Time to shed some light on what it is we actually do [hint - it's not just 'cartoons']
Client: Studio [ aka ticktockrobot ]
We’re always impressing the importance of an explainer video to our clients. What better way to convey what you do than an animation, that both engages and entertains as well as educates customers on your services, usp’s and ethos.
All the while we were shamefully aware we didn’t have one ourselves [ too busy making everyone else’s! ].
We work with agencies and production companies. But we also work with SME’s and NGO’s, many of whom are less familiar with the process of creating an animation. The unknown variable can seem daunting. We often hear the misconception that animation is ‘just cartoons’, so we wanted to create a fun video that would dispel that myth.
So first off we started with our concept [ that's right - practice what you preach! ].
We laid out the 5 stages we go through in creating a product for our clients. Then we settled on the idea of creating a clockwork themed world of robotics [ in keeping with our brand ], that would be transformed by the clients in the story to reveal the human talents behind it all. We liked playing with the notion that computers and machines do a lot of the heavy lifting, that ai could replace us [ it can’t ].
Finally, after the concept was locked down we opted for a retro computer game narrative and aesthetic. We felt this was a nostalgic approach that would appeal to our core demographic, as well as help enforce the notion that creating an animation is like completing a series of levels. Only when one is complete can you progress to the next!
Credits: |
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Design & Direction: |
Simon Armstrong |
Services:
- Concept Development
- Design
- Storyboarding
- Animation
- Audio Production
- Reversioning [ for social media and branding use ]
All part of the process…
'We really loved building this world. If we were going to convey to our clients how much fun it is creating your own animation, we needed to make sure that came through in our production. Who doesn’t love retro robots right?
The creation of an animation is all about stages. Here we can see all the layers and levels that go into creating the final look. Everything was built in 3D but the camera planes were locked to give a very orthographic and 2D render. The last addition, adding the pixelated retro look, was actually a hard call to make. We realised it reduced the clarity of the visual, but it also enhanced the concept and made it more unique, which in the end was more important.'
Simon Armstrong
Director
From machine to man, each misconception is flipped to reveal the truth in what we do...
