Covid-19 came unexpectedly and threw us all for hell of a loop. We had to completely change our daily routines and adjust our habits. Youth whose entire world has been flipped upside down, may have been experiencing even bigger turmoil of negative emotions during these months of self-isolation.
Our mission was to give them some special care throughout this challenging time by creating a video series visually and emotionally engaging for a younger audience.
Some simple activities, mindfulness techniques with a dash of fun and support can uplift the spirits. And awareness that there is a hotline dedicated specifically for people their age, can bring some much needed comfort.
The main challenge was to create a message for youth ages 5 to 12. There is a significant difference between maturity levels and development of toddlers and teens. During the conceptual work we decided to make it simple and universal by tapping to the emotions and activities of every kid: happiness, loneliness, hobbies, socializing with friends and family. The created message is balanced in a way that the audience from the youngsters to the early teens can resonate with it as a whole.
Coloring book accents, sketch notebook sequence, paper cut-outs, craftworks etc. were directed mainly at preschoolers, while playing sports and video games, FaceTiming friends, Netflix parties – directed mostly for 3-graders and up.
While working on the style, it was crucial for us to keep it appealing to kids across many different social and cultural demographics. The emotional tone of this piece was supposed to be uplifting and encouraging.
We decided to keep a creative & art direction settled by our team while working on ‘We're here for the kids' campaign we did for Nickelodeon & Kids Help Line together with MotionLab. A more abstract, simplified silhouette-ish style for the characters with no facial features and the pastel color palette were at the focal point of the stylistic approach.
The purpose of this stage is to establish creative and artistic direction and communicate it to the client. Our team prepares a dedicated moodboard and presents other visual and animation style references.
The process started with creating the storyboard based on the provided voice-over script. Our director built the narrative of the video.
Based on the approved sketches and the voice over, an animatic was created to show the movement of the camera and the timing precisely - to conceptualize the flow of the final video.
Along with the storyboard we prepared selected fully illustrated scenes to visualize the aesthetics and main characters design. Once having these approved by the client, we started illustrating.
Animation stage required a few different techniques like 2D, 3D and cel animation but also the assortment of software (AE, Animate, Cinema 4D, TV Paint). A team of animators were working on the videos simultaneously.
Sound design was prepared to enhance the emotions of the characters, to help the audience empathize with the video.
As a result we created a series of 40-second videos, each one focusing on a different uplifting message for youth during COVID-19 pandemic.
Directed by BluBlu
Client: Kids Help Line
Agency: MotionLab
Production: BluBlu Studios
Director: J. Kurek
Executive Producer: Karolina Molska
Art Direction: Jagoda Klaczyńska
Illustration & Animation: Jagoda Klaczyńska, Sybilla Kuczniak, Gregory Janista, Matijos Gebreselassie, Karolina Specht, Michał Machowina, Miłosz Kokociński
