A wonderful project I worked on with the British Library & The Polonsky Foundation. I was provided with an illustration of Cranes from this medieval manuscript along with the story that accompanied it, then tasked with turning it into this animation!
It was great working with The Polonsky Foundation team, the sound designer Luis and voice over artist Charlotte, in breathing life into this fascinating account about these quirky creatures! Keep scrolling down for behind the scenes pics and selected stills.
Design & Animation – Charlie Minnion
Voice Over – Charlotte Saward
Sound Design – Luis Bonilla
Client – British Library
Project Hashtag – #PolonskyPre1200
Website – Medieval England and France, 700 -1200 / Videos
Blog – Let sleeping cranes lie
Bestiary Manuscript – British Library, Harley MS 4751
Behind the scenes
Storyboard
Moodboard
This montage of imagery includes several more images from the manuscript that the Crane came from. I also found some nice textures and sketches from Leonardo Da Vinci for visual inspiration. All of this helped to inform the final look and feel of the piece.
Sketch – crane walk cycle
I analysed some live action footage of a crane walking, to capture the key poses and motion. This sketch I put together became a super handy reference for animating!
Stills
Whale animation
The Crane was so well received, that the British Library was keen to commission a second animation in a similar kind of style – this time, about a whale!