Fifty Animations!

Fifty Animations

I wasn’t counting, so this snuck up on me. I was updating my website to add the latest project launch and it occurred to me to actually add them up. Fifty. Fifty animations! Since 2016! Made with universities, charities, students, coaches, research participants and one very lovely Norwegian music organisation.

I’ve been trying to get my arms around that for a few days now and they’re just not long enough. Here’s a Best Of rundown for those of you who are into this sort of thing:

The one that got away from me (in the best way)

What is Intersectionality? is coming up on a million(!!) views on YouTube, which is baffling number. I can’t even take it in.

What I can take in, though, is the emails. Every few months someone writes to ask if they can use it, or Peter Hopkins, the commissioning client sends me an excited email about the latest place it’s being used — and the list has become genuinely absurd: the HIV Justice Network in Amsterdam. The Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission. An elearning module tied to the Victorian Government’s framework on preventing violence against women. Ontario’s equity training for its own civil servants. A micro-certificate for Canadian medical radiation technologists. Women with Disabilities Australia. An open-access textbook at UMass Amherst.

That also means the YouTube figure is maybe half the story, ‘cuz most of those views are happening inside institutional systems where nobody’s counting. Peter Hopkins commissioned it in 2018 with EDI funding at Newcastle, and I remember worrying if I was going to be able to do it justice, but not having a choice but to take it on because I needed the work. Eight years on and it’s still teaching people in a dozen countries. I think about that at the start of every project – you never know the life a work will have.

The one somebody actually measured – and it worked

This one still makes me a bit giddy.

The Provider Communication for Antibiotic Stewardship series was made for Erina Farrell’s lab at Penn State, about how doctors talk to patients who want antibiotics they don’t need. Five videos. Not a super glamorous subject on the surface, but super important when we’re looking at antibiotic resistant bugs that might take us all out if we’re not careful.

Then in 2025 they published a longitudinal study in Antibiotics evaluating the series with 135 providers and medical students, testing their skills before, immediately after, and three months later. The animations improved providers’ communication. Measurably! The biggest gains were among the people who started out least confident, which is exactly who you most want to reach.

I wouldn’t do this work if I didn’t believe it actually change things, but somebody putting it in a peer-reviewed study and verifying it — I don’t think I’ll ever get a nicer professional gift than that!

It was also the most rigorous process I’ve ever been part of. They tested my storyboards with focus groups before I animated a frame, and that made me feel like part of the research team. Being treated as a collaborator rather than a supplier feels amazing and is absolutely the direction I want my work to go in in the future.

The one that surprised no one more than me

Flying While Fat landed in front of about two million faces in its first fortnight. People, Cosmo, BuzzFeed, Mashable, Upworthy, the Daily Mail, Matador, BBC Radio. George Takei shared it, which I screenshotted immediately and occasionally still squee about.

It premiered at DaDaFest and was exhibited at Tate Liverpool and the Bluecoat. Then it became scholarship, in two peer-reviewed articles I co-wrote with Bethan Evans and Rachel Colls, in the Annals of the American Association of Geographers and Geoforum.

More on this one below, because it’s also my favourite for reasons that have nothing to do with any of that.

The workhorses

Some projects skip the dramatic entrance and just get straight to the grind, which is amazing.

What is Consent? has been shown to every incoming Newcastle cohort since 2022 and still sits on their student wellbeing pages. Jay Wallace commissioned it and the script was built with students, which is the only reason it works. The cast has since turned up in my drink spiking animation and in other student comms, wandering around campus like they live there now. They’re also a little bit of the reason that University of Newcastle came first in the NSS for the Russell group scoring for our comms with students. *Cher Hair Toss*

Let’s Get Talking, about coaches and young athletes and periods, was made with UK Sport, the English Institute of Sport and Sport Wales, and has since been picked up onto sportscotland’s coach learning platform.

The Anti-Racism Framework film explains Heather Smith and Vini Lander’s framework, which is hosted by UCET and aimed at everyone training teachers in England.

And Children’s Experiences of Forced Migration, four films made this year with Newcastle and City of Sanctuary, goes out to the Schools of Sanctuary network. Over 1,100 schools, nurseries and sixth forms. Every single one a room where a frightened new child will hopefully get a warmer welcome because of Schools of Sanctuary’s work.

The ones that grew legs

The Lost Voices of Partition closed its festival season with 14 acceptances, an Honourable Mention and a Best Animation nomination.

It’s Only Hair, made with Emma Tarlo at Goldsmiths from her book Hair! Human Stories, premiered at her exhibition and then had a proper museum life, showing in Hair: Untold Stories at the Horniman and on tour from 2021 through 2023.

Along the way there’s also been Athens ANIMFEST, the Barbican, Reelout in Toronto, San Francisco Queer Film Festival, Brighton, Sea Change on Tiree, Les Mains Gauches in France, Animae Caribae in Port of Spain, Samskara in India, and a Royal Academy Summer Exhibition shortlist that I still bring up at parties because no amount of personal healing will ever stop me being a Quadruple Leo.

Now the actual favourites (Don’t tell the others)

The most fun was Proposal Equality, for Daniela Pirani and Vera Beckley-Hoelscher, about women who propose to their male partners. MANgagement rings! The research was cheekily poking at retro relationship roles, so I got to build the whole thing in a bright mid-century style that winked right back at the 1950s. I don’t often get to be silly. Stretching my legs into a new aesthetic and having the style itself do some of the arguing was a joy from the first frame to the last.

The most meaningful was Partition. Older South Asian women sat together across eight sessions at Glasgow Women’s Library and wrote a poem about mass migration, dislocation, silence, loss and hope. Nafhesa Ali and those women handed me that precious and devastating bundle. There’s no way to say what it meant to be trusted with it. I hand-drew more of that film than anything else I’ve made, partly because it felt wrong to do it any other way, and I spent weeks working out how to honour what they’d told me without putting anything on screen that would hurt them to watch. I hope I got it right. I know I’ve never tried harder.

The most rewarding was Flying While Fat, because it was my baby and my first proper animation. I did the research, sat with the interviewees, recorded airport ambience on my own flights, built the narrative and then animated it. Every decision was mine to make (and mine to get wrong). It’s a rare thing to be supported (Thank you Bethan Evans!) in creating something, start to finish, that’s purely coming from your heart. Doing this animation, and its heady reception, taught me what this medium is actually for.

Thank you

Dr Bethan Evans, you were my first champion. You backed me as an animator when the evidence for that was, to say the least, thin. And you’ve kept backing me. Everything that’s happened in my animation career since is partly yours.

Dr Susan Morgan, you were the first client to trust me with real research, and you even came back a decade later! Being the first person to say yes to someone is an enormous thing to do. Thank you.

Professor Peter Hopkins, you have never once brought me a bad idea. Intersectionality, Islamophobia, hate crime, refugee arrivals and public space, forced migration, the Thinking Environment. If you trace the line of my portfolio you’ll find yourself there the most, and I’ve been extraordinarily lucky to be the one you keep calling.

And every person who let their story be drawn. You didn’t have to. Fifty films exist because you did.

Right. Onwards.

Have a wander through my portfolio – and let me know if you want to be 51!

August 4, 2023

Increasing Research Impact with Animation: 10 Steps to Creating Engaging, Empathic, and Informative Outputs

Animation is a powerful tool to amplify your research impact. It can help you reach diverse audiences, add layers of understanding to your message, and create lasting impact. I’m excited to share my experience as an animator, focusing on public education, social justice, and storytelling, to help you bring attention to your work. If you’re curious if animation is right for your research project, please feel free to reach out to me at yourstoryismoving@gmail.com. Now, let’s dive into the 10 steps to creating impactful animated research outputs!

1. Identify Your Audience:

Before diving into the animation process, take a moment to consider your target audience. Think about who could benefit most from your research findings—whether it’s policymakers, peers, niche groups, or the general public. Understanding your audience will guide your storytelling approach and help ensure your animation speaks directly to their interests and concerns.

2. Identify Your Goal:

What do you want your animation to achieve? Define the purpose of your animated output—whether it’s to educate, build empathy, or direct resources towards a specific cause. Knowing your goal will provide a clear direction for your animation and ensure it delivers the impact you desire.

3. Identify Your Primary Points before Scripting:

Remember, brevity is key in animation. With each minute limited to around 150 words of scripting, focus on making 2-3 main points that reinforce your message through explanation and examples. Keep the content digestible, memorable, and easy to retain.

4. Iterative and Creative Scripting:

Don’t be afraid to explore various scripting approaches! Experiment with different styles, from educating narrators, to empathic case studies, to narrative-driven character interactions, to abstraction and metaphor. Iterate on your scripts to unleash your creativity and discover the most compelling way to tell your research story.

5. Consult on Your Script:

Give your script a test run by reading it aloud in front of others or having someone else read it to you. This process will help you fine-tune the pacing, tone, and energy of your animation. Moreover, consult with research participants or community partners for ethical collaboration, ensuring their input shapes the final output.

6. Hire the Right Animator:

Finding the perfect animator for your project is crucial. No animator is likely to be an expert in your field, so look instead for animators that display curiosity, empathy, and excitement for your research. Examine their portfolios to assess their storytelling skills, creativity, and emotional intelligence to make an informed choice.

7. Let Every Star Shine:

Collaboration is key! Allow your animator to provide input on the script, just as you give feedback on the visuals. Embrace the creativity of your team and avoid overly restrictive visual direction in the script. Encourage open communication and let the best ideas shine through.

8. Plan to Be Available:

During the storyboarding phase, be actively involved and available for quick rounds of feedback. Storyboarding is a creative and dynamic process, and your timely input will keep the momentum going and ensure the project progresses smoothly.

9. Think Ahead and Be Certain:

Once the storyboarding phase is complete, changes become costly and time-consuming. Ensure the final storyboard aligns with your audience, goals, and primary points. Consult with key stakeholders and collaborators before giving your final approval.

10. It’s Not Over When the Animation Is Complete:

Your animation is ready to impact the world, but it won’t achieve its full potential without promotion. Plan ahead for festival submissions, social media outreach, blog posts, and press coverage. Allocate time and budget for promotion to maximize your animation’s reach and impact.

Animation holds great potential to enhance your research impact! I hope these 10 steps have inspired you to consider including animation in your impact plan. If you’re eager to discuss how animation can benefit your specific research project, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at yourstoryismoving@gmail.com.

June 22, 2023

Enhancing Health Education through Animation: Communicating Complex Information with Empathy

Screenshot from Antibiotic Resistance Provider Education Animation

Finding innovative ways to convey complex information is the key challenge for any researcher who wants to disseminate their work in meaningful ways. Luckily, animation is really good at breaking down intimidating concepts and making them easily understandable.

As a specialist in Health Communications animation, I have had the privilege of working with renowned institutions and organisations such as Penn State University, the Huck Centre for Infectious Disease Dynamics, University of Miami, and Cambridge University. I’ve worked on topics ranging from antibiotic resistance awareness to educating coaches about athlete menstrual cycles to addressing vaccine hesitancy, each aimed at bridging the gap between medical research and public knowledge.

Animation is especially good at breaking down complex information into digestible and calming segments, which can help increase engagement. By using captivating visuals, empathic storytelling, and knowledge-loaded narratives, animation empowers viewers to grasp essential information without feeling overwhelmed, making it easier for them to take actionable steps towards better health.

Animation can also drive empathy-driven communication, increasing sensitivity and relatability. And with over 20 years of experience in social justice work, I bring a unique perspective to Health Communications. I am an empathic communicator, acutely aware of intersectional identities and marginalizations. I prioritize creating content that is sensitive, diverse, and relatable.

Animation can also help to ground science in lived experience, with end results that are educational as well as empathic. I particularly enjoy incorporating relatable scenarios and personal narratives into animations in order to create a powerful connection between the audience and the subject matter. This approach not only enhances the educational aspect of the content but also cultivates empathy and understanding. By witnessing how scientific knowledge directly relates to their own lives, viewers are more likely to retain information and make informed decisions regarding their health.

If you’re a medical research group, academic institution, or provider education service seeking to enhance your communication efforts, I invite you to reach out to me for an exploratory chat. If you are looking to get creative with your Health Communication efforts, let’s chat about working together to create impactful animations that bridge the gap between research and the public.

June 7, 2023

Writing Scripts for Explainer Animations: Key Points for Creative Dissemination

Creating compelling explainer animations requires a well-crafted script. Writing for animation is a different animal than writing for publication. Below are a few helpful points to consider as you begin:

Determine Animation Length and Key Points: Decide the desired duration of your animation and identify the primary points you want to convey. Aim for one key point per minute of animation. Begin your script by creatively explaining to viewers why investing their time in watching the animation is worthwhile. Engage them by posing a question or presenting a relatable problem to be solved.
Relatable and Engaging Content: Once you’ve articulated a problem, maintain viewers’ trust by offering clear and creative answers to the concerns or questions you raised. Write in a conversational tone, resembling a coffeehouse conversation between respectful colleagues. Avoid stiff and formal language. Read your script aloud to ensure it sounds natural and revise accordingly. Infuse your writing with creativity, curiosity, and enthusiasm to captivate the audience.
Ideal Length and Adaptations: Strive for 150 written words per minute (WPM) of spoken text. Adjust the word count by subtracting 20 WPM for longer words. Emotional or empathy-driven topics benefit from shorter word counts, allowing room for pauses and emotional impact. Additionally, dialogue between characters should naturally shorten the word count, facilitating conversational pauses.
Visual Complement and Descriptions: You are writing a script for a visual medium so don’t forget to include the possibility of metaphor as you write. It’s the animator’s job to come up with the right visuals but writing expansively while avoiding being overly-literal (where possible) will give your animator more room.
Storytelling Techniques: Utilize storytelling elements to make your script engaging and memorable. Craft a compelling opening, a logical progression of ideas, and a powerful conclusion. Embrace narrative structures that draw viewers into the content and create a cohesive experience. Try drafting a version of the script as a parable, or in first person, or as a conversation between friends. Try drafting it as if you were going to be reading it on stage. Is it compelling? Does it inspire emotion?
Realistic Expectations: Animating human and animal characters is the most challenging and time-consuming aspect of animation. Unless discussed and agreed in advance with your animator, avoid including things like sports teams, dance parties, and group activities, or setting your action in crowded spaces or on busy streets.
Avoid Stage Direction: It is advisable to provide your animator with the opportunity to approach the script with a fresh perspective, particularly if you don’t have a predetermined vision for the animation. By refraining from including explicit action/screen descriptions in the script, you allow room for the animator to unleash their creativity and envision visuals that could bring forth intriguing metaphors, unique settings, and unexpected interactions. This collaborative process can add profound depth and additional layers of meaning to your script, resulting in a more engaging and impactful animation.
Call to Action: Harness the momentum generated by your animation to inspire viewers to take action. Include a clear and compelling call to action at the end of the script. Encourage viewers to visit your website for more information, donate to a local charity, or sign up for your newsletter to stay connected.

After your first draft, your animator should happily get involved in the scripting process. Collaboration at this point gives the chance to flag up any potential challenges for the animation process or brainstorm ideas that will bring the magic to your project! Your story is moving, so let’s get it out into the world.

As always, I’m available for questions at yourstoryismoving@gmail.com

February 8, 2023

Creative Dissemination: How Animation can Help Build Research Impact

You’ve spent years of your life deep-diving on your research topic. You know more about your specialty subjects than nearly anyone else on the planet. You’ve got a lot to say and you want to say it beyond the paywall in accessible ways that create enthusiasm, spread the wealth of knowledge you have, and encourage positive change. Enter animation!

Animation is a creative, fun and collaborative process between researcher and animator, and a way to turn research findings into something that can be easily understood by a wide range of audiences, including those without a background in your field of research. This makes animation a powerful tool for disseminating research results to a wider audience and making research accessible to people who may not have otherwise engaged with it.

If you’re a researcher or academic looking to extend the impact of your research, reach out and talk to me about how animation might suit your research topic. I’m ALWAYS excited to nerd out with the great minds. If you’re in Glasgow, let’s have a coffee! And if not, let’s zoom about it. Drop me a line at yourstoryismoving@gmail.com

February 3, 2023

Why is animation a great tool for academics?

Simply put, animation creates impact. It is an immediately engaging, accessible, and joyful artform that can break complex ideas into digestible nuggets. Its adaptable format can engage people both intellectually and emotionally, and it can bring layers of excitement and resonance to even the most technical subjects.

So what can animation do for you as an academic?

First, animation can help to influence policy. Policymakers often have limited time and divided attention, making it difficult to convey the importance of research findings in a way that prompts action. Animation can summarise complex ideas and provide a memorable visual representation of the findings, making it easier to capture and hold the attention of policymakers and promote change. For example, this series of animations for Prof. Ayona Datta at UCL helped disseminate evidence based policy interventions on smart cities and urban futures in India and elsewhere as part of a ‘smart city asset toolkit’ that enabled communities to speak back to, and inform, smart city planners and policy makers.

Second, animation can help to promote social impact. By making research findings accessible and engaging to a wider audience, animation can help to drive awareness and promote positive change. For example, animations can be used to explain the causes and effects of social issues, such as poverty or inequality, and to promote understanding of the role that research can play in addressing these challenges. This research-led animation commissioned by Prof. Peter Hopkins at Newcastle University used participants own words to explore the challenges and opportunities presented to refugees and asylum seekers in navigating multiple forms of arrival in the UK.

Third, animation can be used to communicate scientific findings in a way that is accessible and engaging to a broad audience. By breaking down complex scientific concepts into simple visual representations, animations can help to increase public understanding of scientific concepts and research findings. This can be especially useful for communicating scientific findings to people who may not have a background in the field, such as policymakers, educators, or the general public. For example, this animation commissioned by UK Sport, helped to educate coaches and other athletic support staff to create open dialogues with young athletes about the menstrual cycle in order to demystify and destigmatise the process and support young athletes in training and wellbeing.

Fourth, animation can be used to promote community involvement in research. By making research findings accessible and engaging, animations can help to build trust and encourage active participation in research projects. For example, animations can be used to explain research methods and findings to communities, promote understanding of the potential benefits and risks of participating in research, and encourage people to get involved in research initiatives. This animation series commissioned by Dr. Susan Morgan at University of Miami educated the general public on clinical trial enrollement for experimental cancer treatments and explained concepts such as placebos, randomisation, and patient protections to encourage participation and alleviate anxiety.

Fifth, animation can help to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in research. By making research accessible and engaging to a diverse range of people, animations can help to promote a more inclusive research culture and ensure that research findings reflect the experiences and perspectives of all members of society. This can help to promote a more equitable distribution of the benefits of research and ensure that the research is relevant and meaningful to the communities it serves. This animation, commissioned by Prof. Peter Hopkins at Newcastle University, explains the social justice concept of Intersectionality and is used in trainings not just by academics and researchers, but for academics and researchers, across the globe.

Finally, animation can be collaborative and ethically representational in ways that many forms of research cannot. Animation can incorporate not just the thoughts and experiences of research participants, but their own hands, their own artwork, their own voices and ideas. The form of animation lends itself to iteration, giving ample opportunity for rounds of feedback and revision that incorporate participants ideas and offer them agency in their representation. And participants can even take part in the animation process themselves by creating artwork or attending animation workshops. For example, this series of animations produced by the Storying Relationships project at Sheffield Unviersity, exploring the experiencs of young British Pakistani Muslims was produced by participants themselves who learned the software and skillsets required to make them in a 5-week workshop series.

Animation is a joyful and creative tool to add to your academic impact arsenal. It’s a format that encourages interdisciplinary collaboration through collaborative scriptwriting or shared research outputs. It can increase public engagement and awareness with niche topics. It can influence policy and create social impact by capturing the attention of the general public in ways that pressurise policymakers. It encourages open access by taking topics normally discussed behind paywalls and making them accessible to the public. It can help encourage evidence-based decision making by educating the public on social, political, health, or environmental issues. And it can bring a world of empathy through storytelling to initiatives driving diversity, equity and inclusion.

If you’re interested in finding out more about how animation can work for you, please reach out. Your stories are moving! And I’d love to help you make them heard.