7 extra (!) useful characteristics you should focus on when choosing an animated video company, part 2

If you’re looking to have a custom animated video made for your company, brand, or maybe just for your enjoyment, there’s good news: there’s no shortage of animated video companies online just waiting for your business. Before dropping into the variety of services that they offer – go through this key Characteristics when Choosing an Animation Company. 

It’s a blessing and a curse, however. There are so many to choose from that narrowing all of your choices down to a single company can be a daunting task. In the previous article Key Characteristics, You Should Focus on When Choosing an Animated Video Company (part 1) we have focused on the first 10 principles, to focus on while gathering the worthy animated studio for your goals.

Here’s a list of what you should focus on when picking an animation company and making your communication twice as successful.

1. How many years on the market do they have?

Animation is a profession that changes constantly. New technologies are being created at an unprecedented rate, meaning that production standards vary dramatically from project to project.

That’s why it’s so important to choose a video production company with the experience necessary to deliver the type of animation for your specific requirements. That`s one of essential characteristics to focus on when choosing an animation company for sure. 

How long has the studio been around? A company with a long track record is always going to be a better bet than a studio still making a name for itself. This goes hand-in-hand with examining the size of their portfolio.

If the company has been around for years, it should have a lot of sample work to show off. On the other hand, if the company has been around for a while but doesn’t have an appropriately large portfolio, that could be a red flag.

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With years of experience under their belt, they’ll also be able to draw on their past experiences to help you avoid making mistakes that could cost you a lot of time and money.

2. How quickly and professionally do they communicate?

An animation studio should respond promptly and professionally, and they should be able to provide a quote more quickly than most other companies. Their communication, however, can come in different forms such as chat, email, or phone.

Choosing this company would depend on what form of communication you prefer and how much of your time you’re willing to spend interacting with their team.

Working with the right video production company is crucial to making sure that you get a great product. It’s essential for communication and trust, which will help ensure your content stands out from competitors’ animations.

Here are some of the subjects you should discuss in a meeting when choosing an animation company:

• How quickly will they respond? What is the turnaround time?
• Is scriptwriting part of their services package, or do they outsource it? Can they supply voiceovers?
• What is the procedure for the management of the project?
• Will they make changes/modifications if necessary?
• What other solutions would they have for your project?

Even if you’re not sure which team would be best to work with, it’s worth having a more in-depth conversation. This will help the animation studio gauge what interests and resonates most with your audience – giving them an idea on how they can get creative so that their video tells the story you need.

3. What software do they use?

There’s a seemingly endless amount of software out there to help fulfill any creative desire. The studio you choose is going to be using some sort of animation software, as well as audio software for recording sound and possibly storyboarding software. There might even be a different piece of software for every step of the process.

In every industry that uses software, there are always a few programs that are considered to be “industry standard.” If a studio uses some off-the-wall program that nobody has ever heard of, that could be a bad sign. That isn’t to say that a studio can’t make use of an obscure program, but if they use something from Adobe or Autodesk, that’s more of a sure bet.

Just as an example, here’s a small list of popular animation programs used by professionals:

• After Effects
• Blender
• Cartoon Animator 4
• FlipBook
• Moovly
• Piskel
• Spine
• Harmony 20

There are so many more!

The software that an animated video production company uses is another characteristic you might want to consider. You can also determine your project’s style, budget, and timeline by the technology used to create the animation. For example, if you are looking for a cartoon-style animation, Adobe Character Animator will be required because it is the only program on this list that supports this style better.

4. Do they offer partner programs or batch discounts?

Most animated video companies offer partner programs in order to boost their profits. Partner programs may be expensive, but they’re worth the investment if you’re looking for an animated video production company to work with on a regular basis.

When discussing cost, be sure to ask if they offer any sort of promotions. Some studios will offer partner programs in which you can get discounts for doing continued business together. If you’re not looking for a commitment like that, you could ask about batch deals. This is no different than buying something in bulk. If you’re willing to purchase several projects at once, the studio might be willing to charge you less per project.

There are also discounted rates available for clients who choose companies that have been around for many years and have built a solid reputation.

5. What is their availability?

Availability is a tricky factor for clients. And that`s one of the main characteristics when choosing an animation Company. Clients must know if an animated video firm is available on weekends or during work hours when picking one. Also, businesses in different time zones need to see how the company responds when they might be asleep, but the company may still produce the video in time.

Since clients usually don’t know all their needs before beginning a video production with an animation studio, flexibility is vital. Understanding how flexible the companies are with changing milestones and meeting deadlines plays a sometimes-underestimated significant role. Will they allow you to change your mind halfway through the production process? As long as that makes sense for your video needs, then it is something you would want to look into.

If you’re working with a studio that’s based on the other side of the world, keeping up with them could get a little bit tricky. Knowing when they’re in the office makes it a lot easier to plan things.

6. Verified reviews as one of Main Characteristics when Choosing an Animation Company

Following the Testimonials page is not quite enough to receive the full pack of information about the company’s clients. Clearly written testimonials are not equal to the real case. Not always. Thus, try asking about some verified reviews that the company has: Clutch is a great idea here.

Btw, how often are you in the mood for leaving a review for a service or a good one?

Well, let’s face the fact that it’s always long and boring. What’s more, we don’t trust reviews as they can be easily cheated nowadays.

Clutch – is a review and rating platform for businesses. This company made a review process 10 times more boring and time-consuming 🙂

To leave a review about the service received you need at least 30 minutes of your time to answer 15 open-ended questions… That’s why such feedback is irreplaceable and valuable.

7. Specialization 

The term “animation” could refer to many things. There are countless different styles, as well as several moving parts in a typical animation. With so much possible variation, there are inevitably companies that specialize in certain aspects. If you have a good idea of what you’re looking for, you could seek out a studio that specializes in exactly that. This increases the chances of the finished product better resembling what you had in mind.

In other words. Before starting to work with the studio, answer the question what types and styles of video do they specialize in? Specialization is an important factor when choosing an animation studio. A company that can provide all kinds of animation services – from 2D and 3D to hand-drawn – will give you more options. They also continue to innovate in animation, so they are the best ones to work with for your project.

Another consideration would be the content type. What are you looking for? Educational? Narrative? Commercial? Comedy? The level of expertise they have in these fields will give you a better idea of whether the company you’ve chosen is right for your project, as well as their prices and turnaround time.

Hint: Ask the Studio, whether they can provide you with the work examples regarding your video request. And analyze how savvy they are in your field. These can give you a clear vision of what kind of quality video production you can expect.

This is how fast 1.1 seconds 0 – 60mph take off should look like with Space X package thrusters on the Tesla Roadster. Computer worked out physics and then visualised in a render animation. Not sure how much gas but threw the effect in anyway. Enjoy @elonmusk #tesla #spacex pic.twitter.com/VzMukQPT2E

— Slave' Popovski ® (@Pslavi) June 23, 2020

There is also an inclination towards choosing a provider for which you can pinpoint their specialization: like only producing explainer videos or solely envisioning and developing characters. This is because companies who focus on one specific type of service make the best animated videos.

Get a Quote from Darvideo for your next video project

Now you know what choosing a worthy Animated Studio is about thanks to the main characteristics when choosing an Animation Company taht we provided. 

At Darvideo, we work with clients on every marketing strategy level, from building concepts to production and post-production. We care about you and your ideas and are ready to transform them into results! If this sounds like something you might be interested in getting started on, don’t hesitate to get a quote with Darvideo.