Animated TV commercial created for Oxfordshire County Council to promote their new ’20 is plenty’ campaign. Illustrated, animated and produced by Dreaming Fish Productions.
The brief
Oxfordshire County Council contacted us in need of an animated TV commercial to raise awareness of the new 20mph zones rolled out across parts of Oxfordshire. With a ’20 is plenty’ tagline, the client was after a friendly, informative and conversational feel for their animated commercial.
The production
To kick things off, we needed a script. We chose to approach this with a gentle and considered script, that started and ended with a thoughtful statement. We wanted this animated TV commercial to stand out from the “wall of noise” of the other adverts out there.
Because we’re so used to loud music, punchy voiceovers and sound effects, a calmer, stripped-back moment makes us listen and really pay attention. Furthermore, actively asking the viewer to do something, naturally makes them pay attention. That’s why we chose the “If you think about it” opening line. It felt like the perfect fit! Additionally, it was important that the idea of slowing down was shown throughout entire ad, shaping its pace and tone. This meant the script needed to be much calmer and slower, to help create an engaging and stand out campaign.
The design
The client approved the script right away, allowing our talented animator and sound designer, Jonty, to start creating a world for our story. Check out a few scenes from Jonty’s storyboard below.
“For this TV ad we wanted to create a serene feeling, highlighting the benefits to the community of reducing traffic speed in built up areas, so I opted for a warm, bright colour palette, and made use of a contemporary, flat illustration style to help things feel friendly and inviting. The music and sound effects were created in-house, using a mixture of guitar, piano and assorted foley sounds to create a joyful and hopeful atmosphere for the video.” – Jonty
The finished animated commercial
Our Creative Director, Helen, Head of Production, Ben, and animator, Jonty, worked closely together to create this warm, colourful and memorable TV ad. The advert went live last week and the client was super happy with the final result. Keep an eye out for it on TV if you’re in the Oxfordshire area and remember that #20isplenty. Thank you!
