Timing is everything - Video Scribe Creation

Time is money. Timing Video Scribe Creation can be, too.  

In creating a whiteboard animation, you want to grab people's attention quickly, while giving your images time to shine.

For a successful approach to time in your scribe videos, apply these golden rules:

Make the first 5 seconds count 

The first five seconds of your video are by far and away the most important. People only
commit to watching something they know will be useful or entertaining. Make it clear right from those opening seconds what your message is and why it matters.

This rule is so important that it's been built into YouTube advertising. If you pay to have
your advert shown before a video starts, it will play for five seconds before the viewer has the option to skip it and move on.

You have five seconds to recruit your viewer - and make them part of your story.
Keep it short

The biggest mistake a new scriber can make is to make a video excessively long.

Your viewer simply doesn't want to sit through a 10-minute video when one minute will
do. Explainer videos between one and two minutes long are the most effective at keeping viewers engaged.

That said, as ever, you need to know your audience. When the RSA animated Sir Ken
Robinson's talk, they needed 11 minutes 41 seconds. 11 million people felt it was worth watching.

Know your audience. Know your purpose. Set yourself a time limit accordingly.

Create a flow 

So by this point, you've got your hero. You've got your plot. Now you need to let them flow. But not all over the shop.


Sketching out a storyboard will allow you to create narrative and structure your scribes.
You can use it to plan out what you want the viewer to see at each point and why. You can
make sure it has suitable pace and allows time for viewer completion.

Whether you're using software like VideoScribe or physically recording the progression of your scribe, moving the camera around the canvas - focussing on one image at a time -
will keep the story moving. It's the visual equivalent of bullet points, but far more stylish!

Just be careful to get a good balance between movement and keeping the camera
stationary. Staying still too long risks making your scribe look static and too busy with images, but on the other hand, too much movement can look frenetic and over the top.

Time your elements 

Lastly, make sure you think about how long it takes your images to draw on the canvas. Depending on how complicated your images are, you may need to vary the pace and set some images to draw more quickly or slowly than others.

It's best to consider the flow and pace of your scribe when first creating your image, setting
each within your overall storyboard. This will keep your scribe sharp, cut the waffle and ensure maximum impact.