Lizzi Stuart Ignasher
Nat Geo | Queens Promo Toolkit
Animation & Layout
I had the pleasure of working with And/Or on this female-led project. I was responsible for type animation & toolkitting along with compositing the elements together. I created the gold texture/look for the type and figured out how the toolkit animators could use alternate characters within After Effects without a bunch of coding. The client ended up wanting texture on the illustrations. Because of the level of detail in them, we didn't want to obsure the beautiful designs. I worked with a texture and painted out sections for each background so that facial expressions and intricate line work could still be seen.
All the assets were also made in 1x1 and 9x16 social ratios. The wonderful Lizzi Akana did the cell animation for the animals and movement of the plants. I created the layouts for the alternate ratios (both background elements and type sizes) so she could focus on her part of the animation and then just reposition with a guide.
From And/Or:
"We reunited with the Nat Geo team for a second time in one year to concept, design, and toolkit the graphics for the promo package for QUEENS, the first nature documentary to focus on the matriarchal animal kingdom. The show features an all-female supporting cast of directors and producers and the inimitable talent of Angela Bassett as narrator.
We wanted to push our boundaries for this boundary-pushing show,so we pulled out all the stops. We pitched the concept of wallpaper-esque natural illustrations, regal type cards, and subtle character animation to properly highlight footage of these queens, working with illustrator Harriet Lee-Merrion to create unique assets and illustrations for each matriarchal society featured on the show: lionesses, elephants, whales, hyenas, bonobos, bees, and ants."
Credits:
And/Or
Kelli Miller - Creative Director
Diana Mandelare-Au - Executive Producer
Virginia Galvan - Sr. Producer
Natalie Hawkins - Designer
Harriet Lee Merrion - Illustrator
Lizzi Ignasher - Lead Animator
Lizzi Akana - Lead Animator
Jessica Milazzo - Animator
Matt Caldamone - Animator
Nat Geo
Carla Daeninckx - Design Director Nat Geo
Daniela Delgado - Writer/Producer
Nicole Strong -Creative Director
Brian Everett - VP of Creative Design
Kendrah Polk - Project Manager