From the creator:
Idea Academy, a renowned digital arts school, contacted us to help them create the perfect motivational video for their upcoming students.
We were tasked with delivering a strong message while entertaining the audience, all with complete creative freedom.
IDEA Academy, an internationally renowned Italian school for concept artists and animators, approached us to create an explainer video that could showcase every aspect of the school in detail, with a unique and engaging tone of voice.
They wanted to demonstrate the journey of their students, from complete beginners to production-ready artists, thanks to a practical, fun teaching method and exceptional instructors.
For us, it was an incredible opportunity to create an imaginary world where we could play with frustrating situations that digital artists face every day: from incomprehensible software interfaces to inner crises when confronting their own demons.
Thus, we created a motion graphics explainer video set in an ancient temple, representing the school, where a gang of students led by Ruby, a brave young artist, grows together while learning more and more… error after error.
The biggest challenge was condensing an entire “open day” at the school into a two-minute video while maintaining a high level of interest and incorporating a completely unique and absurd tone of voice. We had a lot of fun creating various traps, challenges, and obstacles for our characters to overcome, all metaphors for the real-world work environment and the difficulties that arise in the classroom.
From a technical standpoint, we aimed to blend the worlds of motion design (our own domain) and concept art to make it appealing to students interested in cinema with complex and cinematic backgrounds.
To achieve this, we extensively used scenarios inspired by adventure movies and volumetrics to create the right atmosphere. The video was predominantly animated using frame-by-frame animation, which required a tremendous amount of work due to its duration, featuring several engaging and dynamic action shots.
Additionally, significant compositing work was done to create a mixed-media style that combined 2D with well-integrated 3D elements, resulting in a truly unique style that encompassed the very techniques taught by the school to their students.
A special mention goes to the voiceover recording sessions, where the speaker’s performance elevated the final product with an interpretation that was nothing short of extraordinary. Furthermore, the work on music and sound design emphasized the comedic moments and important scenes.
Credits:
Direction: Rocketpanda
Creative Director: Riccardo Albertini, Filippo Martinelli
Illustration: Federica Amico, Pasquale Garibaldi
Frame by frame Animation: Laura Tomelleri, Riccardo Pagano, Eleonora Giuffrida
Compositing and Animation: Andrea Nobis, Filippo Martinelli, Riccardo Albertini
3D: Filippo Martinelli, Paolo Costa
Sound Design: Cristiano De Petrillo