Graphics in Training Videos

Graphics can play a massive part in lifting the quality of any training video production. Use graphics and design whenever possible.

Where and when to use graphics when training

There’s no limit to imagination when graphics can be used. The following are a start.

> To explain training items that can’t be seen, such as a mechanism, a flow chart of events, a timeline clock, a process overview, etc

> To caption bullet points where the visuals are poor, such as amateur photos, or where the training content is dull and needs cheering up. 

> To caption summary sections to reinforce the learning points. Captions over reprised footage is fine here.

To add titles and section headers, allowing the viewer to compartmentalise the training information, structure it in memory, and so recall it better when on the job.

> As backgrounds to VIPs who’ve been shot against green screen.

> To provide an overall thematic unity to the production. This shouldn’t be overlooked. A great graphic theme looks great in any training video. Likewise training productions without a graphic theme often look ordinary and dull.

Using 3D animation in training

3d animation realistically creates events that have previously happened, such as an accident in a safety video.

The causes of a fatality can be seen in detail, as well as the events in the actual incident.

3D animation lets you do this without having to recreate a horror movie which is offensive to many, not least the victim’s family.

3D animation will also accurately recreate the internal mechanism of a machine, or piece of production that requires training and competence.

The commonest use of 3D animation in corporate video is in the construction industry where 3D fly-through animations are produced to help a body of client understand a property developer or architect’s intentions with a proposed new building or built environment.

3D is expensive stuff, as it takes weeks to model, animate and render scenes in a realistic way.

All 3D animation can be greatly improved if care is taken to set it against a realistic soundtrack, eg, music, voice, ambient noise, sound fx. If you want this, expect to have to do it yourself. Don’t look to the animator for this.

3D will elevate the training video content if you use it well.

> Sound