Series of animated explainer videos created for SMA Europe, to help raise awareness around clinical trials. Designed, animated and produced by Dreaming Fish Productions.
The project
Having worked with SMA UK on a series of live-action case studies in 2021, SMA Europe got in touch with us in the summer of 2022 to help them with a new animation project. SMA (spinal muscular atrophy) is a genetic condition which affects the central nervous system, weakening muscles and restricting movement. Like SMA UK, SMA Europe are a fantastic organisation who help support and aid those living with the life-changing condition and their families. Wanting to spread more knowledge/awareness around clinical trials to many SMA patients, SMA Europe were after an informative video which would do help them do exactly that.
Approach and design
After speaking to the client and finding out more about their video wants and needs, we put a brief and team together and we got started on production! Due to the subject nature, we wanted the animation to have a light-hearted and warm feel. We opted for a cut-out/hand drawn style of design, using the patient photos that SMA Europe had provided for us, along with their colourful pastel brand guidelines. Using real SMA patients gave the animation credibility, relating directly to the target audience. As SMA can affect all ages, we decided to split the animation into 3 separate videos, each one targeting a specific age group; child, teen and adult. By doing so, we could include all the necessary information, tailored to each group, by slightly altering the script to suit each video. Check out an example of our design and storyboard below!
The videos
Video 1 – Clinical trials for children
We started working on the child video first; focusing on a script that had enough information but was still friendly and by no means scary/ overwhelming for the younger audience. Led by the voiceover of our Creative Director’s son, this animation came to life perfectly.💚
Video 2 – Clinical trials for teenagers
With a structure and flow in place for video 1, we turned our attention to the teenager’s version. We tweaked the script and the graphics to appeal to this age range and the voiceover was also done by a member of the DF family; our MD’s daughter!💛
Video 3 – Clinical trials for adults
The final video was a version for the adults. As a result, we adapted the content accordingly. We amended the script to be more informative whilst still being easily digestible.
Thank you SMA Europe
We thoroughly enjoyed working on this project with SMA Europe and we hope these animations help those living with the condition to gain a better understanding and what to expect with clinical trials. A big thank you to the team at SMA Europe for their continuous hard work and support, you guys are AMAZING.
FAQs about animated explainer videos
How much does an animated explainer cost?
No video project is ever the same so all our quotes are bespoke and vary from project to project and are dependent on our client’s needs. When you contact us, we’ll have a chat with you to learn more about your brand and your video requirements. After this, we will provide you with a full cost breakdown which includes everything from pre-production right through to post. We are always happy to discuss our quotes with you to ensure you’re happy with the price and it fits within your allocated budget (if you have one!).
How long should my video be?
A video for use on a website (like an about us/promo video) should be a maximum of 90 seconds long, unless it’s telling a longer story such as a company documentary or a training film. If a video is for use on social media, we’d suggest a much shorter and snappier edit of the hero video, perhaps featuring slightly different content! Looking to create a video project for your business or organisation? Why not contact us today to see what we could do for you? ☎️
