The Challenge
National Grid had hit a major milestone in
the journey to net zero. IFA2 was their latest interconnector to come into operation. Capable of powering one million homes, it marked a massive step in the right direction for tackling the climate crisis. And a hugely impressive engineering partnership between the UK and France.
To celebrate the launch of IFA2, they needed a powerful, thought-provoking video. That would shed light on the project's impact and celebrate National Grid's role in the journey to net zero.
THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WE FACE TODAY IS CLIMATE CHANGE.
The film was intended to support the launch event but with only four weeks to go, the event was cancelled due to COVID-19. We would have to adapt and transform our original creative into a film that could do the job of the whole event.
We drew inspiration from the multimedia approach made famous by the likes of Vox and Netflix Explained. Their distinct animation style helped break down complex narratives, and neatly tie together a range of different media to make something that feels cohesive in both visuals and storytelling.
Settling on a dynamic animation style that could unify all of our elements. From interview footage involving the people behind the project to archive and media based video.
Aiming for our narrative to focus on the talented pioneers at the heart of National Grid, this would help us to humanise an extraordinarily complex feat of engineering.
AT THE CORE
OF ENGINEERING
IS PROBLEM SOLVING
We told the story of IFA2 through the eyes of Hadassah Wallace, one of National Grid's apprentices. As the future of engineering, her voice was key to capturing how projects like IFA2 are helping to create a better future.
And when the launch went live, it made quite the impact. With nearly 250 million views on YouTube alone, it quickly became one of National Grid's most viewed pieces of content to date.