An animated film to accompany a spoken-word poem that brings to life the stories and perspectives of young people across the UK

Character Development

The characters in the film represent the 16-25 year olds from the Trussell Youth Participation group, and had to include a mixed of genders and ethnicities. We wanted the style to feel contemporary and accessible, made of simple shapes and block colours, but expressive enough to convey emotion. 

Artwork Style

Bright and vivid colours were used to create a vibrant and fresh feel, with some textures on shadows, shading and typography. 

Story design & Structure

Visualising the words in the poem involved a mix of creating characters, props and background elements combined with typography for key moments.

The energy of the animation had to match the pace and timing of the spoken-word poem. All of the elements of rhythm, rhyme, meter, and figurative language had to be paired with artwork to express the 30+ young peoples experiences with emotional depth and clarity.

Animation Process

We used the animation software Moho to create all of the animated sequences in the film, which enabled us to mix scalable vector artwork with brushstrokes and textures.

The process involved fluid, dynamic transitions, camera pans and zooms and a side-scrolling platform video game structure. We also embarked upon a new process for character rigging, with points in the artwork being parented to the ‘bones’ of the rigs. This new process enabled the animators to seamlessly switch between rigged and frame-by-frame character animation

Final Animated Scenes

Pulling together the animated shots into the final composition we wanted the film to feel like a journey, with a constant flow of movement to represent the young peoples vision of the future —A future free of stigma and shame, where they could not just survive but thrive. An optimistic vision for a better tomorrow.

The Result

The film was shown at Trussell roadshows all over the UK, and was performed at Christmas carol concerts in London and Edinburgh. It was a pleasure to work with Trussell again to help them in their mission to end UK hunger and the reliance on food banks. Their important Youth Participation work makes a huge difference to help young people feel able to talk about the issue of living with poverty — without the stigma and shame associated with it.