Breathing life into an idea
internal communications video animation
Superunion, a WPP branding agency, commissioned Content Creatures to bring to life, Dot, a creative concept for an internal communications video for their client, AXA. The creative team at Superunion supplied us with a script, a creative reference for the project, and initial 2D character design and. The Dot character provided was designed to match AXA’s existing simple, graphic cell-shaded brand style. The challenge for our animation team was to send Dot on a journey that really challenged her physically, but in a 2D-style animation style.
Client
Superunion for AXA
Industry
Financial
Media
What We Did
- Animation
- Digital assets
- Motion design
- Music composition
- Storyboarding
- Voiceover production
Project assets:
Creative content strategy
Dot’s story is a classic hero’s journey narrative; as she travels to the summit, she must overcome obstacles and conquer her inner fears.
Such stories demand epic, cinematic telling. During the storyboard process we focused on drafting interesting, filmic camera angles to elevate the drama and emotional tension within each scene.
Creating the environment
To give Dot maximum freedom, we decided to model and animate her and the environments in 3D.
The character model took several rounds of experimentation before we had a balance between emotive facial reactions and a graphic style that matched AXA’s visual identity.
Developing the characterisation
Further complexity was added by a graphical device designed to reflect Dot’s mood — the more fearful or anxious she became, the more colour drained from her.
Our animation team went through a further round of R&D, testing a variety of techniques before finding the perfect solution to tell Dot’s story.
Great partnerships that make a difference
We directed actor Patrick Troughton who voiced the script and provided a wise, wistful read.
Meduktions, a frequent creative collaborator, was briefed to score a beautifully uplifting original music composition.
