---
title: "Annotated product demo video from your real product"
description: "Annotated product demo video production from a scripted recording of your real product and your brand kit. A prototype service with 3 episodes assembled."
canonical: "https://laboetie.io/products/videoforge"
language: en
---
# VideoForge: annotated product demo video

VideoForge produces annotated product demo videos from a scripted screen recording of a real product. Rendering adds a redrawn cursor, on screen annotations and explanation scenes in your brand kit. La Boétie delivers this prototype as a service, and a human validates each stage of production. Of the three assembled episodes, two are placed on production articles.

Status: Prototype. Access: Delivered as a service. Two episodes placed on production articles in August 2026.

## Capabilities

- We record a real product from a script and redraw the cursor.
- Video composition adds annotations and explanation scenes.
- The review player has timestamped notes, drawing and a recap export.
- Rendering follows your brand kit.

## How an annotated demo video is made

We record the screen while a script runs a real browser through your product. The composition step adds a redrawn cursor, frames around key elements and on screen narration. Each zoom scales the video and recalculates the annotations and the cursor in the same frame to keep them on target.

## Explanation scenes for backend work

Explanation scenes cover what a screen recording cannot show, such as work in the backend or the database. A scene uses a diagram, a code extract or a comparison. Each scene sits between recorded passages.

## Video review with timestamped notes

Reviewers watch the video in a player, leave timestamped notes and draw on the frame. They then export a recap folder with those notes and captures, and production turns the recap into changes.

## Rendering from your brand kit

Each render uses the brand kit of your project. Code shown on screen takes its colors from the kit. Your scenario and your kit stay separate from the engine.

## Short branded videos

Short branded videos start from your content. Three episodes are assembled, and two of them went onto production articles in August 2026. A human validates the text before any generation starts.


## What an annotated product demo video is

An **annotated product demo video** is a recording of real software with labels, zooms and short explanations added on top. A viewer sees the product working and reads what each step means.

Annotations answer the problem of a plain screen recording. The cursor drifts, and the viewer cannot tell why a click matters. A good annotated demo points at one thing at a time and gives it a reason.

## Types of demo video

| Type | What it shows | Good for | Weak point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain screen recording | The real interface | Internal notes, quick support | Slow, unfocused |
| Annotated walkthrough | The real interface with guidance | Onboarding, sales, release notes | Must be redone as the interface changes |
| Animated interface | A redrawn version of the product | Stable, high level stories | Less proof, higher cost |
| Presenter video | A person explaining | Trust, complex topics | Longer production |
| Explainer scenes | Diagrams and code | Backend work with no screen | Abstract without a product shot |

Several vendor guides put animated demos at several thousand dollars, and they rate plain recordings as cheap with a short shelf life. Treat those figures as rough. Your choice should follow the job of the video.

## Screen recording or animated interface

| Question | Choose a recording | Choose animation |
|---|---|---|
| Does seeing the real product build trust? | Yes | Less important |
| Is the interface stable? | Yes | It changes every week |
| Is the product released? | Yes | Not yet |
| Is the audience using it now? | Yes, for onboarding | It is a first look |
| Are there many sensitive records on screen? | Use a seeded account | Animation avoids them |

VideoForge works from a scripted recording and adds drawn layers on top. You get proof from the real product and the control of animation.

## How a demo gets made

1. **Scenario.** A written scenario lists the steps, the on screen text and the pauses.
2. **Recording.** Your real product is recorded from that scenario.
3. **Composition.** Annotations, zooms and explanation scenes are composed in your brand kit.
4. **Review.** You watch in a review player and leave notes on the exact moment.
5. **Corrections.** Notes turn into changes, and a recap export lists them.
6. **Delivery.** The final file goes to your site or your channels.

A retake costs little, because the recording follows a written scenario.

## Pacing

Most demos run too fast. A viewer needs time to read a label and to find what it points at. Each annotation stays on screen long enough to read.

- One idea per annotation.
- Short labels, placed next to the action.
- Zoom when the target is small, and only then.
- Leave a pause after each result, so the viewer sees it land.
- Cut the login, loading screens and repeated steps.

## Annotations that help

| Annotation | Use | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Label | Name what a control does | Repeating the text on the button |
| Highlight | Draw the eye to one area | Several at once |
| Zoom | Show small detail | Zooming on each click |
| Code card | Show the change behind a feature | Long blocks |
| Explanation scene | Show how a backend process works | Replacing the product shot |
| Blur | Hide private data at the moment it appears | A blur across the whole video |

Keep annotations tied to steps in the scenario. Timestamps break when you trim a video, while a step keeps its place.

## Showing backend work

A feature with no screen is hard to demo: a faster import, a new security rule, a retry system. Explanation scenes handle these with diagrams, code and data flow in your brand colours.

## Your brand kit

The kit holds what belongs to your project.

| Item | Example |
|---|---|
| Colours | Primary, background, text, code roles |
| Fonts | Display and body |
| Logo | Light and dark versions |
| Caption style | Size and position |
| Layouts | End card, title card |

## Review with timestamped notes

Feedback by email on a video is painful: "at about one minute, the thing on the left". The review player lets your team pause, write a note at that exact time and draw on the frame. A recap export gathers those notes into one list.

| Review stage | Your role |
|---|---|
| Scenario | Check the steps and the words |
| First cut | Check order, pace and accuracy |
| Final | Approve for publication |

A human validates each step. Nothing goes out on the strength of generated output alone.

## Short branded videos

The second use is short videos from your content: a script drawn from an article, then scenes, captions and a brand card. A presenter can be a real person or a generated character. A synthetic presenter raises disclosure and image rights questions, and those remain your decision.

## What to send

- Access to a test account with realistic fake data
- The steps you want to show, or the feature to explain
- Your brand kit, or your website as a starting point
- The audience and where the video will appear
- Anything that must stay off screen

Use fake data, because a real customer name in a demo stays in every copy of the file.

## Where to use a demo

| Place | Length to aim for | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Home page | Short | The main outcome |
| Product page | Short to medium | One feature |
| Onboarding | Medium | One task, step by step |
| Sales follow up | Tailored | The prospect's case |
| Release notes | Short | What changed |
| Support article | Short | One answer |

Add a `VideoObject` schema and a transcript when you place a video on a page. Search engines read text, and a transcript also helps people who watch with the sound off.

## How to measure a demo

| Goal | Measure |
|---|---|
| Understanding | Watch time and drop off point |
| Sales | Replies and demos booked after viewing |
| Onboarding | Task completion by new users |
| Support | Fewer tickets on the topic |

A steep drop in the first seconds usually means a slow start. Move the result to the opening.

## Next step

[Send a brief](https://laboetie.io/brief) with your product, your audience and the feature to show. Written content on the same subject can come from [Cortex](https://laboetie.io/products/cortex), and [SocialForge](https://laboetie.io/products/socialforge) adapts it to social formats.


## Frequently asked questions

### What is an annotated product demo video?

An annotated product demo video is a recording of a real product with on screen marks that guide the viewer. VideoForge records a scripted path through the product, redraws the cursor, adds frames around the elements that changed and writes the narration on screen. Explanation scenes then cover the parts a screen cannot show.

### How much does a product demo video cost?

VideoForge has no published price. La Boétie delivers this prototype as a service and scopes each video from a brief. Your brief should name the product, the path to show and the number of videos you need. You then receive a scope from the studio. Production is manual with human validation at each stage.

### Should a demo use screen recording or animated UI?

VideoForge uses scripted screen recording of the real product in a real browser. Animation appears in the layer above the recording: the redrawn cursor, the annotations and the explanation scenes. This approach keeps the interface on screen identical to the one a customer uses. A product with no working build yet needs another method.

### What do I need to send for a product demo video?

VideoForge needs a working address for the product, an account to record with, the path the demo should follow and your brand kit. The engine stays generic because those project details go into the recording scenario. Name the audience and the decision the video should support in your brief, so the script opens on what they need to see.

### How involved will my team be in production?

A human validates each stage of production. Your reviewers get a player with timestamped notes, frame drawing and a recap export. Production receives the recap folder as a list of changes. La Boétie handles the recording, the composition and the changes after each round of notes. The text gets validated before any generation starts.

### What if my product interface changes?

A scripted recording replays from its scenario, so an interface change means updating the scenario and recording again. The brand kit and the composition stay in place across versions. Because the scenario holds the selectors of the recorded path, a moved element means editing that step. Explanation scenes change only when the behavior they describe has changed.