Explanatory film for Covestro
Context
Covestro is a materials manufacturer that produces plastics for numerous different sectors and industries.
With the EU-funded Carbon4PUR project, the company aims to extract intermediate products for the production of polyurethane plastics from industrial waste gases containing CO and CO2.
A double benefit for the environment: less CO2 is released into the air and the carbon for insulation, paints and rigid foams would no longer have to be obtained from crude oil.
Objective
Covestro's project was to be presented in a short film. Not only were the scientists and partner companies involved to have their say, but a 45-second animation was also to visualize how the process works and what ecological benefits it offers.
We are only responsible for the animated part here - the filmed material comes from the fantastic Wisam Zureik
We are only responsible for the animated part here - the filmed material comes from the fantastic Wisam Zureik
Approach
First of all, we had to answer two important key questions: What should it look like and what do we want to show? As far as the visuals were concerned, we very quickly found a solution that everyone involved was very happy with: We decided to show miniatures: this meant that much more complex industrial structures could actually be shown in a very simple way without the result looking too sparse. High depth of field, vivid colors and some elements with a low-poly look completed the look.
Two examples from the look development phase. With the help of some of these individual images, a look was found that was optimal for our application.
Contents
At the same time as developing the look, we clarified what should be shown in the animation. To do this, we worked classically with storyboards, which we tweaked in close collaboration with Covestro until everything important was shown and said in under a minute.
Some intermediate versions of the scribbles that served as the basis for the storyboard. These rough drawings were supplemented by a screen time and the information to be conveyed during their visibility. This meant that the later film could be timed to the second before the animation work began.
Fine tuning
Once the script was finished, we started modeling and animating the world, the buildings and molecules needed to transform the exhaust gases into carbon. (cool!)
After the virtual cameras were set and a first rough cut was made, we created an animatic: a preliminary version of the movie that doesn't look pretty yet, but gives a good impression of timing, speed and narrative structure. This allowed us to fine-tune the sequence of events defined in the storyboard.
An animatic. Even if the look doesn't yet have much to do with the finished film, it quickly becomes clear when the animation still needs some fine-tuning.
Conclusion
This is how we like to work. Step by step, we coordinate various aspects of the whole with the customer. Look and content were clarified separately and then simply brought together at the end. We would like to thank Covestro and Wisam Zureik for their trust, the great collaboration and this super project.