Fred & Eric Direct New NSPCC Animated Short ‘Tipping the Scales’
Skwigly
Fred & Eric were commissioned to create short film for NSPCC to explain their ‘Tipping the Scales’ concept, which describes the outcomes of child development. The creative brief was based around using a scales metaphor as the main visual device, which helps to explain the concept; while introducing characters and every-day scenarios to create an emotional connection between the viewer and narrative.
The visual brief from NSPCC was very open; referencing a 2D style which wasn’t too detailed and allowed for some abstraction to create metaphors within the visuals. Patrick Caulfield was one of the original styles referenced from the client; however, while they retained a Caulfield-style, heavily restricted palette (using NSPCC’s brand colours),they moved the visual style on considerably, worked closely with FAB Design and NSPCC to develop the visual style:
To create the visual direction for the video we started with the scales design, since we knew this would be the central point of the animation. To visualize the scale concept in an easy to understand way, we were initially aiming for a Miro-esque look that would abstract complicated concepts and emotion into more raw, primitive shapes, like in the styleframe attached. This then got refined further and further with Fred & Eric and the client, to end up with a still simplified, but much more easy-to-read design.
Before moving onto storyboarding, Creative Director Maggie Rogers created a detailed visual direction alongside the script; devising the visual narrative using a combination of characters and metaphors. Equally, they concentrated on how each scene would transition and flow into the other, ensuring a smooth journey with unexpected changes of scale and perspective that keep the viewer engaged. The result is a serious film which can be easily understood and shared as a tool to help children speak out and adults to take action about abuse.
The original film featured live action talking heads from experts, expanding on the Tipping Scales concept, which can be viewed here.