Depending on the type of video you are doing, you may come to the decision one day on whether to use real or animated actors in your video shoot. In the end, choosing actors is all up to you and may ultimately have a bearing on the budget of the final production.
Time
It takes less time to use real actors. You choose the face of your campaign. You get your storyline straight, your script is done, revised approved. Then the acting begins. The responses to the script and acting can be done in real time; adjustments can be made in real time. Feedback can be given in real-time. Direction can be given in real time. And as such a favorable cut can be made in less time. An animation will see the storyboard and script designed yes, but it takes a lot of man hours to create the animated characters, to animate them and have them follow the script. Then feedback is usually generated after an iteration of the process which may be longer than it would take if it was using live actors.
Money
It is very expensive to do animated videos. You have to weigh the costs of doing both kinds of video before you decide which is right for you. There are some scenarios that of course cannot be simulated effectively with actors and such animation would be preferred. Additionally getting a famous actor to play a role in your video may be much more expensive that the cost of using animation. In the end the decision is up to you and you have to make the decision based on the budget you are working with to get your video on the road.
Audience
Of course the audience is very important in anything we do. If the target audience is children we automatically think that animation will do the trick. If it is business related we want to use ‘serious’ real people so as to convey the importance of the message. Our audience does matter; they are the ones we are doing all this hard work for. So it is important to look at what traditionally our target audience prefers and give it to them in that medium.
Before the actual work starts, it is important that these decisions are made and all the factors are taken into place to prevent rework and wastage of resources.
