Papershift · Workforce planning software · 2D UI and live-action video

Sales Demo Video for Papershift Plan: 6 Features in 31 Seconds

Papershift needed prospects to see that shift planning, time tracking and absence planning live in 1 tool, Papershift Plan, in about half a minute. This sales demo video names 6 features in a single 2D frame, then puts the Papershift roster on the iMacs, laptops and phones people use every day.

Last updated Oct. 20, 2026

Papershift · Papershift Plan

Client: Papershift
Product: Papershift Plan, cloud-based workforce planning: shift planning, absence planning and time tracking
Made for: Companies that plan staff shifts, and the employees who work them
Format: 2D UI animation combined with live-action screen-insert video
Style: Flat 2D illustration in Papershift green, then office shots with the roster on screen
Length: 0:31
Production timeline: 3 to 4 weeks
Budget: $1,200 to $2,000

The problem: 6 planning jobs, 1 tool, 31 seconds

Papershift describes Papershift Plan as cloud-based workforce planning that covers shift planning, vacation and absence planning, and time tracking. A prospect who hears that list has to picture 3 or more separate tools working as 1, and a short video gets little time to make that picture.

The buyer also has a second doubt: will staff actually use it, or will it stay a manager's grid? So the video had to show 2 things fast: every feature in 1 plan, and that plan open on the screens people use at a desk, in a meeting and on a phone.

How the 31 seconds are spent, scene by scene

The video runs about 5 seconds of 2D animation, then about 24 seconds of office shots with the Papershift roster on screen. Select a time to play that scene above.

Time	On screen	What it does
	2D frame: a desktop roster and a phone with 6 labels around them: "Shift planning", "Time tracking", "Absence planning", "Real-Time tracking", "Weekly hours", "Employee data".	Names the whole product before any detail.
	Office shots: the Papershift calendar on an iMac with a "Create shift" dialog open, then on a laptop, then an "Assignment Support" window that lists "Occupied" and "Available" staff for one shift.	Moves the plan from a drawing onto real desks, with real planning tasks on screen.
	An iMac shows a week of red, unfilled shifts marked "0 from 1". The "Actions" menu offers "Assign automatically", "Use template" and "Send plan", a loading screen passes, and by 0:15 every block is green with a name and "1 from 1".	Shows a whole week staffed from one menu, the result a planner wants.
	A meeting at a round table: people in Papershift hoodies talk over open laptops.	Places the plan in a team conversation.
	Close shots of a laptop as someone types, with the plan on screen.	Shows hands-on use, not a poster of the UI.
	One person on a sofa with a laptop, one at an iMac, a phone in hand showing the time-tracking list, then a laptop at a table.	Shows the same plan from a desk, a sofa and a phone.
	"That's" builds over a soft roster grid, then the logo completes the line: "That's Papershift Plan".	Ends on the product name, set on the plan view.

Storyboard: the frames that carry the Papershift sales demo video

Key frames from the finished video, in order. Select a time to play that moment above.

All 6 features are named around 1 roster and 1 phone.
The first real screen is a planner creating a shift.
Staffing one shift is shown as a pick from available people.
The problem on screen: a week of unfilled shifts.
The payoff: the same week, every shift filled.
The plan moves into a team conversation.
Staff use it away from the desk too.
Time tracking is shown on the phone staff carry.
The close names the product as one line.

4 decisions behind the Papershift Plan sales demo video

Decision 1

Name all 6 features in 1 frame

From 0:00 to 0:04 a single 2D frame labels "Shift planning", "Time tracking", "Absence planning", "Real-Time tracking", "Weekly hours" and "Employee data" around 1 roster and 1 phone.

Copy it: If your product is several tools in 1, show them around a single screen first, then spend the rest of the video on use.

Decision 2

Let the colors carry the warning

In the opening frame "Weekly hours" shows "40h/40h" in green, "34h/40h" in amber and "52h/40h" in red, the same 3 colors as the shift blocks on the roster. At 0:12 the live roster is red with "0 from 1" on every shift, and at 0:15 it is green once staff are assigned.

Copy it: Pick 1 status color code and use it in every card, so a viewer reads overtime without a caption.

Decision 3

Fill the cards with named people and exact times

The cards read "Steve Pelican", "Start time: 09:23", "Net time: 08:12", "Alice Shelton", "Out of office (vacation)" and "Alice's birthday", not lorem ipsum.

Copy it: Put believable names, times and statuses in your demo UI. Planners judge a scheduling tool on whether the data looks like their week.

Decision 4

Put the roster on real screens

From 0:05 to 0:28 the Papershift roster appears on an iMac, laptops and a phone at desks, a table and a sofa.

Copy it: If your buyer doubts staff will open the tool, show it on the devices they use, with the UI placed sharp enough to read.

From a 2D feature map to the roster on real screens

Feature map frame. The scene background and layout were built so 6 Papershift Plan features sit around 1 roster and 1 phone.
UI cards. Shift, time, absence, weekly hours and birthday cards were drawn and animated in Papershift's green, amber and red.
Character motion. 2 illustrated users were animated: one at the roster, one pressing "Start break" on the phone card.
Screen content integration. Papershift roster screens were placed onto the iMac, laptop and phone screens in the office shots.
Layering and compositing. Windows and effects were layered over the roster so each screen reads at a glance.
Edit, grade and sound. Cuts were timed to fit 31 seconds, colors were graded and a soundscape was built.

Scope of work:

UI element animation
Scene background creation
Character motion design
Screen content integration
Visual effects layering
Soundscape creation
Final video editing
Color palette grading
Compositing

Production took 3 to 4 weeks on a budget of $1,200 to $2,000. See the SaaS video production service for how a project like this is scoped.

Questions about the Papershift sales demo video

Why does the Papershift video open on a 2D illustration before the office shots?

From 0:00 to 0:04 one 2D frame names all 6 features, from "Shift planning" to "Employee data". The live-action shots from 0:05 then only have to show the plan in use, not explain it.

What do the colors in the Papershift Plan video mean?

They mark status. Under "Weekly hours", "40h/40h" is green, "34h/40h" is amber and "52h/40h" is red, and the shift blocks on the roster use the same 3 colors.

How does the video show Papershift Plan on a phone?

The opening frame has a phone card labeled "Real-Time tracking" with "Time worked: 02:48" and a "Start break" button. At 0:27 a phone in hand on a sofa shows the app's time-tracking list, with dates and hours per day.

How was the Papershift roster put onto the office screens?

Screen content integration was part of the scope: the roster screens were placed onto the iMac, laptop and phone shots from 0:05 to 0:28, with windows layered over the grid.

Can a 31-second video work as a sales demo?

It works as the opener of one. It names 6 features in 5 seconds and shows them on real devices, which leaves the click-by-click walkthrough to the live call.

How long did the Papershift video take, and what did it cost?

Production took 3 to 4 weeks on a budget of $1,200 to $2,000, covering UI animation, character motion, screen integration, compositing, grading and sound.

What Advids clients say

"Wonderful experience, they listened to our vision, improved it some more and then made it come to life. A flawless and smooth process from A-Z."tracy mcnaughton, Managing Partner at Clean Energy Talent