#SHINEALIGHT
2D & Frame by frame Animation
Modern slavery is a hidden crisis in New Zealand, with thousands of migrant workers trapped in exploitation. This animated short, built from real survivor testimonies, uses metaphor and symbolic storytelling to reveal the emotional journey from hope to entrapment and ultimately, freedom.
Through stylised 2D animation, faceless characters, and recurring symbols like the looming black hand and flying birds, the piece visualises the silencing and control experienced by victims. The goal: to raise awareness, inspire allyship, and mobilise support within migrant communities.
Part of a wider campaign, this film challenges viewers to see what’s hidden and stand with those still unheard.
Year
2025
Role
Storyboard
Character Design
Frame by frame animation
Campaign Walkthrough
This video follows a successful migrant as they journey through the #SHINEALIGHT campaign designed to expose modern slavery in New Zealand and empower everyday people to become allies.
Social Media Posts
Key scenes from the main motion piece were adapted into short clips for social media pairing confronting facts and powerful visuals to engage, inform, and extend the campaign's impact.
Script Ideation
We started with a journey-based narrative but shifted to using real survivor testimonies for a more emotional and authentic story. I watched hours of interviews, picked powerful lines, and arranged them into a script using a mix of manual work and AI.
This approach helped us build a metaphor-driven story that highlights hope, entrapment, and freedom—while keeping the voices of survivors at its core.
Character Development
This graphic shows the evolution of key symbols in our motion piece. The faceless character represents silenced migrant workers. The black hand symbolizes unseen control and exploitation. The bird represents freedom, appearing at the start and end to frame the journey from entrapment to hope.
Storyboard
Animation Process
The motion piece was created using 2D animation techniques, frame-by-frame character animation paired with vector-based environments. This approach combines expressive, hand-drawn movement with clean, structured settings.
A key challenge was achieving visual cohesion between the two styles. The fluidity and rough texture of frame-by-frame animation had to be carefully matched with the stability and clarity of the vector elements. To match the 25fps video timeline, the frame-by-frame animation was created on 12.5fps. This required constant timing, shadows, and compositing adjustments to ensure both styles felt unified and emotionally consistent.
CREDITS
Motion Designers
Jules Castillon
Mehmet Gultekin
Graphic Designer
Scarlett Kang
UX/UI Designers
Eilish Neal
Jayme Ducommun