Creative studio helps bring awareness to juvenile sex trafficking with animated video for Shared Hope International
NEW YORK, NY -- The artists at New York-based Ataboy Studios have been selected to create a two-minute animated film for anti-sex trafficking non-profit Shared Hope. Waiting For You To Notice is a rich, moody, character-animation piece that walks the viewer through the terrifying world of sex- trafficking, asking if they would notice the warning signs if they were to see them. The piece highlights the despair, exploitation, and helplessness of trafficking victims. The film concludes with a message of optimism as the work that Shared Hope does to combat sex-trafficking is explored, creating awareness, rehabilitation for survivors, and working with law enforcement to prosecute the traffickers.
Director of Communications at Shared Hope International Taryn Offenbacher had written a script and storyline and was looking for a creative partner to fully develop the piece.
“I had a clear vision of what I wanted to accomplish with our video,” Offenbacher said. “Ataboy was able to take my very basic, linear storyline and give it depth. The team showed us mood boards, design samples, and font choices so we could start narrowing down the look we wanted to achieve. After that they were regularly in communication with the latest update on the development of the animation. They brought the video to life in a way that far exceeded my expectation.”
Creative Director Vikkal Parikh was immediately inspired and hand-picked a team of designers, illustrators, and animators to help develop the visual language for this story.
“The basic framework of the story that was presented to us dictated the final look of the piece,” Parikh commented. It had to connect to the viewer and convey a very delicate message. I worked with our concept artist Rob Chandler and explored a few different styles before we narrowed down the particular look. The grittiness and lack of details in characters was definitely a conscious effort to help connect to a wider audience.”
The team at Ataboy was incredibly enthusiastic about the opportunity to work with organization. “When we read Taryn’s script we were instantly moved to work with Shared Hope,” says Ataboy Executive Producer Diana Mandelare. “To be able to give back and create a compelling piece that helps and empowers vulnerable people was very appealing to us.”
“Share Hope’s video was about juvenile sex-trafficking, a topic that could have easily been sensationalized for effect,” Offenbacher added. “Ataboy did a fantastic job communicating the despair and exploitation while being sensitive to the subject matter.”
Source: Ataboy Studios
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
