Are Lightboard Videos the New Trend?

There’s a new trend in the video marketing sphere – lightboard videos. You may have seen them floating around the web recently, or stumbled upon the word when reading about...
lightboard video production
There’s a new trend in the video marketing sphere – lightboard videos. You may have seen them floating around the web recently, or stumbled upon the word when reading about 2019 video marketing trends. But what are they, exactly, and how can businesses use this trend to their advantage? Let’s dive into it.

How Do Lightboard Videos Work?

Lightboard videos are made using a very specific setup:
  • An actor or brand representative stands in front of the camera.
  • A lit up glass pane, or lightboard, is placed between the actor and the camera.
  • The actor can use this forward-facing transparent board to draw their thoughts.
It’s a new twist on the traditional whiteboard video, but where you can see the narrator speaking and writing directly, instead of just their hand. To make this work, the usual setup consists of a 4×6 glass pane with a large wooden frame holding it up, as well as LED lights shooting from the top and bottom. The result is bright writing that pops. However, you can’t just grab any old glass pane and call it a day. Regular glass will display reflections in the camera and won’t create the desired effect, which means a special type of low-iron glass, also called Starphire glass, needs to be used.

The Drawbacks of Lightboard Videos

Although lightboard videos can produce a unique visual effect, they do come with several drawbacks. First off, creating the necessary setup is expensive – it costs over $11k to purchase the entire setup – which means hiring any team to create this type of video will result in a hefty fee. And it’s not just creating the lightboard itself that is expensive. Remember, just shooting straight on with the camera would invert the text being shown on the glass, which means you need a complex setup involving a mirror to make this work. Plus, if you make mistakes during shooting, you’ll either need to edit the footage or reshoot, which hikes up the time & expenses. That’s without mentioning the fact that your on-screen talent may be uncomfortable on screen, which could impact the charisma of the video and the overall quality.  No one will enjoy a video where the speaker is awkward or uncomfortable. And unlike whiteboard videos, you can’t speed up the drawing process. For more complex subjects, drawing out complete thoughts may take some time, which is risky and may bore a large portion of your audience.

Why Choose Lightboard Animation Videos

If you’re looking for an engaging explainer video, but don’t want to go through the expensive process of buying and setting up the equipment needed for a lightboard video… Animated lightboard videos might be a better alternative for you. And here are just a few reasons why:
  • Animation, when done with care, is much more engaging than a talking head.
  • There’s no expensive setup needed – just an animating team!
  • Animation videos tend to have a longer shelf life compared to their live-action counterparts.
  • Because everything is animated by hand, there is no editing needed, which drastically reduces costs.
But that’s not all. Animation empowers you to showcase complex concepts in a much shorter amount of time, since you’re not relying on a live person to draw out the details. And in a world that’s already saturated with content, getting your concept across quickly and efficiently is key. Want your own custom animated lightboard video? Contact us today to get started.
#lightboard videos

Wade Koens

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