Explainer videos and TV commercials

Q: Your company DeGroot Media creates explainer videos and TV commercials in a wide range of styles. Tell us about your beginnings.

I have been animating professionally with a focus on motion graphics since graduating from The Art Institute of Pittsburgh in 2006. I spent most of my early career working in television commercial production. In 2011 I started my own company, DeGroot Media, in which I produce animated content for TV and the web.


DeGroot Media Demo 2013

Q: What kind of clients do you animate for? What are their usual demands? Could you name a few clients?

I've animated for anyone from new technology startups, to big companies like Intel and Memorex, as well as ad agencies all over the world. Usually we create 1-2 minute explainer videos for web use but we also do work for television. We occasionally do work for non-profit organizations such as the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition and Goodwill. Recently, one of my favorite projects was created for Legion Media and Heritage Valley Health System (both located in Pittsburgh, PA), which was a regional :30 TV commercial:

Heritage Valley Health System - "Convenient Care"

Q: Could you talk about some of the projects you have done, and the software that you have used? Why did you choose these tools?

My toolset is really centered around After Effects, so anything that plays well with AE is open for consideration. For 3D work I primarily stick with Cinema 4D. Most of my work is very deadline-driven, so I'm always on the lookout for tools that help me be as efficient as possible with certain aspects of production. That's where CrazyTalk Animator came in. Character animation isn't something that is necessarily a straight-forward process in a package like After Effects where you really have to spend a lot of time designing and rigging characters from scratch. You hope that they are robust enough to achieve every pose or shot that your production needs, but that isn't always the case. With CrazyTalk, I recognized the benefit of having 3D rigged characters with a bunch of pre-made content right away. That saves me a ton of time getting into production, and makes it easier to meet deadlines. It's also a huge plus that I can use my Mixamo mocap content to drive the characters as well as animate by hand. My first project with CrazyTalk was an explainer video for the new start-up Jammable, but going forward I plan on pushing the package further as well as creating custom sprites for the characters.

Q: When using CrazyTalk, how long does it take you to complete a project? What can a customer expect, and typically how much does such a project cost?

When I use CrazyTalk, typically I can create more character animations at a lower cost, and in less time. I initially purchased it because I had a project with a fixed budget and a short deadline. From beginning-to-end I animated this project in about 2 weeks alongside other projects that were already in production at the time. This would have been very difficult to achieve had I been required to design and rig all of the characters from scratch in After Effects. In fact, I'm sure that I couldn't have stayed within budget. Budgets for character driven projects are heavily dependent on the complexity of the brief, as well as running time and deadlines. On average I'd say that a typical character-based explainer can cost anywhere from $1,500 - $5,000 USD.

Q: Any future plans for DeGroot Media Company ?

I have a lot of big plans for the future! We are currently working on a high-end 3D reel in order to go after the video game trailer/cinematic market (think Blur Studios). And we are also currently thinking about creating a Sci-Fi YouTube mini-series. Incidentally we are very much considering using iClone for that project, and we're keeping a close eye on the development of iClone 6 while we flesh out our ideas!

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Official Website: http://www.degrootmedia.net/
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/degrootmedia