Make Good Studio · Production planning
AI video, live action, or motion design?
Start with what the audience needs to see and believe. Live action records real people and places. Motion design gives you control over graphics and explanation. AI can create or transform imagery that would be difficult to capture. A hybrid production combines those strengths within one film.
| Approach | Useful when | Plan for |
|---|---|---|
| AI video production | The concept needs imagined scenes, unusual visual ideas, or generated characters. | Testing motion, continuity, product details, and how generated shots will fit the edit. |
| Live action | Real people, an actual location, a testimonial, or a physical demonstration is the point. | Talent, location, lighting, scheduling, releases, and the necessary coverage. |
| Motion design | The audience needs to understand a process, product feature, message, or brand identity. | Script, design assets, style frames, storyboards, and animation complexity. |
| Hybrid production | Different parts of the concept need different techniques. | A shared visual direction, careful handoffs, and compositing and finishing. |
When should a brand use AI video?
Consider it when a visual idea is central to the message and physical production would constrain that idea. An imagined setting or character can give an abstract offer a concrete story. The important question is whether the result serves the brand, and whether the difficult shots can be made consistently.
NUVO — Find your space is an original AI headphone spec commercial. Character and product references, camera blocking, compositing, editing, and sound turn the concept into a finished film.
When should you shoot real footage?
Choose live action when the audience needs to see the actual person, place, product, or event. A real interview, authentic performance, or detailed product interaction may be the strongest foundation. AI can still support selected tasks within a filmed production.
For Farmers National Bank, Make Good handled filming and a custom AI workflow for a specific football moment. The Prodigal Company led the project as the agency and handled post-production. The example is a filmed commercial with targeted AI assistance.
When is motion graphics the better choice?
Use motion design when clarity and controlled design are central: explaining an offer, organizing information, animating typography, or extending a brand identity into a campaign. A graph, interface, or illustrated sequence can communicate an idea more directly than a cinematic scene.
Explore Sherwin Williams product motion and Yankee Candle campaign motion graphics. The project pages describe Make Good's role.
Can all three approaches work together?
Yes. A film could open with an AI environment, move to a filmed product demonstration, and finish with animated benefits and a branded end card. Plan the transitions, lighting, graphics, sound, and delivery formats together so the result feels like one piece.
What should we decide before production?
Agree on the message, where factual accuracy matters, which assets must remain exact, and who approves each stage. Discuss talent, supplied assets, intended usage, and tool requirements early. Requirements vary by project; those decisions belong in the production plan.
If you are unsure, send the brief. Josh's background in shooting, motion design, animation, and editing helps Make Good recommend an approach around the work your brand needs.