Vox x Slack: Why Time Zones Are No Longer Obstacles for Successful Teams
Client: Vox Media
As longtime fans and users of Slack, we were stoked when Vox Media reached out to us to collaborate with them on an animated video for Slack. The brief? Explain and visualise why, when using Slack, timezones are no longer obstacles to today’s teams. The kicker? Create the video using a variety of artists around the world and use Slack as our means to communicate throughout the project. Talk about practicing what you preach, aye? Fast-forward to the project kick-off where we were handed only the approved script and were told to do our thang. And so we did.
Once the majority of pre-production work was done (concept, script, storyboarding etc), we hit to our design database (and Behance) to assemble a team of designers that would bring next-level flare to the video. Since the main point of the video was to highlight worldwide collaboration, we were encouraged to use a range of styles in terms of design and animation techniques (so it was clear we were working with different artists).
Our team consisted of video editors, illustrators, 2D and 3D specialists, 3D modellers, and traditional animators. Not to mention our locations which spanned from New York and Canada to New Zealand, Chile and Slovenia.
Contrary to what you might think, working across 17 hours of timezones actually benefitted our workflow. The Vox Creative team would send us their feedback at the end of their day, which we received at the beginning of ours. We’d then pass along updates to the rest of the team around the world and ensure we could touch base before each artist's day’s end. Once our schedules were synced, work was literally getting accomplished around the clock, with at least someone working on the project at any given time of the day. The workflow and creative that we were working with on this project was refreshing and led to an enjoyable, collaborative project experience.
The days of being hesitant about a job due to far away locations and time differences are over. To put it simply, working and communicating globally is the new norm. After 8 weeks of full-on production, we’re proud to present, in collaboration with Vox Media, ”Why Time Zones Are No Longer Obstacles for Successful Teams.” Enjoy!
Credits
Director: T.J. Misny
Creative Director: Phyo Thu
Producer: Melissa Buisán, Alanna Sulz
Art Direction: Nico Speziali
Storyboard: Phyo Thu, Emily Pritchard
Illustration: Martin Orza, Felipe Medina
2D Animation: Adam Glucksman, Linus Nelson
Technical Director: Nico Speziali
Collage Animation: Adam Glucksman
3D Character Design: Emily Pritchard, Matic Grgic
3D Animation: Callum Mudgway, Emily Pritchard, Matic Grgic
3D Rigging: Callum Mudgway, Peter Hillier
3D Lighting and Rendering: Nico Speziali
Compositing: Nico Speziali
Cell Animation: Hamish Palmer, Linus Nelson
Editing: Phyo Thu, Linus Nelson
