Carla the Hedgehog
An animation about xyz was to create a 45 to 90-second motion graphics sequence in a team of four, that addresses preservation of biodiversity and proposes scalable solutions.
What was the brief?
The brief was to create a 45 to 90-second motion graphics sequence in a team of four, that addresses biodiversity preservation and proposes scalable solutions.
Area of Focus
The brief was to create a 45 to 90-second motion graphics sequence in a team of four, that addresses biodiversity preservation and proposes scalable solutions.
How to Craft a Compelling Narrative?
Initially, we planned to focus on the entire animal kingdom but later narrowed it down to one animal for a more engaging story. As an animal lover and advocate for animal welfare, this project was particularly close to my heart.
Why Hedgehogs?
After gaining insights about globally endangered species, we chose the hedgehog to highlight the imminent threat of disappearing species. We hope that by highlighting the plight of a creature that is familiar to many people, we can encourage more individuals to take action and help protect endangered animals.
What Were the Key Findings?
British Hedgehogs have been declared vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, an organisation which evaluates the risk of extinction for biological species.
Hedgehogs in the UK have decreased by more than 30% in the past decade due to habitat loss and perilous conditions.
Hedgehogs disappearing would severely impact the ecosystem as they're essential to keeping the bug population in check. Without them, too many bugs would ruin fruits and vegetation, which could lead to crop failure due to insect infestations.
A solution we came up with was to construct hedgehog houses, which are easy to put together and offer a secure environment for hedgehogs. We partnered with the Dorset Wildlife Trust to promote this initiative.
How Can We Teach Children About the Importance of Biodiversity?
We created a character named Carla the Hedgehog to walk children better through the concept of biodiversity. We intend to screen our film in primary schools and nature reserve visitor centres to reach more children.
We aim to educate 6 to 8-year-olds about the significance of the ecosystem, and the ways they can contribute to its preservation, and to raise awareness about endangered species as believe they have the power to shape the future.
How Was the Story Developed?
Multiple versions of storyboards were drafted to ensure that our narrative was accurate and well-explained to children. We often had differing opinions on how best to present certain topics, such as statistics or themes of grief and loss.
We researched the legal requirements for content appropriate for children and consulted parents to gauge what's easy to understand for that age group.
This exercise made me more conscious of empathising with the people I’m designing for. I also enjoyed drawing quick storyboards and a timed exercise with charcoal.
Bringing Carla to Life
Illustrating the character was crucial for bringing Carla to life. There was a lot of discussion about which style to pick, but with input from our tutors, we ultimately chose to keep the style minimal while adding a playful touch by using vibrant oil pastel hues for the final design.
Testing the Animatic
Illustrating the character was crucial for bringing Carla to life. There was a lot of discussion about which style to pick, but with input from our tutors, we ultimately chose to keep the style minimal while adding a playful touch by using vibrant oil pastel hues for the final design.
Experimenting With Styles
Before starting the final animation, I conducted a series of experiments by hand-drawing a loop of Carla's walk cycle and turning it into a stop motion. Then I attempted to replicate it on After Effects to determine what would work for the final film.
Finding a Voice for Carla
The writing was kept conversational and easy to understand and used visual imagery to break down complex topics. Carla the Hedgehog narrating the story to make it more engaging for children to follow the story.
Finding a voice artist with a youthful and upbeat voice who could act as a hedgehog was challenging. We auditioned multiple people but decided to feature an American voice for the first take. However, we later changed it to a British voice as it better suited our audience in Dorset.
Animating the Sequence
In the narrative, Carla, who was Carl at this point, explains why hedgehogs are essential to the ecosystem and what we can do to help them. I animated the sequence from 00:35 to 00:49 in the first take of the video.
While animating the film, I learned to animate parallax, create 3D objects, and edit audio in Premier Pro. Unfortunately, we had to cut out a few scenes, such as the Hedgehog Champion, due to timing differences because of using a different voice actor.
Meet Carla the Hedgehog
This motion graphics film was created to introduce Carla the Hedgehog to the world and encourage young children to help save the British Hedgehog. The film takes children on a journey to explain why hedgehogs are essential to the ecosystem and how they can help them. We deliberately used visual representations for statistics rather than numerical values as children may struggle to understand percentages.
I designed the sequence of statistics showing hedgehogs disappearing, followed by the typographic sequence of 'BUT'. Furthermore, I was responsible for the final character design of Carla and optimising the audio.
Reflecting on My Journey of Learning Motion Graphics
Initially, I was intimidated by learning a software as complex and vast as After Effects. However, this project served as a launchpad for my adventure into the world of motion graphics. It helped me overcome my fear of diving into the world of motion, away from the static.
In this project, I taught myself how to animate, create kinetic typography, and follwoed tutorials on how to use After Effects, Premier Pro and character design. I completed the course, 'Basics of After Effects' with Motion Design School and consulted Ben Marriott's YouTube channel for specific tutorials.
This was also a challenging project in terms of teamwork, as I had to figure out how to democratically work in a team of 4 people while learning a new software. We had to reach a consensus regarding style framing, character design, the voiceover, and the overall aesthetic of the film.
Now that I’m more comfortable with audio editing, using After Effects and using Premier Pro, I strive to keep exploring more in the realm of motion graphics.
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