BOOKS

HOW TO DESIGN YOUR

OWN WHITEBOARD
ANIMATION
Jon Air, Eric Oakland and Chipp Walters

HOW TO DESIGN YOUR

OWN WHITEBOARD
ANIMATION
Jon Air, Eric Oakland and Chipp Walters
Copyright 2015 by Jon Air, Eric Oakland and Chipp Walters
All rights reserved
Sparkol Books
Bristol, UK
www.sparkol.com/books
Second edition
First edition published as Video Scribing: How Whiteboard Animation Will
Get You Heard, Sparkol Ltd 2014
Publisher: Sparkol Books
Designer: Rob Mayes
Editor: Ffion Lindsay
Copyeditor: Daniel Mehmet

rev 5.0.5

Contents
Introduction

Chapter 1: Plan like a pro

Chapter 2: Start with a story

Chapter 3: Craft your content

19

Chapter 4: Pick a palette

23

Chapter 5: Find your font

29

Chapter 6: Lay it all out

35

Chapter 7: Time it right

41

Chapter 8: Make your voice heard

45

Chapter 9: Music to scribe by

49

Chapter 10: Share it with the world

53

Final word

57

About the authors

59

Introduction
YOUVE GOT A

STORY IN MIND...
Youve got an invention or a lesson plan or a pitch or a manifesto or a
proposition.
And youve found the perfect medium to deliver it. A video type that
improves problem solving by 50- 75%, boosts memory by 15% and could
net you twice as many conversions as a regular talking head video.
A style called scribing.
You want to scribe your message beautifully, scribe it boldly all over the
internet, all over the planet. You want to make a difference.
But where to start?
In this book youll find out how to plan and design amazing high-quality
scribe videos ones that will engage, inspire and entertain.
Whether you use VideoScribe, commission a professional youve found on
Animole or craft your own stop-motion animations by hand, this is your
ultimate how-to guide.

There are a lot of good scribes about, but youre going to learn how to
make yours truly great.

What makes a great scribe?

Great scribes are the result of lots of different factors, but above all
careful planning.
In this book, well look at planning and writing your script, crafting your
content and delivering it with crescendo, razzmatazz and substance
in all the right places. Youll find advice on positioning and timing your
images to create flow, and a strong sense of direction. Finally, well look
at recording pitch-perfect audio, choosing a standout soundtrack and,
ultimately, winning your audience.
Well look at how to make your scribes technically superb, eye-catching
and memorable a practical guide to whiteboard animation.
If youre ready to take your scribing to the next level, we hope you digest,
exploit and share this guide.
Its time to get your story heard.

Chapter
1
PLAN LIKE A PRO
The first thing you notice about a scribe video is the images but that isnt
where you need to start. First you need a strong script.
Here are our top tips for making yours dazzle.

Know your message

This sounds obvious but if you dont have a clear idea of what youre
trying to say, your audience wont either.
Stick to one message for each scribe - These
are our values, were having a sale, or heres
the 7 times table.
Start with a strong message and youll find it
easier to stay focused and discard the parts that
dont add value to the video.

Clean, simple visuals and a strong, confident message

make this scribe a success.

Set the tone

If your message is what you say to your
audience, your tone is how you say it. Its
where the personality comes in.
Should your scribe be urgent, reassuring,
funny?
Your answer should be based on three
Politics can be tricky if you need to remain impartial. This
factors. First off, what kind of impression are
scribe from Eden Videos hits exactly the right tone.
you trying to give? What style feels natural to you?
Secondly, who is your audience? Try to put yourself into their shoes and
imagine how they speak.
Finally, what is your video about? You probably wouldnt crack jokes in a
health and safety video, or stay deathly serious for an explainer.
Choosing a clear tone of voice will influence how the script is written and
get you thinking about the kind of voiceover youll use later.

Be clear
Your information needs to be clearly organised. A video quickly gets
bogged down if it tries to talk about too many things at once.
Make a list of all the things that you
need to say in your scribe, then rank
them in order of importance. Finish
by cutting anything that isnt essential
knowledge for your viewer.
If your video gets shared a lot, it might
lose its context away from its YouTube
description. Make sure to include who
you are and at least one way that your
audience can get hold of you.

This scribe from Royal Roofing Inc keeps the contact number
on screen at all times giving the viewer maximum time to
make a note of it. Clever.

Chapter
2
START WITH A STORY
Once upon a time...
Your scribe needs to tell a story.
Marketing videos, educational videos, presentations whatever youre
planning, they can all benefit from having a few storytelling elements added.
Were bombarded with information every day. Statistics, facts and figures
just dont cut it any more.
When it comes to communication, storytelling is the most powerful tool
we have at our disposal. It cuts straight through that sea of noise and
creates an instant emotional rapport with our audience.
And the way it does it is pretty crazy.
When we watch a boring PowerPoint presentation, the only parts of our
brain that get activated are the parts responsible for language processing.
Thats it.
When we listen to a story being told, the whole of your brain gets put to work.
9

As the narrator describes sensations and emotions, the corresponding

areas begin to light up.
Even freakier, scientists have discovered that when a speaker tells a story
to a listener, both their brains show very similar activity across widespread
areas. Their brains are effectively in sync with one another.
This phenomenon is called neural coupling, and goes some way to
explaining why stories have such a powerful hold on us. Powerful enough
that 92% of consumers want brands to make ads that feel like a story.

The brain doesnt look like a spectator, it looks more

like a participant in the action. When Clint Eastwood

is angry on screen, the viewers brains look angry
too; when the scene is sad, the viewers brains also
look sad. - Jonathan Gottschall, Fastcocreate

Luckily, scribing is the perfect medium for telling stories. And yours
neednt be as epic as The Odyssey just something your audience can
connect with emotionally.
10

Hold out for a hero

You dont have to devise elaborate characters and backstories to give your
scribe heart. You just need to understand how stories work.
If you think about it, almost every famous story follows this structure:
1. Take one likeable hero
2. Present the hero with a challenge
3. Make them overcome their challenge and emerge transformed
Finding your hero is just a case of working out whose voice your audience
will be most interested in hearing. Do they want to hear the story of
someone they admire? A company mascot? Or someone just like them?
(Hint: its usually the latter).
Here are five principles to follow for a spectacular story.

11

1. Keep it simple
The majority of stories follow a really basic plot, with only a handful of
character types to choose from. These include:
The hero - must be friendly and relatable
The villain - struggles against the hero
The dispatcher - sends the hero off
The (magical) helper - helps the hero in their quest
The princess (or prince) - the reward for the heros efforts
The donor - prepares the hero or gives them a magical object
The false hero - takes credit for the heros actions or tries to marry
the princess
If youre selling mould cleaner, you could place your viewer at the centre
of the story as the hero with a grimy bathroom. Your product could be
the magical object or helper (if its been made into a character). The villain
could be the mould you get the picture.
Alternatively, you could make your potential customer the princess who
needs saving and your product or idea the hero. There are many different
ways of looking at this, but thinking
about roles will help you figure out
how all these pieces are supposed to
fit together.
Its the same if your video promotes
an idea or a methodology. You might
not be selling a physical product,
but you can still make your idea the
thing that helps the hero complete
his quest and live happily ever after.

This simple scribe uses story to demonstrate

exactly why you need to buy their services.

12

2. Create and satisfy desire

To successfully market your product or idea, you need to show that your
product fulfils a need or desire in the viewer.
Most story structures start with a situation in balance, which becomes
lopsided before finally returning to a new calm. Basically, everything is
fine until something bad happens and the hero has to fight to make things
okay again.
Your customer was getting on quite happily until mould started destroying
their bathroom. You have to demonstrate how your mould-busting
product is going to put things right. Think about interesting ways to show
the potential customer that your product will restore order to their life.
Even better, show them how it will improve their life forever.

13

If youre scribing for a learning environment, consider tantalising your

audience with half-told stories. Tell only half of an intriguing tale and
work your way gradually through the information that needs to be learnt,
with the promise of learning the
outcome at the end.
Alternatively, try incorporating the
information into the story itself in a
memorable way.
What if your hero were to progress
in the story each time he or she
completed a math challenge? Make
achieving a new goal an exciting,
rewarding process and your
audience will never be bored again.
This cheerful scribe uses the story of Broc the broccoli to
emphasise the importance of a community approach to
health and nutrition.

14

3. Make it memorable
The stories we tell might all be the same at base level but a good story will
define what makes you special.
Lois Geller, a marketer and writer for Forbes, believes these four factors
are key to a memorable advert:
Disruptive and relevant visuals
Strong brand identification
A brilliant headline
Something else
The something else is a variable, but often its something which inspires
curiosity. You want your viewer to ask, Whats going on here? This looks
interesting.

15

Hopefully you already have a good idea of what makes your product or
idea unique.
These rules work for explainers and training videos as
well make it clear who you are, what
youre here to say and invest
some time in making your
scribe visually exciting.
Youll have no problem keeping
your audience engaged.

This scribe would be pretty powerful even without the neat visual
twist at the end. But when it appears - wow.

16

4. Look on the bright side

Choose simple, positive and inspiring language. Avoid anything too
negative. Its easy to get caught up in overly complicated wording. For
example, Call us today has far more impact than Dont hesitate to call
us its direct, positive and a clear call to action. Similarly this video will
make learning x easy! is far more inspiring than
this video will make learning x less difficult.
Its important to be confident in your delivery
but also remember that this is not about you.
You are only here to explain to your viewer how
you can help them. If you were just planning on
shouting about how amazing your product or
idea is dont bother.

This is a great example of just how energising a scribe

can be when you use positive, motivating language.

17

Get your story right, and your audience wont

just love your content theyll share it and find
others to love it as well.

5. Call your audience to action

Finally, make it crystal clear what you
want people to do after watching your
scribe video.
Its a cruel reality, but most people dont
bother following up on things theyve
watched. Theyll move on to that video
of a dog riding an elephant or switch
the kettle on or answer the door.
Now youve perfected your script, its
time to plan your imagery. Because, as
they say, images maketh the scribe.

Find tonnes of examples of successful scribes on the

VideoScribe scribe wall

18

3
Chapter
CRAFT YOUR CONTENT
It can be difficult to settle on a visual style for your scribe, especially if
youre not an artist.
If you are an artist, congratulations! Turning your own illustrations into
VideoScribe-ready SVGs is really easy.
Luckily for the rest of us, VideoScribe comes with thousands of free and
premium images in a variety of different illustration styles.
But if youre after something specific, there are a few
different options you can try.

19

Get Googling
If you have an idea of what you need for your scribe, start with a Google
image search.
Once youve entered your search terms you can specify the size, colour,
image type (photo, drawing etc) and upload date to narrow down your
search. Only SVG images will draw in VideoScribe so make sure you get
the right file type too.
The one thing to be careful about is to make sure that you have
permission to use the images you find online. Always check the source and
contact the site owner if youre not sure.

SVG Studio
If youre planning on scribing regularly, it might be worth investing in a
decent sized assets library (pics, fonts, jingles etc) that you can go back to
again and again.
Having all your useful bits and pieces in one place will make it much easier
to keep your content consistent. At SVG Studio, you can buy thousands of
premium SVGs in themed bundles. Even better, theyre royalty-free, so you
can use them as many times as you like.

20

Select a style
The strongest scribes use just one type of illustration throughout.
Changing rapidly from one style to another can break the flow of the
scribe and look odd.
Whether you prefer using stickmen,
cartoons, lifelike characters or
photographs, try not to mix styles when
you can help it.

This scribe has a consistent, attractive illustration style

which supports the narrative well.

21

Bring out your branding

Match the brand elements in your video to those on your website, social
media and anywhere else you have a presence. Syncing everything
up will make you seem far more professional and focused, and your
audiences confidence in your brand will grow.
Just like Mashable, you could turn
your own logo into an SVG image to
use in your scribes. Why not create
your own opening credits for instant
brand recognition?
If youre posting your video to YouTube
or social media, make sure you provide
links back to your website. This will
make it much easier for people to find
and remember you.

Mashable made this scribe their own by importing a custom

soundtrack, images and logos into VideoScribe.

22

4
Chapter

PICK A PALETTE
Getting your colours right will make your videos instantly more watchable.
Follow these simple colour rules to make intriguing and attractive scribes.

Limit your colour palette

Restrict the number of colours you use. Too many colours can give too
much contrast and the effect can be garish. Often scribers feel they need
to use lots of colours to grab the viewers attention, but its actually easier
to emphasise elements with a limited number of colours.
Stick to one main colour if you can. Other colours should be used in
smaller amounts to support the main colour. Having one main colour in a
scribe will give it a strong and distinctive style. It will also strengthen the
sense of continuity between scenes.

23

Think of colours in context

Colours give different feelings and messages depending on what other
colours they are used with. The context of a colour can be used to
communicate messages and ideas in your scribe.
The diagram above shows the same red being used with four very
different colours. Each one conveys very different emotions and feelings.
For example, the black with the red gives a much stronger, darker feeling
than the happier, lighter effect we get from the pink and red.

24

5 schemes for colour harmony

Do you remember the colour wheel from school art class? Here it is again,
along with all the patterns you need to know to create great colour palettes.

1. Complementary colours
This is the most basic one. For complementary colours you simply use
colours that are opposite to each other on the colour wheel. The principle
is pretty straight forward, but you can experiment with different shades
and tints to get what youre looking for.
This scheme is often used for drawing attention to something as it
produces a strong visual contrast. It works best when you juxtapose a
warm colour with a cool colour, e.g. red/orange versus green/blue.
Use one colour as the dominant one and the complementary colour for
the accents. Dont worry if you dont get it right straight away it can be
hard to balance complementary colours well as they are so different.

25

2. Analogous colours
Analogous colours are those that are next to each other on the colour
wheel. You usually have one dominant colour within each set, and choose
colours either side of this to complete your palette.
Its very easy to create a good palette with this system but you can
sometimes lack contrast, making it less effective than complementary
colours for attention grabbing. Stay away from using warm and cool
colours together in analogous colour schemes.

3. Monochromatic colours
Monochromatic means one colour. A monochromatic scheme is simply
one that uses variations in shade or tint of the same hue (or colour).
This scheme is elegant and very easy on the eyes because there are no
strong contrasts.
It works well when used to create an overall mood for your scribe but,
again, it can be a struggle to highlight different areas. Sometimes youll
see a single colour being combined with neutral colours like white, black
or grey for a clean, classy style.
26

4. Split-complementary colours
These final categories produce some of the more advanced colour palettes.
For an effect like the example on the left, choose one colour and combine
with two others equally spaced from its complement (the original).
Split-complementary schemes give a good balance between the contrast
of complementary colours and the soothing appeal of analogous or
monochromatic colours. Using one main warm colour as the accent colour
and a range of cooler colours generates the most attractive outcomes.

5. Triad colours
Try making a triangle on the colour wheel, so that the three colours are
equally spaced out. It wont be as striking as using complementary colours
but will give a strong contrast whilst still retaining an appealing balance.
Again, its wise to make one of these colours the main colour you use.

27

Useful colour tools

Adobe Color CC is a handy tool for testing out different colour schemes.
You can also save your picks and come back to them later.
Colour Scheme Designer gives you the option to see an example of your
colour scheme in action.
Pictaculous suggests colours to go with images that you upload, making it
easy to build a palette around an image, logo or other reference point.
COLOURlovers is a global community where people create and share
palettes and patterns, and talk about the latest colour trends.
Hail pixel is a delight to use mouse around the screen to change the
spectrum and click when you find something that you like.

28

5
Chapter

FIND YOUR FONT

The images you use in a scribe will impact the message. Obvious, right?
But if you underestimate the power of the fonts you risk underselling your
message.
Fonts are just as important - heres why.
A good scriber knows that a well-chosen typeface looks stylish and doesnt
distract from the message of the scribe.
An expert scriber knows that choosing the perfect typeface can
strengthen that message and bring all the other visual elements together.
Knowing the distinction will make all the difference.

29

Minimal is best
Just like colour, its best to keep the number of typefaces
in your video or scribe to a minimum. We recommend
using no more than two typefaces per video.

Click on the link below or copy

this URL into your browser search
bar to go to our website.
www.sparkol.com

And, when you can avoid type, avoid it.

Type is there to help communicate and is often essential to tell viewers
information but less text and more images works a lot better. Viewers
expect to watch a video, not read it.

www.sparkol.com

If youre using a voiceover in your scribes, you probably wont

need text that often. The only exception might be having a URL or
contact information written on-screen. Images help people to retain
information better than just text, as they are usually easier to recall. Only
scribe the most important, unavoidable bits of text.

30

Whos the boss?

Creating hierarchy in typography is important for communicating your
message effectively. Your viewers will only have so much patience for
taking in the information on screen, so you want to make sure they see
the most important things first.
Size is the most obvious way to create hierarchy in your typography.
Increasing the point size is going to draw the viewers eye to those bigger
things first.
Weight works similarly to size. Bold or italic text will be more prominent
in the hierarchy as the eye is drawn to what is different. Bold text naturally
commands more attention because it takes up more space than regular text.
Using a different colour for a portion of your text can help things stand
out as well. See the previous chapter on colour for which combinations
have the most power.

31

The position of your text will determine what people read first. Will your
readers read from left to right or right to left? This can determine which
areas readers are most likely to look at first.
Avoid putting the most important parts of your text at the bottom of the
page. This is normally where the small print is the parts that nobody
really reads!
Giving space to your important text is crucial. If you bury an important
bit in the middle of some unimportant bits, people will struggle to
find it quickly.
Give that bit of text lots of space and it will instantly be easier to find.

32

Typefaces and tone

Typefaces can convey a whole range of messages and feelings, so take
care when choosing yours.
Chunky, blocky typefaces are loud and powerful. People will tend to
read them in a shouting voice. They grab attention and are used a lot for
product adverts. Script typefaces convey elegance and lightness, and are
generally used to give an impression of quality and class, love and beauty.
Typefaces with smoother edges and rounded corners are more fun and
joyful, compared to serious (mainly serif) typefaces that have a lot of
regular, straight lines. Hand-drawn typefaces communicate a wholesome
and organic feeling, and are likely to be interpreted as friendly.

33

Size and spacing

This is very important to consider in your scribes, depending on how
much power you want text to have overall. If your scribe needs to be textheavy, you will need make the text itself look great on its own.
The spacing you choose for your text can also convey certain impressions
text where the letters and lines are tightly spaced are ideal for friendlier,
chattier purposes. Text with lots of spacing gives a feeling of simplicity and
will give your scribe an air of elegance and class.
Some things to think about when formatting.

1. Point size
The actual size of the typeface.

2. Leading (line height)

The space between each line of text.

3. Kerning (character spacing)

The space between each letter can make text look cramped and busy, or
spaced out and elegant.

4. Line length
Make sure your lines of text arent so short that there are only a few words
on each line, but not so long that readers will lose their place when they
go from one line to the next. You dont want more than six or seven words
on a line.

Useful typography tools

There are thousands of typefaces that draw well in VideoScribe.
A few sites with free fonts to get you started:
www.fontsquirrel.com
www.losttype.com
www.fontfabric.com

34

Chapter
6
LAY IT ALL OUT
So, your script has a story, and your story has pictures. Nows the time to
lay out your script on canvas.
Skilful layout is a must and will take your scribe from knocked-together to
knockout in no time.
Here are our five essential tips for making your scribes attractive and
clutter-free.

35

Let it breathe
The best scribes give images and text space to breathe.
Information is easily lost in a busy scribe. Too many images and chunks of
text make it hard for the viewer to work out whats important. Keep your
visuals stripped back and crisp.

36

Establish a hierarchy
Create a layout hierarchy so that your most important points and their
accompanying images are represented most clearly. You can enhance a
particular image by changing its size, colour, on-screen position and the
number of other visible elements around it.
In simple terms, the bigger the image compared to everything else on
screen, the more it is going to stand out.
And more generally, keeping things minimal is a great way to create a
hierarchy. Isolated images will get a lot more attention than if they are
surrounded by clutter.
You could also use an accent colour to make your main image more
prominent.
Remember that people will try to read a whiteboard animation in the same
way they would read a standard presentation.

37

We are used to seeing titles at the top of the page, so consider putting
important information there. Text or images at the bottom of the screen
may be confused with the small print that people usually skip over.

Work towards the bigger picture

Using images and text to build up bigger pictures bit by bit is an effective
scribing technique. It will strengthen your narrative and communicate
your overall message far more powerfully than presenting everything at
once.

38

Move your story along

When telling your story, movement from frame to frame is key.
Set the camera to move to the right to show the story progressing. Your
scribe could travel from left to right with each new point. As most of us
read from left to right, this will appear logical and linear. It will give your
scribe the feel of a journey with a clear beginning, middle and end.
It also looks good if you move from scene to scene in simple lines. Choose
your direction and go the same way left, right, up or down each time.
On the other hand, you might want your scribe to move all over the place,
and that certainly can work its just a little trickier to perfect. But if
youre bold and brilliant enough to pull it off kudos!

39

Align your lines

If you have several scenes in your scribe, it will look more professional if all
your text is lined up in each one. If your text is centred in one scene, dont
make it left aligned in the next.
You want to make it as easy as possible for your viewer to find and
process information.
If in doubt, keep it simple. Think about the images and moments you want
to pop and how, and have fun perfecting your imagery.

40

7
Chapter
TIME IT RIGHT
Time is money. Timing can be, too.
In creating a whiteboard animation, you want to grab peoples attention
quickly, while giving your images time to shine.
For a successful approach to time in your scribe videos, apply these
golden rules.

Make the first 5 seconds count

The first five seconds of your video are the most important by far.
People only commit to watching something they know will be useful or
entertaining. Make it clear right from those opening seconds what your
message is and why it matters.
This rule is so important that its been built into YouTube advertising. If
you pay to have your advert shown before a video starts, it will play for
five seconds before the viewer has the option to skip it and move on.
You have five seconds to recruit your viewer and make them part of
your story.
41

Keep it short
The biggest mistake a new scriber can make is to make a video
excessively long.
Your viewer doesnt want to sit through a 10-minute video when one
minute will do. Explainer videos between one and two minutes long are
the most effective at keeping viewers engaged.
That said, you need to know your audience. When the RSA animated Sir
Ken Robinsons talk, they needed 11 minutes 41 seconds. 11 million people
felt it was worth watching.
Know your audience. Know your purpose. Set yourself a time
limit accordingly.

42

Create a flow
So by this point, youve got your hero. Youve got your plot. Now you need
to let them flow. But not all over the shop.
Sketching out a storyboard will allow you to create narrative and structure
your scribes. You can use it to plan out what you want the viewer to see
at each point and why. You can make sure it has suitable pace and allows
time for viewer completion.
Whether youre using software like Videoscribe or physically recording
the progression of your scribe, moving the camera around the canvas
focusing on one image at a time will keep the story moving. Its the visual
equivalent of bullet points, but far more stylish!
Just be careful to get a good balance between movement and keeping
the camera stationary. Staying still too long risks making your scribe
look static and too busy with images, but too much movement can look
frenetic and over the top.

43

Time your elements

Think about how long it takes your images to draw on the canvas.
Depending on how complicated your images are, you may need to vary
the pace and draw some images more quickly or slowly than others.
Its best to consider the flow and pace of your scribe when first creating
your image, setting each within your overall storyboard. This will keep
your scribe sharp, cut the waffle and ensure maximum impact.

44

Chapter
8
MAKE YOUR

VOICE HEARD
Bring out the big guns
Depending on your vision, you may want to hire a professional voiceover
artist to record your message.
People have a lower tolerance for poor quality audio than for less-thanmarvellous visuals, and a professional recording can add credibility to your
video and content.

Do it yourself
However, its more than possible to produce a strong voiceover yourself.
Heres how.

1. Practice makes perfect

Read your final script aloud again and again and again. Make sure you can
deliver it within the time available and in the right tone of voice.

45

Practise in front of anyone wholl listen and if they dont understand

something, simplify it.

2. Setting up
Find a suitable microphone. If youre using the built-in microphone on
your computer, speak at a natural level to avoid clipping the sound.
Find a quiet and echoless room where you wont be interrupted. You want
a natural and noise-free recording.
Test your microphone by recording just a few lines first. If you need to,
change the levels and adjust how far youre sitting from the microphone.

46

3. Recording vocals and editing

When youre ready, press record and start reading from your script. Just
like a TV presenter, sitting or standing up straight and talking with a smile
on your face will make you sound enthusiastic and convincing.
If youre happy with the overall quality of your recording, stick it straight
into your scribe job done!
If you know you slipped on a few words or want to remove any long
pauses, use an editing program such as Audacity to get it shipshape.

47

4. Finding the right balance

Once youve imported your audio into your scribe, play it through a few
times and adjust the volume of your recording.
You can check you have the right balance
by listening to your audio through a few
devices laptop speakers, regular speakers
and headphones.
You may decide to use a backing track for
your scribe (well be looking at that next). It
should always sit just lower in volume than
your voiceover audio, so it doesnt distract
from your message.
When youre done, play and review it again
for good measure.

This voiceover is sweet and surprising, and pretty

well recorded too.

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9
Chapter
MUSIC TO SCRIBE BY
Music is one of the most emotive and engaging tools you can use when
making a video. It really can make the difference between a blah scribe and
one that wows. Music can inspire, motivate and mesmerize. Or it can drive
you crazy.
So how do you get it right?

Choose your tune

Choosing the right music is all about context finding music thats
appropriate for the situation.
Have you ever been in a bar with a DJ or jukebox playing thumping dance
music, and youre having to shout to be heard? The music isnt really
adding to the experience in fact, its intrusive and ruining your evening.
Its the same with video using music thats too loud or aggressive can
detract from the message.
Again, its about knowing your audience and confidently setting the tone.
Which mood or emotion do you want to conjure?
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Upbeat, happy songs with positive lyrics scream summer holidays. Slower
beats, minor keys and longer melodies can send you headlong into wistful
nostalgia or bluesy meditation.
The mood of the music should reinforce the mood of the visuals. You
have free rein in terms of the genre, the period the music is from and
everything else but the feelings the sounds produce should match the
spirit of your message.
If your video has a voiceover or contains dialogue,
it may be best to avoid a track with vocals. If
the vocals are off-message, too catchy or too
memorable, people might remember the vocals
from the track instead of your story.
When you find a potential track, play the music
over your visuals to see if it strengthens or
detracts from your message. If you have any
doubts, leave it out and audition something else.

Not everyone will be able to commission original music

but what a difference a catchy tune makes!

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If necessary, loop the loop

Once youve chosen your music, think about its length.
For a very short video, you can always pick out part of a song. Taking the
hook of a catchy tune will help people remember your product along with it.
For anything longer, use a loop. In VideoScribe the music is written to
repeat perfectly using the in-built loop function. If youre sourcing your
own music for a longer scribe, youll just need to work out how to loop
that too without breaking your flow.

Time it right
If you dont want your video to sound dated, avoid using music that will
time-stamp it to the period the musics from.
If you use a piece of music that isnt as recognisable, or has been popular
for a long period of time, your video is more likely to stand the test of time.

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Play it by the book

Always be careful when choosing music that isnt your own. Even if the
band or artist isnt well known, make sure you get permission to use
their work or you risk having your videos taken down for copyright
infringement.
If youre using VideoScribe, the music tracks are all free and composed
especially for your use.
Whether or not you can afford original music or a famous song, its always
best to go for something that fits the feel and ethos of your product,
service or message as closely as
possible. With any luck, your viewers
will be humming it all day long.
And thats it!
It isnt hard to pick an okay-ish track,
but with a bit more thought you can
ensure the music really fits the visuals
and strengthens your message.
Which should help you to engage with
your audience that much better.

We dont mean to blow our own trumpet, but this upbeat

scribe wouldnt have anywhere near as much impact without
that cheery uke.

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Chapter
10
SHARE IT WITH
THE WORLD

Your script is perfect, your images are on point, your tunes are tight.
Now what?
If youre a VideoScribe user, you already have a dedicated platform for
publishing your finished scribe at www.sho.co.
Its the quickest way to get your hands on your videos. Simply show your
scribe to friends, colleagues or students by sharing the short link. Place
your videos onto your own website or blog using the embed code. Or
download in HD by logging in with your Sparkol account no quality spared.
There are tons of other video platforms ready to help you propel your
video into the world. Heres a quick guide to getting the most out of them.

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YouTube and Vimeo

On video platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo, its a mad scramble
to get seen.
With over a billion people visiting YouTube alone each month, how on
earth are your videos going to get engagement?
Here are six tricks to help your scribe stand out:

1. Your username is more important than you think

The first thing YouTube searches is names of users, then video titles, then
video descriptions, then tags. If youre serious about getting your video
seen, choose a username related to your subject matter.
Keep it short and easy to remember and people are more likely to return
to your channel.

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2. Name your video file accurately

Regardless of where you upload it, give your video file a name that reflects
the content to help it come up in Google search results.
If your video is about a puppy eating cake, video1.mov just wont cut it. But
puppy-eating-cake.mov will do nicely.

3. Craft your title carefully

Keep it short on YouTube, only the first 60 or so characters of your title
will fit into the suggested videos sidebar. But 60 characters is loads. If you
cant define what your videos about in under 60 characters, youve got
bigger problems than the title!
Add important keywords about your video into the title. But dont overdo
it try to sound like a human, not a keyword robot. Think about what
people will search for when theyre looking for your video.
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4. Provide a clear video description

As with the title, aim to use words that people are likely to search for.
For example, in our promotional videos we use words like create,
whiteboard, animation and video, as well as Sparkol and VideoScribe.
This helps the people looking for whiteboard animation software
find us easily.
If your video is a tutorial or broken down into different sections, its a
good idea to list all the chapters in your video description. YouTube will
even let you link to different points in the video. This helps your viewers
find what they want more quickly.

5. Take advantage of the tagging option

Its highly unlikely that your video will turn up near the top of search
results if you only use one word as a tag. Tagging gives you the
opportunity to use words that you werent able to include in the video
title or description. Think about the different search terms and alternative
phrases people might use to get to your video.

6. Put videos into relevant playlists

If your viewer watches just one of your videos and then clicks onto
someone elses, youve missed an opportunity. Boost the findability of
your videos by organising them into relevant playlists. People are much
more likely to click on another of your videos if its sitting right there in
the playlist sidebar.
And always remember to remind your users to subscribe to your channel.

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FinalYOUR
word
TIME TO SCRIBE
So youve got the know-how, and youve seen just a little of video
scribings endless potential.
Now its your turn.
To make your own whiteboard animations, visit www.videoscribe.co for a
free seven day trial of VideoScribe. Its easy to use and comes packed with
images and music that you can use commercially.
Theres also VideoScribe Anywhere, a free-to-download mobile app that
lets you carry the power of scribing in your pocket.
The Sparkol blog has tonnes more tutorials, tips and inspiration and you
can find more examples of stunning scribes on the scribe wall.
For professional scribe video services, visit www.animole.com.

57

One last thing

We hope youve enjoyed this tour of the ever-expanding video scribing
universe.
Were excited to hear your stories and to see your scribes emblazoned
across the world.
You can chat with us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

58

Authors

Jon Air, Sparkol CEO

Jon established Sparkol in 2008 to empower people to engage their
audience through simple tools. VideoScribe is the fruit of this ethos.
VideoScribe users create engaging scribe video animations quickly and
easily without the need for technical ability or design know-how. With
over 100,000 scribes made each month, VideoScribe is helping its users
produce incredible content worldwide.
www.sparkol.com | www.videoscribe.co

Eric Oakland, CIO at Truscribe

Since launching its first scribe video in January 2011, TruScribe has looked
to its Scribology method of video scribing to guide the use of style,
medium and technology to present clients messages clearly.
Based in principles of neuroscience, Scribology seeks to improve the
efficiency of knowledge transfer and depth of retention. Everything
TruScribe does is scrutinised through this lens to maintain standards of
quality over hundreds of hand-drawn videos.
www.truscribe.com

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Chipp Walters, communications expert

With a background in industrial design, Chipps passion for
communication and problem-solving has served him well.
Chipp has led a number of design companies and worked on the design
for many of the first computers, including IBM, Dell, and Apple. He also
headed the team that designed the first Initial Lunar Habitat for NASA,
followed by a Mars Habitat concept.
Critical to the success of all those projects was the ability to communicate
his ideas succinctly, a skill that has proved useful with his independent
scribing business.
blog.chipp.com

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