Before starting my realisation of concept I needed to improve my skills and techniques with the Adobe softwares I will be using. The softwares I will be mainly using are Illustrator, Photoshop and After Effects. 

I used the 10 day free trial period on Lynda.com, an online learning site that has tutorials demonstrated by a vast amount of experts covering all aspects of online softwares, topics, and skill areas. I focused on tutorials surrounding animation using After Effects. I specifically looked at Eran Stern’s tutorial video: Mograph Techniques: Shape Animation in After Effects. An intermediate level tutorial that lasts 3 hours. Watching this I learnt how to:

• Create a basic circle animation reveal
• Reveal text in an interesting way
• Build a repetitive shape animation
• Morph between shapes

Eran Stern’s tutorial also taught me useful basic knowledge when creating an animation on After Effects. These were simple things like creating a ‘Begin Folder’ and ‘Final Folder’ to keep all the different composistions in order. I also created a colour scheme palette that I simply created on photoshop like so:

I placed this in the After Effects project panel so I could refer back to it when I was creating and animating graphics.

I also briefly watched a tutorial by Ian Robinson: After Effects CC Essential Training (2015). Which was a beginner level lesson that went through the basics of using After Effects. I used a section of this tutorial as a guide for animating my logo as he uses creative techniques with easy steps to follow.

The biggest output for the Help My Health project is the animation video. It will demonstrate the importance of addressing mental health problems and why it shouldn’t be ignored. The video is campaigning to make mental health education compulsory in the National Curriculum teaching specifications. The video will include facts, figures and symptoms to help viewers understand the issue and why it should be taught in schools. So far, I have created a rough storyboard for the video:

I will continue to develop the animation video process, making graphic designs on illustrate r and photoshop.

One of the final output’s for the Help My Health project is promotional posters and flyers. At first, these will be posted around the local area of Lincoln (where production takes place), mainly near schools to attract the intended audience. There will be a range of posters. Some will include facts and figures regarding mental health in children and young people. And others will convey a deeper message. Both will however mention the #helpmyhealth campaign with links to our social media sites.

I have designed a couple of tester posters as a starting point and to get an idea for how I want my final ones to look like.

A huge marketing technique Help My Health will use is social media. It will act as a platform to promote the campaign and gain supporters. Social media sites are useful for gaining national and even global recognition within seconds, with the click of a button. As a starting point, I have set-up a twitter account for Help My Health.

I also started a hashtag trend #helpmyhealth and a ‘selfie’ trend to infleunce people to take a picture of themselves holding up something with the hashtag on it. An example of this technqiue is shown below:

As you can see, these are early stages of development for marketing and promotion. Social media plays a huge part in the development of my project as it a main platform that will gain supporters. I wish to continue developing over social media, posting status’s and pictures of the process and in time, the final output.

Direct costs:

• Hardware (equipment)
• Software
• Materials
• Travel

Consider hiring equipment/software as an option if the project is a one-off.

Indirect costs:

• Wages (hourly rate for each team member)
• Crew (paid by experience, small daily cost)
• Services used

Other costs:

• Promotion & Marketing (advertising, promotional goods)
• Event costs

Contingency plan for costing:

• Flat % for total budget
• Each (susceptible) cost
• Hybrid of above