How to make a Video Bumper

In this article we'll cover:

• What is a Video Bumper?
• Why Video Bumpers should be an integral part of your branded video content.
• What ingredients you need to make a Video Bumper that speaks to your ideal customer. 
• Examples of Video Bumpers.

What is a Video Bumper and why do you need one?

So you’ve got a great logo, and its a great fit for your brand. But anytime you use it in your branded video content – it feels a little static. You’d love if you could bring it to life, so it could work better at telling your brand story.

Your new logo.

One of the best ways to animate your logo, is to turn it into a Video Bumper. A Video Bumper is basically a very short, but effective mini-movie or mini-advertisement. We’re talking about 5 to 7 seconds here. Once done, this mini-movie can work as the intro or outro for your branded video content.

 

Like bumpers on a car, video bumpers go at the start (front) or end (back) of a video.

 

 

 

Video Bumpers are powerful, because they serve two functions:

• Provides info to the viewer. As an intro to a video it can explain what the content is about. As an outro, it can work as a call to action.

• Functions like an advertisement. A good Video Bumper leaves a strong brand impression. It can help create a quick, emotional connection between your brand and your ideal customer.

 
Video Bumpers are the best way to make your logo sing!

 

 

 

 

 

 

What elements do you need to make a video bumper?

Lets look at the ingredients you need to make an effective Video Bumper.

 

• Logo
  

  Your logo will be an essential piece of your Video Bumper, but an important thing to note! You'll need a PNG version of your logo with a transparent background and not a JPEG. Why? Because JPEGs have a permanent background that will cover up a portion of the video.
  
  You'll want your logo to be at least 1000 x 1000 pixels, so it looks sharp.
  
  
  

Video Motion Elements, Music and Sound FX.

These are the parts that will help communicate your brand's personality.

You're looking not just to explain your product or service, but to also capture the vibe of your business. You want it so your ideal customers connect with and feel good about, your brand.

 

• Video Background:
  

  There are a few ways to make your logo come alive using either an animated motion template or a video background, or a combination of both.
  
  In these examples we'll be using stock video backgrounds, to create simple, but powerful Video Bumpers.
  
  
  
  

• Music
  

  This is the soundtrack for your mini-movie, and its just as important as the visual.
  
  The kind of 5-10 second musical segment we’re looking for is called a music stinger or music bumper. Be sure to use the words "stinger" or "bumper" when searching for music tracks. In the examples below, we're using music from Pond5. 
  
  
  
  
  

• Sound Effects.
  

  Again, when it comes to sound FX, we’re looking for something that helps set the mood for this mini-movie for your brand. Sound effects are important as they're really great at creating an atmosphere. And just like with music, Pond5 is where we buy our Sound Effects. 
  
  
  

 

Money Saving Tip! 
When researching stock video, music and soundFX, you should always test first before purchasing. You can get free lo-res versions of stock assets on most stock websites. Look for ‘download a comp’ or 'download preview' on product pages.

Here on canadastockfootage.com go to Download Preview on any product page, to download and test a free lo-res version in your project.

  

Now for the good stuff! Here's three examples of Video Bumpers:

For our Video Bumper examples, we've taken 3 logos and made them come alive using video backgrounds, music and sound effects that reflect their brand personalities. 

Note: As its almost Winter here in Canada (at the time of this writing), we're focusing on companies that sell their products during the snowy season. Of course Video Bumpers can work to sell any kind of product or service, during any kind of weather! 

 

 

 

For a cool snowboard company, we chose a snowy background and put the clip in reverse – giving the clip a rebellious, non-conformist vibe. The music stinger reflects the fun & goofy personality of a youthful, snowboard brand.

 

Example #2: Toasty Woodstoves
Brand Info & Personality:
Demographic: Rural Retirees
Emotions: Comfort, Winter Warmth, Folksiness

To capture the relief that a wood burning stove brings on a cold winter night, the video shows slow motion falling snow, and the logo's flame graphic has been animated using a video of fire.

For audio we’ve added the sounds of a winter blizzard and a crackling fire. For music a short acoustic guitar stinger that gives a folksy, rural feel that speaks to customers in the country. The video fades to black to emphasize the warm orange flames.

 

To work with the circular logo, we used a spinning winter forest background. The logo does a big zoom-out that works with the funky music. The background fades to black and blue at the climax of the song, giving the logo extra visual punch.

 

 

We hope these examples give you some ideas to create some great Video Bumpers.

Have a question or need help creating your own video bumper? Let's chat! You can reach out anytime at 416-873-5683 or contact us here.

Rob Howard is the author of this article and the founder of canadastockfootage.com. Rob has had work featured on CBC’s coverage of the 2024 Olympics in Paris and in ads for VISA, Amazon, Bell Canada and McDonalds. His goal is to help filmmakers, advertisers and companies speak to audiences through storytelling with video.

 

Where do we source our elements?

For our examples we’re using logos from FreePik.com, and music and sound FX from Pond5. The stock video winter backgrounds are from our Natural Background Collection here on canadastockfootage.com.