How Vine Can Hit Your Audience Right In The Feels

by Lily Bradic

Stop motion is, by nature and by association, a lot of fun. The disjointed movements are endearing, and most people are first exposed to stop-motion animation as a kid: if not on regular TV, then in those Christmas movies about Rudolph or a snowman (or anything else that would be logistically impossible to create using live action.) This association between stop motion and childhood can be powerful — and you can use it to your advantage.

After touching on why Vine is such a powerful tool for marketers earlier this month, we’re now going to look at the more practical side of video-making: how to create stop-motion Vines that look good and mean something. 

​Plan — Realistically

A stop-motion Vine is not something you can do in ten minutes. It’s probably not something you can do in three hours. It takes time and careful planning. You can storyboard your idea, or write it out — it doesn’t matter, as long as you’re clear, and think of it as a narrative. 

Then, you will need time to prepare. Unless you’re a serious hoarder, an artist, or a parent to a small child, you probably won’t have all the right items around your house. Of course, you will also need an idea — and that’s going to be even harder to find. So, learn from the classics:

Get Inspired

Stop-motion animations have the power to make people feel sentimental. As a brand, this is exactly what you want to be doing. It fosters loyalty, and encourages your audience to associate you with the warm fuzzies. 

Of course, you can’t recreate Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in six seconds — but you can learn a lot about what makes people go “aww.” Give things personality. You can’t tell a story without characters, so invent some. Seriously, a pair of googly eyes can turn pretty much anything into a cute character — including one of your products.

Have a Point

Tell your brand’s story, or illustrate the features of your latest product:

In order to mean something, your video has to say something.

Stability matters

You’ll need a tripod, smartphone stand, or any other item that will keep your phone in the same position, however hard you tap the screen (and you’ll be doing a lot of tapping.) You might think your hands are steady enough. They’re not.

Take a break

You can save a draft of the Vine you’re working on and come back to it at a later date. If you’re getting frustrated, stop for a while. It takes patience to create a good stop-motion Vine, and you can always edit it later — just remember to position your phone the same way up so you don’t flip the image half way through.

Has your business been using Vine? Let us know how in the comments!

Image credit: Brett Jordan