NEW! Video Cost Calculator. Get an estimate for your project in less than a minute.
NEW! Video Cost Calculator. Get an estimate for your project in less than a minute.
The nine stages a professional explainer video moves through, from the first discovery call to final delivery, and where the work that decides quality actually happens.
By
Larry Mutenda
Making an explainer video is less about animation software and more about a sequence of decisions made in the right order. This is the process a professional studio runs, from the first conversation to the final file: discovery, script, storyboard, style frames, design, animation, sound, and delivery.
The order matters more than any single stage. Most of the cost and quality of a finished video is decided before animation begins, in the script and storyboard. Getting those approved first is what keeps a project on time and on budget.
How is an explainer video made? It moves through nine stages: discovery and brief, script, storyboard, style frames, design, voiceover, animation, music and final mix, then review and delivery. Recording the voiceover before animation matters, because the animation is timed to the finished narration. A typical 60 to 90 second video takes about four weeks once the script is approved.
| Stage | What happens | Who leads |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Discovery & brief | Goals, audience, message, and where the video will be used | You + strategist |
| 2. Script | The story and narration, written and timed | Writer |
| 3. Storyboard | The script turned into sketched frames | Art director |
| 4. Style frames | The visual look locked before full production | Designer |
| 5. Design | All scenes and assets built to final quality | Designer |
| 6. Voiceover | Narration recorded once the script is locked | Studio + voice talent |
| 7. Animation | Static scenes brought to motion, timed to the voiceover | Animator |
| 8. Music & final mix | Music and sound effects added, then the final mix | Studio |
| 9. Review & delivery | Revisions, final cut, and file handover | You + studio |
Before anyone writes or draws anything, the project needs a clear brief: who the video is for, what one message it has to land, what action it should drive, and where it will be watched. This is the stage that prevents expensive changes later, because every decision downstream refers back to it.
A good brief answers four questions: who is the audience, what do they misunderstand today, what should they understand by the end, and what should they do next. If you can answer those, you are ready to start, no script required. Our guide to writing an explainer video script covers what to bring to this stage.
The script is where most of the work happens. A voiceover drives the story and the visuals illustrate it, so the words have to carry the meaning on their own first. Most explainer scripts run 150 to 220 words for a 60 to 90 second video, which is room for exactly one idea explained properly.
The strongest structure opens on the viewer’s problem, introduces the product as the answer, shows how it works in two or three beats, and ends with one clear call to action. The script is approved and timed before any visual work begins. Our full script writing guide breaks down the structure with examples.
The storyboard turns the approved script into sketched frames, one rough drawing per key moment. It proves the visual logic works before anyone spends time on final design. This is deliberately low-fidelity: the point is to agree on what happens in each scene, not what it looks like yet.
Reviewing the storyboard carefully is the single best thing a client can do to control both cost and timeline. Changing a scene here is a quick sketch edit. Changing the same scene after animation means redoing finished work.
A style frame is a single scene rendered at full final quality, used to lock the visual direction, color, typography, character design, and overall feel, before the whole video is built to that standard. Approving one or two style frames means everyone agrees on the look while it is still cheap to change.
With the look approved, every scene and asset is built to final quality: backgrounds, characters, icons, interface elements, and any custom illustration. For a software explainer this is where the interface is rebuilt as animation-ready assets. This stage is the bulk of the production hours on most projects.
Voice talent is recorded once the script is locked, and usually before animation begins. This matters more than it sounds: the finished narration sets the timing the animation will follow, so recording it first means the animation is built to the real voiceover rather than a guess at its pace. Professional narration also sets tone in a way on-screen text cannot.
Animation brings the static designed scenes to motion, working to timing that is already largely set by the script, the storyboard, and the recorded voiceover. Animation refines that pacing and adds transitions and emphasis; it is not discovering the basic timing from scratch. Because everything upstream has been approved, this stage is about execution, not creative debate.
With the animation locked, music and sound effects are added and everything is combined in a final mix. This is where narration, music, and on-screen action are balanced so they land as one piece. Sound does more heavy lifting than most people expect: the right track and effects set tone and make finished animation feel complete.
Review happens at each major stage, script, storyboard, design, and final animation, rather than all at the end, so feedback is caught while it is still cheap to act on. After final revisions, the video is delivered in the formats you need, along with any cutdowns and aspect ratios agreed up front.
Planning those cutdowns early matters. A vertical social version or a 15-second ad costs far less when it is scoped alongside the master video than when it is requested after everything is finished.
A typical 60 to 90 second explainer takes about four weeks once the script is approved. More complex work, heavy 3D, custom characters, or multiple videos, runs longer. Animation complexity matters, but stakeholder review time can materially affect the schedule too: the faster each stage is reviewed and approved on the client side, the closer a project stays to that estimate.
For a full breakdown of what drives cost at each stage, see our explainer video cost guide. To see finished results, browse our explainer video examples.
A typical 60 to 90 second explainer video takes about four weeks once the script is approved. More complex projects with 3D or custom character animation take longer. How quickly you review each stage is the biggest factor in the timeline.
The script and storyboard. Most of a video’s quality and cost are decided before animation begins, so the writing and planning stages are where the real work happens.
No. Scriptwriting and storyboarding are part of the production process. You provide the brief, your audience, message, and goal, and the studio handles the rest, with your approval at each stage.
Yes. Review and revision happen at each major stage rather than only at the end. Requesting changes early, at the script or storyboard stage, is far cheaper and faster than after animation is complete.
This varies by studio and project tier. Confirm the number of revision rounds per stage before you start, so expectations are clear on both sides.
Larry is the founder and Chief Storyteller at Creamy Animation, founded in 2009. He leads a team that creates story-driven videos for businesses and nonprofits. 15+ years in video strategy and production, specializing in SaaS, B2B, and nonprofit storytelling. A marketer, designer, and animator, Larry has overseen the production of more than 1,500 videos for Fujitsu, Logitech, Warner Brothers, NFL, Blockdaemon, Astronomer, Canonical, and 370+ others.
For Larry, God is first, and everything else is a blessing that comes from serving Him. When he’s not working, he’s hanging out with his wife and three kids, playing the piano, or pursuing his filmmaking side hustle.Â
