Animation Stills
Creative Approach
Mysteries in Time had existing characters and artwork so I began by designing an animation style concept which was close to the existing artwork.
I illustrated the characters and backgrounds in Adobe Illustrator and animated them in Adobe After Effects, using detailed rigs for facial expressions, walking cycles, and other character actions. The animation follows two children opening their time machine box, pressing the “time machine” button, and being transported into a whirlwind of different historical settings.
A lively original song with lyrics was composed and produced to accompany the animation, adding extra energy and appeal for the young target audience. The timing of the animation was carefully synced to the song to maximise impact.
Production Process
Concept & Script:
We worked as team to refine the client’s initial ideas into a clear animation script and lyrics.
Storyboards & Animatic:
Sketched storyboards were developed to map out the journey through time, then assembled into an animatic to test pacing with the draft song.
Illustrated storyboards:
Animation:
Using the Illustrator artwork, I animated the full video in After Effects with expressive character rigs and dynamic scene transitions. A draft song was composed at the storyboard and animatic phase so I could animate in time to the song.
Music & Sound:
Ben Haynes composed and produced the original song. We worked together with the client to write lyrics. Sound effects were added to bring the time travel and action sequences to life.