Animation

Discover a world of Animation

Animation can take the driest of ideas and turn it into something beautiful. It distils the more complex concepts into digestible and fascinating information. Animation gives audiences a way to grab hold of the message quickly and for it to stick.

Animation works because while its function is to inform, its method is entertainment. Animations are fun to watch. It gives your audience a reason to engage and to continue engaging. Animation allows us to use metaphor: a powerful way to help your audience understand an idea. It presents it from a different perspective which helps to reinforce the message.

Animation relies heavily on the pre-production stage: Script and concept development. Well before storyboards are considered, we develop a concept to guide the creative decisions we’re yet to make. A great concept reflects the message and objective of the project as well as the audience. If the animation doesn’t fit with the audience, how can we expect them to engage with it?

Motion graphics, character animation or both?

Animation design fits broadly within one of two categories: Motions graphics and character animation.

Motion Graphics

Motion Graphics is the animation of objects, images, shapes, lines, text and icons to bring meaning to an idea. The style helps to visually convey a message through metaphor, helping to give the audience a deeper and longer-lasting appreciation of the concepts. Now, that might sound a little wishy-washy. In practice it’s simple: Motion videos have a clear message, generally driven by a voice over, with captivating graphics that take the audience on a journey from beginning to end.

Character Animation

Character animation is something you’re very familiar with. Disney may be the masters of the craft but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a slice of the action as well!

Characters bring a human connection to an animation. They have personality. They can reflect and meet your audience where they’re at. And while animation is an artist’s interpretation of reality the characters ground the message in ways which makes it relatable and engaging. It benefits from taking your audience to another place while effectively delivering your message.

Our process

While every project we produce looks and feels different, our tried and tested production process applies equally.

Stage 1: Defining message and audience

Each project we embark on begins with the message and audience. It’s a simple formula that drives every creative decision we make.

Stage 2: Concept Design

Motion graphics or character animation? Or a bit of both? We also discuss the tone of the film- is it dark and moody, bright and hopeful, or simple and sincere? Then there’s the length of the video, the music and the voice artist to consider.

Stage 3: Script development

With a clear direction established we can embark on developing a script. In conjunction with our client, we’ll determine the most vital messages and why the audience should care. This process often takes time. Scripts are nuanced and deserve some serious scrutiny.

Stage 4: Storyboarding

The fun really begins with the storyboards. Here we get some basic hard drawn illustrations suggesting the direction of the design. It’s a useful tool to get a feel of how the video will visually flow, and ensures we’re not doubling up on design ideas and that the scenes flow cohesively.

Stage 5: Animatics

The next stage is producing a static version film. It includes the voice over, music, timing and essential design, but it doesn’t move. It exists to give our clients a clear sense of the look and feel of the animation before we dive too deeply into the intricate details of production. It’s another great opportunity to review, ensuring we’re moving along the right track.

Stage 6: Animation

The characters are rigged and animated, the shapes, images and words come alive and the sound design comes into its own. We have ourselves an animation.

On some projects we conduct the production entirely from our Geelong studio, but when a specific design is required, we call on our diverse network of illustrators, designers and animators. This means you’ve got a huge range of creative options to choose from. So, if you have an idea bubbling away, we’d love to chat!