Live Action
Live Action Video
Bring it to life
Sometimes animation just won’t get the job done. That’s when you pick up a camera and capture pieces of the real world to make a live action video.
What is live action production? These videos are diverse in style and production quality, ranging from iPhone or camcorder footage all the way up to beautiful professional videography from top production companies. And here’s a little secret: live action explainer videos work really well when they combine footage with 2D or 3D animation.
Live action videos are diverse in style and production quality.
The short answer
What does a live action video involve, and what does it cost?
Live action video uses real footage: a crew, cameras, locations, and on-camera people, followed by editing.
It is the best fit for customer testimonials, brand films and TV spots, where real faces build trust.
At Epipheo, a live action video typically costs $40,000–$250,000 and takes six to twelve weeks.
A hybrid of live action with motion graphics layered on top typically runs $35,000–$150,000.
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Humanize any brand
Though many companies operate solely in a digital space with digital services, everything eventually reaches the human level. When this happens, you can put a camera there to show its value in real life. This is especially true for messages that involve physical services of some sort.
Real People, Real Story
Live action videos excel at telling human stories that feature real humans. 2D and 3D animation have the benefit of flexibility, but their ability to convey expression and relationships pales in comparison to what a live action production company can accomplish. An artificial person can only achieve so much.
Authentic connection stands out.
Getting it right
Live action companies work with you through every production detail.
Of course, using real people does bring some added complication. Live action companies will work with you every step of the way to address the details of production. The most dangerous of these is casting – because when your story relies on conveying genuine emotion, you need on-screen talent that will capture and hold your audience’s attention. The right production partner coupled with the right talent and the right message will create a video that’s impossible to forget.
A live action ad or video might be right for you if your message has a real human impact that cannot be communicated without showing real humans.
CONNECT WITH A VIDEO STRATEGIST
Collaborate with an expert video strategist to bring your ideas to life.
Demonstrate by showing
Seeing is believing, and sometimes the best way to show your brand’s value is to just directly show your product or service in motion. This eliminates the need for lengthy explanatory narration, and lets you cut right to the key points you want the viewer to remember.
Demonstrating your product or service in motion has the benefit of making live action videos more shareable, especially if they’re educational. If you use Facebook, your timeline probably features lots of autoplaying videos about cooking or crafts. These are some of the most-shared videos out there, and they do a great deal to raise the visibility of the brands associated with them. The same goes for live action trailers for video games or mobile games, which have a passionate audience built in. Your organization probably doesn’t deal in food, crafts, or video games, but the basic value of showing instead of telling will hold true, no matter what the topic is.
A live action video might be right for you if the best way to communicate your brand’s value is to just straight-up show your product or service in action.
Educational live action videos are among the most-shared content online.
In their own words
Live action companies are often called upon to create testimonial videos. These videos feature talking head interviews with real customers, clients, or employees telling their own stories, often intercut with b-roll footage of the company’s facilities or home city.
Testimonial videos appeal to the audience’s need for authenticity. You can sing your own praises for days, but showing how your brand has affected a real person will be much more believable.
A live action video might be right for you if you have evangelists or testimonial givers that will get on camera and tell your story for you.
