# Product animation — which videos work and what to prepare for the script

> A product animation answers one of three questions: how it's built, how it works or how to assemble it. A video starts with a script and a storyboard, then an animatic — these three stages are where approvals happen, because after rendering any change to the motion means redoing it. For the script you need: the main thing to show, where the video will run (format and length), whether you need music, voice-over and subtitles, and references.

Source: https://gluke.ru/knowledge/product-animation · Author: Alexander Glukhov · Updated: 2026-10-08

A mechanism that unfolds, slides out or snaps together can't be shown in a photo. An animation shows it in a few seconds — as long as it's clear upfront what exactly it should explain.

## Three kinds of videos

> **Illustration:** Three cards: 'How it is built' — parts fly apart; 'How it works' — a mechanism slides out with a motion arrow; 'How to assemble' — parts snap into place step by step.
>
> Each video answers one question.

- **How it's built**: parts fly apart and come back together — the inner structure, layers, composition.
- **How it works**: the mechanism in motion — sliding, unfolding, rotating, flowing.
- **How to assemble**: step-by-step instructions instead of a paper diagram.

## Storyboard

> **Illustration:** Five storyboard frames in order: wide shot, mechanism, close-up detail, the inside, final with the logo.
>
> The storyboard is approved before animating: rearranging frames on paper is easier than in a finished video.

Before animating, a storyboard is made — a sequence of frames with captions: wide shot, mechanism, detail, the inside, the final with the logo. It's approved before the work starts.

## The order of work

> **Illustration:** A timeline of six stages: script, storyboard, animatic — marked with approval checks; then light and materials, render, edit and sound. Under the first three, 'edits here are quick'; under the rest, 'here they mean redoing'.
>
> Motion and frame order are approved in the first three stages.

The script, storyboard and animatic — a rough version of the motion without final light and materials — are quick stages: that's where motion and frame order get approved. Light, materials and rendering take long: after them, a change to the motion means a new render. More in [Stages of 3D visualization](https://gluke.ru/knowledge/approval-stages).

## What to prepare for the script

- **The main point** the viewer should get: one or two benefits, not all of them at once.
- **Where the video will run**: website, marketplace, social media, a trade show. That decides the format — horizontal or vertical — and the length.
- **Sound**: music, voice-over, subtitles. If the video will be watched muted, subtitles are a must. Agree upfront on who picks the music and under what license.
- **[References](https://gluke.ru/knowledge/glossary#reference)**: videos you like, with a note on what exactly.
- **Brand materials**: the logo as a vector file, colors, fonts.

## What it looks like in practice

- [HARDI](https://gluke.ru/projects/hardi): drawer slide animations — 8 benefit videos with voice-over, subtitles and the logo — plus a video guide to assembling a door on a sliding system.
- [Alphatent](https://gluke.ru/projects/alphatent): a tent animation — spreading out, raising, a pause, lowering, folding; the fabric is a physics simulation.
- [SibMaster](https://gluke.ru/projects/sibmaster): an animation of the combustion process — the path of the coal from the grate to the heat passing into the water.

## Common mistakes

- Starting without a script: "make a nice video about the product".
- Trying to show every benefit in one video.
- Changing the motion after the final render.
- Forgetting subtitles for muted viewing.

## Checklist

1. What the video explains: how it's built, how it works or how to assemble it.
2. One or two main benefits.
3. The platform, format and length.
4. Music, voice-over, subtitles; the music license.
5. References.
6. Approve the script, storyboard and animatic.