Zookeeper designed and animated the opening title sequence for the upcoming documentary called Follow the Science that looks at the impact of Covid-19 lockdowns. This title sequence became the centerpiece of the trailer that helped the producers of the series secure funding for the 60-minute pilot episode.
Before setting out to animate, we planned a storyline for the title sequence, then illustrated each storyboard panel. With different theories circulating, we wanted to ask a question to start things off that didn’t necessarily have an answer: Where did Covid-19 come from? We start in bat cave with bats flapping in unison then circling a laboratory modeled after the Wuhan Institute of Virology. We move from scene to scene through a series of morphs until we reach the title design overlaid on a symbol for lockdowns.
The bat would be the star of the show so getting the animation right was crucial. To set the bats in motion, we created a custom frame-by-frame flapping sequence of the lead bat’s wings. As the animation evolved, we timed the flapping of their wings with the beat of the song composed specifically for the title sequence.
–Hawk J., Sound Mind Creative Group
