I worked on a collaborative project with Kellie Ng for our client Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium. We created an animation that will be shown through a porthole inside an elevator to give the illusion of submerging under water.

STYLE 1

STYLE 2

Style 1 was designed to demonstrate the portholes having linearts featuring animals along with facts about those animals. The linearts will have live action footage showing through them, giving them an interesting texture along with a tease of what will be shown in the aquarium. There will also be projected seagrass along the bottom of the elevator with smaller animals going between them. Bubbles can be blown from the top of the elevator to give the visitors more of an experience (plus it ties in with the Mote Marine logo animation). Style 2 was designed as an illustrated 2D geometric, grainy textured animation showcasing the Florida manatees. This animation will show a mother manatee and her calf near seagrass. Style 1 was chosen.

I rotoscoped a manatee swimming, Kellie animated a mockup of the elevator submerging with the projected water and seagrass rising. Kellie reduced the number of portholes to 3 and worked on the initial timing of the animation.

I rotoscoped bubbles rising, Kellie slowed down the manatees swimming.

Kellie shortened the text to 1 fact about the animal, added a simple caustic lighting effect, extended the seagrass higher, and animated the water descending when the elevator emerges.

I rotoscoped a Manatee Boop, Kellie redesigned the bubbles, added audio to the animation, and fixed the caustic lighting effect as well as the edges of the elevator.