Why Animation is Better than Live Action Video

No, we’re not arguing the case between the new Pixar animation and the latest entry in the Fast and Furious franchise. We’re talking about why animation is better when it comes to explaining something, particularly when it needs to be done in a simple way. Take a look at our five reasons below and see if you agree.

1.) It doesn’t go out of date so quickly. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a big budget blockbuster or a short little corporate video; videos go out of date. Look at films from the eighties, for example. No matter how big a budget they had, they show their age both in their dress sense and quality of film. Even a lot of movies from the nineties are starting to look old, yet Toy Story looks as enchanting as ever. It’s the same with internal videos. You don’t want them getting out of date only a year after production!

2.) It’s more visually captivating. People’s attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. A YouTube video has as little as twelve seconds to engage its audience before the average viewer will switch to something else. We’re fidgety, distracted people. It takes a lot (often fast cars and explosions) to grab somebody’s attention using live action video, but more simplistic, animation visuals tend to attract the eye. And also…

3.) …it’s cheaper. And this means that you can include fast cars and explosions, if you want. Maybe I’m going out on a limb here, but your internal budget for videos probably doesn’t extend that far. With animation, anything is possible. Want a unicorn? Done. A sassy cat explaining the gravitational influence of the Oort Cloud? Odd, but sure. Try doing that with live action video.

4.) It’s more approachable. Any corporate topic, especially if it’s an internal process or change in management, can be daunting and maybe even a little worrying. It’s easy for live action film, such as talking head clips, to appear imposing and heavy in information. An animation disarms your audience, makes them feel anything but threatened by the new knowledge being bestowed upon them. It’s more engaging, which results in a greater retention of information.

5.) It’s international. Ever watched a dubbed martial arts movie? They don’t look particularly professional, I’m sure we can all admit. The translation is dodgy and the actors’ lips don’t match their words. A better option is subtitles, but then people are paying more attention to words than they are the events on screen. Animation allows not only for easier localisation (cartoons don’t mind re-recording lines), but its simple, culturally neutral style means that it’s attractive to all audiences, no matter where in the world they’re watching.

All this isn’t to say that live action video doesn’t have its place, of course; we love our big budget blockbusters over at simpleshow. But when it comes to an explanation, it’s important to keep things simple. Nothing does that better than an animation.