We celebrate bold content from across the web to inspire marketers and content creators.
You may think the connection with all our pieces this week is animation. In one sense you would be correct and in that sense, yes, they are all animated videos. However, I dare you to look closer. The main thing each of these videos have in common is that the creators have challenged themselves to think outside the box and have come up with content that evokes emotion on a whole new level. It’s that moment when you realise you’ve made something good – and that feels nice – but then, you buckle up, dig deep, push forward and create something great. And right there? … That’s the sweet spot. We hope you enjoy this week’s roundup!
Bring Nature Back
As today is Earth Day, we wanted to spotlight The WWF who have created a beautiful paper-cut animation as part of their Bring Nature Back campaign. This short 30 second video with its crisp soundtrack, concise voiceover, and evocative animation reminds us that this issue not only requires our urgent attention, but also helps us understand that action and resolution is within our power. Listen as the soundscape moves from hopeless to hopeful, with all the elements coming together perfectly to create a message that can’t be ignored.
Families Under Pressure
Our next offering is ‘Families Under Pressure’ brought to you by Kings College London and the NHS. This piece visually captures the pressure many families were feeling during lockdown, by containing the animation within the shape of a house. Its cleverness, however, must not be taken for granted. The impact of the narrative (beautifully read by Olivia Coleman) and animation unfolding within the containment of the single shape is much more impactful than if they had played out the scenes in full screen. The lesson here is to always think about what emotion you want to evoke or tap into and find creative solutions to bring that to fruition.
Innerviews
Now for a piece of content that will ease your mind and soothe your soul, we come to Innerview’s award-winning short by Chen Winner. I’m not sure if it’s the sense of nostalgia evoked from the use of animated lino prints (whaaaaat so cool??), the crackle of atmospheric airwaves and vinyl along with the sexy soundtrack, or the sultry and dulcet tones of some of the worlds greatest creatives but – boy oh boy – this piece is lush. It’s texturally satisfying too. What a great thing to think of when creating your own content. How can you make your video visually satisfying for your audience and stop them scrolling past?
Allergy Pills
Finally, we have ‘Allergy Pills’, a collaboration by Daniel Damm and Fernando Peque as they set out to find new ways to make hand-drawn animation look more like a painting or illustration. This animation uses light really well to create the depth and energy of a painting. It’s full of texture, light and shade and the brushstroke style text really reinforces the hand-made feel of this work. Inspiration yet again to always push the boundaries of what has come before and to create your style.
Bold Content Spotlight: Hope For Humanity
This project came about from a commission from Adventure Stories for Girls who were looking for a creative way to turn a long form blog post into a short animation. We worked together to create a script that would have a circular narrative construct with lots of visual cues to allow the animator room for creativity in the visual representation of the dialogue.