Using music in a product demo video can be tricky, especially when trying to decide between a song, sound effects, and when to place the voice-over. If you are making the video yourself, you need to be careful to not overwhelm the content with an irrelevant song or ridiculous sound effects; it all has to flow and make sense. Just because you found a really cool rocket sound, it doesn’t mean that it fits with an explanatory video on business etiquette.

If you decide to add music into web videos, you cannot just add in any song you feel like because of a little thing called copyright. Instead, there are stock music providers such as Premium Beat, Audio Jungle and IB Audio. Make sure all of the stock music you purchase is royalty free and comes with the proper license for unrestricted web use. Don’t get into trouble!

Alright, so you added a great hit into your web video for business, now you’re weaving it in and out of your footage. Make sure not to blast the song (no matter how great it is), but rather keep it lower than your speaker. You don’t want to jar your viewer and send them scrambling to find their volume key. Keep it appropriate, people.

As for sound effects, they can add a lot of value to Internet videos. Sound effects can be purchased in bulk or downloaded one at a time; Freesound.org is a good, free sound effects option.

Always remember (because we always say this): Keep it simple! The music or sound effects is not the central thesis of your explanatory video, so don’t let it be the only thing people remember. The sound should add to the point of your video, not take away from it.

Socialcam has been named the new ‘instagram for videos’. Excited? So are we. But more importantly, so are they. The free app launched for iPhone and Android in April of this year by the company behind live video-broadcasting site Justin.tv, and has already reached 20 million users, far surpassing its rival, Viddy — boom. The free application is pretty nifty; it lets you take videos, share them with everyone and offers cool, simple features to make your personal video unique. It could even be a budget way to create web videos for sales and marketing.

In order to use Socialcam, you have to sign up using your Facebook or Twitter account, or using your e-mail address. That’s right, if you want to use social, you’ve got to be social. Once you’re in, you can see the latest videos people you’re following have posted, or check out the most popular videos on the whole site. But the part we’re excited about is the ability to make your own personal video.

Socialcam offers nine special effects that you can browse before you start shooting, which means you can set the style of the video in advance. When you’ve finished recording, you get even more customization options, like adding a title, a theme, or some fancy background music. Then, because of course this is a social app, you can post the video to other social networks (let’s face it, why would you make a video if you’re not going to share it? For your own personal enjoyment? We doubt it).

But what about Viddy? Well, as another app for making online videos, it has also been successful and has some impressive effects. But we’re not loving the 15-second time limit, though some people think it levels the playing field. Uh, why would we want to do that? We’re fabulous and need more than 15 seconds to show it off. Socialcam, on the other hand, has no time limit and is amazingly fast, which is what everyone wants when creating and uploading a video.

Basically, this phone app is like having a mini video production company that you carry around in your pocket, ready to jump into action the next time your dog kills a squirrel, or your kid eats your dog’s food, or other everyday must-be-documented situations. With its clear, simple controls and stylish effects, Socialcam is perfect for beginners. But (ahem) don’t think that doesn’t mean you don’t need us, because no app can replace the top-quality equipment and extensive knowledge and expertise of the human professionals. At least for now, we’ll see about the robotphones we’ll all be using in 2020.

Revolution Productions just completed another one of our wonderful explainer videos, so of course we’re eager to show it off. This week we worked on a second video for our client SendGrid, a cloud-based email infrastructure service. Using whiteboard animation, we put together this fantastic video to explain SendGrid’s product, so take a look:

As you can see, we stuck with our solid website videos process of stating the problem and then the solution. To begin with, we all have had an experience where important messages end up in spam. As frustrating as that is for a consumer, it’s even more annoying for a business trying to reach their customers. By explaining this problem in terms that everyone can understand and sympathize with, we can better target SendGrid’s demographics. After naming the problem, we move on to possible solutions, which are mostly complicated. Did you even understand them? Me neither. This opens the path for the real solution: SendGrid.

Everyone wants simplicity, especially busy business owners and app creators. Therefore, SendGrid created a product that simplifies worklife. SendGrid uses a cloud-based SMTP email infrastructure to seamlessly allow your emails to get to your customers. On top of that, SendGrid does most of the work for you, making life just a little bit easier. So there you have it, Revolution Productions latest work. Aren’t we a great online video production company? Hope you enjoyed it, because we sure did!

Let’s be realistic, in the process of making web video commercials, problems arise: managers change their mind, actors get sick, the graphics suddenly remind you of a competitor’s, etc. Some problems are unavoidable, but others can potentially be solved in advance with a little foresight. Let’s take a look at the three most common snags that arise when making online video ads and how you can take steps to solve them before they shut down your set (and make you weep in the fetal position).

1. Unclear Story: You know your product or service inside and out, but that doesn’t mean your viewers do. When you use foreign acronyms or jump quickly from one concept to another, that doesn’t mean the consumer is following your thought process. And when your viewer has no idea what this video is even about, do you really think they’ll watch to the end?
Solution: Make sure to have a clear, concise and understandable story before going to production. This should be one of the first steps in the process of making a motion graphics video. Your video must appeal to the average consumer, who may not know technical terms.

2. Video is Too Long: I know you have a lot to say, but sometimes you need to cut superfluous comments in order to get your point across. It’s great that your CEO grew up in Boston, but guess what, not everyone watching your video did…so we just don’t care. All those extra details can help fill out whiteboard animation videos and make them longer, but it’s not worth it: consumers won’t watch that long, especially if it’s not relevant.
Solution: Understand ahead of time that some facts will have to be cut. Your video production company knows what they’re doing (if you hire us), so trust their guidance. Make a tiered list of facts that must be included, but be prepared to have tier 2 facts edited. Overall, the video should not be longer than 1:30.

3. Poor cutaways: When you jump too suddenly from graphics to text with music and a voice-over, the video can look scattered and sound chaotic, especially when you are trying to squeeze in all of your main points. Just because you have all the building blocks and information in the video doesn’t mean it flows nicely.
Solution: When shooting, make sure to take some extra footage. Maybe your voice-over artist clears his/her throat and you didn’t catch it at first, so you’ll need something to cover this mistake. Before shooting, think about the links between the concepts you’ll mention and create transitions that are clean and understandable.

So, in sum: Think ahead! Your end result should flow smoothly and engage viewers. When you move forward with your explanatory video, make sure to think about these three potential issues so that you have a solution ready if they come up.

Without sounding like an infomercial, we wanted to lay out just how easy it is to create online videos with Revolution Productions. Yes, there are many complicated steps when making explainer videos, but the complicated part is left to the producers, not you. So here we go through the six easy steps!

1. Script-Concept development
In this step, we will send you our ‘video concept questionnaire’. Don’t panic, there are simple questions about your project for us to get more of an idea of what you want. Typical questions ask about style, desired results, length, and deadline. So that was easy, ready for step two?

2. Design Concept Development
Eeeek sounds complicated, no? Well, it’s actually not. In this step, we will produce three distinct design styles using the script-concept as a basis. You can choose the illustration/design style to be used for the animation and give feedback on what you’d like to be changed… If you are making a cartoon web video, we figure out what sort of voice-over to have, and if you are having a web presenter style, we find a person. OK, not so bad. Let’s hit it #3!

3. Storyboarding
We’ll produce the storyboard for the whole animation. See it’s still us doing the work! This is the visual elements of the animation frame by frame with the script. This is bit like a comic book strip. Then you tell us what you like, what you don’t and BAM step three is complete! And whoaaa we’re halfway theeeerree!

4. Voice-Over
We’ll send you a sample of US voice-over artists we use for our work. You’ll tell us which one you prefer or we can do a talent search to find you a voice-over artist you like. Then we record and you, again, tell us your thoughts. See…pretty easy stuff!

5. Production
This is where we pull everything together. We’ll animate and perform the composition of the stop-motion animation. We’ll produce the first complete version and send you a link to get your feedback. You are basically just sittin pretty during this whole thing.

6. Hosting
Final step! We recommend video hosting for you since how quickly the video streams is important. We’ve recently partnered with an excellent video hosting company who offer discounted rates for our clients. And there, we’ve completed everything all nicely packaged up for you.

And that, dear reader, is that. Not so bad, eh? The process of making an explanatory video is easy and simple, at least with us; we’re not sure about the others. It just comes down to six easy and manageable steps to getting you the results you want. What a snap!

Do you ever wonder what it takes to make a stop-motion video? If you’re wondering what stop-motion is in the first place, then you haven’t been reading our blog (tisktisk). Well you’re in luck, because this photo blog post shows you how designers, producers and cameramen alike work together to make online videos. Now sit back and enjoy this lazy blog post, because it’s mostly pictures!

Using a Canon 60D and Tokina 11-16mm, thestudioteam carefully sets up the “stage” for the images that will appear in the video.

The lighting must be bright and clear without being too harsh or reflective, and the light box must be placed at the right angle to avoid distracting shadows. Here they are preparing the lights and camera for a hand-drawn video; the photographer will take a series of photos of a hand drawing an image to put in sequence.

A light umbrella is used in the production of the video, which helps diffuse the light and spread it evenly over what’s being filmed. The flash connected to the shutter button on the camera provides an intense flash of light just as the camera captures the image.

With everything set up, the shooting begins. It’s pretty cool that with the right equipment, one person can play many different roles in making animated web videos. Here, the camera captures many images of a hand in different positions, which creates the stop motion effect.

A lot goes into making these one-minute videos. Though in the end the final product is short, the process of measuring out the time and accuracy it takes for Internet video production can be long, because everything must be just right. But, in the end, when you have a strong production team, the whole process becomes smooth and stress-free. If you’re interested in a stop-motion video, now you have had an exclusive backstage pass to see what goes into the magic..tell your friends. Here is it in action:

If there was ever one field that needed an explanatory video, I think we can all agree that it’s the medical industry. Trying to figure out my own insurance, payments, procedures, etc is difficult enough, and imagining organizing it for a surgical facility, let alone a group of facilities, makes me cringe. Enter Medibis (Medical Business Intelligence Solutions), a cloud-based data analysis and reporting technology engine. This technology gives a 15-20% net improvement in your medical facility, and let’s just turn to the video to find out how:

This video uses whiteboard animation with voice-over to clearly explain why the technology is needed and what exactly it will do. Even as non-medical industry folk, we already understand the problem – insurance is complicated, medical supplies are expensive, there is a need for organization, etc. However, since the product is cloud-based, it becomes difficult to explain simply via text, and, let’s face it, do we want to read through everything or do we want pretty pretty pictures to explain what’s happening. We want the pictures.

So just how did we go about making this video? Well we knew we wanted to tell an effective story with facts and make it entertaining..which is not so easy. We needed to target the right people, which are the hospital administrators, as they handle the technological side of the surgery centers; therefore, we put it in their voice. We also wrote a clear script and story to produce a clear, high impact and entertaining explanatory video that teaches people the value of this service.

Medibis is just our latest web video for business that we produced. We have many other whiteboard animation videos coming up, among other web videos, so stay tuned for more blog posts!

So you want to make a video, but since you haven’t made a video yet, you’re not rolling in cash. Lucky for you, making a video with little money is very simple and even luckier for you (today must be your day) we’re going to tell you exactly how. We’ll take you through step-by-step of how you can create your very own demo video on a tight budget.

The first thing to do is write a script. We have gone over this in The Importance of Scriptwriting; the idea is to create a persuasive script that keeps the viewer engaged and successfully explains what your product does. You don’t need to be a writer; being able to communicate your passion about your product is enough.
Total Cost: $0

Second, think about what type of video will appeal to your consumer. If it is an animated video, a crisp-sounding voice-over is important. If you have a little money to spend, it may be beneficial to buy a microphone (costing about $100). If you want, you can even hire a professional for about $40-60; you can find them on freelancer.com. But even better, you can use free recording software-here’s a list: Free Audio Editors.
Total Cost: $40-$160

Third, start filming. Surprisingly (or maybe not), you don’t need a $20,000 camera to make your film look nice. It can be as simple as buying a flip camera, the very cheapest of which you can find for $50. You might even use your phone – it’s rumored that parts of the new The Avengers movie were shot on the director’s iPhone. That’s what we call multitasking.
Total Cost: $50

Another method of filming: If your product is software or web-based, you can use a screen capture tool to record the entire video. Using this method, you can simply use a voice-over while showing your product in use. You can easily find free screen capture software for both Macs and PCs. Isn’t the internet sweet?
Total Cost: $0

Fourth, if you want a Motion Graphics Video, options for using this technology are numerous. There are many online resources to create your own graphics, but you can also buy pre-made graphics or even outsource the project to a freelance graphic designer. Animoto is a free service used to do animation where you can upload your photos. For a pre-packaged set of graphics, expect to spend at least $50.
Total Cost: $50

See, that wasn’t so bad? In the end, you can spend as little as $100 to fund your own explainer video. Easy as pie. Now take a look at this video we produced (for a bit more, about $300 with minimal editing). But, sorry folks, $300 is more of a do-it-yourself price than a studio price, but hey a video on a budget can be done!

With each blog post, we give you insight and commentary on the world of video production and website videos. But do you ever wonder about us? Our hopes and dreams? What we really want in life? No, probably not. But maybe you do wonder about the founder and how Revolution Productions came to be. That story, dear readers, lies in the Founder and Head Producer, Anish Patel.

Anish hails from London where, after getting his education on at the University of Manchester, he began a career as a business analyst and then moved into investment banking. After four years of boredom living corporate life, Anish decided to break the mold and go off in search of adventure. He picked up and moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina (crazy, we know) and like many other people who travel to South America to find themselves, began getting in touch with his artistic side. Anish started producing videos, starting with an online web channel in the city, and Revolution Productions was born.

But unlike your average traveller, Anish had a vision of combining his broad knowledge of production quality and marketing strategy with his passion for video and motion art. And he had an advantage in that he noticed a lack of quality video production in North American and European marketplaces. Over world-class steaks and Malbec wine he convinced a talented team of motion graphic, 3D, cartoon animators and video editors to join the revolution (yeah, that’s really what we’re calling it). Little by little, the gamble paid off as Revolution Production gained global recognition for helping businesses put their name into the spotlight with powerful and creative video content.

Anish, meanwhile, has a pretty sweet deal. By leading his creative and project management team in Buenos Aires and basing the marketing and strategy team in London, he plays the system to get the best of both worlds (as that marketing team would say): unparalleled Web Video Services, flawless customer service and powerful strategies for getting businesses to the top with video. As Revolution Productions grows, Anish still resides in Buenos Aires, running the company in between taking in all the magic that the Paris of the South has to offer.

Last week, YouTube announced that they will offer users a “play in 3D option” that will convert short-form videos to 3D automatically. This option, launched last September, was formerly only available for YouTube creators, but it has now been expanded to all YouTube users. On their blog, YouTube explains the technical side of this conversion which involves a variety of video characteristics. The reason behind this option is that YouTube feels that 3D is the next big thing when it comes to web videos. So, are they right?

On the plus side, sales of 3D televisions are rising, which means that some viewers are more interested in watching content in 3D. Blockbuster movies like Titanic and The Lion King are being re-released in 3D with crowds rushing to the theater to relive their experiences in the third dimension.

On the negative side, do we all even own a pair of 3D glasses?

I don’t. And, don’t we all lose our regular glasses enough? I sit on my sunglasses every summer, so how am I supposed to keep track of a paper-thin pair of 3D glasses? Not to mention while wearing these glasses, multi-tasking becomes more difficult. Most of us are doing a couple things at a time while watching YouTube videos. Actually, aren’t most of us working while watching YouTube videos?

What we can say is that while web video commercials now have the option to be converted to 3D, I’m not sure everyone will jump on this trend. While those in the business of video production online should keep this option in mind, it’s not vital to the success of a video. Don’t forget: 3D animation is different than a 3D video — I’ll happily watch a cute puppy meets kitty video in 3D animation, but too much in video 3D will probably give me a headache.