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KRIS ANIMATION STUDIO
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- The Cost of 2D Animation: What Factors Influence Pricing?
At Kris Animation Studio, one of the questions I hear most often is, "How much will this cost?" The answer I always give is, "It depends." I know most clients would prefer that I give a clear cut number or a "ballpark figure" right out of the gate. However, it's simply not possible for me to give any kind of meaningful quote until I have a stronger idea of what the project entails. That's because the cost of 2D animation varies widely depending on several factors. What are those factors, you ask? Let’s dive in! Duration of the Animation This is probably the most obvious one, but it still needs to be said. The length of your animation directly impacts the overall cost. Longer animations require more hours of labor. Simple. Something to keep in mind is that if you are on a tighter budget, tightening your script can not only help you cut down on costs, but it can also make your project that much more compelling. A lot of stories thrive with a tighter runtime. Number of Assets Each character and asset in an animation requires design, rigging, and often multiple angles or poses. The more characters and assets you have, the higher the cost. Characters that need to perform a variety of actions or show a wide range of emotions require more rigging and testing, which adds to the workload. Additionally, complex assets like vehicles or machinery can also increase costs. Finally, backgrounds take time to design and color, especially if they are highly detailed. Keep in mind that every new angle of a background is a separate illustration. Animation Style The complexity of the animation style is a huge factor in influencing the cost. Simple, flat designs with minimal details are less time-consuming and, therefore, less expensive. On the other hand, intricate characters, detailed backgrounds, and complex movements require more time and skill, driving up the costs. Whether you’re going for a classic hand-drawn look, a cut-out style, or something more modern with digital rigging, the complexity will dictate the pricing. Deadlines and Turnaround Time If you require a rush job or have tight deadlines, a charge for expedited work may get added to the overall rate. If you have a smaller budget, planning ahead and allowing ample time for production can help keep costs down. Conclusion I hope this provides some insight into how we determine our pricing. However, the only way to get an accurate quote for your project is to schedule a consultation, which you can do here . Written by Michelle Domanowski Michelle is the Founder of Kris Animation Studio and a writer with an MFA in Screenwriting from Florida State University. At KAS, she leads creative projects that blend innovative storytelling with dynamic visual artistry. When writing for herself, she loves working on horror movies that keep her awake at night.
- Which Explainer Video is Right for Your Business? Here Are 3 Popular Styles To Consider
Author: Michelle Domanowski Not every business is self-explanatory. That's why explainer videos are such a great tool for business owners. However, there are so many different styles of explainer videos out there, it can be overwhelming to sort through them all and decide which is right for your business. To make it easy, let's break down the three most popular styles of animated explainer videos that come across our studio. First of all, what is an explainer video? If this is your first time hearing the term "explainer video", don't worry. I guarantee you've seen hundreds, if not thousands, of them in your lifetime. To put it simply, an explainer video is any short-form video that helps explain a product or service. Explainer videos can be a great way to "kill two birds with one stone" with your marketing budget . Not only can you use the video for advertising, but you're also educating your target audience about who you are and what you do. Now that you know what explainer videos are and why they're beneficial, let's talk about the three most popular styles and their respective pros and cons. 1. Icon Explainer Videos Icon Explainer Videos primarily use iconography to illustrate their concept. Here's an example from our studio: Pros: The modern style lends itself to a sense of timelessness The fast pacing increases viewer engagement If your target audience spans several demographics, using icons can be more inclusive Cons: Without a character to follow, there is less emotional attachment If you don't yet have a branding toolkit for your company, it may be difficult to determine the right style and colors for the icons 2. Whiteboard Animations Whiteboard Animation is a style that imitates drawing on a dry-erase whiteboard, and they're generally associated with educational-style content. Here's an example from our studio: Pros: Because each illustration is appearing to be drawn in real-time, it's easy for viewers to pay attention Generally more cost-effective to make Cons: The associations with educational content is so strong, it would be difficult to use for other industries Generally not as colorful as other animation styles 3. Narrative Explainer Videos Narrative Explainer Videos are videos that tell a story using one or more characters. Here's an example from our studio: Pros: Storytelling is the best way to produce favorable emotional responses in your audience Easy for the viewer to identify with the character Cons: More time-consuming to create, since it's utilizing character animation Okay, I know which explainer video I want for my company. What next? Once you've gone through the different types of explainer videos and decided which one works best for your business, the next step is to schedule a consultation. While some styles are generally more cost-effective than others, there is no way to accurately determine the timeline and costs of a project until we've had a chance to review your project requirements. Whether you'd like to know more about explainer videos or you're wanting a cost-effort analysis for your project, you're welcome to schedule a free consultation . Written by Michelle Domanowski Michelle is the Founder of Kris Animation Studio and a writer with an MFA in Screenwriting from Florida State University. At KAS, she leads creative projects that blend innovative storytelling with dynamic visual artistry. When writing for herself, she loves working on horror movies that keep her awake at night.
- How to Create Engaging Educational Content with 2D Animation
With the recent trend of social media apps prioritizing short-form videos over still text and images, it's no surprise that video learning is becoming an increasingly important aspect of the educational experience. In fact, a recent survey found that 98% of educators and students believe that videos have a part to play in personalized learning experiences (Kaltura, 2019). This means that, whether you're an educator, content creator, or business, videos need to be part of your education strategy. One powerful tool for achieving this is 2D animation. This blog will explore why 2D animation is a great choice for your educational content, as well as the step-by-step process involved in creating an educational video of your own. Why 2D Animation Works in Education While there are many valid reasons for choosing to go the live-action route for your educational videos, 2D animation has certain upsides that are hard to beat. Here are three key reasons why 2D animation is the perfect medium for educational videos: Versatility in showing different concepts Controlled pacing of the material Opportunity to develop a character for branding purposes Let's go through each bullet point in more detail. Versatility Let's think about how subjects like math and science are often taught in the classroom. Usually, a professor will draw out diagrams, charts, and algorithms on a whiteboard to explain these concepts. This is exactly why whiteboard animation is so popular. With 2D animation, you get to replicate this exact classroom experience with a polished video that your audience can replay as many times as they want. Now think about language learning. Often, new vocabulary and sentence structures are taught using boring flashcards. With 2D animation, you can replicate the flashcard experience but make it more entertaining and colorful. With young audiences, you can turn your vocab lesson into a fun song that they'll want to listen to over and over again! With 2D animation, there is no limit to how you can make your teaching material more fun and accessible. If you can imagine it, it can be drawn. Pacing When you choose to animate an educational video, you get to have complete control over the video's pacing that's hard to replicate with a real life actor or professor. Watching a person on screen repeat a word several times or slow down their speech can seem... well, awkward. When you have a real person on camera, we as the viewers want to see them saying or doing something at all times. It's why movie actors will find "business" to do if their character isn't doing much in a scene. With 2D animation, you can avoid this by having your visual content fill the screen at whatever pacing you feel is optimal for your audience. Of course, there are advantages to having a real person explain your concepts, and you may want to use a combination of live-action and 2D animation for your videos to get the best of both worlds. Branding We're all familiar with the Duolingo owl , right? That kind of global recognition is possible when you design a 2D animated character to represent your company. Unless you are the face of your business, a cartoon mascot will always be superior to an actor when it comes to branding and marketing. Plus, your mascot will never age and will always be available for work whenever you need it. 2D character animation can be a more time-consuming and pricey option, but if you're planning on creating learning content for the long-term, the advantages are hard to beat. Steps to Create Engaging Educational Content with 2D Animation Now that we've gone over the benefits of 2D animation for educational content, let's go through the step-by-step process for creating your first 2D animated educational video: Define Your Learning Objectives: Before diving into the animation process, clearly outline your educational goals. What do you want your learners to achieve by the end of the lesson? Defining learning objectives helps ensure that the content is focused and relevant. Develop a Strong Script: The script is the backbone of your video. It should be clear, concise, and aligned with your learning objectives. If you're not comfortable writing the script, you can hire a screenwriter to write one for you. Create A Storyboard: Storyboarding is an essential step in the animation process. It involves sketching out each scene of the animation to visualize how the story will unfold. You can draw a rough storyboard or hire a storyboard artist or animation studio to create one for you. Design Engaging Characters (Optional): If you are choosing to have characters for your videos, you can spend some time sketching them out, if you have a creative background. However, you will need a character turnaround, and that is best done by a character artist or animation studio. Make sure your characters have appeal and are relatable to your audience. Focus on Quality Audio: Narration, sound effects, and background music play a significant role in animation. High-quality audio helps convey the message clearly and keeps learners engaged. Choose voice actors who match the tone and style of your content and music that is upbeat but not distracting. Animate Your Video or Hire an Animation Studio: If you have a background in animation, then you're ready to get to work animating your video! Otherwise, this is where you'll need to hire an animation studio. You'll want to research different studios and check out their reels to see which one is right for your content. Conclusion 2D animation is a powerful tool for creating engaging educational content that can captivate learners and enhance their understanding of complex subjects. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can produce high-quality animated content that not only entertains but also educates. Whether you’re teaching young students or training professionals, 2D animation offers a versatile and effective way to deliver your message. Ready to bring your educational content to life today? At Kris Animation Studio, we can create everything you need for your video—from the script and storyboard to the characters and animation. If you'd like to discuss your project with us, you can schedule a free consultation here . Written by Michelle Domanowski Michelle is the Founder of Kris Animation Studio and a writer with an MFA in Screenwriting from Florida State University. At KAS, she leads creative projects that blend innovative storytelling with dynamic visual artistry. When writing for herself, she loves working on horror movies that keep her awake at night.
- The Process of Creating a 2D Animated Video at Kris Animation Studio: From Concept to Completion
At Kris Animation Studio, we pride ourselves on bringing ideas to life through the art of 2D animation. Whether you're a business looking to convey your message or an independent filmmaker aiming to tell a captivating story, our process is designed to deliver exceptional results. Here’s an inside look at how we take your project from concept to completion. 1. Consultation Every successful project at Kris Animation Studio starts with a free consultation to ensure we have a clear understanding of your vision and goals. We'll ask you for reference videos, which is a fancy term for videos that exemplify the style of animation you like. This way, everyone is on the same page in terms of the visual style. We will also ask you what assets you will be providing (if any). Some clients come to us with a script, storyboard, and artwork ready to go, and all they need from us is to animate it! Other clients prefer that we create everything from scratch. Depending on your starting point, the 2D animation process and timeline will vary. By providing a no-cost initial consultation, we can explore ideas, answer questions, and demonstrate our commitment to delivering high-quality animation that aligns with your unique needs. 2. Pre-Production After the consultation, the next step is pre-production. This is where we create all the assets that will be needed for the animation. (If you're providing all the assets, we just skip this step.) The script gets written first, which outlines the narrative, dialogue, and key actions, serving as the blueprint for the entire animation. Once the script is approved by you, our next step is to visualize your story through storyboarding. This crucial stage allows us to plan the flow of the animation and ensure that every scene contributes to the overall narrative. After the storyboard is completed and approved, our talented designers focus on creating the characters, backgrounds, and other visual components that will bring your story to life. We develop distinct characters, considering every detail from appearance to personality to movement, and immersive settings that enhance the narrative and complement the characters. This stage is where the unique visual style of your project takes shape, laying the groundwork for a cohesive and engaging animation. 3. Animation Production Now comes the heart of our process—animation production. This is where the magic happens, as our artists bring your static designs to life through movement and timing, and we add in any voiceovers, sound effects, and music tracks. During this stage, your project truly comes to life, with each element moving in harmony to tell your story. 4. Post-Production and Final Edits Post-production at Kris Animation Studio involves meticulous editing, thorough reviews, and any necessary adjustments to ensure the highest quality. In addition to incorporating your notes, our team reviews the entire animation to ensure that timing, pacing, and overall flow meet our high standards. After completing these final steps, your 2D animated video is ready to be shared with the world! Conclusion: The 2D Animation Process At Kris Animation Studio, we are passionate about bringing your ideas to life through the art of 2D animation. Our process is designed to ensure that every project we undertake is not only visually stunning but also effective in communicating your message and resonating with your audience. Whether you’re looking to create a music video, a short film, an explainer video, or anything in between, we’re here to guide you through each stage of the process, delivering a final product that exceeds your expectations and brings your vision to life. Written by Michelle Domanowski Michelle is the Founder of Kris Animation Studio and a writer with an MFA in Screenwriting from Florida State University. At KAS, she leads creative projects that blend innovative storytelling with dynamic visual artistry. When writing for herself, she loves working on horror movies that keep her awake at night.