As always, we’re here to help. Read through the following tips to see how to make the most of the experience!

 1. Have some guidelines

 We work best and most efficiently when there are some basic guidelines from a client. Things such as brand colors, themes to avoid, themes to embrace, and a thorough understanding of the tone you’re going for.

 This gives us enough structure to remain focused on the goal. We will generate ideas and metaphors rapidly to bring your Simplifilm to life.

 2. Not TOO many guidelines though

 Having too many guidelines restricts creativity. This is fairly self explanatory. The more areas, ideas, metaphors, colors, references, etc,  that are off limits, the less we can come up with. No one wants a video full of tired cliches. Please don’t try to force us into making you one.

 For some industries this is necessary due to various legal reasons. But whenever possible, the less is more approach works best with us.

 3. Please don’t micromanage

 We try to avoid this because it can cause delays in the process. Please see the Domino Effect post for an in depth look at this phenomenon.

 Reasonable critique is appreciated; we think of our videos as collaborations. We are happy to make adjustments when they make sense. But design by committee never works. You came to us because you loved the work we’ve done for other clients. We’ll make it great for you as well. Trust us.

 4. Be open to a different creative vision

 Coming in to a video, you might already have an idea of what you want it to look like. When it doesn’t match up to what you’ve imagined, you can be disappointed, and for that reason alone dislike it. Like when a movie portrayal doesn’t live up to the mind’s eye interpretation of a book.

 Unlike Hollywood, our primary mandate isn’t to make as much money as possible. We’re here to help as many people as we can by making the best possible demo, explainer, and book trailer videos.

 If the first animated open you see doesn’t match up what you’ve been thinking it will look like, don’t dismiss it out of hand. Give it a chance. Watch it a few more times. Several past clients have had that initial reaction and upon further viewings realized that we were doing some really cool stuff with their animation.

 5. Be honest with us

 If something is really just not working for you, let us know right away. Animation is art, so one person’s Monet is another’s sloppy finger painting. We won’t take offense. Not everything we do is a home run on the first go round.

 It’s best to be upfront with us about these things. Doing so saves everyone time and money. Resentment and change orders are avoided, and all parties wind up happier.

 And that does it! Hopefully these tips help you out when you’re putting everything together and making the decision to have us create an awesome video for you!

But before we get to that, a word about the video and the process.

The main thing we got out of working with Jonathan and Michael was their focus on compassion. They don’t just care about providing a useful and efficient service for people contemplating or about to go through a divorce. They want to make the process as painless and humane as possible. The emotional, financial, and social reality of divorce is often harsh, and dramatized further by media and popular culture. They were looking to explain their service in a way which communicated this important aspect about them and their business.

With that being said, the challenge we had with the subject was two-fold. The first problem was striking a tone that was serious and compassionate. Potential pitfalls were coming off as heavy handed, overly dramatic, or predatory. To this end we worked really hard on the script, voice over, and music, to make sure that it all meshed correctly together. The most work went into the voice over, as he had to strike the right tone of seriousness and sensitivity.

The second challenge was using visual metaphor that wasn’t cliche, but also wasn’t too painful for the viewer. People going through a divorce, (or contemplating one) don’t need to be reminded of the emotional consequences. To do this we used a lot of road travel imagery. Signs, GPS guidance, and even the character outlines in a road sign style. This allowed us to talk about the subject in a way that was addressing the necessary issues yet removed enough to not be painful.

You’ll see all of this combined into the video we’ve made for Divorcely below.

Our interview with Jonathan and Michael from Divorcely.com:

1. Where did the idea for Divorcely come from?

As an attorney, I’ve seen several couples go through the divorce process and I’ve seen how much it can cost: From several thousand to tens and sometimes hundred of thousands. For many divorces, there is just no reason to spend that much money. When everything is said and done, the only people who walk away with any money are the attorneys, and that’s not right. After a divorce, you have enough to do just to pull your life together without the added worry of having just spent all of your savings. Plus, through the process, you and your spouse will most likely end up adversaries, even if you started off friendly. Divorcely was a way to save people thousands of dollars and to preserve whatever relationship there could be between the divorcing spouses.

We take all the guesswork and frustration out of the process and let the couple work together to figure out what is fair. When they have questions, they can visit our site for the most comprehensive knowledge resource in the industry or ask for help in our forums. All the while, they will be guided by our interactive timeline so that they never have to wonder what happens next. We believe that divorce is stressful enough – we do everything we can to make it easier.

2. What made you decide to get an explainer video? Why did you choose to go with us?

Someone who is thinking about divorce is going through a confusing time. There are a lot of unanswered questions and the process itself can feel scary and overwhelming. We wanted a simple video to walk people through how we can help them. Simplifilm has done a great job of making simple videos that walk people through complicated subjects. Who better to help tell our story?

3. What are the main challenges facing your business? How do you tackle them?

Our main challenge is coming up with new and helpful ways to guide our customers through their divorces. To make sure we’re always moving forward, we listen closely to what our customers ask and regularly follow the topics in our forums to see where people are running into roadblocks. As soon as we find an opportunity to help, we jump on it!

4. What does a typical day in your life look like?

Pleading the 5th here.

5. If you had unlimited funding, how would you change your business model?

We’d like to develop more support resources to make the experience easier for our customers. While we can simplify much of the paperwork, there is much more that can be done to ease the process outside the legalities. Though we don’t have infinite funding, we’re continuing work on this front and excited at what we’ll be able to offer in a few years.

6. If you could give a tip for folks looking to make a video, what would it be?

Find a great team and let them do what they do best. High level ideas are great and so is feedback, but if you have a team you can trust, then trust that they’ll do a great job for you. That’s what we did with Denis and his team and we couldn’t be happier with the results!

If you or someone you know is contemplating divorce, these are definitely the guys to help you.  http://www.divorcely.com/ Check out the video below to get an idea of what they offer.

Divorcely from Simplifilm on Vimeo.

Script:

There’s nothing easy about deciding to divorce.

As emotional as it may be, a divorce doesn’t have be complicated, overwhelming or expensive. Because now there is Divorcely, a one-stop, helpful alternative to a painful process: For less than 1 hour of a lawyer’s time, Divorcely provides: -State-approved paperwork pre-filled with your information

-Simple step-by-step filing instructions

-And Helpful and supportive community forums

Divorcely forms are 100% guaranteed to be court approved or your money back.  Saving you not just needless pain but thousands of dollars. Of course, ending a marriage is never easy.

But if you decide it’s the right choice for you, we’re here–and ready–to help you build a new life.

Who created the Divorcely Explainer Video?

The Credits: Divorcely Demo Video:

Produced by Simplifilm
Stephen Silver:   Director and Animator
Ryan Holiday:     Writer
Thomas Weitzel: Voice
Stephen Silver:    Sound Design
Denis Teplitski:    Project Manager

What we run into sometimes with clients is that they come in with a script they’ve written themselves, and are really quite in love with it. Sometimes this works, sometimes it just doesn’t. There are two main problems that we come across with client submitted scripts.

Problem #1: It’s Not a Feature Dump

The first is a case of trying to fit in too many details into the script. Such as trying to squeeze in every feature and every conceivable benefit. This makes the script overly long and dense.  Remember: the customer hasn’t spent hours thinking about your product.  Our goal with our videos is to create the emotional connection so that the customer wants to learn more. That’s when they take the next actionable step to find out more about the service or product.

The second is either ignoring the visual channel, or forgetting that there IS a visual channel. The draft that the client comes in with may be written extremely well, and it may be technically sound. But trying to literally explain everything through the script boxes in the visuals. If your script is describing some very specific things line by line, the visuals are forced to conform to this, or veer wildly off topic and therefore cause the video to lose cohesion and coherence. What a good script does: piques curiosity so that the customer wants to take that next step. If there’s too much information, they don’t have any reason to buy, try, subscribe, etc.

Make Room For Metaphors

For example, take this as an opening line: “Time is finite”. That’s broad enough to be anything from an hourglass running out, to a clock spinning, day turning to night, a crammed schedule, a countdown timer, etc. It makes a statement and allows for creative interpretation. Contrast it with an opening line of: “Do you go to bed miserable every night?”. This boxes the animation in much further. Where do you go besides some version of a person going to sleep? The face of a person with a miserable expression? Expand these themes through the length of a full script, and you can see how it confines a creative vision.

We’re never averse to change in our script drafts. We absolutely welcome collaboration, and we’re always happy to rewrite to clarify, tweak, and fine-tune. But there’s also a reason you’ve come to us for your video. We have some of the best, if not outright the best, script writers in the business. Why? Because our videos help sell 45 million dollars of software per month Trust us. We want to make it great just as much as you do.  

One of the things we’ve learned is just how people are using our video content.  When we started it was all about simple software product demos.  But, as we had success, our customers showed us that there was more to it than engaging a website video.

Here are ten things that our customers have used our videos for.

1. To loop at a trade show: at a trade show, staff can’t always get to everyone that comes to a booth. It’s often hit and miss.  A video can help persuade customers to stick around to engage and exchange details.
2. A live phone demo for inbound sales: a lot of times when customers call in they are looking for a solution, and they don’t know if something is the right fit. With the ability for a phone rep to simply tell the customer where to go and watch a video, it can help to close a sale.
3. A one-on-one live iPad demo with a salesperson: salespeople have iPads these days, and they are often in the field.   A one minute intro shows class and helps people stay on the proven message.
4. To replace a pitch deck for investors: between an angel and seed round,  this is a quick way to rise above others, especially for a business that is working and has money.
5. To sell a book: book trailers are becoming an increasingly big business for Simplifilm.  Our trailers help to get a book sold and we’ve got a track record of being on the New York Times bestseller lists.
6. To simply introduce an idea: sometimes markets have to be created, and a video is used not just to sell a product but to share a relevant idea.  Some of the early explainers were interested in explaining things like “why Twitter matters”.
7. To show that you are high quality in every area: one of the bits of feedback we get from our customers is that the video opened doors.
8. To be on a webinar/ TV as a lead in: on business interview shows, people still “roll the clip,” often.  Having a video to explain the project before it starts has been an effective way of getting the information and understanding out there.
9. To be part of a press release & to attract reporters: a study said that video press releases were way more likely to get opened.  Including a video when pitching reporters gets everyone on the same page.
10. To have something to share internally: a lot of times a video will be shared internally/up the chain.  Setting up a page to bring an idea from an internal advocate to senior management is a smart idea that our customers have reported doing with success.

How are you using your video? Email us today at chris@simplifilm.com

For this video, we got to work with best selling author Brian Solis. He aims to answer the question of “What is the Future of Business?” with his new book going by the same name. For the WTF: What is the Future of Business official book trailer, we show the very real urgency with which current businesses must either evolve or die out due to obsolescence.

The fundamental way in which business works has changed. Best practices are being second guessed. Their very foundations are being questioned. The future of business is no longer so certain. Technology is driving rapid change. This sometimes means growth, but often at the expense of older and more established industries.

The facts speak for themselves: in 10 years, 40% of the Fortune 500 was replaced. Now, the focus isn’t just on creating and maintaining a successful business. Serious thought has to go in to making said business both sustainable and future proof. You can no longer be the newspaper giant replaced by Twitter.

Social media, mobile tech advancements, and real time information hasn’t just created the need for new business models. It has created a new type of consumer. A consumer who is more sophisticated, aware of options, and alternatives. A consumer able to harness the power of vast information at their fingertips.

We explore these themes in the video below, for the official WTF Book Trailer. Behold:

WTF Official Book Trailer from Simplifilm on Vimeo.

Script:

Today’s leading companies are already obsolete. They won’t know it until it’s too late.
In 10 years, 40% of the Fortune 500 was replaced.
Irrelevance is only accelerating. It’s Digital Darwinism out here…
Ignorance is bliss…until it’s not.
Technology…social, mobile, real-time…it’s changing the world. Customers are evolving into something new—they’re more connected, empowered and demanding.
It all comes down to you.
Can you answer the question everyone is asking: WTF?
What
is the
Future
of
Business?
Bestselling author Brian Solis gives you the answer…now.

 

Who created the WTF (What is the Future of Business) by Brian Solis Official Book Trailer Video?

The Credits:

WTF Official Book Trailer Video:

Produced by Simplifilm
Jason Moore: Director and Animator
Ryan Holiday: Writer
James Dooley: Voice
Jason Moore: Sound Design
Tim Holt: Custom Soundtrack
Denis Teplitski: Project Manager

Their analytics comb through terabytes of data so that their clients don’t just chase after the conversation, but lead and influence it. One of the cool ways in which they do this is by identifying key influencers. People who have a lot of clout via popularity, notoriety, or expertise. Then they highlight what these folks are saying so that you can see which way they’re pushing the dialogue.

The video itself had to be cutting edge, just like the technology. We wanted it to be bright, snappy, and memorable. To this end we used tremendously smooth transitions. One segment or idea blends seamlessly into the next. You can actually take a look at the video with the sound off, and the animation will make for some very pleasing eye candy.

Speaking of the video, it’s right below. And if your company is looking for a way to use social media analytics to get ahead of the competition, check out Blab.

Blab from Simplifilm on Vimeo.

Marketers have a tough job in today’s world.

To be influential, they have to understand what’s important to consumers right now, then develop relevant content and get it out there before it’s too late.

If only marketers could predict the future—it’d all be a lot easier.

Well, with Blab Predictive Social Intelligence, they actually can.

Everyone else’s social media analytics tells you what people talked about this morning. Blab’s patented application can tell you what people will be talking about tomorrow–and the day after that, and the day after that.

With Blab, you don’t just monitor the conversation, you predict where its going before it gets there.

Seriously.

And we’re not talking random guesses here. Using 50,000 news and social media sources including more than 60M posts per day from sites like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Tumblr, Blab organizes billions of real-time conversations into conversation clusters relevant to your target audience and beams them to your dashboard for easy viewing.

Meanwhile, our servers analyze more than 1.3TB of data at a time, to track who is driving conversations, what they’re about and…with stunning accuracy…

Tell you where those conversations will go

Giving you unprecedented ability to lead the conversation, influence it, and market through it.

Almost too good to be true, right?

It isn’t. This is real.

Let’s race against time together. Sign up for Blab today!

Who created the Blab Explainer Video?

The Credits:

Blab Explainer Video:

Produced by Simplifilm
Jason Jantzen: Director and Animator
Ryan Holiday: Writer
Griffin Burns: Voice
Jason Jantzen: Sound Design
Denis Teplitski: Project Manager

We understand the desire to make sure your video is stellar (we only make great videos, we wouldn’t have it any other way) but we like to warn about this form of paralysis by analysis up front. We like the projects to be collaborative as possible, and to implement your feedback and input wherever it makes sense. It’s possible though, that you’ll want to stay at a certain bottleneck in production

Case in point, we’d like to quote one of our recent clients.

“When I first got the samples of background music it was hard to choose a song for three reasons (1) it was hard to imagine what types of graphics/animations would go with the music, (2) I wanted something “funky” but it’s hard to know what is too much or not enough, or (3) whether the song would be too distracting.  Once we settled on one track, I was still a bit nervous about how it would integrate with the video.  Denis (Simplifilm) assured me that it would based on their experience.  I had to remind myself that this was the reason I came to them in the first place; so I had to trust them.  In the end, I’m glad I did!  The concept was original and had just the right amount of “funkiness”.   I’m 100% satisfied with the final results: Voice-over, music and video graphics worked out perfect!” – Victor Antonio

So while you might have some misgivings or unease, trust us. We’ve truly got your back, and we’ll make your video amazing.

We wanted the entire tone of the video to be unique. From the funky soundtrack (stay tuned for a follow up post for an interesting story regarding this) to the highly contrasting visuals, we wanted to be able to show how Victor stands out from the crowd. To this effect, the “guru” and “cheesy inspirational speaker” characters drove the point home. The idea for the customize-able dial was actual Victor’s, as it was important to him to show that he customizes his approach based on what his clients need. Nothing canned here.

Check out our video below, and if your company is looking for that extra oomph in its sales team, Victor’s definitely the man to go to for that extra edge.

Victor Antonio from Simplifilm on Vimeo.

Every manager can feel it:

The difference between a motivated, value-driven sales team…

…and one that’s stuck in a rut.

CEO’s know the difference too. They can see it clearly in the profit and loss columns.

The question is: how do you get your team to this elite level?

Is there something extra you can do to break through the remaining resistance and equip them with the right mindset to grow your business?

Yes there is.

But you’re not going to do it with one of those cheesy inspirational speakers or some self-proclaimed guru.

What you need is someone with a real business track record to deliver key insights in a captivating way. To give your team the right tools for selling in today’s tough marketplace.

Enter: Victor Antonio

Experienced Executive. Innovative Thinker. Compelling Speaker.

[Show logos of key company’s he’s spoken at]

He’s ready to deliver the message you need your people to hear. Not with a canned speech, but a customized, dynamic keynote–designed to deliver results.

[show knob of his ability to customize speech]

Bring Victor Antonio to your next event…

…before the competition does.

Go to www.VictorAntonio.com for more information

Who created the Victor Antonio Explainer Video?

The Credits:

Victor Antonio Explainer Video:

Produced by Simplifilm
Jeff Coles Smith: Director and Animator
Ryan Holiday: Writer
James Dooley: Voice
Jeff Coles Smith: Sound Design
Denis Teplitski: Project Manager

Aesthetically and thematically we went with an upbeat and bright video, because it was cohesive with the nature of our clients’ product. They build sites that stand out and catch the eye in addition to driving traffic. Furthermore, using examples of the technology used by AgentFire within the video was an important step as well. We always like to show people what the technology that they’re going to be using looks like. It’s disheartening for the end user to fall in love with a technological concept from visual metaphor, only to find out that the user interface is unintuitive or unattractive.

As far as feature sets, AgentFire’s got IDX, mobile IDX, market stats, social media tools, and more. They integrate it all into a custom WordPress website. They even suggests area specific blog topics and allow you to syndicate to your home page and social networks. If you’re a real estate agent who could use a site, or your current site needs an upgrade, definitely check out the video below, and AgentFire.

AgentFire from Simplifilm on Vimeo.

A good real estate site has the potential to bring in tons of business, but trying to build one on your own can devour tons of time and money, and still not work!

Now, there’s AgentFire!

We’ve partnered with the biggest names to provide you with the best features: the best IDX, Mobile IDX, market stats, social media tools and so much more, all seamlessly integrated into a simple to use WordPress website

Our sites look incredible – pick one of our base themes and we’ll load it with your colors, photos, logo, and more, so you’ll end up with a custom site without the custom pricetag.

But hey, looks and features don’t mean anything without traffic…

With AgentFire, you can easily create detailed neighborhood pages that will automatically populate with the best demographic and school data available!

We’ll also suggest blog topics based on your area; hit submit and watch your posts syndicate to your homepage and favorite social networks. People AND search engines love this!

Head over to our ‘Take a Tour’ page NOW for more details!

Who created the AgentFire Explainer Video?

The Credits:

AgentFire Explainer Video:

Produced by Simplifilm
Jeff Coles Smith: Director and Animator
Chris Johnson: Writer
Justin Torres: Voice
Jeff Coles Smith: Sound Design
Denis Teplitski: Project Manager

To businesses that depend on the weather, Stormpulse is a valuable asset. With the wild weather the US has been having lately, Stormpulse becomes even more essential.

Stormpulse isn’t claiming to be some kind of superior weather prediction service, but rather a great way that all pertinent weather data is aggregated, organized, and delivered on time when it matters most. The data portfolio is also matched with the organizational needs and vulnerabilities of their clients.

If your business depends on the weather, you should definitely check out Stormpulse. Our explainer video below illustrates why even more clearly.

Stormpulse from Simplifilm on Vimeo.

Nobody can control the weather, but you can prepare, anticipate and optimize for it.

The difference between companies who do and don’t: unexpected delays, missed opportunities, and even…needless disaster.

That’s where Stormpulse comes in.

We aggregate over 25 official meteorological sources to give you–and your business–the weather intelligence needed to not only be prepared, but thrive regardless of the conditions.

With
-Automatic risk assessment
-rich email alerts automatically routed to relevant personnel
-and clear, time-saving visuals and analysis…

You’ll always get the data you need. And you’ll get it in time.

Last year over thousands of decision makers and businesses turned to Stormpulse. Insurance companies, shipping companies, government agencies, retailers, manufacturers (show names/logos on screen?) use StormPulse to make crucial decisions every day.

Why? Because in their business, the difference between being proactive and reactive is everything.

Our computer system gathers massive amounts of data and matches it with your organizational needs, assets and vulnerabilities. We make sure our customers are alert and aware, in order to make the right choices based on the right information.

Weather impacts your business. Don’t get caught out in the storm. Sign up for Stormpulse now.

Who made the Stormpulse Explainer Video?

The Credits:

Stormpulse Persuader Video
Produced by Simplifilm
Declan Zimmerman: Director and Animator
Ryan Holiday: Writer
Tom Racine: Voice
Declan Zimmerman: Sound Design
Denis Teplitski: Project Manager