People have had a fascination with moving image for centuries. The techniques may have changed over time, yet its main role as a form of art, entertainment and communication has never faded. In fact it has adapted and evolved, becoming ever more omnipresent today across screens of all shapes and sizes. 

And so, there’s never been a better time to invest in new skills and get things moving. Because brands are no longer static. Today’s brands that we love and interact with are living entities. They move, adapt, shapeshift. They tell stories and convey emotion. 

This was the premise of our third PALS workshop last month — learning the tips and tricks of film and motion as levers to communicate an idea and trigger an emotive response. 

There to impart their wisdom in this space were three of the best animation and film wizards in the SW: Luke Francis (founder of Francworks), Lizzie Everard (Independent Creative Director) and Katie Cadwell (Senior Designer at Supple Studio), each covering a very distinct area and sharing their personal journeys and the things they’ve learned along the way. 

Breaking into groups, each participant was able to choose to sit down with two of the three speakers, asking questions and delving deeper into each area of expertise.

In her groups, Lizzie focused conversation around the power of a compelling narrative when engaging with the audience. From her rich and varied experience, one of the key aspect she always encourages people to start with is asking ​‘Why?’ — why is this needed? Why does it have to move?

Working with the end goal in mind means you don’t lose track of the destination and allows you to craft every part of the visual story in a meaningful and emotive way.

Luke​’s focus for his group discussions was the meeting (and melting) point between design and motion. How motion helps a brand design come to life and express its personality and point of difference in a memorable way. 

By walking through the stages of a project, from brief to final delivery, he explored the different steps he uses to take people on a journey. This flows throughout the creative process in order to create constant communication that makes people feel involved and reassured with the direction things are moving (ha!).

With her contagious perseverance, resilience and endless appetite to learn, Katie wanted to challenge people to push themselves out of their comfort zone and be unafraid to learn something completely new. Drawing from her own experience of experimenting with animation, she fearlessly pitched herself on different occasions as the ideal person on animation jobs, and courageously taught herself the skills she needed to deliver.

Her groups left with a cheat sheet of all those tools and tricks she has used and learned along the way — so no excuse to not try them at home! 

And so with this session we’ve wrapped up the first part of PALS for the year. We’ll be taking a break through summer (although not for long…we’ll be busy planning for our return in Autumn). Hopefully see you then with fresh ideas, energising workshops and inspiring experts — watch this space!