Animation, as people know it, started late in the 19th century. But viewers took notice of its second coming, when big-ticket animation movies ruled silver screens in the 1930s. The medium was in its infancy. Drawings and stop-motion were mostly used. The animated videos of today weren’t even imagined.
Experts consider Spielberg’s 1993 big-screen epic Jurassic Park as the first major effort at go-motion animation. Then followed green screen technology; it still rules the roost. Green screen and blue screen have together given rise to inexpensive animation.
Today, with this power of the Internet, live action animation is in vogue.
What Are Live Action Animated Videos?
Instead of computer-generated imagery, live actors perform before a green screen in a studio. The animation is laid over later. Most modern animated movies use this form of animation. The best thing is that these videos look like real movies instead of animated cartoons.
What Makes Them Different
Various corporations nowadays use these videos to add voice to their words. Elements of animation accompanied by the presenters onscreen while keeping the theme rather formal and corporate-ish than cartoonish. It’s a big plus for those businesses that would like to project a serious image to their potential audience. As we all know, every animation or video editing style communicates differently with the audience and that’s a beautiful fact.
Here’s our Top 10 best live action animated videos.
TAB Industries
Thomas Brizek, CEO and President of TAB Industries (a warehousing and distribution major), speaks on how his corporation canvassed people in several counties of Pennsylvania to determine how his business could prosper. Smart graphics and pieces of animation make the message easier to understand.
Obama on why he was such a polarizing president
Ezra Klein, editor-in-chief of Vox, speaks to former POTUS Barack Obama in a free-wheeling discussion on a variety of issues. Obama speaks suavely on modern politics, rise of fake news, geopolitical tangles, and the increasing voter polarisation in the USA. A couple of snazzy graphics flow in and out, and Obama’s exaggerated hand movements are interspersed with figures, graphs and numbers.
The former president speaks of the need for a new constitutional amendment on how new legislations could outlaw gerrymandering and filibuster.
I M A P A T I E N C E
This video by David Droga showcases how increasingly competitive lives have led to the lowering of happiness and satisfaction levels. Unlike a typical animated live action, this unconventional video is accompanied by spellbinding animation, with anatomically-precise figurines on its foreground meeting flowing text bars.
The viewer sees how NYC itself contributes to a rushed nature of life.
US Cellular
The 5th largest wireless telecom carrier in the US showcases the way it manages to stay ahead of the curve. This video uses live action and 3D animation to highlight the benefits of using US Cellular. Everyday objects are turned into roving pieces of art that make a customer stare in wonder.
GoldX
This very hip video produced by Kasra Design Studio introduces the concept of a new cryptocurrency which is benchmarked with gold. The ERC20 token relies on three factors: reliability, transparency and liquidity. The animation introduces viewers to Robin, who masterminded the system. The stress is on asset diversification into physical gold.
A stunningly simple yet elegant video has rather appealed to its niche.
Writer’s Room
The Sundance Channel and EW Weekly present an insight into how writers shape people’s favourite TV shows. Popular TV shows like Breaking Bad, Dexter, and Game of Thrones are referenced.
The animation is simple and focuses on motifs of these shows themselves.
Adidas – There will be haters
Adidas focuses on its exclusivity by banding together a group of footballers, starring El Pistolero Suarez and others. The animation is lightning-fast while the movements of all these players and the images complement each other. This video shows how there will always be haters and one has to overcome them.
The hashtags and video effects are par excellence.
Editor
This video has no voiceover. Instead, the images and the figures are silhouetted against fast-paced drum beats. Highly dynamic colours, neatly arranged interiors and lightning-fast effects depict the company as one which edits pre-owned videos to bring them up to pro grade.
Mario Skate
Mario comes to life on skateboards. A guy with a fake Mario moustache skateboards along streets with all classic Mario gaming sounds in its background. There is an element of nostalgia with the turtles, jumps, scoreboards and other tropes in place.
The mushroom prize at the end is a sweet touch.
Fraser Doherty, CEO SuperJam
MOO, which manufactures customised visiting cards for professionals, uses this elegantly designed video to demonstrate how it helped Doherty, the founder of SuperJam which is now a home-grown jam supplying giant catering to 2,000 supermarkets. The animation is fluid and convincing.
The Takeaway
All of the above videos are platforms of the changing nature of communications. They are advertisements, pieces of professional artwork, and future of animation – all taken into one. And the fun part is that they do not make for cumbersome watches, unlike many corporate advertisements.
We hope this video collection would come in handy if you are planning to make one as a producer or select an approach before proceeding with your company’s video project.
Nice list of videos. I’m inspired! Thanks for sharing.