Spring 2015

CT Innovations introduced ATION to SeeClickFix, a company that provides the ability for citizens who find public issues in their local communities to connect directly with the city government. This allows issues to be efficiently dealt with and also creates a medium where the process of the resolution can be well communicated to the citizen. Our task was to create a concise, one minute video for the company that presented the product’s unique benefits on their website, as well as a tool they can use to pitch to city officials. The guideline provided was that they wanted the video to be a mix of live action and animation.

We dove headfirst into this project, as we all went straight into brainstorming the look and feel that we wanted this video to have. We scoured the internet for anything from TV shows or other companies’ marketing videos that met our vision of the project. The team very quickly was able to come to a unified understanding of the tone and feel wanted.

When we pitched our proposals to our clients, we found that we had the luxury of working with youthful invigorated members of the company who were very much on the same page with our plans for video development. They chose their favorite of the three narrative tones that we pitched, and it was time to get to work.

Our video narrative focused on the process of how local governments solve issues in their community. Our focus was on two perspectives, “the user” and “the city”. It begins with the user walking down the street and tripping on a pothole. It takes the viewer through the current model of reporting issues in the community, and highlights the inefficiency and lack of communication. The video then introduces the same exact scenario with the user tripping on a pothole, and then introduces what the reporting model would look like with SeeClickFix implemented, highlighting the improvement on efficiency, as well as citizen satisfaction.

When we began preproduction, our clients wanted to have a very active part in our process. We would come up with the script, and they would write the narration. When we storyboarded out the script, the clients also delivered us a storyboard of how they envisioned it. This dynamic continued into production, as about half of the video was filmed with actors and locations chosen by us, while the other half was filmed with actors and locations they had in mind. We actually found this process extremely desirable and effective. We were able to meet the needs of the client, while still providing our creative and design understanding which they were very open to implement.

Fall 2016

Pack Leaders of Connecticut is a non-profit dog and cat rescue that focuses on training and transport for rescued animals. Pack Leaders exists due to grants, adoption fees, partners, donations, and the time dedicated by volunteers.  Our task was to redesign the organization’s website to better showcase what their programs for animals and volunteers consist of through a video and to create a user friendly management system.
We began by evaluating the original website and created documentation explaining the entire development process, editing the website, and how to use the website in the future.  For the introduction video, the team wanted to convey the founders’ vibrant personalities while providing an overview of the organization. To begin, the team created a written outline of the video that included how those goals would be accomplished through an interview-based story.

Spring 2016

The Adventure Park at Storrs came to ATION with the initial concern that they are not engaging with the UConn student body enough despite their close proximity to campus. Through research, our team focused on developing a strategy for spreading awareness here on campus as well as building out some creative work for the brand. After rounds of ideation and proposing solutions to the company’s problems, our team landed on three primary categories that we could strategize and take on. These would develop to be the campus rep program, social media graphics and animations, and a traditional print brochure.

The campus rep program was a relatively smooth process throughout the semester. Overall, these representatives would act as liaisons between the park and campus community, spreading word of the park to students as well as organizations at UConn and influencing groups to attend. Our team built out the persona for the position, potential outreach groups and organizations, promotional content, hosted event ideas, and the general responsibilities of the job. After approval of the idea from Doug, our team began the search for candidates. With an initial screening, followed by several interview sessions, we landed on two final applicants for the position, who Doug thought were perfect fits and later hired.

The social media graphics and animation proposal was also met with excitement from the client. Our team built out a list of major UConn events as well as holidays for the entire calendar year and began tackling creatives for each. Each concept has its own graphic still images and sistering animated gif to go along with it to be used for various social media accounts for The Adventure Park at Storrs as well as the campus reps’ personal social pages.

Lastly, our team created a sleek new print brochure design for the park which was geared specifically towards college students. After a couple of rounds of ideas, we landed on a clean new design that was pitched to the client and also met with approval.

Fall 2016

Housed within the School of Fine Arts, the Department of Dramatic Arts is an academic area within the University of Connecticut.  Students earn degrees in Acting, Arts Administration, Design and Tech, Puppet Arts, and Theatre Studies.  ATION was responsible for creating awareness and tasked with strategic promotion of the Dramatic Arts program for potential incoming students.

Our main goal for the semester was to work directly with the department to visualize and plan strategies for the future of the program while creating original marketing content.  We accomplished this by creating content that could immediately be published to digital and email platforms through leveraging social media networks and monthly email newsletters.  We also created a thorough breakdown of the marketing executions and how to seamlessly integrate original content into a successful social media outreach campaign that can be utilized every semester.  Our team edited video interviews for the department’s YouTube channel and created bumpers and lower thirds graphics. A series of promotional emails was devised for potential students and high school teachers that aligned with engineered plans for future department newsletters and a social media tactics.  

Spring 2016

International Studies Association (ISA) is comprised of more than 6,000 members from all over the world. Their members include professors, graduate and PhD. students, ambassadors, and practitioners who specialize in the realm of political science. Once a year, these members gather for a conference in a major city where they present their research, attend talks and panel discussions, and network with individuals who specialize in their respected fields.

Each year, ISA holds an international conference in a major city where they hold hundreds of panel, round-table, and paper discussions. ATION team ISA was challenged with the task of flying to Atlanta, Georgia to film the key elements of the conference.

Our team had a little over one month to prepare for our upcoming trip to Atlanta. Our main strategy was preparation; since we were the first group to venture out of UConn for a client project, we wanted everything to run as smoothly as possible since the conference only happens once a year. In that month, we comprised a list of all the equipment that we would be bringing with us, as well as a list of equipment that we would have to rent with ISA such as sandbags. We practiced setting up the filming equipment and filmed an event as a test for what our conference would be like. Lastly, we wrote a Preparation Document that detailed our backup plans in the event that something went wrong. We were so prepared, in fact, that our backup plan had a backup plan!

In Atlanta, we were hard at work gathering materials for ISA’s main deliverables. We conducted interviews of the moderators for their four key panel discussions, filmed TV Paul, the president of ISA’s speech about the 2017 conference in Baltimore, Maryland, recorded audio for the four key panel discussions and held impromptu interviews where conference-goers could tell us “Why I Go To ISA”. By the end of our trip, we had approximately 10.5 hours of video footage and used over 100 gigabytes of data!

We were able to present all five of our clients deliverables and then some with the intention that the fall 2016 ISA team would use the extra content for social media and website content.

Fall 2016

The International Studies Association (ISA), is an organization made up of more than 6,000 members worldwide including scholars, professors, students, and ambassadors. The purpose of ISA is to promote research and education in the field of international affairs and to provide opportunities for networking and collaboration between people that share an interest in the subject.

Over the course of the Fall 2016 semester, our team divided and conquered in order to accomplish three main tasks. Our first objective was utilizing the footage from the previous semester to create a series of eleven short videos to be shared on ISA’s social media channels to get their members excited about the upcoming conference. The other half of the team worked on the development of a “How to Make a Poster” animated video, to help ISA’s members create interesting and compelling posters when presenting to their colleagues at the conference.
For our final task, our team was hard at work preparing for the trip to ISA’s annual conference in Baltimore, which was held in March of 2017. While there we filmed sessions of the conference and video interviews with ISA members. The content will be packaged to be used on ISA’s digital channels. We met with the client multiple times to go over the logistics of sending our team to the conference. To ensure we were adequately prepared, we created a list of equipment that would be needed during the trip, a detailed schedule of tasks and responsibilities, as well as an official roster of who would be traveling in pre-production for Baltimore.

Fall 2015

C8 Sciences was introduced to ATION as a part of CT Innovations. Their company created and sells Activate, a computer game that helps children with ADHD improve their concentration, focus, memory, and self-control.  Our main goal for this project was to create a video that reaches out and explains Activate to parents of homeschooled ADHD children.  In addition, we also analyzed C8 Sciences’ website and social media profiles and gave suggestions on how to improve their presence and outreach in the ADHD community.

After discussing with our client about how their product worked and what specifically they were expecting from ATION, we did extensive research into ADHD, the homeschooling system, and different ADHD forums and thought-leading organizations. We used this research to create different personas of those who would benefit from purchasing Activate.

With our client’s approval, we started ideating the different styles and narratives that the video could embody. After much deliberation with our client, we decided on an animated video that utilized kinetic typography elements.  The script revolved around our narrative that focused on how our persona, Carol, bought Activate for her son and how it has improved his focus and memory, thus improving how he was performing in his schoolwork. Lastly, we created all graphics in Adobe Illustrator that we later brought into Adobe After Effects to animate and bring the story together.  

Spring 2016

Connecticut Data Collaborative, a company that makes public data more accessible by hosting it all in one place and providing visual, easy to understand models of the data.

It was ATION’s job to assist CTData in creating a brand strategy that would hold true to their company values while increasing brand awareness and social media following.

To continue their mission of making data more accessible we created a branding strategy allowing them to reach a larger audience by making their content more visual and engaging. This included a social media best practices guide, new social media content, an abbreviated logo, a redesigned newsletter, and a brand style guide.

Spring 2014

ATION worked with the Mansfield Downtown Partnership to create a logo for the September 21, 2014 event, the “Celebrate Mansfield Festival.” The design process took place as Storrs Center was still being built. Our team met with the Celebrate Mansfield committee and created numerous logo designs. The Celebrate Mansfield team ultimately decided on the current one because it reminded them of an app and it was reminiscent of their previous logo made up of squares. This logo is divided up in a similar manner, yet more organically.

Our logo was featured across the event in festival branding and promotional web and print materials. For more information and to view the logo live on the festival website, please see DowntownStorrsFestival.org.

Fall 2014

ATION Digital Media Agency worked in collaboration with a local investment firm called CT Innovations. The CT Innovations team paired our agency with Umbie Dental, a cloud based dental organization company. Umbie asked us to produce a video that would be showcased at dental trade shows in order to spread awareness about their products to potential clients.

There were multiple steps to this project. First and foremost, we needed to establish concept ideas. We tested multiple ideas and narrowed them down to three possibilities: live action footage, graphics, and a combination of the two. In the end, the client went with the live action version.

The second step in our process was to write the script, which was critical for relaying the brand message. Before writing the script, we created a SWOT analysis in order to better understand Umbie’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Next, we developed a brand analysis which allowed us to craft the right setting, as well as characters.

After the script was completed, we took advantage of one of the many benefits of being at a university and collaborated with the University of Connecticut’s acting department. The final video was split into 5 short segments. Each of the clips contains its own short story while still carrying an overarching theme throughout.

This format allows Umbie to play the clips back-to-back at trade shows so people walking by can catch a glimpse of what Umbie has to offer.

Fall 2014

CT Innovations introduced ATION to Isoplexis, a biotechnology startup that focuses on cancer treatment research. The task was to create a concise video for the company that presented their product’s unique benefits to researchers and pharmaceutical companies.

In our process, we followed a supplemental timeline given to us by CT Innovations. This frame of reference helped us focus on the project in stages and allowed us to jump into development with a clear, client-approved concept. Our first challenge was to ideate stylistic approaches to the video – which involved scouring the web for relevant inspiration that broadened our idea scope and opened the door for greater innovation opportunities.

The client decided on flow, a motion graphic concept that showcased shape-shifting transitions and an enticing color palette. From there, we began work on a script. We decided to go with a voiceover in order to allow the visuals to be explored in depth. In development, the spoken script aided in determining the pace of the animation. With constant communication between us and the client, we were able to avoid overuse of technical jargon and over-simplification in order to cater to the client’s syntax.

For the narrative, we juxtaposed the two leading methods of cancer treatment research and then revealed how Isoplexis had indeed found a unique method. This proved to be effective and the client approved of the storyboard, allowing us to begin work on the animated video.

The same graphics created in Adobe Illustrator for the storyboard were moved into Adobe After Effects with the caveat of individual layer separation per graphic. We built our story in five distinct scenes that fit together to create one overarching narrative. To complement the visual component we created original music to fit the client’s specifications. The client was very happy with the final product describing it as “very awesome”.