The Explainer Video Production Process: Steps, Timeline and What We Need From You

An explainer video takes us five steps and, for most projects, three to five weeks from kick-off to final delivery. Your team is needed at three checkpoints: the script, the storyboard and the first animation review. Here is what happens at each stage, what we need from you, and what makes a timeline slip.

The five-step explainer video production process at a glance

Most buyers ask how long an explainer video takes. The better question is how long each decision takes, because the production work is predictable and the decisions are where calendars stretch. The table below shows both.

Every step happens in-house. Strategy, scripting, storyboarding, design, animation, voiceover and delivery sit with one team, so nothing waits on a hand-off between vendors.

What happens at each stage

Step 01: Discovery

Discovery starts with a 30-minute call with our Creative Director. You do not need a written brief for it. Bring the context: who buys, what they misunderstand today, what the video has to change, and where it will run.

After the call we unpack the product story, the market it sits in and the journey a user takes through it. This is where business goals get matched to a creative direction. For a complex or technical product we may ask for a short walkthrough, because an explainer built on a misunderstanding of the product is slow to correct later.

Step 02: Content alignment and scripting

The script is where the video is actually decided. We turn the discovery material into a voiceover script, and every line is tied to one outcome: the thing the viewer should understand, believe or do by the end.

Length is set here too. As a planning rule of thumb, voiceover runs at roughly 140 words per minute, so a 90-second explainer carries about 210 words. That number forces the hard conversation early: which three things matter, and which ten features stay out. Our guide to explainer video length covers how to choose the runtime.

Step 03: Storyboarding

A video storyboard draws the script out scene by scene. It shows what appears on screen against each line of voiceover, the rhythm of the cuts, and the order in which information arrives. This is where clarity gets designed. Our guide to the video storyboard covers this stage in depth.

Two design choices made here have strong evidence behind them. An overview of 29 reviews covering 1,189 studies and 78,177 participants found eleven multimedia design principles with significant positive effects on learning, including signalling and segmenting.[1] In practice that means each scene highlights one thing, and the video moves in clear chunks the viewer can follow.

Moving a scene in a storyboard takes minutes. Moving it after animation has started means redoing finished work.

Step 04: Animation and motion design

With the script and storyboard locked, the style is applied to every scene and the frames start to move. Voiceover is recorded against the locked script, then music and sound design are built under the picture.

Motion is doing real work at this stage. A meta-analysis of 26 studies found animation outperformed static pictures by d = 0.37 overall, and by d = 1.06 when the subject was a process performed in steps.[2] We design transitions to show how one step leads to the next, which is why this stage takes the longest. It ends with the first animation review, your third checkpoint.

Step 05: Delivery and optimisation

We deliver the finished video in every format you need: a full-length master for your website, versions sized for app and social placements, and captioned files. The review loop runs until the final output is confirmed.

If the explainer is the start of a series, this is also the point to plan what comes next. Many teams follow a flagship explainer with feature videos, social cutdowns and a product demo. Our comparison of explainer videos and product demo videos sets out which to make next.

A week-by-week timeline

Most of our projects run three to five weeks from kick-off to final delivery. A single explainer moves faster than a full launch campaign. The plan below is a typical five-week shape, with the compressed three-week version alongside it for a single explainer with a clear brief and one approver.

We build buffer into every timeline and flag risks early. The buffer protects against the things that genuinely cannot be scheduled, such as a product release moving. It cannot absorb a script that waits two weeks for a signature, so treat the checkpoint column as dates in your own calendar.

What we need from you, stage by stage

The list is short. Having it ready at kick-off is the single biggest thing you can do for the timeline.

Before discovery

• One named approver with the authority to sign off, plus anyone who must review before they do.
• The launch date or campaign date the video has to meet.
• Any existing material: pitch deck, sales deck, positioning document, recorded sales calls.

For discovery and scripting

• Brand assets: logo files, colour values, typefaces, brand guidelines, and any illustration or icon style you already use.
• Product access: a demo account with realistic sample data, or a walkthrough call with someone who uses the product daily.
• Anything the video must say for legal or compliance reasons, flagged before the script is written.

For storyboarding

• A list of interface screens that will change in the next release, so we can simplify or stylise them.
• Preferences on voice: gender, accent, pace, and the markets the video will play in.

For the reviews

• One consolidated set of comments at each checkpoint, agreed internally before it is sent.
• Review slots held in the approver’s calendar from the day of kick-off.

That is the whole list. A proper brief makes discovery faster still, and a studio worth hiring will ask for every item above. Our guide to choosing a video production company in Singapore covers the other questions to ask before you sign.

What causes delays, and how to prevent them

Production delays have three usual causes: a decision that waits, an input that arrives late, and a change that arrives late. Each one has a simple fix.

• No named final approver. When nobody owns the last word, every reviewer treats their comments as binding, and the script is never quite finished. Fix: name one final approver at kick-off, and get their written sign-off on the script before design starts.
• Feedback in fragments. Five people send comments on different days, and some contradict each other. Fix: one person gathers comments and sends a single agreed set per checkpoint.
• Late compliance review. Fintech, healthtech and cybersecurity products often need legal eyes on claims. Fix: put legal on the script, where changing a sentence still takes minutes.
• Missing brand assets or product access. The storyboard stalls waiting for a typeface file or a login. Fix: send everything in the checklist in the first week.
• A product that moves mid-project. A release changes the interface after the storyboard is locked. Fix: tell us about the release roadmap at discovery, and we will design the affected screens to survive it.

Every one of these adds time, and none of them comes from production effort on our side, which is why the same video can take three weeks for one company and seven for another.

Working with teams across APAC

The whole process runs remotely, and most of it runs without anyone needing to be online at the same time. Discovery happens over Zoom or Google Meet. Scripts and storyboards are shared documents you can comment on. Animation reviews happen on Frame.io, where comments are pinned to the exact frame they refer to.

Time zones work in your favour across the region. Singapore shares a clock with Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Manila, Taipei and Perth. Jakarta, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City sit an hour behind; Tokyo and Seoul an hour ahead; Sydney and Melbourne two or three hours ahead depending on daylight saving. A live call fits comfortably inside everyone’s working day.

If your approver sits in one market and the audience in several, say so at discovery. Voice casting, on-screen text and subtitle languages are easiest to plan into the storyboard. Our guide to multilingual video localisation in Southeast Asia covers the options, and our portfolio shows work made for teams across the region.

The short version

An explainer video moves through five steps: discovery, scripting, storyboarding, animation and delivery. Most projects run three to five weeks from kick-off to final delivery, and your team is needed at three checkpoints: the script, the storyboard and the first animation review. Name one approver, send brand assets and product access in week one, put legal on the script, and decide everything at the storyboard. Do that, and the timeline is set by the craft. For the thinking that goes into the script and storyboard, see our research-backed explainer video techniques.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to make an explainer video?

Most of our projects run three to five weeks from kick-off to final delivery. A single explainer with a clear brief and one approver sits at the short end; a launch campaign with several cutdowns, or a product that needs technical review, sits at the long end. The biggest variable is how quickly each sign-off comes back.

What are the steps in the explainer video production process?

Our process has five steps: discovery, content alignment and scripting, storyboarding, animation and motion design, and delivery and optimisation. Your input is needed at three points: approving the script, approving the storyboard, and reviewing the first cut of the animation. Everything between those checkpoints is handled by the studio.

What is a video storyboard and why does it matter?

A video storyboard is the script drawn out scene by scene, showing what appears on screen against each line of voiceover. It matters because it is the last point where changing your mind is quick and easy. Moving a scene in a storyboard takes minutes; moving it after animation has started means redoing finished work.

How many revisions are included in video production?

The revision allowance is part of each project's scope, so it is set out in the proposal for your brief. What stays constant is where feedback lands: on the script, on the storyboard, and on the first animation review. Sending one consolidated set of comments at each of those points keeps every project inside its timeline.

How much of our team's time does an explainer video need?

Less than most teams expect. You join a discovery call, share your brand assets and product access, and review at three checkpoints: script, storyboard and first animation review. For complex or technical products we may also ask for a short product walkthrough, so the video is accurate before anything is drawn.

Can you produce an explainer video for a team in Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong or Australia?

Yes. The whole process runs remotely: discovery over video call, scripts and storyboards as shared documents, and reviews as time-coded comments on the cut. Singapore shares a time zone with Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Manila and Perth, and sits within a few hours of Jakarta, Bangkok and Sydney, so live calls fit inside a normal working day.