Moho Forum

This spot was commissioned by the Pirate Party of Hamburg for the upcoming election in February. Everything by me, script, animation, sound. The assets were drawn in TVPaint, the characters animated in TVP, then everything put into 3D scenes and assembled in AS.

The time frame was nearly impossible for a 90 sec spot, due to lack of communication I couldn't start as early as I wanted, then I had difficulties to translate their program into a script, and then I had to rush everything because a certain delivery format was required, which they told me really really late. All in all I did this in just over a week.

Because it was impossible to find suitable voice actors I had to speak all characters by myself. Yes, that's my voice ...


(https://vimeo.com/117669324)

All in all I did this in just over a week.

A week!? Holy crap.

I'm in awe.

Well, this is where experience kicks in. I didn't do too many mistakes in this one. Had only to re-render some 5 sec and one single image to cover mistakes. Usually you need to plan to render each scene at least twice until you get it right.

Also I used assets more than once. It's the same 1 sky for all scenes, the same skyline in 4 scenes, the same green in 5 scenes, the same 2 trees in 2 scenes, the same ground - no time for creating different stuff, but usually you watch the spot only once and will not notice.

Nice and clean. I feel like I learn a little more about the flow of an animation every time I see your work. I realize that this is a short spot and a lot has to be clearly communicated in limited time so things have to move quick, and be to the point, but it's a great example of how things should work in this circumstance.

Thanks for posting it.

LY

What sticks out to me is that you had to create the script! To me this means you had to find a way to communicate someone else's idea. There's no way anyone could demand edits under those time constraints. I imagine sleep was scarce. You have a great speaking voice. I can hear intelligence even though I don't understand the language!

Usually I write the script together with the client, it depends on how good his stuff is. Some can be used unchanged, others not. This time I wrote all of it: the Pirate Party is a still young and small party and can't afford an ad agency or some professional copywriter. Fortunately I'm a good writer as well.

I did a quick translation (with the help of google), here's the script:

What do the citizens of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg actually think of it?

I do not feel really free right now, since the police may simply define entire neighborhoods as risk areas, and I'm being followed by cameras everywhere.
We want freedom for each individual, a society in which nobody is left behind and everyone can be happy in his own way. This includes to curtail the obsession with security and police to remind them of their primary responsibilities.

It's impossible to cross the roads safely, and when I drive myself, I'm really just stuck in traffic!
We want a different transport policy for Hamburg, and we want a public transport without ticket so more citizens travel with HVV and the streets are relieved.

Everywhere only offices and shopping malls and luxury apartments are being built, but we do not even find affordable housing in the outskirts!
We want more social housing in Hamburg, and we want more affordable housing in the city center.

I'd really have liked to know more about where my tax money is going to and what contracts are signed between the city, and with whom.
Hamburg has the first and most comprehensive transparency law in Germany, initiated also by the pirates, but we want to improve the implementation.

I thought that if we win the referendum everything would be all right - but then the administration blocks the process and does not want to implement the decision!
We want to work to ensure that the citizens' will should be implemented in law and administration faster than before.

For a free and civil city of Hamburg on 15.2. Elect pirates!

Fantastic, Slowtiger. There are a lot of characters there and all works clean and fluid.
Thank you for translating the script. I'm very interested in Pirate party. Here in Chile there's a very little organization with their ideas also, they are not a party yet -it's extremely hard to create a party in my country-, but I hope they grow soon.
I really like this videos and think it's this area where we, as animators, can help for a better society. I'm happy to see you are on that line.

slowtiger wrote:All in all I did this in just over a week.

Wow. Just in case the animation itself wasn't impressive on its own, you had to go and drop this bombshell too! Outstanding work!

selgin wrote:Fantastic, Slowtiger. There are a lot of characters there and all works clean and fluid.
Thank you for translating the script. I'm very interested in Pirate party. Here in Chile there's a very little organization with their ideas also, they are not a party yet -it's extremely hard to create a party in my country-, but I hope they grow soon.
I really like this videos and think it's this area where we, as animators, can help for a better society. I'm happy to see you are on that line.

I agree with the idea that animators have a great tool to make a statement about issues. I also would like to help make a better society.