The Royal Society of Chemistry

Breaking Barriers

The scrapbook

When the 2018 Breaking the Barriers report found evidence of discrimination and bullying, the Royal Society of Chemistry responded strongly by developing bullying and harassment advice to help those experiencing these behaviours. We made this whiteboard animation to help them spread this advice far and wide.

The challenge

To give this film the right treatment it was critical we made the topics it spoke about relevant beyond the scientific community; also speaking to the business, industry and education sectors. It was important that our film acted as a source of information, complimenting the other resources created by the Royal Society of Chemistry. We needed to take a tone which gave advice while avoiding being authoritarian or accusatory, delivered by a warm and trustworthy voiceover.

The film

Bringing the Royal Society of Chemistry’s message to the screen began with a careful layout, allowing information to be expanded and developed. This can be seen across the film, including the figures appearing on and around the word bullying to show examples. The next step was some inventive visual thinking, a key aspect of whiteboard animation, which both improved the explanation of information and made the film more engaging. The use of a builder’s trowel to visualise the widespread nature of discrimination, harassment and bullying added a dynamic visual element while the metaphor of the leaking boat was able to communicate the principle of being an active bystander in an effective way. To further convey the right tone, a warm but professional voiceover was used, made more accessible through the inclusion of subtitles. As a complete film we presented the Royal Society of Chemistry’s message in a way that applied to a wide range of settings while managing to make a strong and relevant statement.

The context

You can read an overview of the Breaking the Barriers here. Find out about the Royal Society of Chemistry’s bullying and harassment support line here

About the client

For 175 years the Royal Society of Chemistry have been connecting scientists which each other and with society. Operating across the globe; they support new research, innovations and educators while sparking new ideas and partnerships. The 2018 Breaking the Barriers report highlighted evidence of discrimination, harassment, bullying and barriers blocking women’s progression in STEM. The Royal Society of Chemistry came to us to create a whiteboard animation that introduced key concepts.