BACKGROUND:
This video was created for NOAA SciJinks, a website dedicated to inspiring and engaging middle school students to learn about weather, satellite meteorology, and Earth science.
COSMIC-2 — short for Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate — is a team of six small satellites that collect information about Earth's weather and climate. The "Meet COSMIC-2" video was produced to introduce students to these satellites and their features. Our team used new video editing techniques to captivate students and teach them about NOAA's satellite series in a fun and easy-to-understand product.
We were contacted by the people on this mission because of our previous work with outreach for other weather satellites. However, we were asked by the mission to create a new and different approach to the imagery, since they wanted to show the uniqueness of their new satellite constellation.
IMPACT:
The finished video product was published online at NOAA SciJinks and on YouTube. The sponsors of this project were very happy with the result, and also ordered a suite of print products (stickers, temporary tattoos, bookmarks) that also incorporated this imagery. Reviewers from multiple agencies were involved in reviewing the product, and all appreciated the texture and whimsy of our collage-style design.
CREATIVE TECHNIQUES:
Taking advantage of the seamless flow between After Effects and Illustrator, we were able to produce an animation that uses cut paper and cloth as an inspiration for a fun and educational experience.
Illustrator was used to create the assets such as the backgrounds, planets, and spacecraft and give them believable paper or cloth textures.
The 3D feature in After Effects helped in giving the project a more authentic stop-motion effect that we were looking for. After Effects was also used to animate the project and output it as an MP4.
OBJECTIVES MET:
Our objective was to create a product that would communicate how this satellite constellation works with things that younger audiences already have some familiarity with: GPS and weather forecasting. We successfully accomplished this goal with a simple language voiceover and engaging visuals.
