An interview with RSA Shorts animator Katy Ross
The RSA has won a Webby Award for their RSA Shorts series, which has been running since 2012. In that time, a range of talented animators have created animations for world renowned speakers such as Sir Ken Robinson, Kate Raworth and Dan Pink. We spoke with Animator and co-founder of Superdoodle Katy Ross, who brought shorts such as Brené Brown on Empathy to the screen.
Thank you for speaking to us! What does it mean for you to work with an organisation like the RSA, and the calibre of speakers they showcase?
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The RSA has given artists like me a fabulous platform to share our visual ideas, and to have fun on meaningful projects!"
— Katy Ross
Well, it’s been wonderful! I felt, and still feel, very lucky to have been asked to contribute to the RSA animations. I have created three animations for them, two with audio snippets from Brené Brown and one with an audio snippet from Jody Williams, both inspirational women whose talks I find not only interesting and motivational but beneficial, too.
With an open brief – being given complete freedom to decide on the visual content myself (which rarely happens with client work) - the RSA has given artists like me a fabulous platform to share our visual ideas, and to have fun on meaningful projects!
The content in the Shorts is powerful and rich, how did you approach bringing it into an animation? Was anything about it unexpected?
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I love receiving audio clips from clients, and my imagination usually kicks into gear right away, picturing potential characters and what I’d like to see happening."
— Katy Ross
Illustration by Katy Ross for ‘Brené Brown on Empathy’
Nothing unexpected, no. I love receiving audio clips from clients, and my imagination usually kicks into gear right away, picturing potential characters and what I’d like to see happening. I start by writing down 1-3 script ideas and share these ideas with my clients, in this case the RSA. I really enjoy the back and forth exchanges at this point, getting excited about the end goal and feeling the same buzz from the client.
Sketching character ideas is next. I find this bit really tough. Even though I have a career in illustration, I still find the process of drawing to be a challenge, and I often get frustrated when I can’t immediately put to paper the ideal of precisely what’s in my head. But the more I continue to develop the sketches, the more they evolve, and I always get to a place where, in the end, I’m happy with what I’ve done.
I tend to illustrate by hand, pen on paper, for my animation work but experimented with a bit of stop motion for the Jody Williams project, which was fun!
What do you think are the most important things to consider when working on a project like an RSA Short?
I think it’s always important to enhance the accessibility of the words of a speaker by making the concept/point easy (even easier!) to understand and digest, and also to make a connection with the audience.
In our work on the RSA Animates, we used the whiteboard animation style to deliver information in several learning styles. It’s interesting to see a range of approaches used in the RSA Shorts series. What do you think makes an effective explainer animation?
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As well as having charming designs, humour really helps with this I think."
— Katy Ross
To have simplicity in the concept, but at the same time keeping the viewer engaged and interested enough to watch to the end. As well as having charming designs, humour really helps with this I think. An eye roll at the right moment, a comedy blank stare, or background character doing something silly, and the like, makes for an engaging video.
Katy Ross during the production of ‘Jody Williams - Anyone Can Change The World’
We have found that animation is a very powerful way of sharing ideas and connecting with people. What are your thoughts on the role of animation in the process of explaining important and complex ideas? Now, and going forward.
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Animation is an unparalleled tool ... visuals draw me in – they give me something to focus on alongside the audio, both supporting and complementing the idea being made."
— Katy Ross
Animation is an unparalleled tool – we can make anything we like, real or unreal, happen. We can make dreams and wild ideas come to life and visualize abstract concepts that cannot be photographed or filmed. We can capture characters’ personalities and feelings with facial expressions and body language. We can create worlds and scenarios that do and don’t exist.
I personally am a very visual person. I often find that my mind wanders away from the subject when I am reading, or even sometimes when listening to the radio/podcasts. By contrast, visuals draw me in – they give me something to focus on alongside the audio, both supporting and complementing the idea being made.
Each speaker brings their own style to the delivery of a talk, how did your speakers influence the animation you created?
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The speakers introduce the personality with their words, and the animator engages with it, and then develops and amplifies it."
— Katy Ross
I have worked with two different speakers, but let’s use Brené Brown for this answer. Brené is clearly very special in many ways. Her insight into courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy has gained her worldwide recognition. But it is Brené herself who comes across strongly as a charming and relatable person and so is able to deliver her ideas exceptionally well (does everyone else want to be her best friend, or is it just me?!).
From an animator’s perspective, this is what you want from an audio snippet; interesting subject matter (and to be educated), an engaging tone, and of course gentle humour to keep us focused. I was able to emphasise different parts of her speech, from the poignant moments to the funny ones, with gestures and reactions from my characters. The speakers I work with always influence my visuals. The speakers introduce the personality with their words, and the animator engages with it, and then develops and amplifies it.
We have worked with clients who have been surprised by who their film has reached and how far it has traveled. Have you been surprised about the response to your RSA Short?
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I knew it was going to be a special piece of work as it developed. What I have been surprised about is how many diverse groups internationally have used the video."
— Katy Ross
Illustration by Katy Ross for ‘Brené Brown on Empathy’
My animation of Brené Brown’s “The Power Of Empathy” alone has had over 30 million views across different platforms online. This has been a phenomenal reach. It’s also won a number of awards! I’ve been thrilled with the outcome. Was I surprised? I guess so, but I knew it was going to be a special piece of work as it developed. What I have been surprised about is how many diverse groups internationally have used the video, including the United Nations, Alzheimer’s support groups, divorce support legal teams and mental health groups. I have also been surprised, and of course humbled and delighted in equal measure, to have had numerous individual people write to me to tell me how much the video has helped them on a personal level, and how much they have enjoyed and shared it. It certainly has given me a great buzz to know that my work has the potential to affect the lives of others in such a positive way.
We found that our work on the RSA Animates had an influence on our creative practice. Has your work on the RSA Shorts changed how you approach your other projects?
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I have a lot of people say that I am good at connecting to audiences and conveying emotions, and therefore I often have people from the same kind of industries get in touch."
— Katy Ross
I would say that the work I have done for the RSA has been my most popular work. I have a lot of people say that I am good at connecting to audiences and conveying emotions, and therefore I often have people from the same kind of industries get in touch; for example mental health practitioners, meditation gurus, relationship counselors. I have therefore found that I have specialised in projects with emotional subject matters, and those that include ways to learn about developing self-strength, positivity and happiness.
If I were to be pigeonholed in any area, then I would be perfectly happy to continue in this niche area. I have suffered from depression in the past so it is relevant to me, and maybe even more so because of this, it means a lot if I can make a contribution to helping others solve, or at least understand and ameliorate their own situations. I would like to explore other avenues in the future though too, and I am spending any spare time I have developing my own ideas and projects, which I’m looking forward to sharing in the near future.
We would like to say a huge thank you to Katy Ross for speaking to us, and giving us these insights into the creative process and experience of creating RSA Shorts. Watch all the RSA Shorts here. We also interviewed the RSA on the series. Read our interview with the RSA’s Mairi Ryan and Abi Stephenson, looking at the RSA’s ethos, curation of the RSA Shorts and the relationship between animation and ideas.
Cognitive are award-winning pioneers of whiteboard animation, and the creators behind the RSA Animates series. We help corporate, academic and charitable organisations like the BBC, TED, Coca Cola and Sanofi to tell their stories more powerfully. Find out more about us here.
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