Which medical animation provider can you go for?
We can suggest four major options:
- Agency. Your public relations or marketing department can hire a dedicated team and manage their performance according to the subcontracting specifications. This is the most expensive option, but if you have a sufficient budget and focus on premium quality, animation agencies are there to bring you the most vivid results. Just make sure that they have the needed experience and a vast portfolio of finished projects. Hiring an agency is also an optimal choice when you need to coordinate a multichannel campaign closely.
- Direct to the Business studio. These are animation providers that work strictly with businesses (like our own Nanobot Medical studio does. According to the research in one of our articles “How much should you pay for medical Animation development?”, prices, as well as the level of quality and service studios in the scientific animation market, may differ dramatically from standard animation services. Such studios are, mostly, full-cycle companies that provide all-around services when it comes to the production of animation: scenario, visual design, voiceover artist choice and voice recording, animation assets, music, and sound design. Keep in mind that even the most high-status Direct to Business studios are more affordable than dedicated agencies.
- Freelancers. The most affordable option as of yet, though, is to hire a freelancer. Check the eBook to compare. The drawback here is it’s hard to predict how well the person will handle tasks in the long run. You should be able to coordinate their work and manage them overall. There are also some risk factors because freelancers aren’t backed up by any corporations. Concern arises with prolonged periods of preparation and requirements clarification. Freelancers live in the moment, and regular, at least somewhat predictable payments are crucial for them. Organizing a project that is planned to take over four weeks of work involving a freelancer may be quite risky.
- In-house team. More and more large-scale companies tend to gather their in-house teams to handle all the visuals in a fully authentic manner. A great advantage here is that such a team is closely familiar with corporate branding, production, culture, and policies. The drawback here is that you need people with specific skills to fulfill such responsibilities. In particular, your in-house experts should be able to do some expert work with Augmented Reality, 360/VR, FullDome, etc.
To RFP or not to RFP?
RFP is a part of special tender procedure some companies adhere to. Some organizations strictly require to fulfill an RFP to make a working contract. You should go for it if it’s a basic requirement related to the procurement policy.
Otherwise, making an RFP request may be a pure waste of your time. Moreover, certain asset providers that you hoped would take part in biddings may change their decision, especially if proposal guidelines were quite resource-intensive.
A more efficient solution here is to compose a brief list of service providers and make short calls to each medical animation provider. Factors that should affect your final decision to make a purchase should be completely transparent and clear.
Quality assessment
When you evaluate the overall quality of animation providers’ services, you should trust your instincts. Like a person that isn’t educated in music is still able to make out a good song, you can judge the video quality from your perspective.
HOWEVER
Video animation, in a sense we’re looking at it is a tool for resolving various business tasks (especially when it is about training/education related to your business). That’s why you should first define particular business objectives, figure out the major types of video content you may need – 3D or 2D or whiteboard or motion graphics. Remember about the principal differences when it comes to scientific animation, as well. Learn more about the major types of video content.
It would help if you kept in mind that service providers frequently demonstrate only the best results of their work in the portfolios. To get a bigger picture of what a particular provider honestly can do, you should check whether they publish works on Vimeo or YouTube and definitely at their Website. The number and regularity of publications should give you a good idea about the provider’s quality of average performance so that you aren’t merely looking at the jewels on their crown.
Pricing assessment
A vast majority of service providers don’t want to stay utterly transparent in the pricing specified on their official websites due to specific business reasons. Nonetheless, a quick phone call should help you see at least an approximate scope of costs for your particular project. It’s great when providers are based in the same country or state you are. That way, you can even meet a production director in person to clarify everything.
Risk assessment
As with any major contract, hiring medical animation provider can be followed with certain risks. Here are some common indicators you should look for in a soon-to-be-hired provider to avoid risks:
- Website presentation. This may as well be the most important factor. Look for a good level of quality in the website design, descriptive copy, as well as the connection to and activity in major social networks and blogs. If a company doesn’t do enough for itself, it is unlikely to make something outstanding for you as well.
- Client roster. High-status clients tend to leave project feedback only once. If you see some impressive names in the list of clients on the website, you are probably looking at a reliable provider.
- Time in business. Make sure also to check how old the official website is via WHOIS. More developed establishments tend to be more stable in terms of performance.
- Staff scientists. When we’re talking about scientific integrity, it is a very important factor. Don’t let photos with random professors and scientists posted on the company site fool you. You should make sure that that company has at least one expert with a real scientific background as well as with extensive experience in handling 3D Generalist responsibilities in scientific animation.
Download Free eBook “How much does Medical Animation explainer cost?”
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