The Storyboard Media Group Blog
Not Your Typical PSA: How We Turned Art Into Impactful Video Content
At Storyboard Media Group, we believe the best content is content that stands out — which is why we partnered with artist L Jamal Walton and RATP Dev USA to create a truly unique animated PSA for GoDurham. By transforming static comic-style artwork into dynamic motion, we helped turn a routine public message into something eye-catching and memorable. This behind-the-scenes look shows how thoughtful planning, creative animation, and bold choices can elevate brand messaging across any platform. It’s a great reminder that when it comes to content, different gets noticed.
Something Unique as an Attention-Grabber
Storyboard Media Group recently partnered with artist L Jamal Walton and the team at RATP Dev USA to create an animated Public Service Announcement for the transit organization GoDurham. We (and the client) are really pleased with how this turned out and the role it will play in educating the public that uses the GoDurham system.
We’re sharing it here because we always suggest to clients that they try something a little different whenever possible in order to have content that is uniquely theirs. And we think this video is a great example of how marketers, learning and training professionals, and public organizations can think outside the box to create something that is different - but that still holds value as a communication device. See the video below.
What Are You Looking At?
Animating artwork isn’t an easy process, but it is a process that is made possible by adhering to a plan. Here’s the process step-by-step that went into creating this content:
1. Receiving 10 panels of artwork from the artist - L Jamal delivered 10 panels of comic book style artwork to us in layered files.
2. Examining the layers in the artwork - breaking down each panel and taking a look ‘behind the curtain’ gave us an idea of what we could, and couldn’t do, with the art.
3. Storyboarding the video - We presented the client with a graphical map of how the animation would move including transitions, backgrounds, on-screen text and more.
4. Creating a voice over - We gave the client a total of 9 voice artist options to choose from. In order to do this we asked artists to create two sentence examples of their voices and deliveries by providing them a portion of the script we created. Once the client decided who they liked, we had the voiceover produced.
5. Animating the static artwork - This is where the bulk of the work really began. We needed to separate all the artwork layers, create new layers, redraw some of the artwork (always staying true to the artist’s vision), put all the layers into animation software and create motion work to make things ‘pop’ as much as possible. This was not only the most difficult portion of the project, but also the most time-consuming.
6. Adding music, branding, voiceover - This is the stage where the animation and all the supporting content comes together to make the final video. If the plan is followed, everything should just fall into place. And that’s exactly what happened.
Where Is the Client Using the Content?
Because this is a public education piece, the video is being seen on all types of screens in a bunch of different environments. These include bus stations, on the organization website and social channels, television screens on buses, and other public spaces. For the most part, the audience will be captive (waiting for a bus, sitting on a bus, etc.) and it’s important that this video goes beyond the standard ‘do’s and dont’s’ type content you might expect to see when it comes to public organizations.
This was a fun project to work on and we think it’s a great example of how and why brands can try something a little different in order to stand out.
“Storyboard Media Group was an absolute pleasure to work with. They met our tight deadline and delivered a final video that exceeded our company’s expectations. Even with last-minute changes, their team accommodated us seamlessly and without hesitation.
Their communication was outstanding, and they put us completely at ease, we knew we had chosen the right partner to bring this campaign to life. We highly, highly recommend Storyboard Media Group and look forward to working with them again on future video projects.”