Fresh from the Field — Te Mauri Hiko by Ryan Ferguson
This Fresh From The Field features Motion Design fromWellington-based independent designer Ryan Ferguson
If you have new or recent work that you would like to share in Fresh from the Field email Louise for details.
The Brief:
Transpower commissioned the Te Mauri Hiko – Energy Futures project to closely examine a range of electricity supply, demand and future technology scenarios – to share their research and start a conversation about New Zealand’s sustainable energy future.
Ryan was asked to create an animated video to open a live panel discussion and then encourage people online to share their thoughts on New Zealand’s energy future.
The Response:
Given the project stood alone from the main Transpower brand, we started the project with just a report logo and voiceover, and quite a bit of scope for how we could tackle the brief.
Electricity is by its nature largely invisible to consumers, so one of the first challenges was how to represent the the solar, wind and hydro electricity that powers Aotearoa. The solution was to visualise the electricity as streams of energy, that would literally flow through the scenes carrying vehicles and objects. Aesthetically we wanted a fresh tone and colour palette without the typical wash of green associated with renewable energy.
To keep the piece fast paced and dynamic we incorporate multiple spatial perspectives, meaning a very tight illustration style was required to hold the video together. By incorporating several perspective views, a variety of animation techniques were utilised, from typical vector based objects, to frame by frame cel animation and fully 3D scenes.
Finally the team at Big Pop Studios designed an important yet subtle sound design track to accompany the visuals, helping accentuate key moments in the piece
The sum of these elements resulted in an animation showcasing a hopeful, bright tomorrow for New Zealand’s Energy Future.
Storyboard, Design, Animation: Ryan Ferguson
Additional Animation: Chris Maesen
Sound Design: Big Pop Studios
