Now more than ever, we see our membership service and video library as a utility, something professionals use to do their jobs more effectively. And we’re always looking for ways to improve that experience. That’s why, based on member feedback, we’ve made changes to nearly every video in the library.
What Changed?
Common Craft videos are now “unbranded”, meaning that they no longer display Common Craft logos, titles, or the tagline “Explained by Common Craft” in the videos, aside from a small copyright endnote.
Why?
Our videos are used in classrooms, on organization websites and inside companies. In these situations, the content is what matters - the explanations. By removing the branding, we can provide videos that focus more tightly on the educational content and the needs of our members.
What Now?
If you’re curious, watch any video in our library to see the new versions (with a watermark that goes away with membership). Please note: the non-English versions of the videos remain the branded versions.
At Common Craft, we’ve learned a few things about stop motion video over the years. It’s how we make all of our videos. Yesterday I downloaded the new (and free) Vine app by Twitter, which allows you to capture and share up to 6 seconds of video at a time using an iPhone or iPod Touch.
I noticed that people were using Vine with stop motion effects and I soon discovered how to do it myself. The instructions below cover the basics:
To “record” video in the Vine app, press your finger onto the screen and a green bar at the top shows that it’s recording. You can record a couple of seconds, release your finger to stop, then record something else by pressing again.
Here’s the SECRET to doing stop-motion: You can simply tap the screen to capture a very short bit of video. A tap will cause the green bar to grow by a tiny bit. This is the same as capturing stop-motion photos. Tap - tap - tap.
Here’s how you can create a Common Craft style animation on Vine:
You’ll need to keep the camera phone still while you record - this can be a challenge when you tap the screen. I taped my phone to a cigar box pointed down onto the whiteboard.
Then, it’s a simple matter of moving the object a tiny bit and tapping the app screen to record a tiny bit of video. Move - Tap - Move - Tap - Move - Tap.
Once you finish, you’ll see that the video shows the object animating across the screen. You can see one of my first tries by clicking here:
I'm "leelefever" on Vine. Look me up!
Or, if you're viewing this on an iPhone, click here for my profile.
When I was a wee lad, I remember seeing these little animated tv shows that seemed to be mixed in with my Saturday morning cartoons. They were only a few minutes long and were focused on a single subject. But these little shows were unlike anything else on TV. I learned something real. I remembered. I knew, at a very young age, how a bill becomes a law. It was Schoolhouse Rock! and as of January 13th, it turned 40 years old.
Speider Schneider is a family friend of David McCall, the creator of the series, and wrote an excellent article about the people and events that made the series happen. From the article:
While it began as a commercial advertising venture by McCall in reaction to his son’s needs and witness to the very solution based in music, when a print workbook version fell through, McCall’s company decided to produce their own animated versions of the songs, which they then sold to ABC (which was already the advertising company’s biggest account) based on a demo animation of the original “Three Is A Magic Number” for its Saturday morning lineup. They pitched their idea to Michael Eisner, then vice-president of ABC’s children’s programming division.
Schneider continues:
Although McCall had a leg up on introducing this innovative idea, it reminds all creatives that a great idea can start with a small spark, sometimes noticed in one’s everyday life and it can grow to greatness. After 40 years, the popularity of Schoolhouse Rock! continues to be enjoyed by generations and holds together, never looking dated or losing its impact.
35 years later, I’m making little shows of my own and credit Schoolhouse Rock! for paving the way. And while the need for this kind of learning and explanation is the same, the environment is different in fundamental ways.
First, McCall’s work could only have been experienced by me and my peers with the help of a TV network and expensive animation tools. The network provided the platform and he happened to have the connections to bring his visions to life. Today we have the Web and comparatively cheap tools for building animations and sharing them with the world. The power of the network is now in our hands.
Second, the animation format was much less cross-generational. In the days of Schoolhouse Rock, cartoons were for kids. I doubt any TV executive could imagine adults being the audience for an animated feature. Today, The Simpsons, South Park and many other shows have proven that adults are a viable market for animated shows. On the web, we see animations becoming one of the most effective explanations and marketing tools for startups.
But some things are remarkably similar.
Schoolhouse Rock shows were all about three minutes long. This length is now a rule-of-thumb duration for many animated explanations. This length is enough to relate valuable information but not so long that people tune out. Also, you know, three IS a magic number:
Also, for the most part, they are purely educational. They were not about Cheerios or Barbie Dolls but grammar, civics and history. From our work at Common Craft to RSA Animate to Minute Physics, these kinds of educational videos endure.
Further, the use of music is a big part of Schoolhouse Rock and something that continues to make learning effective. I recently wrote about an number of awesome examples of this today.
My point here is to say that we live in world where a thousand Schoolhouse Rocks can bloom. We have the tools, the platforms, the audience and know-how to carry the torch, to continue making animated media that educates and enlightens. Let’s build on the work of Mr. McCall and inspire a new generation to see ideas from a more fun and engaging perspective. Here's to 40 more years!
Boing Boing pointed me to this beautiful animated video by a German studio called "finally". From the description with the video:
Music is a good thing. But what we did not know until we started with the research for this piece: Music is also a pretty damn complex thing. This experimental animation is about the attempt to understand all the parts and bits of it. Have a look. You might agree with our conclusion!
I think this is a great example of an experience that's both remarkable in presentation and interesting in content. I didn't learn the details of resonance or musical temperment. But I came away with little introductory nuggets of each part. I came away with just a bit of motivation to keep learning. Sometimes that's all an explanation needs - a taste of an idea that invites someone to keep learning.
Sometimes communicating via computers can feel anonymous and make people lose touch with the impact of what they say online. This video highlights the problems this causes and explains a basic idea: that our words matter, online and off. It teaches:
•Why citizenship matters in the real world
•How one person can behave differently online and off
•What happens when someone forgets that real people get their comments
A team from the Seattle Channel recently spent a couple of days with us at Common Craft. They interviewed us and filmed every part of our work. This video captures the Common Craft process and philosophy unlike anything else. I think you'll love it. (Email readers can watch it here.)
When I was a wee lad, I remember seeing these little animated tv shows that seemed to be mixed in with my Saturday morning cartoons. They were only a few minutes long and were focused on a single subject. But these little shows were unlike anything else on TV. I learned something real. I remembered. I knew, at a very young age, how a bill becomes a law. It was 