The TED talks had a new initiative: TED-Ed launched in 2012, an open platform dedicated to providing high school and college teachers a new way to use video content on the web: a way of “flipping” web video into a basis for their own lessons along with context, follow-up questions and further resources.
We created Sex Determination: More Complicated Than You Thought, which was featured in TED-Ed’s launch as an example of the collaboration between teachers and animators for this new platform: TED-Ed: Lessons Worth Sharing.
Because we had such a short time to create this 5-1/2 minute video, we needed to be clever in its design and execution. I fell back to the style I created for A Warm Reception in L.A.-- only this time it would be even easier to do on a computer.
With the help of ToonBoom’s software, we were able to turn this video around in a very short time: the storyboard/animatic was created in only 4 days using StoryboardPro and, using AnimatePro , the entire 5-1/2 minute film was delivered in less than 3 weeks! Only two people made the film-Rick Broas and me. I greatly benefited by being able to work with the educator Aaron Reedy to ascertain the accuracy of certain images and go further explaining the lesson than just illustrating his words in the lesson. It has been highly well received and won the Best Educational Film by ASIFA-East.
1st Prize Educational Film 2012 ASIFA-East Award
2013 Pixie Platinum Award
Client: TED-Ed
Producer: Stephanie Lo
Writer, Narrator: Aaron Reedy
Director/Designer: Candy Kugel
Animation: Rick Broas, Candy Kugel