Animation

Challenge

Oxford VR - a spin-out company from Oxford University - came to us when the results of their clinical trial for a new virtual reality therapy were about to be published in The Lancet Psychiatry. 

The Oxford VR team wanted a short animation that would capture the benefits of the therapy and promote it amongst clinicians.

GameChange VR is designed to help people experiencing psychosis and social isolation, and allows users to access guided therapy in a virtual world, where they can practise everyday interactions.

One of the main requirements from the Oxford VR team was that the animation should deal with the subject and patients in a dignified way.

Solution

First-hand testimony from a patient with psychosis was used to ensure that the account was authentic. 

And when our creative team developed the design-style in the early stages of the process we were careful to avoid anything that might feel ‘cartoonish’. The Oxford VR team wanted the designs to be ‘restrained, elegant and serious’ so we opted for a paper cut-out style that felt appropriate.

This style also allowed us to take viewers through the multiple layered worlds that users of the therapy experience, both real and virtual, with the illustrations becoming increasingly bright and colourful as the video progresses to reflect the positive impact of the therapy on patients’ lives.