs, music and other sound effects. Since the process is different, these costs are also different. Moreover, you will also need to factor in the cost of making amendments and revisions at each stage of the video, as well as consultation time.

If you’re still interested in creating an animated video, you must also determine whether you’ll use a team of freelancers or a company. When you choose to work with freelancers, you’re able to mix and match various skills to your budget and the quality you require. When working within the constraints of a tight budget this is great, because you can opt to work with people who charge less. But this may require you to become the project manager, which will require you to spend time organizing and managing the video’s creation. Of course, you could choose to hire the services of a video production company like AJ Kelly Productions to do this for you, in which case they’ll take care of the whole video production process.

The Verdict

Ultimately the decision as to whether animated or live action videos are better will depend upon your business’ needs and budget. When you’re working within the constraints of a tight budget or you’re trying to explain abstract ideas, animated videos will work best. However, if you’re able to splurge or need to make an emotional impact, live action videos will work best.