If you’ve ever watched an explainer video and thought, “Wow, that’s simple and clear,” then mission accomplished — but what you saw was just the tip of the iceberg. Behind every clean, compelling animation is a session that’s far from simple. The process is layered, full of back-and-forth decisions, spontaneous creative sparks, and plenty of careful planning.

So, what really happens during an explainer video production session? Let’s roll the curtain back and take a walk through it.

1. Setting the Tone: The Kick-Off Before a single frame is sketched or a voice actor is hired, it all begins with a conversation. Usually, the creative team and the client sit down — either in person or virtually — and talk through the why behind the video. Is the client launching a new product? Explaining how a service works? Or just trying to tell their brand story?

In this phase, nobody's rushing to design yet. Instead, it’s all about clarity and intention. The better the team understands what the video is trying to achieve, the smoother everything goes afterward.

1. Writing the Script: Simplicity is a Superpower With the idea pinned down, the next thing on the to-do list is writing the script. This is where most of the magic is quietly baked in.

Unlike long-form content, an explainer video script needs to do a lot with very little. Every second counts. Words have to be crisp, and transitions need to flow like water. And let’s not forget: the script isn’t just meant to be read — it’s meant to be heard. So rhythm, tone, and even silence are part of the writing process.

1. Style Framing: Defining the Look Once the words are ready, the visuals need to catch up. Here, the design team works on developing a style frame — sort of like a snapshot of what the finished animation will look like.

Is the brand playful or formal? Should the animation feel hand-drawn, or should it go full digital with sleek, high-gloss finishes? At this stage, visual direction is decided, and elements like fonts, colors, and characters are all shaped.

More businesses are now leaning towards advanced 3D Animation for added depth and impact, especially when the product or service being explained involves complex mechanisms or abstract ideas.

1. Storyboarding: The Blueprint Storyboards are the bridge between the script and the animation. They look a bit like a comic strip, pairing key lines of the voiceover with sketches of what’ll be shown on screen.

This is a collaborative phase — clients often give feedback here because it’s their last chance to tweak the structure before motion designers take over. It’s also a good spot to check for pacing issues or scenes that need more visual support.

1. Bringing it to Life: The Animation Process Now, the exciting part. Animators step in and breathe life into the frames. Whether it's motion graphics services or more traditional 2D styles, this phase turns flat visuals into dynamic sequences.

Smooth transitions, well-timed movements, character actions, and kinetic text — everything comes together here. This phase takes time, especially when aiming for that polished look seen in top-tier explainer video production in America. It’s also where sound design starts getting layered in: background music, sound effects, and sometimes even UI clicks and whooshes.

1. Voiceover and Sound Design Even the most stunning visuals can fall flat without the right voice to carry the message. Voiceover is recorded (sometimes with several voice actors auditioning for the right fit), and it’s then carefully edited to match the animation's timing.

The voice tone matters a lot — whether it’s authoritative, friendly, quirky, or empathetic. Combined with the score and SFX, it all adds up to create an emotional arc.

1. Revisions and Final Polishing Before calling it done, the video goes through a feedback loop. Sometimes the script needs tiny adjustments, sometimes the animation timing is off, or maybe the music isn’t landing just right. Clients and creators go through a couple of rounds to ensure everything’s perfect.

In some cases, especially for a product video for marketing purposes, there are multiple versions created for different platforms — shorter versions for social media, subtitles for silent autoplay, and so on.

Why It’s Worth the Effort It’s easy to overlook how much goes into a 90-second explainer video. But once you’ve sat through a production session, you realize just how intentional every second is.

According to reports, businesses that use explainer videos see higher engagement, better conversion rates, and more understanding from their audience. The payoff is huge — not just in views or clicks, but in clarity. And in an age where attention spans are gold, that clarity is priceless.

Whether it’s done with elegant motion graphics, intricate 3D Animation, or a casual hand-sketched feel, the goal is the same: to simplify, connect, and stick.