2010 Census "Count on Change" - Explained by Say It Visually

Say It Visually!, a member of the Common Craft Explainer Network, recently published this video that explains the impact of the 2010 Census on communities and focuses on encouraging participation among people of color.

This format is a new one for Say It Visually and it's great to see them taking video explanation in new directions. I think the hand-painted style fits really well with the voice-over and music by Keb'-Mo'. It has a heart-felt feel that may have been hard with animation. What do you think?

$8,000 First Time Home Buyer's Tax Credit - Explained By Switch Web Video

Switch Web Video, a member of the Common Craft Explainer Network, recently published a new and timely video about the $8,000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit.

Here's what Andrew Angus, Principal of Switch, had to say about the project:

Working with Washington REALTORS on this video about the $8000 First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit was a dream. Steve was an excellent client. He knew what he wanted but he also gave our team the room do work their creative magic. The video has been a huge success with custom versions created for over 40 REALTOR Associations in the past couple weeks. Steve has generously offered to allow anyone to download and use the $8000 First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit Video for free.

The Common Craft Explainer Network is a group of video producers that specialize in making custom explanatory videos. The Network currently has six members that represent a number of skills, styles and formats.  If that chunk of text on your home page just isn't doing the trick anymore, contact an Explainer Network member.

The Election Video - One More Time, This Time With Feeling

We orginally published this video on July 30th, but it all comes together in real life tomororw on Election Day.  If you have any questions on exactly how Americans elect a new president, this video will help.

Making the Election Video: Behind the Scenes

People often ask for a look at how we make the videos. When we were putting together the the "Electing a US President" video, I made a special point to take photos of the process. Here's how it works:

Every video starts with a script. If there is "secret sauce" it happens in writing the script because the script drives the video. We use Google Docs to collaborate until we feel like the script is close to finished. Then, we start looking at a thumbnail storyboard.

I draw the scenes for the thumbnail storyboard. It's our first attempt to represent the visuals.

After a couple of rounds of thumbnails and lots of talking between us, we make a list of all the elements that need to be drawn for the video. At this point, I start drawing and digitizing the images. Of course, with the maps in this video, I resorted to tracing.

Once the images are drawn and digitized, we set up a new storyboard using purely digital images. This way, we can manipulate sizes easily and see how everything fits together. Once we feel confident, we print out the materials and start cutting and coloring.

Sometimes, we leave things laying around and our dog decides to put them in his mouth.

Before shooting the video, we assemble all the materials and take them to the studio. We iterate at every point in the process. The script and visuals change every day.

Once production begins, we follow the storyboard and slowly lay out each scene. Often, scenes are revised on the fly. You can never really see how it will work until you see it on the screen.

Each video is different. Sometimes we go down a road, only to find a dead end. We are both prepared to throw away our work and start over if it doesn't feel right. It's painful, but necessary.

Sachi takes over control once we get to the studio. She runs each scene, the camera, lights, etc. She manages the voice-over and all the post production work. Editing is a huge part of what makes the videos work and those decisions are Sachi's. While she's doing that, I start this process over for the next video.

All these elements come together to create this video (on Vimeo, YouTube and dotSUB):

Kansas, We Owe You One (Updated Election Video)

I'm not sure how this happened, but there is an error in the original version of the "Electing a US President" video.  The original version says that there are 3 congressional districts in Kansas.  As we discovered today, via a nice email from Gerry Deman of Kansas, there are actually 4 districts.

Electing a US President in Plain English

Video: Electing a US President in Plain English