Educational videos are a staple of modern e-learning. They help users understand complex concepts with visual and audio aids. Having access to suitable educational materials can be the difference between having trained experts and amateurs.
We at Blue Carrot have hours of educational video examples in our portfolio. We wanted to share our experience to help you better understand how to choose the best video type for your needs.
Need a great educational video? Blue Carrot has you covered! Contact us and let’s discuss the details 🚀
Just like any educational medium, videos have their pros and cons. Let’s talk pros first.
They reduce the cognitive load of information.
It is easier to engage most students with visual media compared to other forms.
Educational videos can promote active learning by posing further questions and leading to a rabbit hole of discovery via other media.
You can make evergreen videos to serve you for the rest of your company’s lifetime.
👉 These broad advantages can be split further into more specific cases, but we will keep it at that for brevity, and because we already have an amazing guide on educational videos!
Unfortunately, with great power comes great responsibility or, in our case, great drawbacks that need to be addressed.
It’s usually difficult to create good educational videos on your own.
Engaging and informative videos not only require a lot of production experience to make but also require experience in e-learning design and scripting.
It typically takes way more time to produce high-quality evergreen videos than for low-quality video tutorials (for example, screencasts).
As with pros, these cons can lead to smaller sub-points, which we will discuss in more detail in our case studies. Speaking of which, here are the 7 best examples of animated educational videos by Blue Carrot.
Blue Carrot Presents: Effective Educational Video Examples
🔹 LerNetz
The good people at LerNetz asked us to assist them in making educational videos for their platform. We had to create 35 minutes worth of custom 2D animation. The client has a distinct yet simplistic artstyle that we had to mimic. They were responsible for the scripts while we had to visually illustrate the tutorials.
Moreover, we had to enlist the help of translators for the project to:
Translate the script and documents to and from the original language.
Check whether the uttered words fit the imagery on screen.
The main problem here was the revisions: the client had a long chain of people revisions had to go through to ensure immaculate results. This made editing extremely slow, so we had to create error-free content on the first draft.
We provided smooth delivery of the content, which, according to them, has led to increased sales for them and positive feedback for us.
“Quality, on-point delivery, and a very personal customer service made this project very smooth. Blue Carrot’s capabilities to scale up the whole process are truly great. This gives creativity the needed space to organically unfold. Great job!”
— Max Hemmo,
Executive Producer at LerNetz AG
🔹 Primozone
A company specializing in the industrial applications of ozone asked us to create a series of explainers and tutorials on how their technologies work. While ozone is something we are all familiar with, few know about its potential applications.
We worked closely with subject-matter experts to create the video scripts. The client also had a specific vision for the visuals, which we implemented in their demonstrations.
🔹 Antibiotics Usage
A medically-conscious client asked us to create a PSA for handling antibiotics. They explained in great detail why it is an issue. While they took the time to explain all the difficult terminology, it took a long time to get all the points across. We offered them a different, more emotional approach to help them reach their goal of influencing the viewers. We created a captivating morphing video that shows typical situations a parent might find themselves in, appealing to their feelings first and rationale second.
🔹 International Republican Institute
The amazing people at the International Republican Institute gave us a chance to create some of our best examples of educational videos. However, it did not come without its challenges. The initial order seemed pretty simple: a few videos in a very generous time frame with fairly strict limitations. A few days later, they informed us that their required order had multiplied almost threefold. So, in a short time span, we had to create 11 high-quality educational videos. We barely had any time for scripting, storyboarding, filming, or editing these educational videos. While one video was getting approved, another one had to already be in the pipe.
This was a highly challenging order, but we managed to deliver on our promises. As a result, the client got 34 minutes of engaging whiteboard animation, 24 minutes of animation overlays, 5 minutes of live-shooting, and 26 illustrations for books.
“We had a difficult task. We had to create 12 learning videos in a short period of time and we hired 2 animation companies to be on the safe side and shared equally tasks between them. However the circumstances changed suddenly and Blue Carrot Studio had the courage to help us in our hour of need, where there was a lot of work and so little time. We gave them almost all the work–11 videos.
They were met with some tasks they’d never before considered, but the guys found a solution in every case and created something, and as a result they delivered marvelous videos.
Our videos are social. They are educational, but we also show through them gender equity, respect to diversity, the availability of space and opportunities for disabled people, and the encouragement of involving young experts. The whole team sensitively caught it and illustrated the world which we are trying to reach.
The guys were always creative and client-oriented, but that doesn’t mean that they always agreed with us to the detriment of the product. Even when we were tired and were ready to finally finish it, Blue Carrot had enough strength and inspiration to improve their work.
A lot of thanks to Alex, who passed through all the approving stages with the main office, which followed enormous changes sometimes. Everything was done in time and every offset was agreed. There was never an unpleasant surprise from the Blue Carrot Studio side”.
– Anna,
Project Manager at IRI
🔹 Renowned University In the U.S.
One of the prominent universities in the US asked us to rush a set of online courses for their internal platform and Coursera. We had only a month for the production of over 200 minutes of videos for students, meaning we had to produce roughly 10 minutes of content every day. The rest of the time was spent proofing and revising the videos.
We at Blue Carrot work best when under pressure, so this led to some of the most high-quality video examples in the education industry.
The client was satisfied with the results, as the videos were delivered on time and were up to their high standards.
“Thanks! I am happy! I can’t thank you enough for the fast delivery!”
— Project Manager on the client’s side
🔹 Norwegian Industrial Company
A big industrial company from Norway asked us to create a few video animations for the education of their workers. They did not have a particular style in mind but required absolute visual clarity for their 3D video.
We worked closely with the client to get all the technical details right. The client was satisfied with the final result, explaining that they saw an increase in productivity and understanding of complex equipment.
🔹 E-learning Videos Showreel
We have many other examples of educational video products in our portfolio. They were all made for different clients under different requirements and circumstances, but they all have one thing in common: they are of the highest quality on the market and are worth every penny.
WE PROVIDE E-LEARNING VIDEO PRODUCTION SERVICES FOR EDUCATORS, CORPORATIONS, AND COURSE DESIGNERS
As you can see, there are many ways to improve teaching with educational videos. Here is a little something to help you choose the right video type to fit your needs. If you already know what you need, contact us and let us get to work on your project!
📍 Live-Shot
Shooting a video of an expert talking about the topic is the most intuitive thing for an educational video. It is a relatively cheap option that requires minimal editing. These videos typically include one or two cameras, depending on your budget.
One-camera videos are the most primitive but also the cheapest option. They fit perfectly for simple conversational content. However, they fall flat when explaining complex topics. For reference on how well they work, just imagine you are watching a lecture. Would a lecture be enough to explain the topic? If not, maybe you require some other type of video.
Two-camera videos are slightly more sophisticated, presenting two or more angles in one video. The focus is still primarily on the expert, but you can also change the angle to highlight different emotions or ideas in the video.
📍 Slideshow
Another relatively easy way to present information is via a slideshow. The typical slideshow video types are:
Recorded presentation. An easy and cost-effective way of delivering educational content. Similar to university lectures with a lecturer’s voiceover explaining key concepts, with the downside of not being able to answer questions in real time.
Branded slideshow. Similar to a recorded presentation, but with unified branding. The expert creates a presentation draft and records the voiceover, and the production team unifies source files and adjusts the narrative as needed. This gives you a structured and visually consistent video course, even with multiple experts contributing.
Templated slideshow. A comparatively more sophisticated approach. Instead of simply recording a presentation, course designers create basic animation sequences that make the presentation look more professional.
📍 Animated Video
Sometimes, though, you require something extra. Maybe for showing your professionalism, or maybe to highlight a particular process or idea in great detail. Whatever your reasons are, there is no better way than making an animated video.
For the most complicated ideas, you will probably require a custom-made video. This is especially true for videos of new products or highly-specialized equipment, as well as difficult scientific processes that are hard to replicate or observe within real-life circumstances.
However, if you want a video for a less complex topic, you might want to use an animation toolkit or templated animations. These are very similar concepts with a few small differences. A templated animation is used when you create videos of the same or similar concepts and, therefore, do not require many assets. An animation toolkit assumes you do not need new assets and simply lets you create simple but smooth animations within its framework.
Finally, you can opt for a screencast video: a recording of your screen with a voiceover. This is a niche solution for when you need to demonstrate the functionality of a website or app. You can even add some special effects later to enhance the video.
📍 AI-Generated Video
In the world of artificial intelligence and machine learning, you can expect these technologies to help you immensely in creating educational videos.
Some platforms allow you to use their easy-to-use tools to generate hundreds of personalized and customized videos in a matter of hours. These platforms typically do not require any technical skills or prior experience in video editing, as the software can analyze and synthesize speech and visuals to create high-quality videos. You can input text, select a language, choose from various video templates, and customize different elements such as colors, images, and background music to create a video that meets your needs.
📍 Hybrid Video
When you have a large e-learning project, it is not that far of a stretch to assume that relying on a single video type would probably bore the viewer. This is where you can get creative and combine different video types. Educational videos typically take live footage as a basis and combine it with custom animations, screencasts, or stock videos.
📍 Audio Podcast
Not necessarily a video type, but an alternative you might want to consider is an audio podcast. If you are strapped for cash, you can simply record your speaker’s voice without setting up a camera. This is an excellent solution when simply providing text articles would not suffice, but your budget does not allow for videos.
If you want to make your audio recording a bit fancier, you can add an animated histogram of the speaker’s voice. This will create an illusion of motion and keep production costs at a minimum.
Consider Blue Carrot Your Trusted Partner in Educational Video Production
Blue Carrot are experts in creating educational and other videos. We have been in the business since 2014 and have gathered years of valuable experience and testimonials from our clients.
We work in both 2D and 3D and create videos for all needs and requests. You can see our most prominent examples of educational videos in this article, so if you are convinced, drop us a line, and we will gladly take your project.
Final Thoughts
Creating a helpful educational video requires a lot of work and experience. However, as you can see from our examples, it will significantly amplify the results of your students and employees. We at Blue Carrot know the process from scripting to post-production and will help you boost your project with top-quality educational videos.
For more information or to get FREE consultation for your project, get in touch with us directly via the form below!
FAQ
How do I choose the right type of video for my purposes?
As a rule of thumb, you should consider your target audience, budget, amount of material, and its complexity. Mostly it’s live shooting or AI avatar with animation overlays for long-lasting e-learning courses and 2D/3D animated series for shorter 20-30 min long courses. However, this is a very complex question that is better discussed with our experts.
What are the benefits of educational videos?
Education videos reduce the cognitive load of information and can promote active learning. Moreover, the benefits of visual media in education compared to other forms have been widely accepted by the scientific community. Finally, you can create evergreen videos for concepts that are relatively set in stone to serve you for years.
