ABOUT

FIVE FUN SONGS FOLLOWING THE EARLY YEARS EXPRESSIVE ARTS & DESIGN CURRICULUM

CLIENT
BBC Bitesize is a free online study support resource designed to help with learning, revision, and homework. Bitesize provides support for learners aged 5 to 16+ across a wide range of school subjects. It also supports children and young people's well-being and career choices.

BRIEF
BBC Bitesize contacted us directly to help create five animated music videos for their Early Years: Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design content.

The design, animation, and music needed to be entertaining, appealing to the target age range, and educationally appropriate for children in reception.

RESULTS
We created five fantastic educational animated songs and dance videos, which the client was over the moon with. Each dance is led by a fun avatar based in a colourful world location and includes five diverse children along with other cute animals.

We engaged with Leicester based Artsters as our educational consultant to ensure the content followed the Early Years Foundation Stage areas of learning and that the dance actions were appropriate for the target age group.

Along with the final animation we were also commissioned to create some colouring in posters and a social media trailer.

Feedback so far has been that children really enjoyed the actions, songs, and dancing.

CREDITS
Education Consultants: Artsters
Narrator: Duncan Lawrence
Singers: Juliet Lawrence, Lindsay Ashworth Fraser

THE PROCESS
BBC Bitesize asked us to use music from their huge collection of library music. We sourced and selected appropriate songs then our in-house lyricist wrote five cool kids’ songs that included plenty of actions for the age range. At each stage, our educational consultants and the BBC Bitesize team checked the films met the curriculum requirements.

Once the lyrics were approved we sourced a narrator and two singers. Meanwhile, our studio designers created five human child characters aimed to appeal to this age range. Along with five ‘animal’ avatars one for each of the colourful ‘world’ locations, Scotland, East Asia, South Asia & West Africa.

All assets were designed in Illustrator and rigged and animated in After Effects. We used the full range of AE Plugins - Joysticks n Sliders, DUIK and Rubberhose - to create the flexible character rigs which allowed for all the dance moves!