Promotional videos for the book “Running the Family Firm” by Dr. Laura Clancy

These two animated videos were created for the author and academic, Dr Laura Clancy, to communicate key ideas from her book, Running the Family Firm, about how media representations of the royal family as a family mask issues of power, wealth accumulation and (post)colonialism and Empire.

After a discussion with Laura, we decided on an animation visual style that combines realistic pencil illustrations with collaged images and textures. The colour palette references British royal family colours alongside monochrome charcoal / pencil sketches.

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About the book

In recent decades, the global wealth of the rich has soared to leave huge chasms of wealth inequality. This book argues that we cannot talk about inequalities in Britain today without talking about the monarchy. Running the Family Firm explores the postwar British monarchy in order to understand its economic, political, social and cultural functions. Although the monarchy is usually positioned as a backward-looking, archaic institution and an irrelevant anachronism to corporate forms of wealth and power, the relationship between monarchy and capitalism is as old as capitalism itself. This book frames the monarchy as the gold standard corporation: The Firm. Using a set of case studies – the Queen, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle – it contends that The Firm’s power is disguised through careful stage management of media representations of the royal family. In so doing, it extends conventional understandings of what monarchy is and why it matters.

Storyboard designs

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How the animations were used

Dr Laura Clancy Twitter

Dr Clancy used the animations on her website and social media channels to help launch the book when it was published. The publisher, Manchester University Press, also used the videos to promote the book.

Book available at Waterstones

What the client said

I am really pleased with my animated videos produced by Mair. Mair was helpful throughout the production, the process was very clear and all of the materials were easily accessible. The final videos are excellent, really high quality. Mair really 'got' my brief and made suggestions which greatly improved the videos. Very highly recommended :)

Dr Laura Clancy, Author & Lecturer in media at Lancaster University

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