
We’re artists who love science! And it shows in every medical animation we create. What’s more, we only work on medical and scientific content — we’re industry-leading experts in medical animation.
Medical animations are used to educate healthcare professionals about new research and concepts in disease progression and treatment.
Medical animation is also used to teach patients and their families about health and disease management, so that they can make informed choices.
Medical communications and scientific affairs managers use medical animations to explain disease pathways to healthcare professionals at medical symposia and congresses, and on disease state awareness websites.
Product and marketing managers use medical animations to explain the therapeutic mechanism of action of drugs to healthcare professionals on product websites and at medical congress booths.
Medical science liaisons use medical animation in detail aids and presentation decks to explain disease pathways when meeting with physicians.
Opinion leaders use medical animation in symposia presentations to describe molecular pathways in disease.
Patient advocates and educators use medical animation to explain complex disease processes and treatments to the public, with a wide ranging level of science and medical literacy.
Clients tell us we’re unlike other digital agencies they’ve worked with in terms of our high level of science literacy, particularly around depictions of cellular and molecular processes, and in our attention to detail. The words clients most use to describe the medical animations we create are “beautiful” and “accurate”.
Many companies, including bona fide healthcare agencies, produce medical animations. Unfortunately, very few use actual medical animators to do the work. Instead, most use regular animators, without specialized science training. The resulting lack of scientific accuracy in the depiction of cellular and molecular structure and function undermines the important messages being conveyed to healthcare professionals.
In contrast, AXS Studio employs only medically trained animators. Each holds a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Biomedical Communications (BMC) from the University of Toronto, one of only four CAAHEP-accredited programs in North America. This specialized training is the reason we explain complex medical science processes more clearly and depict them far more accurately than non-medically trained animators. For our clients, this translates into credible and effective messaging for both science-literate and lay audiences.
Runtime, resolution (e.g. HD vs. 4K) and visual complexity are the main determinants of cost for an AXS Studio medical animation. We do all content development and production in-house, so there are no markups to pass on to our clients.
This varies widely among suppliers, as does the quality of service and level of content expertise. AXS Studio pricing includes content research, storyboarding, 3D modeling, animation, lighting, shading, rendering and compositing. We also include audio services: professional voice-over talent, recording and editing; sound effects design; and custom or stock music. Script writing, including literature review, referencing and annotation are optional services, as some of our clients do their own script writing and MLR preparation.
Most medical animations run between 90 seconds and 4 minutes. From experience, we have found that 2–3 minutes is the “sweet spot” for an audience of healthcare professionals (HCPs). This is long enough to convey key messages, without feeling too long for busy people and/or short attention spans. Because cost is connected to runtime, budget is usually a consideration in determining how long your animation will be. If you’re preparing an outline or narration script for your animation, a good rule of thumb is 100 words per minute of animation. If you can tell your story in 100 words, you should be fine with a 1-minute medical animation.
We use a storyboard for two purposes:
1) To previsualize the animated story for our client, and
2) To serve as a shot-by-shot guide for our animators.
We will gladly review your storyboard to see if our animators can use it in our workflow. If not, we can build on it to create a document that works well for both you and our production team.
We create most medical animations in the global HD (high definition) standard: 16:9 aspect ratio, 1920 x 1080 pixels, 24 frames per second (fps). From this master file, we then output the video formats (e.g. MPEG-4, Windows Media, WebM, etc.) at the pixel dimensions and file sizes (compression and bitrate) best suited to the targeted end user devices. For online video, including mobile, we optimize the bitrate and compression settings and provide multiple sizes to work with responsive websites. At the end of each project, we deliver an uncompressed master file, from which you or your agency can output any file format required in the future.
We do all work in-house in our Toronto, Canada studio with specially trained medical animators. This enables tight control of quality and schedules, which is especially important when working toward fixed deadlines. As well, unlike many products and services that can be offshored to cut costs, quality medical animations require a high degree of specialized knowledge.
Our writers, storyboard artists and medical animators all hold Master of Science, Biomedical Communications (M.Sc.BMC) degrees. Our specialized training is the reason we can explain complex medical concepts more clearly and accurately than animators without formal medical training. There are businesses in the U.S. and Canada that use foreign outsourcing for medical animation. If you’re considering hiring one of these companies, we advise getting information on the medical training of their animators.
3D animation refers to the use of digital three-dimensional models to make an animated film on a computer. Movie theaters often use the term “3D” to describe stereoscopic movies, which are created using two cameras to create the illusion of images that “leap out” in three dimensions from a 2D movie screen, when viewed using special glasses. AXS Studio creates both stereoscopic and regular 3D animations for our clients. Our stereoscopic animations are viewed using 3D glasses and a specialized monitor or projector. When we create a stereoscopic medical animation, we also deliver a “non-stereo” version for viewing on a regular screen, without the need for special glasses. This provides our clients with the flexibility to use stereo for special screenings and non-stereo for all-purpose viewing.
Yes. You can use frames (still images) directly from the animation, at no additional charge. These are typically large enough for website use and illustrations in slide presentations and small print materials. If you require larger images — for use as a booth panel, for example — we can provide those and charge only for the output. We can also render individual elements from an animation — a ligand binding a receptor, for example.
We ensure that all material we provide for MLR review has been diligently referenced from the scientific literature. Depending on a client’s review process, we may provide a “reference binder” containing bookmarked supporting passages that link back to an annotated version of the animation storyboard. This enables reviewers to quickly look up supporting evidence. As well, at our client’s request, we’ll call in to review sessions to field questions and defend visual and storytelling recommendations.
Happy 100th Anniversary to insulin, a hormone that was first discovered by Best & Banting at #UofT! 🎂 Insulin is a revolutionary treatment of diabetes that has saved the lives of over 15 million people. Here’s a #tbt an educational graphic showing how it works. #insulin100