We were buzzing when BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions and Hitachi Energy asked us to create the second season of The Journey of Electricity – a series that expands children’s understanding of energy. Connecting with people through the power of character? Right up our street! The series racked up over 2 million views in the first two weeks.
Film 1: Electron meets Khaya
Specifically aimed at children between the ages of 8 and 17, the four films needed to be upbeat, playful and highly visual. To follow on from the first season, the client wanted a fresh take on the design whilst keeping some recognisable features.
Film 2: Electron meets Elise
Film 3: Electron meets Darshan
We wanted the designs to feel contemporary and brought in elements that attached the design to the subject matter of energy, like the glowing effects. At the same time we were designing for motion, so we evolved the design with this in mind, whilst building a visually rich world.
Film 4: Electron meets Yuta
For this huge design undertaking we used a flexible animation system, creating base characters in 3D, then embellishing them in 2D. This gives the appearance of 2D design to tie in nicely with the previous films, whilst enabling us to be very dynamic with the shots and camera moves.
The character Electron (below) is a constant between seasons 1 and 2, teaching young people in given scenarios about how to save energy or to explain how energy works in their particular situation. So we were thrilled to be able to evolve and strengthen this character as a brand mascot for Hitachi Energy.
Working with the team at Animade was an absolute joy. Everyone was so engaged and invested in making this project a success and their creative input was phenomenal. We all worked so collaboratively, that they became an extension of our own team.
Claire Small, BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions
Script consultation, Style development, Design, 2D/3D Animation production, Render and delivery, Composition and tracking, Project / Animation leadership, Creative Direction, Production and Account management
Character design and animation
4 x 40" short films for digital
4 x 10" direct cutdown loops
2 x stills per episode optimised for social platforms
3 aspect ratios: Full format: 16x9, Square: 1x1, Vertical: 1080×1920
Colouring book assets
Client
Hitachi Energy
Agency
BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions
Executive Creative Directors
Ed Barrett, Tom Judd
Executive Producer
Jen Judd
Creative Director
Ed Barrett
Art Director
Jim Billy Wheeler
Animation Director
Stewart Harvey
Head of Production
Georgie Lister-Fell
Senior Account Director
Katie Nash-Chu
Senior Producer
Flo Layer
Character design
Jim Billy Wheeler
Background design
Jim Billy Wheeler, Cat Finnie, Lalita Lupina
2D animation
Ed Barrett, Robert Duncan, Stewart Harvey, Dev Joshi, Adolfo Mendes, Tejeshwar Vasu
3D Lead
Ricard Badia
3D animation
Robert Duncan, Robert Abecasis, Ricard Badia, Dev Joshi, Pierre Plouzeau
Composition and grade
Jim Billy Wheeler
Script support
Mike Davies, Ed Barrett, Tom Judd
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