How to explain a bench that bends?
Brief: Turning an hour-long PowerPoint sales presentation into a 75-second animated video.
Role: Director, Writer, Animator
The challenge
Green Furniture Concept had produced an amazing and flexible bench for indoor public spaces. The challenge was to explain the unique features of this bench in a fun, modern and attractive way, using simple animations.
Process
The process started by getting to know the client, and their “old” way of presenting these benches. We had a very long and boring PowerPoint presentation as a reference, where I learned who the target group was, and what was the purpose of this project. After a bit of research, the client and I started sketching high-level concepts.
01 : Concept, Storyboarding
What story are we telling?
After talking to the stakeholders and brainstorming ideas in a workshop, we had a concept defined. We jumped into storyboarding without spending much time on the details. Starting with a rough script, then recording it with our voice and trying different background music tracks to get the right feeling. Then we combined the audio with our sketches to test it.
03: Script and art direction
Final script, art direction, graphic design, and voiceover
After a few days of playing around with storyboards, it was time to bring a copywriter to write the final script. At the same time, I worked on the art direction to find a graphic style that fit the brand.
Next, it was time to record the voiceover with a professional voice in a studio, and start illustrating the graphics in detail in Adobe Illustrator.
04: Animation
Making things move
Once the graphic design and the final voiceover were approved, the animation process started in After Effects. I worked very closely with the client, and there were some tweaks and changes along the way to perfect the video.
As a cherry on top, tiny sound effects were added at the end of the production.
