In Blue | Animation Campaign for Spitalfields Crypt Trust

‘In Blue' is an evocative and emotionally-sensitive digital 2D animated poem created in collaboration with SCT, a charity based in East London that helps those affected by homelessness and addiction. Inspired by a poem written by a man in recovery at SCT, the 2:08-long animation details the conflicts faced and the progress made in recovery through both literal and metaphoric representations. These scenes are fluid, morphing from one to the other, and guiding the viewer between each stanza. With it’s ever-moving dark inky lines and accents of blue watercolour, the animation has character and a richness that reflects the rawness of the poem and the positive changes that SCT can instil. The animation is accompanied with a voice-over, by Theo Lancaster, and is supported with subtle sound effects, transforming it into a more immersive and accessible experience. As a team of 5 like-minded fellow animators and animation directors, it was important for us to emulate an evocative hand-drawn quality in the animation, to communicate the richness of the poem. The watercolour accents are bright blue, a core colour in the SCT colour palette, which we believe creates continuity between SCT, the poem and our animation. Important to me was creating a visually interesting animation that represented the experiences the poem described in an organic and fluid motion, to not only communicate the passing of time but also reflect the continued perseverance of those in recovery. I wanted to capture the sincerity in the poem, to reflect the emotion in its words and do justice to those experiencing the difficulties faced in recovery. Although constrained by time and the effects of the pandemic, the project was received with high praise and is scheduled to appear throughout the SCT social media platforms. Animation created using Adobe Photoshop, After Effects, and Premiere Pro