IF YOU WANT TO BE GREAT… HAVE A PROCESS.

Written By Drysen Carsten

The Power of Process in Motion Design

Hey, I’m Drysen, coffee addict & co-owner of Hyperfocus Motion.

Before dedicating my career to motion design, I was deep in the world of wedding entertainment. My wife (Erin) and I ran 3 Cord Weddings, DJ + Photography, and we were masters of our craft.

You might be wondering, “Why am I on a motion design and video marketing website reading about weddings?” Well, I’m a believer that every life experience trains us for a better future. While Erin and I were great at what we did, our magic wasn't in being the world's best DJ or photographer… It was in our process.

The Details Matter

At 3 Cord Weddings, every little detail mattered. Before each wedding, we would do the following:

  • Call the catering company to confirm dinner start times, knowing how much time to allow the couple for photos.

  • Find who was giving the blessing over the meal, introduce ourselves, and find where they were sitting to ensure no dead time.

  • Meet with the wedding party before the grand entrance to educate and answer questions

  • Check to ensure the knife, napkins, and plates are available before announcing the cake cutting – avoiding an awkward “We’re not prepared!” moment

  • Clean the plates from the head table to ensure the photos of the toasts weren’t cluttered

  • Collaborate to know when & how long the bride & groom would be gone for a sunset session, knowing how much time to fill to entertain guests and avoid boredom.

  • Make sure the dance floor lights were white during the first dance, to ensure the first dance photos were clean, crisp, and without red hues, or dots on the faces.

All these little details stemmed from deep conversations with our couples and led to major impacts on the experience. We mastered the art of guiding these chats to gather all the info we needed. It wasn't about being the best DJ or photographer, but making people feel special through our attention to detail.


From Weddings to Motion Graphics

So, what does a wedding company's routine have to do with a motion and video advertising studio?

Well, a lot, actually.

Very early in Hyperfocus’s existance, Courtney and I channeled our love for processes into "The Hyperfocus Method."

It's our roadmap to ensuring every animation project is a home run. We're convinced that 80% of a project's success happens even before the actual production begins.

Here's a sneak peek at our method:

  • Scriptwriting

  • Storyboards

  • Style Frames

  • Voice Over (VO) research & directing

  • Animatics

  • Illustration / 3D Modeling

  • Production

  • Sound Design

  • Revision Rounds

  • Delivery & Celebration

Each step gets a green light before we move to the next. This structure helps us give our best without wasting time and resources on last-minute changes.

Of course, comparing this high-level overview of the animation process to the intricate details of 3 Cord Weddings is extremely surface-level. Things like:

  • Building a deep understanding of the company and product/service we’re working with.

  • Thinking through the Customer Journey to know how the content we’re creating will be received, along with the actions that the viewers will take.

  • Flipping the script, to quickly excite a viewer into watching more.

  • Communicating with clients through “The 5 Sentence Rule” where if something can’t be explained within 5 sentences of an email, we pick up the phone.

  • Utilizing The Pizza Tracker - Where we monitor the steps and process to ensure all parties involved know where the project is at, keeping everyone accountable.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Beyond Motion

Deep conversations about the campaign's aims help us find more ways to stretch a budget. For instance, since we create custom illustrations and 3D elements, we can repurpose them for other uses. What starts as a motion graphic project can spin into:

  • Infographics

  • Sales Posters

  • Blog Images

  • Static Social Imagery

  • Tradeshow Displays

  • Billboards

  • Shortened Microcontent

  • Video Bumpers

A single-motion project can lead to an entire marketing kit. As the initial buzz fades, these fresh assets keep your brand in the limelight. And this all stems from having deep, meaningful conversations while following a process.

In Conclusion

Whether you're orchestrating a wedding or creating compelling motion graphics, having a solid process is invaluable. It's the foundation upon which excellence is built.

To echo one of my favorite quotes from Erin Sarofsky, "People buy a process, not a product.”

At Hyperfocus Motion, we've lived and breathed this mantra, and it shows in our work.

Drysen Carsten
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