Computing and Maths animations

Overview

We were invited to discuss working on a series of animations by Cambridge University Press covering GCSE & A-Level Maths and Computing. A series of briefs were provided by CUP scripting the animations and we were involved in the design and implementation.

Approach

Initial discussion was held as to the mechanism for delivery of the animations. The choices were Flash, HTML5 or MP4. Following discussion around target platforms and the delivery platform, we decided upon MP4 for these videos to ensure the maximum coverage whilst providing the easiest integration solution.

An initial brand discussion was held to ensure that the animations fitted in with the e-book in which they were delivered and also stayed on the corporate CUP brand.

Once this was in place, we created a series of mock-ups for each stage of the animations including transition concepts and key frames for all parts of the animation. This provided a very visual approach for CUP to review and sign-off prior to implementation of the animation itself. This process provided some key insight into areas that needed thought and revision and through a staged approach of delivery we came to a structure we all agreed on.

The next stage was creation of the animation. We decided to go back to our roots on this, and used Flash as the authoring environment. Whilst we've been working primarily on HTML5 based work these days in terms of output, we still find Flash a very useful authoring tool in many projects.

Once the animation was complete, we exported the animation and transcoded it to MP4. This was then delivered to CUP for review and final sign-off. The work carried out at the earlier stages of the project meant that this was largely a formality.

Summary

We really enjoyed working in such a collaborative way with CUP on this project. The animations proved to be well received and were a big success. We are currently discussing the creation of more of these.