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Making Abstract Ideas Simple

Overview:

We needed to explain an abstract concept to an internal workforce. A project was preparing to be handed over from the contractor to the operator and it was critical everyone was ready for the handover.

Aim:

The story needed to convey to the many different teams involved in the project just how critical it was to prepare for a thorough handover.

Challenge:

What does a handover look like? And how do you illustrate one that encapsulates all of the teams into the story? We also needed to demonstrate what a good handover looks like and explain why a good handover is critical. Some metaphors came to mind, but we felt these didn’t reflect the vast array of teams, and the individuals in them, this story wanted to reach. We also needed to convey the urgency of a smooth handover that would resonate with everyone.

Solution:

Style: A handover from the client to the operator can be an intricate process with several steps. So we adapted this concept of deliberate steps to the style of the video. Using a series of stills in stop motion, we were able to draw attention to the “step by step” nature of the hand over process.

Talent: This video was created for an internal audience. For the first part of the story we shot stills of recognisable staff members who would come to symbolise a team. These individuals became akin to a shorthand for the disparate departments involved in the handover.

The actions these featured staff members were undertaking emphasised dialogue, asking questions and interacting with their contractor/operator counterparts to obtain clarification.

While this symbolised good behaviours, we also needed a way to press home how urgent these actions were. We decided to do that by showing the consequences of not adopting these actions. Here the story evolved to give the audience a glimpse of what projects looked like when handovers were poorly executed.

We researched some standout examples. Then we had to whittle down the story to its essential parts: what was supposed to happen? What actually happened? Why did that happen? It was important that each of the examples spoke to the range of teams involved in the stuff ups – and how seemingly banal or simple some of the handover lapses were.

We storyboarded these events and animated them. The editing techniques used to bring the animation to life, together with a wry script and voice over, produced a piece of storytelling that was succinct yet far reaching and informative yet fun.