Camp IHC

The brief

Since working with Camp IHC on a previous project named “The Psychology of Camp” in 2018, we have had our worlds turned upside-down by the pandemic.

Although camp was of course closed for the summer of 2020, the team are ramping up for camp 2021, and owner Lauren Rutkowski asked us to create a new animation to announce the grand re-opening. Lauren stays mindful that being around other people may still seem overwhelming for many kids, and wanted this video to acknowledge the disruption that covid has created in all of our lives, and then how everyone can feel confidently safe in camp this summer. 

Lauren came to us with a script which we then chatted about together and progressed. The initial idea was to keep things very relatable, and for a child to hear from another child - in this case Mac, Lauren’s second born son. We went on to discuss if there could be more credibility in the message coming from her, an adult/parent/experienced camp director, and perhaps her strong yet calming voice may help children to feel more confident in their care at camp this year.

The final script blossomed into a narrative that included both Lauren and Mac; Lauren bringing the main message of reassurance, and Mac talking about all the things he’s looking forward to at summer camp this year. With the double act, there was plenty of opportunity for interaction where the pair could bounce off each other too (literally at one point!).

Our first project with Camp IHC had a mixture of digital design and hand-drawn coloured pencil. As the latest animation was predominantly aimed at children, we thought we’d concentrate on working with coloured pencils, and create all of our backgrounds this way.

The characters were illustrated and coloured in the same way as the last video in order to link them together and keep that brand consistency.