“Life is a circle”, begins the video. You witness the seed sprouting into a young sapling and growing into a big strong tree. With this ebb & flow of nature, the story of Maya unfolds. It is a story of the determinate Maya, who wants to educate her 3 children, with her meager income from selling nuts. This blog details the making of Micrograam – Explainer Video.
This story speaks to all you Humanitarians out there.
Would you like to know how this video took shape ? Read on…
When MPV set out to do the explainer video for Micrograam, the intention was to create a tale of amity, a tale of brotherhood, a tale that connects the urban brother to his rural sister. We had to make this sound like a branding video for the NGO’s commercial benefit, while keeping in mind the sentimentality. As animators and fellow humans we couldn’t compromise on the dignity of the farmer folk or their women. You understand when I say, we had to walk the thin line of self-respect, without demeaning them. It was strictly a No Pity project.
The video had to speak for itself, you know; it had to instill that connect between Bugattis and Bullock carts.
After our regular concept brainstorming session, Udhay & Vimida decided to put in their heart and soul into creating a heart stirring video. Vimida, who was responsible for Script & Creative Direction, wrote a poetic script. She wrote the narrative in such a way that it could capture the attention of the audience irrespective of age, gender or status.
Ganesh,our Illustrator, used hues of browns, greens and yellows for the assets, because it reflected homey, simple and grounded farmers, and low-income people from rural villages. You can imagine the research that goes into identifying and sketching these ‘earthy’ characters.
Dinesh, with help from Sara, took up the script and translated it into Animation without mitigating the message. Without Sara’s help I wonder if we could have done this beautiful video this perfectly. Dinesh used After Effects for the frame by frame sequence in the first few seconds of the video. If you have any idea about how time consuming frame by frame sequences are, then you would understand the effort the artists put in.
Our Project Manager Shareef, was a constant support to us. Of course I have to mention Rangan, our Client, whose patience and trust in this project gave us the drive to complete the video.
Also read: Critical Mistakes to Avoid When Making Your First Explainer Video
Like the chords in Rhythm and Blues, the video took shape.
In Maya’s poignant story Darkness and Light seem to play hide-and-seek. Light hides, Darkness pervades. If you notice closely, Maya’s facial features include only a simple red Indian Bindi and the most expressive part, the eyebrows. She is the generic representative for all her fellow women who struggle through life. Her emotions when she is ‘imprisoned’ by the money lenders were the core concern of Micrograam.
Rangan, our client, was indeed very happy with the way this video turned out.
LtoR : Vibin, Sundar, Rangan and Anil – Happy moments
This explainer/educational video pushes the viewer to reflect on the changes that Micrograam could bring to people like Maya, like the transformation of her thatched roof hut to a brick house. Micrograam is the ‘bridge’ between investors and borrowers. And by using this video on their website’s homepage, they hope to bring their cause to the common Urban samaritan.
The Sun epitomizes the circle of Life in both the script and the visuals. Like a small lamp that can abolish Darkness, the contribution of the social investors could light up some lives.
Let us know if you need a video, we are here to help.
