Kalamazoo Development Simplified

The City of Kalamazoo came to DropDrop needing two videos in ‘Explainer Style’ to raise awareness about their dedicated Economic Development team. This team helps make the development process easier, faster and more equitable for everyone by helping kzoo citizens navigate all aspects of development. Things like permitting, site selection, site plan review and financial incentives. For both videos, we decided to highlight a few heroes on their voyage through the development process using abstract interpretation as well as practical explanation.

The first step was writing the script. The client provided the first draft, more of a general outline of what the story arc might consist of. Step 2 was all about finding the beginning, middle and end. We like to use the standard universal ‘story arc’ template that helps define a well-structured story.

After the arc was found we dove into visual storytelling. What do we see? What do we hear? This helps us share and explain our vision better. This is then passed on for proof of concept before we begin any animation. Sometimes your client will give you a better idea (like the building morphing into a rocket in Video 2!) after seeing a 1st version of the storyboards.

 

Ryan Brady works out how to animate the ‘send’ button turning into a bird after being clicked by our protagonist.

Choosing the right color palette is key to the success of any animation venture. For this project, we had to distinguish what colors looked good together and which ones didn’t. Using a little bit of color theory, we chose the right color combinations that worked for this storyline.

It’s all about atmosphere. Sound can set up your scene and tell a story in itself. We wanted the sound to help connect the viewer with the narrative on an emotional level. The combination of what you see and what you hear can do what neither can alone.

The client’s final words after last looks, “The department loves it, and I do too.” We suppose that’s when you know it’s ready! After all the thousands of keyframes, layer adjustments, shape layer adjustments, color and audio tweaking, our two videos (both below) were ready for delivery.