Sonova launched a new learning platform and wanted to announce its arrival with a promotional video. They wanted their workforce to feel excited and get a glimpse of some of the functionality coming their way. Above all else, the video needed to look and feel premium to reflect the sophistication of the new technology.
The client was open to suggestions, and I was keen to steer the project towards a 3D approach. I wanted to create an environment that the viewer could navigate to find order amongst chaos. The physical space is a collection of interconnected nodes, like neural pathways, and within it, a sublime object representing the learning platform. I also wanted it to have a somewhat 'heavenly' feel, as if it was above the clouds where the sun always shines. I also thought it was essential to show screenshots and screen captures on physical devices, making them feel as real as possible. I gathered visual references, which I compiled in a mood board.
The client was happy with the vision and approach, so I then created style frames to accompany the storyboard I produced.
The project was not without its challenges. The platform was still in development right up until the launch. In the absence of a functional website, I mocked up the screens and animated the cursor movements myself. Although this was extra work, I secretly enjoyed having more control over the on-screen interactions. Control freak? Moi?
Time was the other major constraint. The video needed to be aired in the weeks leading up to a hard launch; deadlines were non-negotiable. Having chosen to take a 3D route, I had to plan my time very carefully to render all of the different scenes. As the sole creative working on this project, I was flat out. If I wasn't at my computer animating and compositing, then I was sleeping while my computer was busy rendering the new scenes I had just finished animating. To cut a long story short, I delivered the project on time. Equally as important, the client loved the final result. They celebrated my work with an air punch, which was a first for me; I couldn't have wished for a better reaction!
I gained a lot of confidence through this project. At times, I wondered if I had bitten off more than I could chew. I was doing everything myself, mixing a variety of different techniques and software plugins to realise my initial vision and manage a pipeline and workflow that was unique to the project. Learning and growing as a creative often involves a leap of faith (swiftly followed by a lot of hard graft). I proved to myself that I was more than up to the challenge, capable of translating my ideas successfully to the screen with the level of sophistication I envisaged. I may even have done an air punch myself.