Punchy, Powerful Storytelling with Narrated Time-Lapse Videos

Our narrated time-lapse videos offer a creative spin to traditional animation with a look and feel similar to Graphic Recording and the engaging nature of video animation. Animated timelapse videos are a way to communicate your important message with a fantastic sketch, transformed into a time-lapse video synced up to custom voice-over narration.

How Animated Timelapse Videos Work.

It's a Graphic Recording...no; it's Video Animation! Wait...it's an Infographic! Actually...it's all of the above combined into one awesome package! Check out our overview video for an in-depth look at our narrated time-lapse videos.

Examples of Narrated Time-Lapse Videos

Example #1

Example #2

Example #3

Olivette Architectural Review

The team at Olivette leveraged a Narrated Time-lapse video to communicate the three important steps of their architectural review process. Instead of reading a lengthy word document, new homeowners in the Olivette community can watch this quick, engaging video, easily learn their next steps, and take action.

The Academy Within

The Academy Within the team wanted a fun and punchy way to launch their new program, and they opted for a Narrated Time-lapse video. In a few short minutes, this video breaks down the components of their new program, the value to participants, and an engaging call-to-action.

Stroock, Stroock & Lavan

The law firm of Stroock & Stroock Lavan used a Narrated Time-lapse video to communicate their firm’s nearly 150 years of practicing law. This dynamic video captures this history in a compelling way that anchors the audience to the firm’s foundation and casts a vision for its future.

Our 5-Step Production Process for Narrated Time-lapse Videos

01 Content Collection

We ask our clients to provide a word-for-word script maxing out at 750 words or about 5 minutes of narration. The client then highlights 10-15 sections of the script that will be directly populated on the sketch and used to supplement the visuals. This is a critical step that expedites the production process and gets the ball rolling fast!

02 Creative Kickoff Call

We set up an initial call to align on content and creative direction. During this time, we’ll discuss the overall goal for the project, color palettes, brand guidelines, and other critical information that will aid us in the creation of a successful end product.

03 Voice Over

After scripting, we jump right into the storyboard. In this step, we break down the video panel by panel, sequence by sequence, and create rough, loose sketches to convey the overall visual direction. Here is when the video begins to come to life!

04 Initial Rough Draft

Depending on your video style, we will create the polished final illustrations, graphics and assets that will go into the video animation. This is when our in-house illustrators get to really shine.

05 Final Sketch & Time-Lapse Export

Incorporating all of the client feedback, our sketch artist creates a final polished illustration and captures a time-lapse recording of the process. We render out a 4k time-lapse export, add music, sound effects, and sync it up perfectly with the voice-over. The final video is then sent to the client and ready to share with the world.

Animated Time-Lapse Videos

are a Great Fit For:

In-person & online conference recaps

Educational, instructional, or training materials

Social media & product marketing

Quick explainers & overviews

Workshops & journey mapping recaps

The Value for Audiences

The Value for Clients

More Efficient Messaging
Entertainment & Engagement
Increased Comprehension
Longer Retention

More Efficient Messaging

Animation has become one of the most efficient ways to consume information. In a digital world filled with distractions, animation helps streamline messaging in an appealing format that is faster and more impactful than reading through emails, blogs, ebooks, slide decks, or whitepapers alone.

Entertainment & Engagement

Content that is entertaining and enjoyable increases engagement and viewership, enabling maximum impact of critical messaging. The more fun it is, the more people will pay attention.

Increased Comprehension

Science shows that people learn best visually. Consuming pictures and images used in tandem with text and audio is the most impactful way to deliver digestible content that your users can quickly understand.

Longer Retention

Science also shows that visual communication helps audiences remember content far longer than if they heard or read it. Long after your audience has moved on from your video, they will retain the big ideas and be more likely to take appropriate action as a result.

Engaging Alternative to Graphic Recording
Affordable Price Point
Quick Turnaround Time
Client Control & Versatile Shareability

Engaging Alternative to Graphic Recording

Our time-lapse products look and feel reminiscent of graphic recording but don’t rely on a live event context for their creation. They are fun to watch, and the voiceover gives critical talking points maximum impact. It’s a terrific way to recap content that might have otherwise been missed.

Affordable Price Point

If the cost of video animation production has kept you out of the ring, this alternative is a terrific substitute. It’s a more affordable medium than traditional, full-scale video animation production, yet still delivers an engaging and memorable experience for viewers.

Quick Turnaround Time

With video animation projects requiring 6-9 weeks of production time and graphic recording projects dependent on a specific event, this product can be turned around in two weeks after receiving the initial script and content.

Client Control & Versatile Shareability

Clients receive a video file and a still image that can be used immediately. From sharing on social media platforms and YouTube to internal organization communication channels, you can leverage the final product in countless ways.

TESTIMONIALS

In the Words of

Our Partners

"We partnered with The Sketch Effect to create an animated video to explain our team management platform and are very happy with the results! From the initial script to final animation, the team made the entire process easy for us and delivered a creative and effective final video. Our Pickle Juice platform has only benefited from utilizing this video and look forward to continued growth, thanks to our new animated explainer video!"

Kellie H.

Customer Support & Onboarding Specialist

Pickle Juice

"The Sketch Effect is awesome! The animated video they made for us at Cure VCP Disease will be instrumental in spreading awareness about our important cause. The Whiteboard Animation helped communicate a complex and serious issue in a clear, understandable way, and guided viewers towards actionable next steps. This video will help us further our mission in a profound way. Thanks Sketch Effect!"

Nathan Peck

CEO

Cure VCP Disease, Inc.

"I came to The Sketch Effect with a rough idea for an animated universe to house a new product family and they brought it to life! As someone who is not a designer, it can be very difficult to get ideas out of my head and the team at Sketch Effect are so good at asking the right questions to get a feel for what I’m looking for and deliver it so well, and then some! They are creative and responsive and always eager to problem solve!"

Hannah Higerd

Marketing Services Manager

Acuity Brands

"Our business is complex. In looking for simple and shareable means to communicate our issues, we found The Sketch Effect. The relationship started with several illustrated videos explaining the workings of power plants and the electric grid. We have also advanced to using the team for Live Sketching at internal meetings and training sessions. Their ability to simplify messaging into layman’s language and visuals has been astonishing to see and beneficial to our success. We value the partnership."

Ronny Just

Governmental Relations Manager

Southern Company

"We cannot thank The Sketch Effect enough! Our team was really pleased with the illustrated video and how well it communicated the vision for our project. The Sketch Effect team did a phenomenal job turning our long winded elevator speech into something people could grasp and get excited about quickly."

Tresa Sharma

Field Marketing

Chick-fil-A

"Having artists from The Sketch Effect join our virtual meeting was a huge hit. In a season full of virtual meetings and staring at our screens, every meeting can begin to feel the same. The Sketch Effect made this meeting stand out. The live-sketching helped participants stay engaged added a unique creative element to the presentation, and provided tangible takeaways for all of our participants. "

Kevin Scott

Co-Founder

ADDO Worldwide

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Animation Services FAQs

How Long Does it Take to Create?

In most cases, production is completed within two weeks of receiving the initial script from the client.

What Types of Materials & Software is Used? Do I Need to Provide Anything?

Our sketch artists use Procreate on iPads to create the illustrations, and we use Adobe Aftereffects to sync the voiceover with the time-lapse. All we need from the client is the script!

How Much Does it Cost?

Projects are typically priced individually. However, it’s more cost-effective than our full-scale animated video services. Book a call with one of our sales representatives to get a more specific idea of how much your time-lapse project might cost.

How Many Revisions Do We Receive?

In step 4 of the production process, we gather all client feedback and implement any revision requests. Once approved, there are no further edits after step 5.

Do You Help With Scriptwriting?

For these projects, we rely on the client to provide us with the script. This is a critical step that expedites the timeline and reduces cost. However, we do source voice-over actors and will be happy to help you refine your script for maximum impact.

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