Landscape Decisions Film

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UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)

Landscape Decisions Film

This project was funded by UKRI and involved many research led projects across the United Kingdom. Our task has been to document some of the incredible work undertaken with a series of films and an overview animation 

An overview of the project can be seen below. and more detail can be found here 

Individually and as a society we make lots of complex decisions about how we use landscapes.

We need to make sure the decisions we make are the best possible.

Understanding will lead to more sustainable ways of using the land, support biodiversity, benefit our economy and our livelihoods, and the health and well-being of individuals and society as a whole, now and in the future.

By bringing together multidisciplinary research projects and working with policy makers and land management partners. Our projects will start to offer better ways of making complicated choices about how we use our precious land.

 

Connecting disadvantaged young people with the landscape through arts

 

Dr Candice Satchwell – NW England

The health and well-being benefits of being in the outdoors are well-documented, but children and young people who would benefit most are often those who face barriers to access and acceptance.

Currently the views of disadvantaged groups, and particularly young people, are often disregarded in decision-making about land-use and landscape. In this project she worked with diverse artists and groups of children and young people in three areas of NW England, to collect and convey disadvantaged young people’s perspectives on landscapes local to them.

 

Decommissioning – Energy landscapes, heritage & community

 

Dr Benjamin Anderson – England

This Project aims to establish a new role for local communities in decommissioning large industrial facilities.This Project aims to establish a new role for local communities in decommissioning large industrial facilities.

As the UK aims to achieve a zero-carbon economy, one impact will be
to transform of much of the UK’s 20th century energy infrastructure – a change comparable to the end of coal mining.

Decommissioning the Twentieth Century, and its sister project, Planning Creativity will examine how techniques and knowledge from the Arts and Humanities can inform more genuine community involvement in what happens to sites in which many have invested much of their lives.

 

Landscapes of the mind. The importance of the arts in environmental research

 

Dr Anna Hicks – Edinburgh, Scotland

How does the landscape change over time and what does that mean to, and for, us? Our view of the landscape, and the actions we take to use and value it, are steered by a complex mix of factors. Increasingly, decision-makers are gathering around issues about the Earth, our environment and the nexus with society, “Do we want fracking or wind farms in this place?”; “Should a mine be opened or closed?”; “Should we bury our waste here?”; “Are we doing enough about climate change?” Addressing these complex questions requires a holistic approach to both understanding the problem and the actions we take to solve it. Decision-making requires an evidence base, but this has to be greater than the sum of its parts, requiring knowledge across seemingly disparate aspects of science and society.

 

Irrawaddy Dolphins

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Irrawaddy Dolphin Appeal

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Background

Fauna & Flora approached us to help them with their appeal for a critically endangered species. The Irrawaddy River Dolphins numbers have plummeted 50% in the past 20 years. Only 72 remain in the Irrawaddy River, Myanmar.

Very little usable footage of the dolphins and the local communities exists, and with challenges surrounding the opportunities to film and capture the necessary shots it was determined that animation would be the most effective route to creating a compelling film to support fundraising activities.

Approach

The local fisherman have a symbiotic relationship with the dolphins that had enabled both to thrive for generations. We used this story as the framework for the animation to show the story arc from the past, the the present where pollution and damaging modern fishing techniques are driving the dolphins to extinction. The story paints a picture of a future with support and one without. 

The story is brought to life with the wonderful narration of Stephen Fry, a friend to Fauna & Flora, and an active supporter of near extinct species through his work including the Last Chance To See series which featured the now extinct Yangtze River Dolphin. 

Creatively we chose an illustration style that would bring to life the watery world of the river and the local accents of Myanmar. This was then brought to life with 2D and frame-by-frame to create natural motion. The animation was then pulled together with a custom soundscape based on local sounds and instruments. 

If you would like to support the appeal and help save the Irrawaddy Dolphin you can find more information here 

 

Illustration of a dead dolphin in the foreground with illegal electro fishers in a boat in the background
An underwater view of a fishing boat. Fish swim in front of the boat in the foreground
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International Child Health Group

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International Child Health Group

Refugee Week

Challenge

showcasing community-led art projects involving refugee, migrant and asylum-seeking children and families sharing reflections on their dreams, as a means of denouncing anti-migrant racism, hostile rhetoric and policy and building solidarity among health professionals, VCSE groups, and the public to resist and challenge such harmful and unjust policy.

Solution

St Marylebone Parish Church: Changing Lives

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St Marylebone Parish Church

900th Anniversary Film

Challenge We were asked to create a short film telling the stories of 900 years of St Marylebone's history in a visually interesting, arresting and entertaining way. Enable people to understand that the story of the parish church and the area are interwoven. Highlight the gospel imperative of housing the homeless, feeding the poor, and looking after the sick. Signposting some of the areas most prominent characters such as Charles Dickens, Admiral Nelson and Florence Nightingale.

Solution

In order to ensure that the story and visual imagery was accurate we worked extensively with writers, researchers, architectural plans, paintings and reference imagery. 

Trying to condense 900 years into approximately 4 minutes was a substantial challenge but through the use of clever transitions and camera positioning we were able to move swiftly through time without leaving the viewer confused or disconnected from the overarching narrative. Our team of illustrators crafted a realistic world that was complemented by custom sound design to ensure that whether you are watching the video online or in the church you can be transported into the world of St Marylebone

St Andrews Healthcare

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St Andrews Healthcare

Mental Wellbeing

Challenge

St Andrews came to us to help them achieve there goals. There vision is to have a society in which everyone living with mental health need is heard, valued, and has hope for their future.

By 2028 they aim to be a local, regional, national and international leader in helping people with complex mental health need transform their lives.

Solution

Kintsugi (金継ぎ, “golden joinery”), is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with powdered gold. It treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise. This felt like the perfect metaphor to use in our project with St Andrew’s Healthcare to help define the “hope” that their incredible support provides to many people

Syngenta Tech Farm

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Syngenta

Tech Farm

Challenge

Syngenta are a global leader in crop protection and innovation in agriculture. They approached us to create an animation that told a story of agricultural innovation through time focussing on a farmer. The animation needed to create a human connection as well as highlighting the current and future potential of digital agriculture to better feed the world and improve environmental sustainability.

Solution

We created a script based on a multi-generational farming family to allow us to show changes over time on an individual and human level. The illustration style was detailed in order to ensure high levels of fidelity with the actual products, crops and landscapes. The final animation was brought to life with a custom soundscape 

Woodland Trust

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Woodland Trust

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Challenge

Ancient woodland is a rich diverse habitat that now covers just 2.5% of the UK. Much of what we have left is being damaged and once it’s gone, it can’t be replaced.

Ancient woodlands are special places. They have been around for hundreds, sometimes thousands of years. Ancient woodlands are some of the UK’s richest native habitats. But, ancient woodland is under threat.

Around half of all ancient woodland in the UK has been cleared and replanted with often dense plantations, and many more suffer from invasive non-native plants and intensive grazing pressure.

Solution

We created an animation with Cumbria Woodlands in partnership with The Woodland Trust to promote their new Ancient Woodland Restoration training course to help stop the damage, encourage habitats to recover and reverse years of decline. Restoration can bring ancient woodland back from the brink, enabling native trees, plants and wildlife to thrive again.

Once the ancient woodland features are no longer critically threatened, work can begin to secure the woodland for the longer term and finally, when the ancient woodland is secure, we can look to maximise the health and integrity of the entire woodland ecosystem and strengthen its position within the wider landscape so that it can evolve as a resilient, dynamic & self-sustaining woodland of the future.

Eurodad Global Debt

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Eurodad: The Debt Games

Is there A way out of The Maze?

Challenge

When a country faces unsustainable sovereign debt, it cannot simply declare bankruptcy like a private entity. To avoid default, governments may keep borrowing, raise taxes, mobilize domestic resources for revenue, or cut public spending, which can negatively impact human rights, especially women’s rights. These measures usually only delay default. Pre-emptive debt restructuring is often avoided due to potential credit rating downgrades and market access loss. Upon default, a government must renegotiate debt terms with its creditors.

Solution

We created an editorial illustration style with a strong focus on visual metaphors that would work in a video but also as standalone campaign graphics to extend the life and reach of their communication.

Mava History

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The Story of the Mava Foundation

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Challenge

The Mava Foundation is one of the most important enablers in global conservation. Since their birth nearly 30 years ago their philanthropy and innovation has shaped and nurtured conservation as we understand it today. We were approached by Mava, following the recommendation of one of our clients, to create an animation of their story for the event to mark the closing of the foundation and to remain on their legacy website. It was an honour and we were determined to create something memorable and authentically Mava. 

Solution

To create anything of high quality we need to work with someone who is equally determined and passionate. Luckily for us Nathalie Cadot at the Mava Foundation was able to provide expert advice and guidance as we seeked to distil 30 years into 3 minutes. 

In order to faithfully recreate Luc Hoffmann and his son Andre we worked with archive photography. The overall approach was to create a sprawling natural canvas with a painted feel to the illustration. Wide inspiring shots were balanced with closer crops of people and nature to emphasise the importance of each person and place. Finally we produced a custom soundscape for the final animation which is available in English and French. 

Keeping Children Safe

Vulnerable refugees in Ukraine
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Keeping Children Safe

Educational Series

Challenge

Keeping Children Safe is an independent not-for-profit with a mission to end the abuse, exploitation and neglect of children in organisations around the world. They approached us to create a series of 3 animations to educate adults responsible for the care of vulnerable children across the world. Each video would then be translated by us into 6 different languages. 

Solution

Working with Keeping Children Safe we designed storytelling approach to the learning content that would depict recognisable scenarios to aid understanding and emotional connection with the subject matter and ultimately the children in need of safe support. 

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