Kilogramme

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Conservation Development Officer for the South West Museum Development team, supporting more than 200 Accredited museums in the wouth west of England with every aspect of caring for their collections.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Kilogramme, and what were your goals?

As part of our Pest Partners project, supporting museums and heritage organisations to protect their collections from pest damage during the Covid-19 pandemic and national lockdowns, we looked for ways to enable beginners to learn about Integrated Pest Management. We Asked Kilogramme to design and create a 5 minute animation to make this subject easy to understand and less daunting for people new to the subject. Our goal was to provide a clear and accurate introduction to the subject with clear steps for people to follow, presented in a way that would attract people who might not want to undertake these tasks.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We put out a brief and shortlisted 6 from the 32 companies who provided a tender. We interviewed all 6 and scored them on topics such as:

• Good grasp of the purpose of the animation
• Looks individual, not clip-arty
• Demonstrates understanding of accessibility and commitment to developing an output that complies with our accessibility requirements
• Will include subtitles
• Will provide transcript
• Capacity for short sections/clips
• Links to previous examples of work - highlighting most relevant two

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail, including the project steps and all stages of production.

We held an initial commissioning meeting. We sent them a draft script which was modified and refined throughout the process. They sent draft ideas followed by a sketch version of the animation. At each stage we would give feedback, which they took on board. Sometimes they made suggestions as well, most of which were incorporated in the design. They were very good at finding imaginative ways to present the subject and to segue to the next stage. Once the drawn animation was complete they gave us a choice of voice-over narrators and music to select. Once it was complete they sent us the final version, still and short clips to use in publicity.

Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?

We worked directly with Claire and Jon. They liaies with the rest of their team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The animation was immediately popular and well received by museum and heritage staff (paid and volunteer) across the region, but also internationally. It attracted much interest at the international Pest Odyssey conference in Sept 2021.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Kilogramme are very skilful at helping clients through the process, especially newcomers. This was our first animation project. They have useful resources on their website which helped us understand the process and terminology. Because of the pandemic we worked remotely throughout, using online meetings and emails. They always responded very quickly and brought the project to completion on time and within our budget.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They took the trouble to learn about our subject and our potential viewers, so that they could suggest solutions that would work. They also understood our need for accuracy in the information presented and put a lot of effort into making sure that even tiny details were correct. A major figure in the world of heritage pest management was impressed with the animation and the clear and accurate way it presents the subject.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

There was nothing they did which could have been improved. They were brilliant throughout: supportive, friendly, efficient and professional.