RSA Competition - Moving Pictures: Change is Necessary
- Marea Maloney
- Nov 15, 2022
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 22, 2023
Brief:
"Concieve & produce an animation to accompany one of the two selected audio files that will clarify, energise, & illuminate the content"
For this brief, The Royal Society of Arts (RSA) tasked us with producing an animation to accompany one of the speeches and transcripts that they supplied us with. We were given two categories to chose from, 'Change is Necessary' or 'Interrogate the Truth' - I chose to use the 'Change is Necessary' speech by Sarah Ichioka (2022) as the content resontes with something I feel very strongly about and that I felt my personal style would be able to highlight in an intersting way.
We had to research the topic & speaker, & think about the different ways in which we could tell a story though our animation that will reveal, illuminate & increase accessibility to the unique content.
What does it mean to design for regeneration?
Urbanist and systems thinker Sarah Ichioka describes the changes in mindset and practice that can help us shift from sustainable design to a truly radical regenerative approach - one where everything we do creates net-positive impacts for people, place, and planet.
Transcript:
"We urgently need to find a way to design that achieves net-positive impacts.
But how are these changes ever going to happen?
First, we must recognise that change is necessary.
Second, we identify, debunk and reject the degenerative mindsets and paradigms that are harming us and other life on earth.
Cognitive neuroscience has shown that the best way to dislodge a story is not to argue against it, but to shape a different, more persuasive story. So that means that step 3 is that we need to imagine, develop, celebrate and embrace the new or recovered mindsets that put care for life - all life - at the very centre of everything we do.
Step 4, we need to maximise our own personal agency, finding new purpose for our work and life in taking positive action to realise these mindsets.
And then finally, we join together with others in diverse coalitions to build regenerative communities and systems that benefit the majority of life on earth, not just a tiny minority of one species."
Initial Idea:
My initial idea was to work solely in 3D and be very literal to the narrative script - I wanted to do this to give my piece a realistic visual identity which would reflect the very real message about climate change that it is presenting to the audience. I began modelling elements in Cinema4D that were brought up in the speech, for example, when Ichioka says "Change is necessary", I would show a dying tree turning into a blossoming and well-loved tree - this would represent the message in a very literal way.
In terms of style, I wanted my piece to begin very dark, showing the negative impact we are currently having on the planet, this would gradually turn lighter throughout the piece to reflect the changes we can make to have a positive impact for all life on earth.
I also wanted all my 3D elements to be made of a chrome / metallic material to match my personal style and also keep a coherent visual identity throughout the piece. I was experimenting with HDRI lighting and reflective materials in Cinema4D to make sure I achieved the best outcome possible
Initial Storyboard:
Initial Experiments - Cinema4D:
Final Idea:
After some brief experimentation in Cinema4D, I decided not to pursue my initial idea. I didn't feel that the obvious visual references and stereotypes resonated with my level of creativity, and instead, wanted to find a way of creating a piece which held deeper connections between the narrative content and my animation. I wanted my piece to be a more experimental, abstract and stylised response to the brief, which would subsequently relate more to my personal style and influence.
I knew that if I was going to go down the abstract route, I would still need to find a way of telling the story and visually enhancing Ichioka's message to the audience. To do this, I thought it would be best to centre my piece around one object, which would move throughout different scenes and depict the narrative through its visual language.
Ichioka's background in biomimicry and environmental sciences, along with the numerous scientific references throughout her speech inspired me to create something based around neurons - and with neurons being literally defined as 'information messengers' I thought it this would be the perfect approach to presenting the message.
Though I changed the concept of my initial idea, I wanted to keep the dark chromatic style that I was originally experimenting with. I liked the idea of using darkness to reflect the negative impact we are having on the planet and gradually turning lighter to reflect the changes we can make to have a positive impact for life on earth - all life.
I was very happy with the outcome of my test renders in Cinema4D and wanted to expand on this further, however, due to the time constraints I was faced with, I decided it would be best to proceed using After Effects instead of C4D to ensure I could meet the deadlines. Due to this software change, it was harder for me to produce the 3D elements, and instead I created the base structure using 2D elements and then experimented with different textures and finishes to create the metallic embossed look that can be seen in my final piece.
I also wanted to add atmospheric background music to the audio to help emphasise Ichioka's dialogue. I was originally planning on creating my own music for this, but again, due to time constraints, I decided to use an existing piece: Drift, (1983) by Brian Eno. I think this addition is very impactful and helps to enhance the message. I complemented this atmospheric feel by ensuring that the neurons and any other moving elements in my piece flowed effortlessly throughout the scenes and had a smooth and fluid motion - giving my final piece a tranquil and ethereal vibe.
Final Idea - Storyboard:
Final Piece Tests - After Effects:
Change is Necessary - Final Piece:
Project Overview:
Overall, I'm pleased with the outcome of this project. I believe that my final piece does as RSA proposed in the brief and "clarifies, energises, & illuminated the content" as well as emphasising the importance of climate change to the audience and making them aware of the positive action that we urgently need to make.
I am very happy with the visual concept I created, and the way that this concept creates a deep connection between my animation and Ichioka's narrative. I think the dark atmospheric style that I achieved, through both visuals and sound design, complements this concept and is a great addition to the original content.
Although I am happy with the final outcome, I am aware that it is not as technically advanced as I am capable of and that I would have liked it to be. I feel my strengths lie in 3D animation and therefore would have liked to produce my final piece using Cinema4D and RedShift, opposed to After Effects. This would have allowed me to achieve a different overall aesthetic and style and potentially reach a more technically advanced, higher-quality and professional outcome - but due to time constraints this was not possible.
Final Presentation:
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