Project background

We worked with the Centre for Emotional Health to create this film about the importance of improving our mental health on an individual, family, community and society-wide basis.

The aims of the animation are to explain what emotional health is, to challenge some of the audience’s preconceptions of what emotional health looks like and encourage the audience to look after their own emotional health as well as the people around them.

Creating the animation

When discussing a subject as sensitive as mental health, it’s really important to make sure the imagery on screen has been carefully considered and created in an educated and informed way.

Artist Jo worked with the team at the Centre for Emotional Health to ensure all the icons throughout the animation were appropriate, did not feed into any unhelpful stereotypes and communicated the messages within the script in an accessible way.

Inclusion & diversity

Another very important factor to consider is inclusion and diversity – mental health is a topic that affects people from all walks of life in society, and this needs to be represented throughout the animation.

To do this, Jo created a series of everyperson-style characters that did not use any specific genders or skin tones to represent individual characters and larger groups. This use of considered character design aims to encourage the audience to be able to ‘see’ themselves within the animation, as well as ensuring none of the audience feel alienated because they aren’t represented.

Jo cleverly incorporated the branding colours of the Centre for Emotional Health in place of skin tones to further this concept, as well as creating artwork that felt cohesive within the client’s pre-existing branding.

Post-launch plaudits

On release of this film, we were thrilled to be notified that this animation had been shortlisted as a finalist for the Smiley Charity Film Awards – it’s always great to see that the films we care so much about making and the fantastic work done by our clients are being recognised in the wider world!