Why scribing works

With this portal I am able to reach thousands of employees 

who will be able to get the training they need to make a 

difference in the world. My scribe is going to be a signature 

piece of our marketing for this initiative and will be seen 

by thousands of people 14 

Video Scribe 

Whiteboard animation is startlingly inclusive. It speaks to the eyes and the ears. It can
break down barriers to understanding, conveying complex information very simply.


Which is why CARE Canada turned to video scribing.


The international humanitarian agency has its work cut out supporting women, children,
and families in over 80 countries. Its workers find themselves facing wildly different

scenarios - post-conflict zones, natural disasters, famine-stricken communities and
poverty of all kinds - and the team themselves come from all over the world.


CARE Canada needs its people to share knowledge, stories and training across the planet.
But how do you teach people thousands of miles apart? How do you ensure that people
with such different backgrounds and challenges are all on the same page?


As part of their e-learning initiative, CARE Canada used a scribe video to tell their signature
story. Far from being alienated by irrelevant and distant communications, the video
enabled CARE's team to relate to and understand their role in the wider organisation. Though far away, video scribing allowed them to engage with its core.


Anticipation and completion


So how does whiteboard animation work? What is its magic? 


One of the secrets of video scribing is the concept known to artists and illustrators as viewer completion. Two dots and a curve are instantly seen as a smiling human face - despite the lack of detail. The viewer's mind completes the image.


Scribe videos also stimulate viewer anticipation - they ask the audience to guess what is being drawn next. This continual anticipation creates surprise and rewards the brain with dopamine

The anticipation of images goes a long way to explaining the mesmerizing effect of
whiteboard videos - why they create such enjoyment, learning and longer engagement.


As their artwork is revealed, scribes demand your contribution and your curiosity.


Dino DNA and Weeds


And once you're hooked, you can start to grapple with complicated ideas. Scribes are perfect for presenting difficult concepts to a general audience.


John Hammond, the bearded genius behind dinosaur resurrection in Spielberg's Jurassic
Park, knew about the relationship between audio and visuals. You'll recall the scene where he explains how to extract DNA from an amber-preserved mosquito.


Although not technically a scribe video, the narrated animation is testament to the power of the audio and visuals working together. The presentation is straightforward enough for children to follow and yet communicates a mind-boggling idea.


Fast forward to the final season of Showtime's comedy-drama Weeds. How do you sum up your protagonist's dramatic journey over the seven preceding seasons - in just a few seconds? The show used a whiteboard animation for the opening credits, depicting the entire through the medium of video scribing

First rate production from much smaller scope


Scribe videos will wow your audience. They will also surprise your accountant. You can produce a high quality product with significantly less outlay than you would with other types of animated or live action videos. This allows you to make vast savings in terms of budget, timescale and resources.


Every day, we ogle our TVs and computers, sucked into the best videography Madison
Avenue has to offer. These advertisements are created by hundreds of people with seemingly limitless budgets.


Anyone who tries to compete with the big players using a hand-held video camera, non- professional actors and a copy of Premiere faces an impossible task - and the results are often seriously second-rate.


But scribe videos - they're judged differently.


We've found that quality scribes produced on a low budget compare very well with more conventional forms of messaging.


Or rather, they don't compare. They are judged in a category all their own. Scribes are so different, such a departure from the norm, that viewers tend to accept whiteboard animation for what it is.

There's something mesmerizing about a drawing coming to life. People are drawn to scribe
videos like a crowd gathering around a portrait artist at the fair.


And when scribe videos work - in over 80 countries around the world - they amplify a
message and make a big difference to people who really need it.