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Explainly x DriveSavers Case Study

Throughout the last 5 years, Explainly has collaborated with DriveSavers Data Recovery to create a wide range of animated and live-action promotional, explainer, and educational videos. What started as a handful of 2D animated explainers quickly grew into a robust, mixed-media library of over 30 videos.

With so much sensitive information stored on our phones and laptops, it’s critical for DriveSavers to engage with distressed or at-risk customers in a thoughtful and trustworthy way. That’s where animation comes in. On both short and long-term production timelines, we have written, produced, and animated a wide DriveSavers pieces that stay unified with their brand while communicating complex themes with clarity and delicacy.

DriveSavers Apple

One particularly unique early project was developed in collaboration with Apple, specifically for internal use by Apple employees.

DriveSavers Data Recovery has been Apple Authorized for over 20 years, providing special discounts and benefits for Apple customers. They are the worldwide leader in data recovery services, offering the fastest, most reliable, and only certified secure data recovery services. Apple customers have the ability to request a data recovery quote via Genius Portal, share DriveSavers business cards with the team, and refer customers using a unique Apple code for special benefits. This video aimed to let Apple employees and users know that DriveSavers can recover from various types of data loss situations.

This project stood out with its unique combination of fun, relatable 2D animated characters and real product imagery, striking a balance between approachability and authenticity.

DriveSavers Tech Support

Our DriveSavers Tech Support series took things to the next level. This was a more ambitious and complex project, aimed at a broader audience with diverse use cases. With a combination of both 2D screencasts and 3D animation, tied together with our live action spokesperson Evan Schwartz, the series offered step-by-step educational content that was both engaging and easy to follow.

Rather than beginning with traditional scripts, these videos began with screen recordings of the tutorial workflows. These screen recordings were used to build the flow of the animation, and to guide our updated voice over recordings. By staying true to DriveSavers’ brand voice and using stylized recreations of Mac, iOS, and Windows operating systems, we developed a clean, consistent visual identity that carried throughout the series.

Whether you’re a Mac or PC user, DriveSavers worked out the most common issues faced by customers and collaborated with our team to make them easier to solve than ever. The simplicity and clarity of these tutorials was vital in making sure even less tech savvy viewers could follow along. In the final call-to-action, viewers are always directed to visit cswiki.drivesavers.com for more information about restoring data, and are encouraged to visit the website or call a provided phone number for further questions and support.

DriveSavers Second Instructional Series

A few years later, DriveSavers once again called on Explainly and Evan Schwartz for a new batch of content. This time, our production process shifted even more toward live-action, supplemented with dynamic 2D and 3D overlays. These new videos tackled broader subjects like how to safely pack and ship devices, and what to expect during the assessment process.

Additional DriveSavers One-Off Explainers

In between these larger projects, we have also produced a wide variety of standalone pieces tailored to even more individual needs and use cases. From character-based 2D service overviews to highly technical case study animations, our library of DriveSavers content continues to grow. We even created a short, elevated introduction to play at the beginning of each iteration of their customer testimonial series!

Reach out to Explainly for more information!

Our long-term collaboration with DriveSavers Data Recovery showcases what’s possible when storytelling, animation, and technical precision come together. Whether it’s simplifying a complex process or easing a stressful customer journey, the right video can make all the difference.

Interested in creating something similar for your brand? Reach out to Explainly to learn how we can bring your story to life through animation and video.

The Making of Explainly’s Live Action Promotional Video

https://explainly.wistia.com/medias/0yx8i9kyr9 Ever wondered what goes into creating a compelling live-action promo video? We recently finished producing a new Explainly live action promotional video and are excited to finally debut it! So, here’s a deep dive into the making of our latest project.  Phase 1: Pre-Production – Laying the Foundation Every successful project starts with strong pre-production. Through meticulous brainstorming, scripting, and storyboarding, we developed a cohesive, engaging, and funny story along with a clear action plan to bring it to life. Concept Development: In our brainstorming sessions we explored several scenarios of what we imagined the promotional video looking like. Many of our team members developed their own pitches for the video. One took place in a classroom, another in a news room, and another in an art gallery. Our final concept was in an art gallery that pulled creative aspects from the other pitches. The concept played off the familiar experience of standing in front of modern art and wondering what it means, but instead of abstract art, the confusing piece was a clunky software demo.   Scriptwriting: After defining the concept, we moved into the scripting phase. Several iterations of the script were developed while we were moving through multiple rounds of feedback from essential stakeholders. Since the promotional video is only 90 seconds long, we needed to ensure that every word contributed to the overall narrative. Perhaps even more importantly, we ensured that comedic beats were woven into the script seamlessly to keep the mood and tone upbeat. The completed script became one of the most imperative assets during the next phases of production, as it is used to develop an exact budget, a storyboard, a prop list, cast list, and more.    Storyboarding: Breaking down the script and visualizing the scenes beat by beat was essential. Our illustrator created detailed storyboards outlining camera angles, character movements, and scene transitions. This provided us a skeleton to work off of, so that other departments can identify what is needed from them for each scene.  Casting: Finding the right talent to bring our characters to life was paramount. We held auditions to select actors who not only fit the roles but also understood our brand's essence. During this process, we were lucky enough to encounter Kate Hess. Kate completely embodied who we were looking for in an Explainly’s spokesperson; someone who was fun, upbeat, but professional at the same time. She even went the extra mile in her audition by including her own frame, showing us just how much she understood the character and the story. Location Scouting: Identifying suitable locations that aligned with our script and aesthetic vision was key. Fortunately, we were able to source a small art gallery in Los Angeles for filming. It has been home to several art installations in the past and was the perfect size for what we needed. And it had an easily accessible bathroom, which can prove harder than you think for some productions! Props: Our art department worked diligently to create sets and gather props that enhanced the visual storytelling and provided an authentic backdrop. Our creative producer hand painted the interactive frame with our Explainly spokesperson in it as well as the other pieces featured in the art gallery.  Production Design and Costume: Our script featured a scene where the Explainly spokesperson steps into a frame and transforms from a researcher, writer, to creative producer. This required multiple costume changes and worlds to be created during the production phase in order to bring that sequence to life, which is actually only about 5 seconds of the whole video!  Budgeting & Scheduling: A detailed budget and production schedule were created to ensure efficient resource allocation and timely completion of the project. Our budget was clear and concise, making sure to include an allocation for contingency, in case we needed to make any last minute purchases during the day of production (which we did).  Phase 2: Production – Bringing the Vision to Life As the day of filming approaches, the butterflies start to flurry. However, much of our planning paid off during production. The crew was clear on what they needed to do the day of and we were off to the races!  Lighting & Sound: We were fortunate enough to enter the location the night before to set up our lighting equipment, which made the day of filming that much smoother. This moved up our schedule and allowed us to start filming earlier than expected. Although we filmed next to a cafe that was playing music…yikes- we were able to capture clear enough sound to where it was not an issue.  Filming: After a few rehearsals and blocking with the actors, we were ready to get the camera rolling! Multiple takes were filmed for each scene to ensure that we had multiple options to choose from during the editing phase. We often referred back to our storyboard in order to ensure that we were filming takes that would cut together smoothly during the editing process. Directing Talent: Luckily, our actors worked hard beforehand to memorize their lines and prepare their performance. We only had to provide minimal guidance and feedback to bring their best performances and ensure their reads were authentic and aligned with the Explainly brand.  Phase 3: Post-Production – Polishing the Masterpiece Once filming wrapped, the extensive work of post-production began, transforming raw footage into a polished final product. Editing: Our editor meticulously reviewed hours of footage, selecting the best takes and seamlessly stitching them together to create a cohesive narrative flow. Place holders were used during this process for compositions that needed to be created in visual effects.   Motion Graphics: Throughout certain parts of the video, we planned to have certain motion graphics to enhance our storytelling. During our planning in the pre-production phase, we identified scenes where we would need to create a keying grid so that our animators could insert a motion graphic during post production.  Visual Effects: We also employed visual…

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