The brief

Following the success of the Tricky Friends animation, Hidden Harms is our second animation project with Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board.

While Tricky Friends was aimed at people with learning disabilities and/or autism, this new animation highlights the unique challenges that older adults face when domestic abuse occurs. Based on the Duluth power and control wheel, as adapted by Dewis Choice, this short animation aims to be a tool to help practitioners and families start a conversation with an older adult.

Creating the animation

The client was keen that the two animations felt like they were part of the same series, although their target audiences are very different. To create unity between the films, we kept to a similar colour palette of greyscale illustrations with pops of colour on the text and used similar editing techniques to bring the illustrations to life.

To ensure Hidden Harms would speak well to older adults, we worked with artist Giulia Coppola, whose more realistic style of drawing was better suited to the topic of domestic abuse than the cartoon style used for Tricky Friends.

Spreading the word

Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board have been extremely generous with both animations, offering them both for use by other safeguarding boards and organisations around the country.

To facilitate this, CC Animation Studio creates new end slides to provide contact details for other local organisations, enabling the animations to reach and help far more people all around the UK.

So far, over 40 organisations have had their own version of Tricky Friends created, and it has been translated into several languages.

Watch alternative version examples of Tricky Friends →

Testimonial

“We had the incredible privilege of working with a team of passionate and talented partners to produce an animation on the sensitive and vital topic of domestic abuse in older adults. Our collective efforts to shed light on this critical issue were nothing short of inspiring, and the experience was enriching. We are pleased to have been invited to collaborate.

The collaboration allowed us to develop a research-informed narrative that struck a delicate balance between educating the audience and evoking empathy. From the outset, it was evident that each partner brought a unique set of skills and perspectives to the table, making the entire creative process truly collaborative. Together, we formed a cohesive unit, united by a common goal – to create an impactful animation that could serve as a powerful tool for raising awareness and encouraging victim-survivors to seek help.

Throughout the project, communication proved to be the cornerstone of our success. Open dialogues and regular updates kept us in sync, ensuring that everyone's voice was heard and valued. It was a true meeting of minds, and we found ourselves challenged, questioned, and inspired by one another, pushing our creative boundaries beyond what we thought possible.

As we progressed from scriptwriting to storyboarding and animation, the technical skills of each partner came into play. Witnessing this amalgamation of talent was a humbling experience, and it reinforced the notion that great achievements are the result of collective efforts.

The animation we created was a product of dedication and most importantly, our genuine passion to make a difference. It became more than just a project; it was a shared mission to raise awareness about domestic abuse affecting a diverse group of older adults and encourage victim-survivors to seek help and support.

Once released, the animation garnered attention and appreciation across Wales. As a result, we are working with the animators and partners to translate the animation into Welsh, which will help expand its reach and significance.

In conclusion, working with partners to produce an animation on domestic abuse in older adults was a valuable experience, both professionally and personally. It reinforced the power of collaboration, the strength of empathy, and the potential of creativity to bring about positive change in society. Together, we proved that art can be a potent vehicle for raising awareness and that unity can amplify our voices. We are proud of the end project and hope that it will serve its intended purpose.”

Rebecca Zerk and Elize Freeman
Dewis Choice
Aberystwyth University