Explainer videos · Film & Animation
One short film, and everyone gets it.
Animated and live-action explainers that make a strategy, a product, a process or a change easy to understand — scripted by business-literate writers and drawn for your world, never from a template.
Made by our film and animation team, alongside the scribes and designers who often draw the picture first.
Explainers for TechInsights, Oxford University Press and global pharmaceutical teams.
Scripted, drawn & animated
Why explainers work
Explain it well, once.
An explainer is the film people go looking for when they want to understand something — and the one your team can send instead of answering the same question again.
96%
of people have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service.
93%
of video marketers say video has helped people understand their product or service.
9 of 9
studies found people learn more from words with pictures than from words alone — the principle every explainer is built on.
57%
of video marketers say video has cut the number of support questions they get.
A good explainer is the film people look for, understand and don’t need explained again.
The anatomy of an explainer
Ninety seconds, five beats.
Every explainer we make is built on the same spine: a hook, a problem, one idea, the proof and a next step — with the words, the picture and the sound each doing a different job.
Illustrative: how a typical ninety-second explainer is built. Stills from explainers we’ve made.
10:00–0:10
The hook
- Words
- A question your audience is already asking.
- Picture
- A moment they recognize — their desk, their customer, their evening.
- Sound
- Music in, with energy.
20:10–0:30
The problem
- Words
- What’s in the way, said in their language.
- Picture
- One character, one obstacle, drawn simply.
- Sound
- The music steps back so the voice leads.
30:30–1:00
The idea
- Words
- One idea, in three or four steps.
- Picture
- The idea built on screen, one step at a time — the part people remember.
- Sound
- A sound cue marks each step.
41:00–1:15
The proof
- Words
- Why it’s worth it: a result, a voice, a number you can source.
- Picture
- Real data, real people or the product at work.
- Sound
- The music lifts.
51:15–1:30
The next step
- Words
- One clear action.
- Picture
- What to do, where, and by when.
- Sound
- The music resolves to a clean ending.
Styles
Pick the style that fits the story.
Every explainer is drawn or filmed for the job — no templates, no stock characters. These are the styles we use most, and we often mix them.
Hand-drawn, scribe style
Drawn line by line, as if by hand — warm, human and good at history, ideas and big-picture stories.
- Thought leadership
- Publishing
- Culture
2D character animation
A cast your audience can see themselves in, carrying the story from the problem to the payoff.
- Change
- Onboarding
- Internal comms
Animated infographic
A process or a set of data drawn as one picture, then explored with the camera, so people see how the parts connect.
- Processes
- Technical products
- Reports
3D & motion graphics
Science, products and data in three dimensions, with type and graphics that move with the voice.
- Science & pharma
- Products
- Event screens
Live action & interviews
Real people explaining in their own words, with graphics added where the idea needs a diagram.
- Leadership
- Culture
- Customer stories
Interactive explainers
Viewers choose their own path through the content — built with our games team for learning people take part in.
- Learning programs
- Onboarding
- Leadership
Where they work
Wherever something needs explaining.
The same craft does very different jobs. Here is where our clients use explainers most — and what they pair them with.
Launches & marketing
Introduce a product, service or initiative so people get it the first time they see it.
Try: an explainer, plus short cuts for social and sales.
Training & onboarding
Make learning quick, clear and memorable — from compliance to a new starter’s first week.
Try: a short series, one explainer per module.
Change & transformation
Align teams around a new strategy, structure or way of working.
Try: an explainer launched at a scribed town hall.
Sustainability & CSR
Show what you’ve committed to, and why it matters, in a way people believe.
Try: an animated infographic and a report designed to match.
Examples
See a few we’ve made.
Our explainer reel, and two films with the story behind them.
Ludic Media Studio explainer video reel
TechInsights animated infographic
Animated infographic
TechInsights
A semiconductor analysis company’s process, drawn first as one infographic by our scribing team, then animated with a deeper script and a voiceover.
“They took highly technical concepts and turned them into an easy-to-follow story that enabled a deeper connection with our market.”
Oxford University Press: American National Biography animation
Scribe-style animation
Oxford University Press
Short animations that bring American history to life, made to launch the American National Biography — the series has passed 75,000 views.
Why Ludic
Not another template explainer.
Many explainer studios sell a format: a set price, a house style and a turnaround. We start with what your audience needs to understand — and make the film that gets them there.
| Ludic Media Studio | A typical template studio |
|---|---|
| Scripts from people who work in strategy and change | A script written from a form |
| Original illustration, drawn for your world | Templates and stock characters |
| Planned with the campaign, event or program around it | A file handed over at the end |
| Can become interactive, a scribed board or a game | One linear video, and that’s it |
| Senior creatives on every call | Account managers in between |
| Experience with global transformation programs | Often built for startups only |
How we work
From the first call to the final file.
Most of the work goes into the script. You see every frame on paper before anything moves — so there are no surprises at the end.
01
Discovery call
We agree the goal, the audience, the tone and where the film will be watched.
- Goals
- Audience
02
Script & storyboard
Our writers and illustrators shape the message into a story, frame by frame.
- Script
- Storyboard
03
Design & animation
Original artwork brought to life with motion, voiceover and sound design.
- Style frames
- Voice & sound
04
Review & refine
Drafts at every stage for your feedback and input.
- Review rounds
05
Deliver & launch
Files for every channel, with subtitles, other languages and cut-downs.
- Subtitles
- Cut-downs
“The work is outstanding – you did an amazing job. The content is engaging and inspiring. I would like to include this video as the gold standard.”
Senior Brand Manager, global pharmaceutical organization
The team behind it
Explainers with a bigger team behind them.
Our explainers are made by our film and animation team — often from a picture our scribes or designers drew first.
Film & Animation
Films people want to watch, built to be understood.
- Explainer films
- 2D & 3D animation
- Event films
- Interviews
Visual Scribing
Big ideas, drawn so people remember them.
- Graphic recording
- Graphic facilitation
- Knowledge walls
- Sketchnotes
Design
Complex ideas, designed so people get them at a glance.
- Rich pictures
- Infographics
- Interactive media
- Campaign identity
Questions
Good to know
How long should an explainer be?
Long enough for one idea, told well — usually around a minute and a half. If there is more to say, a short series of explainers tends to work better than one long film.
How long does it take to make one?
Most of the time goes into getting the script right. We agree a schedule at the start, built back from your launch date, with review points at the script, the storyboard and the animation.
What do you need from us to start?
The idea you want explained, who it’s for and what you want them to do afterward. Strategy decks, product material and research all help — we’ll find the story in them.
Can we update it later?
Animation is easier to update than live action: a number, a name or a screen can change without a reshoot. Tell us at the start if you expect changes, and we’ll build the film to make them simple.
Can it be translated and cut for different channels?
Yes. We add subtitles, record voiceovers in other languages and make cuts for social, internal and external use.
Can an explainer be part of something bigger?
That is where it works hardest. The same characters can appear on posters, at a scribed launch event, in an interactive module or a game — our film and animation team makes them alongside the rest of the studio.
Start a project
What’s your story?
Tell us what needs explaining, and to whom. We’ll find the story — and the simplest way to tell it.
What happens next
Tell us the story
What you need people to see, understand or do — and who they are.
We find the right team
A lead from our team reads it and brings in the scribes, designers, animators or game designers the brief needs.
We talk it through
A short call about goals, audience, timings and budget, then a proposal with options.
Send us your brief
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