How do you make an engaging animation and what is our process?
We created this animation for Capstone Foster Care to highlight the incredible impact foster carers have of young people. The idea of fostering homes being lights in their community was at its core and something we really wanted to emphasise with an animated journey through city at dusk.
Animation allows you to do anything visually, which offers enormous creative opportunity, meaning the production process is hugely important for effective results. There are many ways of approaching it but we have found this route extremely effective.
Firstly, you need a compelling script, in this case drawn from real life quotes, and a defined message you want to communicate to your target audience. Once we have that in place and a narrative locked off, we write a description of the visuals to support and enhance it - this is a second point of sign off with the client.
A script can be interpreted in many ways but until it is storyboarded, the vision of an animation only lives inside the creator’s head. So, next is character design and 'scamp' storyboards which start to bring the script to life. These rough character and setting frames allow you and the client to see an interpretation of the visuals. Once they’re agreed, we create an animatic or first stage animation where we start to see movement and how the narrative works with the pictures. Only when these are approved, full and final animation can proceed. This process means we can continually check we’re staying true to the initial creative, and refining and developing the client’s ideas.
The final steps prior to delivery, are voiceover records and sound design. Sound design in animation brings the pictures to life - bus rumbles, barking dogs and subtle whooshes all play their part in this film. Most importantly, music is a powerful tool as it evokes emotion and creates an engaging experience for your audience. We auditioned a lot of tracks before we found something that fit the mood and message but hopefully with a combination of voiceovers from young people, we were able to achieve Capstone’s vision for their Brighter Futures campaign.
