‘We were absolutely blown away by the standard of work and how it has added significantly to the overall quality of the course.’

Neale Pledger- Director of Programmes, NITE

The Brief

I worked with the National Institute of Teaching and Education (NITE) to create an animated companion piece for one of their podcasts about Geography fieldwork. The project required capturing the tactile, exploratory nature of fieldwork and conveying the sense of wonder that Geography education inspires. The challenge was translating the physical, hands-on experience of fieldwork into engaging visual content that would enhance the podcast's educational impact.

The Process

My animation production and creative direction began with analysing how best to communicate the immersive, tactile qualities of Geography fieldwork. In collaboration with the client, we determined that 3D animation would most effectively capture the depth, physicality, and wonder of outdoor educational experiences.

3D Animation & Character Design

  • Created original 3D character models in Blender for an authentic representation of fieldwork participants

  • Developed 3D environments and assets that reflected real Geography fieldwork settings

  • Explored 3D character design techniques to bring educational storytelling to life

Post-Production & Compositing

  • Used Blender for 3D rendering and animation production

  • Composite work in Adobe After Effects for motion graphics integration

  • Final video editing and assembly in Adobe Premiere Pro

  • Created seamless visual storytelling that complemented the podcast narrative

The Result

I delivered a visually engaging 3D animated piece that successfully captured the wonder and tactile nature of Geography fieldwork education. The animation has been extremely well-received, enhancing the podcast's educational value while showcasing innovative approaches to educational media production.

Key deliverables included:

  • 3D Animation Production: Custom character modelling and environmental animation in Blender

  • Character Design: Original 3D character models designed specifically for educational storytelling

  • Motion Graphics & Compositing: Integrated 2D and 3D elements using After Effects and Premiere Pro

  • Podcast Companion Content: Engaging visual media that enhances audio educational content

  • Educational Video Production: Dynamic animation capturing the experiential nature of Geography fieldwork

The 3D animation production successfully demonstrates the power of dimensional animation for educational content, particularly for subjects requiring tactile and spatial understanding. This project expanded NITE's educational media capabilities while providing an excellent opportunity to explore advanced 3D character design and animation techniques—establishing new creative possibilities for educational video production that go beyond traditional 2D motion graphics.