Motion Graphics in Bristol

Birdstone Digital is a dedicated motion graphics production agency based near Bristol, specialising in producing dynamic animated content to captivate audiences and elevate brand experiences.

Motion graphics help enable your stories to come alive through the power of animation. From concept development to final execution, whether it’s creating captivating explainer videos, attention-grabbing social media content, or stand-out corporate videos, we are committed to delivering exceptional results.

Using motion graphics, we will bring your ideas to life, adding depth, movement, and emotion to engage and inspire your audience. Get in touch to find out more. We may be more affordable than you think.

Motion Graphics is a widely used term that it it’s most basic form simply applies to moving imagery. It incorporates the same principles of graphic design along with key principles of animation to produce a variety of styles and effects often seen within corporate or infographic videos, logo idents and even television and web advertising.

Motion Graphics can be one of the simplest as well as powerful forms of video creation and is often combined with other techniques such as 3d visualisation or visual effects to help add an additional dimension to the final composition, enhancing the visual impact for the end viewer. For this reason, Motion Graphics is our most commonly requested skillset and offers clients the most cost effective method to produce videos.

The processes involved with creating digital Motion Graphic productions extend beyond that of traditional frame-by-frame animation by using dedicated software that creates the illusion of motion between user placed key frames within the timeline of the video. These productions are by no means limited to character and story based applications, and will often include abstract forms and shapes as well as branded assets to create all manner of multimedia productions.

motion graphics production process

Concept Script Storyboard Voiceover Production Export

The initial stage of all multimedia projects will involve some form of conceptual development. This usually begins its life as a brief thought, which over time builds into a more complex idea based around particular aims and objectives. This combination of thoughts and ideas is then developed further by considering various options in more detail, from which the concluding decisions will ultimately shape the direction of the project.

During this early stage, it is important to study available brand guidelines that may cause certain restrictions, as well as collecting relevant reference material to help explain various thought processes or ideas. It is also important to have a clear understanding of the context in which the production will be output, as well as the intended audience. These factors will affect how to approach the project brief, and how best to achieve the objectives or goals set by the client. It is also important to clearly define the intended platform(s) for the final production, as this directly affects the specific properties of the final file being created. These properties include settings such as resolution, video length, frame rates, bit rates as well as if additional files should be expected on delivery.

Once the final concept and objectives have been decided upon, and the project brief is complete, it is time to begin work on the precise content for the video. If applicable, the next stage is to write a script from which the storyboard can be created.

A script is an essential part to any linear animation. It should include a description of the on screen animation along with any speech from characters or voiceovers. If there is a voiceover, then this will often determine the timing of animation due to key words triggering certain actions, and should therefore be written with the animation in mind. It is not uncommon to slightly edit the wording of a script prior to recording, as when creating visual storyboards, the order of sentences and even the placement of the smallest conjunction words can greatly alter the flow of animation. Therefore, if the script has been completed prior to our involvement, we may forward recommended alterations to certain sections, based upon our experience of creating visual content that works in union with dialogue.

This whole process of script writing is not dissimilar to writing a short movie script, but the writer should always keep both the animation and key objectives in mind. As so often with these productions, less can be more, meaning the overall length of the script should be taken into account as depending on the audience, many viewers will have a limited time or attention!

Storyboarding a project ensures all those involved have a clear understanding of the on screen visuals and how they will move or develop over time. A storyboard layout and level of detail will differ from project to project, depending on the key elements displayed on screen. It often ends up as a series of hand drawn thumbnails to help illustrate important colours, shapes and objects as well as the overall frame composition. The motion during and in between frames is often illustrated through the use of arrows, but more importantly explained in written format, so that anyone viewing a storyboard can gain a sense of animation over time.

Depending on the project brief and script requirements, it may also be helpful to produce an animatic, which is a rough video edit that flicks through the storyboard frames over time. This could include a rough voice recording, if deemed necessary. An animatic provides a better understanding of timing and how the visuals will come to life, but may not always be the best use of production time.

Certain projects also benefit from the creation of style sheets, which allow the team to have a clear depiction of how the final product should look and feel. This may include mood-boards, colour pallets, concept art and some pre-designed video assets. It is important to get all these pre-production processes agreed upon before beginning production, as any changes to the script or storyboard at a later stage will likely cause complications and result in additional costs due to backwards workflow.

If a voiceover is required for your project, it will almost definitely control the timing of animation. Certain key words will trigger various movements on screen and therefore the voiceover script should include important notes for the recording; such as where to place emphasis, where gaps of silence are required, speed guidelines plus any tips on the style in which particular sections should be read.

Voiceover artists will be chosen based on their portfolio, and therefore reference to previous work is very beneficially for them. It may also be possible to listen into the recording and give live feedback and direction. Either way, a degree of audio editing will be necessary, as voiceover artists are unlikely to record everything perfectly the first take. Once edited, this portion of the projects audio production will require sign off before proceeding with animation.

Should any Background music drive the timing of animation, then again this would need to be selected, edited and approved at this stage.

Production includes all the necessary animation work, along with the asset creation, rigging and rendering. This is where the magic happens, and concept becomes a reality. The script, storyboard and style sheets are constantly referred back to, ensuring production follows all previously approved documentation.

These more technical production processes can vary greatly in time constraints, based upon the complexity of the project being undertaken and the size of the team involved and the combination of software packages required. The several production challenges faced will dictate the order in which the workload must be carried out, as production does not always start from the beginning and develop linearly. The majority of preliminary work is spent setting up the scenes and rigging certain assets for animation, just like building a set for film or sourcing costumes and props for actors.

As certain milestones are reached, work in progress can be shared for feedback, avoiding unwanted surprises on delivery. When to expect this work in progress would be outlined at the start of production as part of the project management service included.

Once production is complete, we take the final rendered frames of the animation and composite them together, carrying out any video editing or colour correction that may be required. The final sound design is completed, adding any necessary background music and sound effects into the project as well as balancing the levels. We are then ready to encode the final video in the desired format and upload this export to our client.

After which we can finally crack open a beer, and get some well-deserved rest!

motion graphics examples

EAGC

Day or Doom

3radical

Sofilia

Nationwide

ORE

See More Examples

recommended platforms for motion graphics

Corporate Videos

Motion graphics is a great way to create an explainer video about your business. They are an effective means to relay important information when often people would switch off reading text heavy pages. Motion graphics videos are often bright, fun and engaging and will help boost your online marketing.

Internal Comms

Info-graphics are an effective way to pass information onto your employees. As well as being paperless, it is the cheapest form of video creation and helps make internal tuition and discussions more engaging for all those involved. It can also allow staff members the freedom to view the videos in their own time and even re-watch them should they forget something.

Advertising

If you want to create a bold, eye-catching advert for tv or web, then motion graphics is the most cost effective method for production. It does not require expensive camera equipment, nor the high end technology for producing full 3d animations. Instead it relies on clever visuals to keep your audience captivated.

how to proceed

Should you require a quote for your personal motion graphics project, simply call or drop us a message from the contact page. We are happy to jump in at any stage, so don’t panic if you haven’t finalised your concept or written a script yet. Alternatively, if you have all the assets required and just need an animator then we can add the finishing touches. Either way, just tell us your requirements and we will send over a detailed quote. Plus, if you are on a strict budget, then let us know and we can always offer you some options on how to achieve the highest quality production within your budget.

Things we may need from you:

Project Brief
Aims and Objectives
Deadline
Budget
Brand Guidelines
Video Duration
Video Resolution
File Formats
Reference Material

got a question for us?

If you need answers straight away, then check out our Frequently Asked Questions page using the link below. Otherwise get in contact anytime using the link above.

FAQ