We recently produced a 3 minute animation together with our partner Joe Moccia on behalf of the Results for Development Institute. The institute wanted to tell the story of one of their programs, the Joint Learning Network, a platform for exchange between low & middle income countries implementing health financing reforms aimed at achieving universal health coverage. In order to visually communicate such a large and complicated idea in a short video, we decided to employ the medium of motion graphics animation. Below are a few general tips for telling stories using motion graphics animation.
1. Stories should be character-driven. Even though we are using animation to communicate a large and complicated idea, one important storytelling rule still applies: people connect to people, not organizations or programs. So we created a likeable character (a farmer) who like many around the world, lives on less than $2.50 per day and must pay out of pocket for health care. The audience is able to connect to the character and desire some sort of ‘fix’ for her situation. In this case, the solution is the JLN.
2. Keep it short & simple. Accept that not all the information about your organization or program is going to “make the cut.” Animations work best when the script is short, simple and colloquial. It should be entertaining and friendly enough that your audience wants to sit down and learn about it for 2-3 minutes. For the majority of people, that’s enough. And for those who want to learn more, direct them to your website for the fine details.
3. Tell the story visually. When telling the story of the JLN, we sought to use images that would translate quickly and would complement the narration rather than be a direct representation of it. It also helps when the images transition seamlessly. Notice how when the narrator says the farmer is “one of one hundred million people around the world”, she replicates to form that number. Then the number becomes a figure on a paper policymakers are discussing.
