I worked on this project pro bono for Arc Fitness, a charity based in Derry, Northern Ireland. Gary Rutherford and his wife Sarah run the charity, which supports people affected by substance abuse through physical activity, therapy and community. Arc deployed these five animations as part of their 'No Shame' campaign.
I am very fond of this project for several reasons. Sarah wrote the scripts with a very clear idea of what she wanted to achieve. She is a great writer and responded brilliantly to my notes as I assumed the role of Script Editor. I used to work as a Script Editor for a television show, and collaborating with Sarah reminded me how enjoyable it is to work with a writer willing to find the best solutions.
The type of video they requested was a 'whiteboard' style animation in which several illustrations are sketched individually to complete a larger picture. I am not a fan of this style of animation. Some mainstream software can generate videos of this type with results that generally look rather corporate and run-of-the-mill. However, I accepted the challenge rather than attempting to impose my views on someone else's vision. I resolved to create the most deluxe whiteboard videos possible.
I sketched out my illustration ideas, creating several tableaus from the script. Sarah was happy to give me free rein to explore my ideas. I was over the moon that she and Gary thought my illustrations were a perfect tonal match for their campaign. With the illustrations approved, I set about preparing them to be drawn on. Creating the effect I was happy with was a lot of work but ultimately worth it as I succeeded in achieving my deluxe goals. To go the extra mile, I added lots of fun little animations to the illustrations and illustrated different drawing hands to broaden the diversity of representation.
Sarah voiced the narration. She hadn't intended to, but I don't regret encouraging her to try. The result is fantastic because she knew what she wanted to say when she was writing the script and could now deliver it in the way she wanted. The final element to fall into place was the music track. I asked Sarah if she had any ideas about music and she sent me a track by Cinematic Orchestra with the wish of 'something like this'. I approached the artist, who agreed that we could use that exact track free of charge – what a result!
As you can see, there was a lot to like about this project: it ran smoothly from start to finish, the collaboration was excellent, they liked my drawing style, it was a great cause to support, the campaign was a success, and I produced whiteboard-style animations that both myself and the client felt good about.
Here are a few of the original sketches:
