Water Cycle Animation
Client
Taylor Studios
Role
Design, animation, sound design, voice over
The full video for the clip above is part of a new exhibit at the Webster County Nature Center, currently under construction in Fort Dodge, Iowa. The full video will be available as soon as the exhibit opens for the public and will be featured prominently at the entrance of the exhibit.
When Taylor Studios reached out to me to design and animate a short video explaining the water cycle for this exhibit I was very excited because this project would be a first for me in many ways. For one, it would be my first time designing something to be viewed in a physical space and not on the internet.
It would also be my first time animating in an isometric design style and designing a full 2D character for animation. I love learning and trying out new styles, so this was a fun challenge. Taylor Studios provided reference and direction and I took it from there.
Fun Fact: Do you recognize that voice? Yes, it’s me! Even though I had planned to hire out a voice over artist for this piece, the client liked my performance in the animatic so much that they decided to keep it for the final video. That means this was also my first voice over credit in an animation.
Process
For this project, Taylor Studios provided a script and rough storyboards. I took it from there. Every good project starts with great design. As I worked through the design process I provided my client with a moodboard, animatic, and storyboard animatic. At each step of the way, my client was given a chance to approve the work or make changes before moving on. This process helped keep the client involved and mitigated costly surprises and changes down the line.
Moodboards
Moodboards set the tone for the project. For this project, I provided two different moodboards for each of the major parts of the design: the isometric map and the character. The moodboards were created using examples provided by the client, as well as similar examples I found in my research, to serve as reference throughout the design process.
Animatic
An animatic is a rough example of how the final video will look. I always warn my clients that the images will be sketch quality because the most important thing to pay attention to here is the pacing. This is usually the first time a client sees the concept of the video come to life.
Storyboards
Once the animatic is approved, work begins on the storyboards. This is where the design really starts to take shape. Each frame of the animatic becomes a fully fleshed out design ready for animation. Below: I usually like to present the storyboards as a “boardimatic,” an evolution of the animatic using the fully designed boards. This is just another way of showing the client, “this is what your video will look like,” before I ever step foot in any animation software.
