
Whiteboard animation is the process of which an author physically draws and records an illustrated story using a
whiteboard
A whiteboard (also known by the terms marker board, dry-erase board, dry-wipe board, and pen-board) is a glossy, usually white surface for making non-permanent markings. Whiteboards are analogous to blackboards, but with a smoother surface all ...
, or whiteboard-like surface, and
marker pen
A marker pen, fine liner, marking pen, felt-tip pen, felt pen, flow marker, sign pen (in South Korea), vivid (in New Zealand), texta (in Australia), sketch pen (in South Asia) or koki (in South Africa), is a pen which has its own ink sourc ...
s. The animations frequently are aided with narration by script. The authors commonly use
time-lapsed drawing and
stop motion
Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames ...
animation to liven hand-drawn illustrations, with
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
used as a common platform. It is also used in television and internet advertisements to communicate with consumers in a personal way. The earliest videos made using Whiteboard Animation were published in 2009 on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
, used mostly for experimental purposes until developing into a storytelling device, focusing mostly on narratives and educational explanations.
Description
"Whiteboard animation" refers to a specific type of presentation that uses the process of creating a series of drawn pictures on a
whiteboard
A whiteboard (also known by the terms marker board, dry-erase board, dry-wipe board, and pen-board) is a glossy, usually white surface for making non-permanent markings. Whiteboards are analogous to blackboards, but with a smoother surface all ...
that are recorded in sequence and then played back to create an
animated
Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...
presentation. The actual effect of whiteboard animation is time-lapse, or stop-motion. The actual sequential frame by frame animation is rarely used but has been incorporated. Other terms are "video scribing" and "animated doodling". These video animation styles are now seen in many variations and have taken a turn into many other animation styles. With the introduction of
software
Software is a set of computer programs and associated software documentation, documentation and data (computing), data. This is in contrast to Computer hardware, hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work.
...
to create whiteboard animations, the process has many different manifestations of varying quality. Those who use whiteboard animation are typically businesses and educators.
Process
The whiteboard animation production procedure begins with creating a topic. Once the topic is chosen, scriptwriting begins. After the content is created, it is time to create rough drafts of animations. These assist to set up the inventive bearing and timing for the movement. The rest of the process is as follows:
# Compose the content
# Record the voiceover
# Make starting animations
# Organize the animations
# Make Guides
# Record the video
# Match up sound and video
# Include music
# Export and share
The steps listed above are not set in stone, they should be used as a guideline to create a whiteboard animation production.
Applications
Whiteboard animation has been used in a few TV spots and on internet video sites such as
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
and
Vimeo
Vimeo, Inc. () is an American video hosting, sharing, and services platform provider headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices. Vimeo's business model is through software a ...
. Early types were UPS Whiteboard Commercials. Many companies and firms of all sectors and sizes are incorporating this style into their modus operandi to teach company employees different company policies or demonstrate a new software or product to consumers.
For educational purposes, whiteboard animation videos have been used for learning online to teach languages, as chapter summaries for educational textbooks, and for the public communication of academic scholarship. A 2016 study of whiteboard animation found that, despite claims and high popularity, there is little to no compelling experimental evidence that they are more effective in learning, motivation, or persuasion than other forms of learning.
Starting in 2010, the Royal Society of Arts converted selected speeches and books from its public events program into whiteboard animations. Made by whiteboard animation studi
Cognitive the first 14
RSA Animate videos gained 46 million views in 2011, making the RSA's YouTube channel the no.1 nonprofit channel worldwide.
[Halliday, Josh (21 October 2011)]
"Internet users get animated about RSA short film series"
''The Guardian''.
References
{{Reflist
Audiovisual introductions in 2009
Stop motion
Real-time technology
Animation by medium
Animation techniques