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We are an animation studio nearing a decade in the business, with a creative portfolio measured in hundreds of hours. Through motion, we translate brands, products, and ideas into captivating and impactful content

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Ikea, Aviva, UBS, T-Mobile, Saudi Aramco, Nestle, Microsoft, Ideo, FOX Networks, Comarch, the Polish Government

Showreel 2022
This year is special! First, we got ourselves a new branding along with a new website studiopigeon.com You should check out. Now, this year's showreel features our best work from years. Enjoy!

Vinted tvc
We wanted to do a project for a company like Vinted and we did it! After direct contact, we started working on a draft script for three short animation versions 30', 20',10'. As Vinted usually produces live-action formats, we had to make the most of the guidelines so that they could fit into the animated world. In the case of this project, we were responsible for script adaptation, storyboard, illustrations, animation, and sound design.
The animation aimed to tell shortly and simply how to use the Vinted app and then encourage people to download it to their mobile phones. The biggest challenge was to outline the context for the main character to answer why sometimes we have more clothes in our closet than we need.

Polpharma - enviromental campaign
In cooperation with M5 agency we have created an animation for Polpharma. A project we made from the ground up, from the writing of the script to creating the illustrations, animations, and sound design.
The idea behind the animation is quite broad. To begin with, provide clear and precise information about the action that Polpharma is carrying out in collaboration with the foundation “Las na zawsze”. More information about the action itself you can find at https://www.ekowizyta.pl/
In addition to the main message, the animation communicates a number of good practices that may positively impact the environment and climate.

U.S. Embassy Warsaw
Poland has entered the US Visa Waiver Program. For this reason, the US Embassy in
Poland challenged us to create an animation that would give Poles the answers to the most important questions on this subject and provide further information links. In addition to the educational goal, we had to choose the right style: elegant, yet eye-catching and coherent to the widest possible target audience. Despite a tight deadline, we managed to create interesting storytelling in the colors of the American flag. Now, we can wish everyone successful trips to the States!

Good Cyber Stories
EU Cyber Direct came to us with the Good Cyber Stories initiative, a platform for showcasing
cyber-related initiatives that have a real impact on societies.
Our task was to prepare a series of 5 animations, each with a distinct theme such as cybercrime, discrimination, and international cooperation among the others.
The goal was to encourage non-government organizations and governments to take concrete actions building on the existing good practices.
The Big Idea for the series started with listing the client's values such as inclusiveness, safety, respect, cooperation, diversity. As a result, it becomes clear that there's a need for a more
human-centric approach to this project as opposed to abstract technical concepts usually deployed in this type of projects.
The story was about the influence that cybersecurity has on people and as such had to be treated
as a project of special social importance that is close to our own values at Studio Pigeon.
As for the visuals, authenticity was achieved by a mixed-media approach. Different techniques such as collages, videos, and photos were used. The variety of styles enhanced the theme
of colorful and charming idealism. It was also our visual way of representing values such
as inclusiveness and tolerance by accepting various styles and techniques.
We also sought inspiration in imaginative visuals of various editorial-style illustrations that are based on metaphors and allegory to visualize the ideas in a symbolic manner.
Each project got its own distinctive color palette.
The documentary-approach to storytelling was our next intuitive choice. As a result,
we've included the testimonials from the participants to different initiatives highlighted through
the stories. By embracing the low-quality of the videos, interviews become even more authentic and convincing.

Comarch
Comarch Fraud Protection is software for every big client that helps fighting issues such as money laundering, abuse of loyalty programs, and cyber threats. What's distinctive about it, is the use of AI and machine learning for creating models that help to detect frauds.
Our job was to create an animation that will show these functions in easy to follow and entertaining way.
We based the storytelling on the hero which in this case was the spherical object traveling through the digital world revealing and fighting all of the risks along the way.
Credits:
Art Direction: Rafał Blecharz
Script: Maciej Karolczak, Maria Pawlikowska
Storyboard: Agnieszka Telega
Key Illustration: Ludmiła Kaczmarek, Agnieszka Telega
Animatic: Rafał Blecharz
Illustrations: Ludmiła Kaczmarek, Sara Szymocha
Animacja: Tigran Manukyan, Sara Szymocha, Marta Kulińska
Sound design: Daruma Audio
Production Management: Dorota Lichtańska, Kasia Kucaj
Client Service: Gosia Kucharska

Showreel
Our work

Ekipa - Animated Music Video
Ekipa are the most popular polish YouTubers with over 17 million subscribers on various channels. Recently they have published their first music album.
Our job was to create the animated music video for "Na Zajawce" ("It's a thrill").
We had complete creative control of the project from the creative concept, script to execution.
Premise
After the catastrophe caused by the fall of the gigantic radioactive meteorite, the whole Earth
is covered by water. Ekipa's members survived the apocalypse but mutated into the dinosaurs because of the radiation. Now they travel the newly created ocean in the soviet mech that looks like a giant sumo wrestler. This armed prototype goes by the name of SumoBot.
Little do they know, there's one more passenger on the mech. And he is ready to hunt them down.
Execution
To attract the teenage audience, the video had to be fast-paced and engaging from the get-go.
Even though we're showing the world after the disaster, the colors were bright, neon-like,
and cheerful to fit Ekipa's image.
Plot of the video takes place in real time and bombs countdown to the moment of each explosion.
Intro, outro, and pause in the middle of the track were added for storytelling purposes
with the dubbing recorded by the Ekipa's members.
The whole video was inspired by various pop music videos and anime references which
it parodies - from Nicki Minaj, Gorillaz to Daft Punk music videos.
Results
As a result, we've created the animated video on which nearly 60 people worked for the 5 months.
It's hard to compare the scale of "Na zajawce" with anything else in Poland's music video history.

Long & Foster First Home - retro style
Long & Foster First Home service helps clients to find the right home by including all of their must-haves and deal-breakers. The animation was meant to encourage the clients in their thirties to participate in the program.
The video focuses on the young couple and the First Home guide who assists them through the process of buying a house. The guide helps the couple to avoid the dangers that are on the way and takes them on a surreal journey through time and space to present their dreamed home.
The animation was meant to evoke the classy and elegant feeling of the service with a pinch of suspense.
That's why the style was inspired by the classic Noir films and spy craze of the 1960s. Our inspirations were also old American movie titles and poster designs from artists such as Saul Bass.
A mixed-media approach based on photos and videos helped in achieving the retro feeling.

Articy - mix style animation
Creating an animation about a piece of software is always challenging. And finding the balance between storytelling and information might be a struggle. We didn’t want to create another video that just shows the software features. So by using a few funny scenes, we showed how challenging game writing is and how the app could help to make it a bit easier.
This time we decided to go with a mixed technique approach, using stylized 3d along with 2d vector art and some crazy characters. Mainly because we wanted it to grasp a vast variety of users and give it a little bit of the gaming world’s touch.

Metabrite
MetaBrite specializes in extracting every possible detail from consumer purchase receipts. Their software integrates within minutes into any existing mobile application to understand the exact items bought. Current solutions don’t provide accurate product identification; they are also reliant on human transcription. It's costly, inaccurate and not scalable. The primary purpose of our animation was to demonstrate how MetaBrite solutions answers the problem statement and how they work. We based our concept on a flat design with some 3D elements. The Composition is always centrally set. Black contours are strongly marked here, and white and yellow colors from MetaBrite visual identification become the dominants.

Fortum - Circular Economy
Fortum is a large, international company, developing alternative and clean energy sources. For educational purposes, we have prepared an animation to be screened during tours at the power plant in Zabrze. It explains the idea behind the Refused-Derived Fuel.
Credits:
Art Direction: Rafał Blecharz
Script: Maria Pawlikowska, Rafał Blecharz
Storyboard: Gosia Jeniec, Ewa Ciałowicz, Rafał Blecharz
Key Illustration: Ewa Ciałowicz, Magda Kozikowska
Color Script: Ewa Ciałowicz
Illustrations: Nikola Hahn, Gosia Jeniec, Rafał Blecharz, Magda Kozikowska
Animatic: Rafał Blecharz
2D Animation: Katarzyna Granica, Rafał Blecharz
3D Animation: Rafał Blecharz, Katarzyna Granica
Cel Animation: Katarzyna Pieróg
Compositing & Postproduction: Rafał Blecharz
Sound Design: Studio Praga
Production Manager: Dawid Gaweł
Client Service: Mateusz Szyszko

Include a charity
Include a Charity’ is a non-profit organization (NPO) from Australia, whose purpose is to increase the number of people including charities in their wills. That's why the name of the campaign is "the billion-dollar question".
After getting the project, we started looking for the perfect matching style. Further work on the visual side clarified a collage style with a simplified colour palette.

Anti Ageism - social campaign
Anti-ageism is a social campaign targeting Australian citizens. Its goal is to fight ageism - discrimination related to old age. The project was extremely demanding but as we already had had the opportunity to work with this client - we knew that the bar was set pretty high. Starting with a concept stage, we already felt it was worth trying to work with linear design. It took us a long time to arrange the scenes and simplify messages at the visual level. In such a well-designed scenario, the animator's work, with elements of cut-outs, motion design and time-lapse, was pure pleasure. Robert Ostiak helped us with the sound design and his involvement in this concept from the pre-production stage was crucial for the final result. The effect of this hard work is 2-minute animation, very memorable!

'merce
Merce is more than a unified commerce platform. It is an innovative way of thinking about holistic shopping experiences.
That is why 100% abstract motion design was created, full of symbolic scenes. We were aware that any amendment at the script stage could change almost the entire idea. Therefore, storyboard frames were drawn to help the client understand the abstract story. The harmonization of movement with music was also crucial. We didn't want to create a typical advertisement,
nor an explainer for that matter. We wanted to depict the vision of the company instead.
That way, the viewer can immerse himself in the animation through the images and enjoy it.
CREDITS
Art direction: Sławek Wydra
Script: Sławek Wydra, Maria Pawlikowska
Concept, storyboard, animatic, design: Sławek Wydra
2D & 3D animation: Sławek Wydra
Sound design: Studio Praga
Production management: Dawid Gaweł

Madrinas Coffee - animated commercial

Where have all birds gone - IFOAM
The International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements is an umbrella organization fighting for better and organic world. Various organizations, producers, traders, and scientific institutions have separate goals, but they share one idea - to preserve Earth's wealth for future generations. This time, they wanted to raise awareness among EU citizens about how unsustainable agriculture is causing a decline in birdlife. The choice of stylistics wasn't easy for us at first. We knew that the realistic style is somehow expected, especially in terms of presenting animals and nature.
But on the other hand, we were tempted to show slightly simplified, geometric forms.
Thus, we combined the two. The image complements the voice-over text, creating a movie-like montage. To reflect the fully natural beauty of the swallows, our main characters, we decided to use cel animation in bird movements. The color palette was also significant in the project, visually dividing the story into two parts. Joyful, vivid colors of nature complemented the calm tones of the Earth.

Ithra - Book of codes
The animation was aimed at being an intro to the e-learning platform for children of all ages. While using the platform, they are invited for a virtual journey through 6 different locations where they can earn multiple trophies and badges. The biggest challenge was to create a picture which is interesting, eye-catching, and applicable to every age group at the same time.
The plot starts with the first light from the torch, when ancient people began to collect their experiences. We fly via centuries, taking the user on the journey through time and space.
Concept-art: Edward Kurchevsky
Script: Maria Pawlikowska
Storyboard: Javvie
Animatic: Rafał Blecharz
Illustration: Chucho.tv
Animation: Chucho.tv
Sound Design: Aimar Molero
Art Direction: Rafał Blecharz
Production Manager: Dorota Lichtańska
Account Manager: Błażej Pieczonka, Piotr Zapałowicz

MakerSite
MakerSite creates SaaS software that allows you to analyse and optimise the costs of producing potential products and helps to ensure their compliance with certificates and legal guidelines, whilst also taking into account the benefits of natural environment.
Our task was to create an eye- catching animation that explains the product’s operation in 90seconds. We chose a style that is charming and playful and incorporated the technological subject matter.

BIG YAM - Discover your story
A simple story about self-belief and overcoming difficulties.
The animation tells a story of a boy, his dreams and hopes and the dog who is his loyal companion. The challenge was to fit the whole life cycle of the main figure into 75 seconds. We managed to design a character the way he’s recognizable at different stages of his life. Music and sound design unite everything, develop through his lifetime and express changes.
The huge amount of trust from the client allowed us to create an animation we were excited to make and still are very proud of.
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Concept art: Małgorzata Jeniec,
Illustration - Małgorzata Jeniec, Joanna Sępek, Ewa Skowron
Animation & Compositing - Karol Szczepankiewicz
Music Composer - Andrzej Strzemżalski
Copywriting - Maria Pawlikowska
Creative Director (Big Yam) - Shanley Jue
Art Director (Pigeon Studio) - Sławek Wydra
Production Management (Big Yam) - Megan Stark
Production Management (Studio Pigeon) - Mikołaj Błoński
Client Service - Piotr Zapałowicz

Project with Bayer AG
Illustrative animation for Bayer

VeraComp
Fortinet delivers high security across the IT infrastructure.
Their new product, the FortiWLC controller, was created to optimize traffic across the wireless network.
They wanted to create a simple yet engaging animation, and our team was ready to fulfill this task.
But how to explain the advantages of a new technology to a non-technical person?
How about: by showing the system working seamlessly under challenging conditions.
The truth is, we had a lot of fun with this one!
CREDITS
Art direction: Rafał Blecharz
Copywrite: Maria Pawlikowska, Jerzy Łanuszewski
Key illustration: Ewa Ciałowicz
Storyboard: Małgorzata Jeniec
Animation: Katarzyna Granica
SFX: Jan Kwapisz / Nagrywarka
Production Manager: Mikołaj Błoński, Dawid Gaweł
Client Service: Piotr Zapałowicz

Mc Donald's -Great Story of a Small Christmas Tree
Who wouldn't like a good challenge ahead of Christmas! While our friends were trying to find the first snow this season for TV ads, we came up with a different plan. We simply drew it!
All this effort was put together to tell the Great Story of a Small Christmas Tree.
The main character – a cute little Christmas tree – is rejected by other inhabitants of the forest, simply because it isn't tall enough.
This already sounds like the modern version of The Ugly Duckling story, have you noticed? Moreover, the Client came up with the idea of telling it simultaneously through three different media: a TV ad, an interactive book, and a 3-minute animation.
"The Great History of the Little Christmas Tree" consists of 10 fascinating chapters,
and each one contains a short animation about the main Christmas tree character. How cool is that? We can't even!
Now, a few words about the techniques. We used cel animation for some of the scenes with characters, and added cutout elements where the action required it. Then we started to play with animated textures, grain, and a lowered frame rate. Oh, and we love to play! This way, we unified the animation style, as it was the work of many animators. Last but not the least, we've added some parallaxes
and differential plans division, although it hadn't been planned initially.
The biggest surprise was the fast jump from black and white animatic to the first colorful version of the animation.
As it turned out, with colors, the story flies faster in your mind. Magic! But the truth is that a large number of colorful elements infringed upon the viewer's attention on the main character. As a result, all the work had to be redone.
But at that time, the snow had already started falling outside our windows, so it felt somehow easier!

Sonnar Library
Access to information is severely limited for the blind: only 10% of all printed word is accessible to them. Sonnar is an innovative solution that fills the gap! It aims to develop a free, cloud-based audio content delivery platform accessible through "Smart Speaker" technologies. The goal was to create a smooth animation without cuts and camera tricks, based solely on transformations. Because of the lack
of environments and elaborate backgrounds, the team decided to establish a mood in the particular sections of the video by changing color palettes. In total, we prepared four color alterations to different voiceovers
Credits
Art direction: Ewa Ciałowicz
Script: Maria Pawlikowska, Ewa Ciałowicz
Storyboard: Ewa Ciałowicz
Concept art: Ewa Ciałowicz
Illustration: Justyna Frąckiewicz, Gosia Jeniec
Animation: Jakub Romanowicz, Marta Kacprzak
Sound: Jan Kwapisz / Nagrywarka
Production Manager: Dawid Gaweł

Showreel 2018
The brand new showreel.
Check more:
https://vimeo.com/studiopigeon

Visit Małopolska
VisitMałopolska
Here's our 30-second animation to promote an application of the Lesser Poland Tourist Information system.
With the new app, it's easier to find your way through the most picturesque parts of the Lesser Poland region.
Despite simplified backgrounds, it is easy to recognize which sites are depicted. Try to guess for yourself which of the images show Cracow's Main Square, Wieliczka Salt Mine or the bike road on Dunajec riverside. App was designed for tourists, so it just HAD to feel summerish. We've therefore designed the scenes in warm, sunny colors. As a result, the whole thing melts like ice cream on hot August nights.
Since we love to make things harder for us (and better for our clients), we couldn't resist and made some scenes in cel animation. Plus added a little 3D. By 'little' we mean the whole biker. Yup, the guy on the bike is in 3D.
Result?
Good vibrations from the project, client's satisfaction, our high fives. And everyone lived happily ever after.
CREDITS
art direction & animation
Rafał Blecharz
copywriting
Maria Pawlikowska
key illustration
Ludmiła Kaczmarek
storyboard
Ewa Ciałowicz
illustration
Ilona Rybak
sfx
Studio Praga
production manager
Mikołaj Błoński

Drivy - mobile app explainer video
Do you need to rent a car quickly? Or maybe you own one and would like to earn some money when it’s parked unproductively?
The Drivy app was created to combine comfort and making money. We designed a 4-segment animation to present the most important benefits of Drivy's solution, and the video is now used to promote the app in Europe. Starting from the script, we also prepared original illustrations in a bright color palette, and went on to create the animation and its soundtrack.
The Client (and their customers) drove away happily!
T E A M :
Art Direction: Sławek Wydra
Script: Maria Pawlikowska, Sławek Wydra
Concept-art: Drivy, Paulina Sadowska
Storyboard: javvie
Illustration: Paulina Sadowska, Sławek Wydra
Animation: Karol Szczepankiewicz
Sound Design: Studio Nagrywarka
Production Manager: Mikołaj Błoński, Dawid Gaweł

Showreel 2019

Project with The State Forests
Did you know? Almost one-third of Polish land is forested! And we are proud of this fact. What is more, The State Forests is the largest organization in the European Union managing forests which belong to the State Treasury. But unfortunately, many natural habitats and rare species are still endangered. And together we have the power to change that. Studio Pigeon created three short animations about most of the pressing problems and solutions in forestry and environmental protection.
PROCESESS
The frame by frame animations were created in Toon Boom Harmony with the help of video footage and partially - of the rotoscoping technique. It was put all together in Adobe After FX where effects (eg. paint spreading) were added. All the background drawings as well as each frame of animal drawing were made and colored separately. This way we enhanced the feel of a hand-drawn grittiness and achived a pretty convincing watercolor effect.
CREDITS
Copywriting: Maria Pawlikowska
Storyboard & Concept-art: Piotr Różycki
Illustration: Piotr Różycki
2d Animation: Piotr Różycki, Błażej Pieczonka
Music & Sound Design: Jan Kwapisz
Art Direction: Tomasz Miazga
Project Manager: Magdalena Czaicka
Account Manager: Gosia Kucharska
Reviews
the project
Explainer Video Production for Information Services Company
"Their flexibility to navigate back and forth in every stage when some hiccups happened was second to none."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I'm Marketing Manager - International at North Data GmbH. We provide structured, easy to understand, officially published company data from selected countries (specially in Europe), to anyone who needs it.
For what projects/services did your company hire Studio Pigeon, and what were your goals?
Our product "Data Services" has always been difficult to explain to the general public, due to its complexity and abstractness. The goal was to be able to explain the Data Services in a really engaging and simple to understand way.
How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?
I have conducted interviews with several animation studios all around Europe. Before finding a studio to work with, I had exactly in mind how the video should look from and artistic standpoint and as a digital illustrator myself, I was very critical when analysing the portfolios from each studio. After long and tiring sessions of meetings, Studio Pigeon was a "no brainer" decision for me!
I can say for sure that the deciding factors were based on the unbelievably artistic videos that Studio Pigeon has created in the past, the mix of styles and techniques, the authenticity of ideas for animation and lastly and the most important factor to me, the lack of "animation shortcuts".
What I defined as "Animation Shortcuts" after seeing it so often from so many studios around the world, can be described as: easy solutions for small movements, that "shouldn't be too relevant". For example, small hand movements and gestures are often very robotically rigged and look extremely artificial. Studio Pigeon tackles these movements very seriously, making them extremely natural looking and to me, adding a tremendous value to the final product.
Describe the video(s) and the process in detail, including the project steps and all stages of production.
The stages of production were very clear and well presented:
- Preproduction: Kick-off - materials delivery, script adaptation, storyboard, Key Illustration, English VO recording, German VO recording and Stillomatic.
- Production: Illustration Development and animation
- Postproduction SFX & Music development
Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?
I had worked with a project manager and a Client Relations Director.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
The Data Services has always been majorly offered (and understood) by a German only audience. Now, with the video produced by Studio Pigeon both in German and English, we are able to reach a much broader audience and the increase in the product's awareness is already noticeable, even after only 2 months of the video being out there.
Another outcome from the project that can be highlighted and often not mentioned as it's subjective and difficult to measure, is the fun factor that was added to the product. The Data Services offers the possibility for people to have access to company data through API or exports and it's very difficult to beautify it as it's challenging to make it appealing to the general public.
With the video, we were able to add fun elements to it (eg: cat slapping the ball and animated sharks) making it much more appealing to a much broader group of people and not only to tech experts.
Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.
We had a google docs spreadsheet that clearly presented the timeline of the project but also served as a depository of links to all the assets. This was extremely useful, as everything could be found in the same place and seamlessly updated throughout the project. Furthermore, the project manager followed everything up beautifully by email, making video calls and team meetings seldom.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
The quality of the animations presented in their portfolio was definitely what made me decide to have the project be done by Studio Pigeon, though one of the most important aspects of it that couldn't have been identified before the project started.
It was how casual and light the communication was throughout the whole project and the feeling that everyone held themselves accountable to make sure that the final product would be something amazing. Their flexibility to navigate back and forth in every stage when some hiccups happened was second to none.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
The only thing that comes to mind and that I have already mentioned to the Client Relations Director, was that the presentation of the project's process before the project actually starts could be more appealing and easier to visualise. Though It was clearly explained by the team and fully understood by me, I think we could've saved a bit of time on the first chat we had if the process was more explicitly presented on the website for example.
the project
Animation for Video Production Company
"Studio Pigeon listened very carefully to our needs and comments, often even staying ahead of them."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I'm the head of production at the M5 Film production house. We produce video advertising content, usually intended for television and the Internet.
For what projects/services did your company hire Studio Pigeon, and what were your goals?
One of our regular clients asked us to prepare a qualitative animated film explaining the principles of implementing the new, pro-ecological and ensuring safety during a pandemic service "Ekowizyta". As most of our content is live-action, we needed a partner specializing in animation technology.
How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?
We had contact with Pigeon studio before, because we had been observing their portfolio for a long time and being impressed by the quality of their films. That is why we were looking for a suitable opportunity to establish cooperation, and the project commissioned by the client seemed ideal for this. The choice was made due to the high artistic quality of their earlier works.
Describe the video(s) and the process in detail, including the project steps and all stages of production.
All cooperation between us, the client and Pigeon studio took place remotely. We started with a discovery meeting via Zoom with Pigeon, us and the client, where we discussed the brief for the production of an almost two-minute video. On this basis, the project manager on behalf of Pigeon prepared for us a detailed description and work schedule for about 2 months.
The schedule assumed the work in the following order: preparation of the script and voiceover text, working VO recording, preparation of the storyboard, key-illustrations, stillomatik and finally the proper animation, with the voiceover selected in the casting and properly assembled music.
Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?
We mostly worked with the project manager, who kept us informed about the progress of the work, kept the schedule, provided questions and, if necessary, communicated us with the animation director. At each stage, we - as the film producer - sent our and the client's comments. We received the results of work of the next stages via DropBox or SyncSketch, which allowed us to send comments immediately. If necessary, we organized joint calls.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
Our client was very pleased with the resulting animation, which was created according to the adopted schedule. The film made it possible to familiarize employees and partners of his company with the new technologies that they implemented in the company.
Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.
The project manager deserves all compliments when it comes to the method of communication and providing us with updates. The project was carried out in a pleasant and light atmosphere, although everyone was focused on the task all the time.
All remote communication tools were used effectively, such as DropBox or SyncSketch, Zoom and Vimeo. During the entire duration of the project, we never met in person (mainly due to pandemic restrictions and distances that separated us).
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
Studio Pigeon listened very carefully to our needs and comments, often even staying ahead of them. They justified all their moves and changes in the project on an ongoing basis, clearly explaining what they resulted from. They did not exceed the timing or budget.
ll their artistic choices were in line with our expectations, they gave us a lot of good ideas (resulting from their extensive experience in working in this matter) and throughout the duration of the project we felt that we all sincerely care about creating the best film possible.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
Honestly, the collaboration was so good that I wouldn't change anything about it. However, I would like each subsequent project to look like this - I got only positive impressions from it.
the project
Video Production for Education Technology Company
"They valued our thoughts and opinions and worked with us to create the best series we could have hoped for."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
We are an Education Technology company that creates online products that help students love learning! Our biggest product is a math game that has over 90 million users. My role is Creative Director. I lead our internal creative team to oversee the brand and create pleasing and delightful advertising comms for our users.
For what projects/services did your company hire Studio Pigeon?
Our math game is a huge fantasy world, but we have never really taken the time to get kids excited about the story and lore inside the game. The thinking is that if they loved the lore of the game more, they would play more and therefore learn more math. We hired Studio Pigeon to create an animated web series around some of the characters in our game so we could show students more of the world inside the game. Studio Pigeon took our script outlines and from there created all of the art, animation, and sound for the series.
What were your goals for this project?
The goal was to have students who views the episodes to log in and play the game more than they had before. We show the video on youtube and inside the game itself. When they view the videos inside the game, the goal was then to direct them to a certain level of the game to measure how effective the videos were (since they were already logged in).
How did you select Studio Pigeon?
Studio Pigeon has an outstanding portfolio of excellent animation. That was first and foremost for us in selecting them. We chose them out of 4 total choices. The deciding factors were their skills (portfolio), their proposal (which outlined how they would approach the series, giving us 3 different options on how to stylize and animate), and their price. For what they would accomplish, their rates were very reasonable. Myself, our head of Brand and Communications, and one of our CEOs were involved in selecting them.
Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.
We created the outlines for the 5 videos internally and then handed them over to Pigeon. From there, Pigeon started with an exploration for the style of animation as well as the style of illustration. During this, they began on the animatics episode 1 to start plotting out the details of the script and timing things. From there, everything kept rolling. We landed on a visual style for the series, and then Pigeon went into visual exploration of the world and the characters (always referencing back to the source material from our game). While sorting out the illustrations, they pushed ahead on the animatics. During this time, they would provide us with work to review every few days. They worked with us to plan out a 2 day feedback loop. We were in constant contact throughout the process, sometimes using email to communicate, and other times hopping on video calls to discuss the work. My role (along with an animation expert on my team) was to look over the work and provide any feedback. Pigeon was great at defending their choices when they really believed they had a great solution. But they were also good at accepting feedback from us and making changes based on our comments. Once the animatics were approved, they moved to full animation. This was a rolling process. When one animatic was approved, it moved to the next stage while the other videos were still in the animatic process. This approach allowed us to be very efficient. Once through the animation phase, we moved to sound design and music. This was a challenging stage because it was undefined when we got there. Internally, we had only been thinking about the visuals. Not the audio. Pigeon worked with voice actors to create unique voices for each character in our series. A very tough ask since the characters are "Pets" that just make noises. And not pets like you would know. One is a magical bat, while another is a fiery horse-like creature. Pigeon found the voices for us and we loved them. Similarly with music, Pigeon did wonders with stock (which was all we could afford). You'd never know stock music was used because they adjusted and manipulated it to match the flow of each episode. When the videos were complete, Pigeon shared Pro-Res and other video format files with us as final files. We had everything we needed to make this a success!
What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?
We dealt with what felt like a very senior team at Pigeon. It was a small group, but I imagine that behind the scenes there were many people on this project. We set the date as to when we needed the final videos, and Pigeon created a work back schedule to make that date. From there, Pigeon stuck to the schedule well. Even allowing us to have a few days here and there of grace in getting our feedback back to them.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
I am not the one who holds the metrics, so I don't have exact numbers. But I can say the project was a success. We are currently working on a bigger/more expensive series with Pigeon because the first series performed as we had hoped. Students logged into the game at a higher rate after watching the series. And they went and collected the pets from the videos more than kids who hadn't watched the videos.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
The workflow was great. Pigeon did an excellent job of creating a workback that worked for us and then they stuck to it. We primarily used Dropbox to share files and leave feedback. This worked very well. The communication was amazing.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
The working relationship stuck out the most. The work was top notch, especially for the cost, but you can always pay more to try and get top-notch work. But oftentimes when you work with creative companies, there can be a feeling that they know things better than you, they are more creative than you, they are the experts and know it all.... Pigeon did none of this. They worked so well with us. They absolutely were the experts, the ones who had the skills and the creative experience to get this project done, but they valued our thoughts and opinions and worked with us to create the best series we could have hoped for. At no point did we feel like they were not listening to our thoughts.
Are there any areas for improvement?
Since this was my first time going through such an intense animation process on a project this large, I could have used better training at the beginning as to how the animation process works and what approvals are needed at what stage. There were some things at the beginning that I did not comment on, not knowing this was the moment to comment, and then it became an issue when i made the comment further down the line when more work had been done.
the project
Video Production for Production Company
"We were impressed with their flexibility, professional approach, creative solutions, and problem-solving skills."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
We're a production company and artist's agent. I am the Co-Founder and Executive Producer.
For what projects/services did your company hire Studio Pigeon?
Studio Pigeon were hired as part of the 2D animation team in our production for the Netflix series - Headspace.
What were your goals for this project?
To deliver a high quality animation within the clients budget and timeline.
How did you select Studio Pigeon?
Based on their portfolio and previous experience.
Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.
The 2D animations were directed and illustrated by the director duo Kijek/Adamski. Our role was to support Kijek/Adamski in finding the right partners to bring their illustrations to life. Animators were tasked with specific parts of the animation, depending on the animation technique needed.
What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?
They were very satisfied with the whole process and appreciated our flexibility and timely deliveries.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
This episode of Headspace has not been released yet.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
Communication, scheduling and overall workflow was very smooth.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
We were impressed with their flexibility, professional approach, creative solutions, and problem-solving skills.
Are there any areas for improvement?
the project
Video Production Services for Research Institute
"The collaboration with the team was close and the artists were quick to respond and willing to accommodate our needs."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
Our research institute aims to support cyber diplomacy and promotes a free, open, secure and peaceful cyberspace. Within this project, our company launched an Initiative called Good Cyber Stories.
The Good Cyber Stories Initiative aims to identify and showcase in an accessible way various initiatives and projects in the cyber domain that have had real positive impacts on people’s lives, country policies, and created an overall positive environment.
For this initiative, I am the PoC with Pigeon and the partners.
For what projects/services did your company hire Studio Pigeon?
We hired Studio Pigeon for the production of 5 animation videos (duration around 2') using collage style. Pigeon Studio provided support throughout the whole production phase, from the scriptwriting to the actual delivery of the videos, creation of teasers, etc.
What were your goals for this project?
The Good Cyber Stories Initiative aims to identify and showcase in an accessible way various initiatives and projects in the cyber domain that have had real positive impacts on people’s lives, country policies, and created an overall positive environment.
Our main goal through the videos that Pigeon Studio produced was to create an engaging story-telling around projects worth of recognition and promote their visibility and replication.
How did you select Studio Pigeon?
Through a competition based on the quality of the products, their originality, the support provided, the timeline, the support provided and the cost.
Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.
Pigeon Studio had several calls with us in order to better understand our needs and better tailor the product to our needs, the expectations and the tight timeframe. We then collaborated on the script, where they helped us with the narration flow and the story-telling. We then worked closely on the storyboard.
The end product is 5 animation videos and a teaser that were distributed on social media, on the project's page and in a high-level panel at the Paris Peace Forum 2020 in November.
What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?
We worked with a fixed group of three people from Pigeon Studio (production, creative team and sales director) and two people from our company. At every stage, the collaboration with the team was close and the artists were quick to respond and willing to accommodate our needs and adapt to our feedbacks. When necessary, we jumped on a video call to discuss changes face-to-face.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
The Good Cyber Stories initiative had an excellent reception among the participating partners and the projects involved. The launch of the Initiative took place in a high-level panel - the Paris Peace Forum - and the videos realised by Pigeon Studio were largely shared on social media. The captions for some videos were also translated in other languages, and this contributed to reaching an even larger audience.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
Very effective, all the more if one considers that the timeframe that we had at our disposal was quite tight. The Pigeon Studio team was very responsive and willing to take into account our feedback and suggested changes.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
I think the originality and creativity of their videos and their quick responses and commitment in the production phase. Once they delivered the products, they stayed at the client's disposal for some minor tweak or need we had.
Are there any areas for improvement?
We are satisfied by the videos that they delivered, and by the overall process from writing the scripts to the delivery. I guess that if we had more time, the process may have been even smoother :)
the project
Explainer Video for Software Development Company
"We were impressed with the passion the creative team put in and their ability to take our ideas and elevate them."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am the CMO at a software development company located in Germany and dedicated to creating software for game writing. Our company has only roundabout 20 employees at the moment but we serve more than 20000 clients worldwide. I oversee the marketing and oursourcing activities.
For what projects/services did your company hire Studio Pigeon?
Game and software development is a very fast paced business. Our company's software is 3 years old and the marketing kit we have been using felt old and outdated compared to what is trending in today's market.
With the creation of a new tutorial series, we wanted to add also an explainer video that would explain to our audience how our software can make their lives better. Even though we do have video editing resources in house, we did not have the capacity to take on a fully animated video so we decided to outsource the video production to Studio Pigeon.
What were your goals for this project?
We'd been getting a lot of feedback from our audience that they were confused as to what our software can do for them. It made sense, it's quite a complex software with many useful features and there are not many of them out there for the same exact purpose, so it's harder to get a reference at a first glance.
Our main purpose was to solve this issue and help our audience understand what the software is for and get excited at the prospect of being able to use it. We wanted the video to spearhead our campaign for the new tutorial series and other advertisements as well.
We intend to use it on our website and other platforms such as steam, at conferences and gaming conventions and on our social media channels.
How did you select Studio Pigeon?
We were looking at multiple different companies for this video. We had been touching base with some of them before which was not the case with Studio Pigeon but we received a tip that they are worth to look at and the case studies on their website caught our attention so we decided to ask for a pitch.
Our final decision to go with Studio Pigeon was based on the pitch that seemed to understand our needs best and the team that would be most creative and willing to take our ideas to the next level. Budget was also a consideration since we're still a small company.
Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.
We started off the project with a call between our team and the creative team at Pigeon. We had a pretty good idea of what we wanted to do with the video and had already prepared a script.
Studio Pigeon's challenge was to take our ideas out of the literall software and explain the concepts in an abstract way that is easy to grasp yet still stays true to what our business is about. They also provided the voice over actors and we did a live recording which was absoulutely fantastic. The end prouct was an explainer video of 90 seconds.
What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?
We had a project manager that was our main contact. He was always in touch and keeping us up to date. We had calls directly with the creative team at the beginning and then again when we needed to explain in more details our view or our feedbacks.
We first worked together on the storyboard to make sure that the message we wish to convey is getting across. After that we received drafts for all of the illustrations and we provided extensive feedback on those as well. We also received previews of the animations before they were implemented in the video just to make sure we are comfortable with the way things were coming together.
For the voice over we received a selection of actors that we were able to choose from. Once we had our pick, we then made a live recording session where we were able to instruct the voice actor as they were recording the VO.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
We're less than one month away from the time we launched the video and tutorial series. The video did very well on our social media where it received a lot of engagement half of which was organic. This month we are 20% ahead in sales compared to the same month last year. We also received many positive feedbacks from our clients.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
For reasons not related to the project we were assigned a new project manager midway through. It's usually scary to have to change your main contact in the middle of the project but the handover was done really smoothly and we were very happy with the way things turned out.
We were very well informed at all times of the progress of the project and were always involved in the big decisions with ample opportunities for feedback.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
We appreciated that Studio Pigeon really took an interest in really understanding the product they were creating the video for and that's impressive considering that one of the main reasons of doing the video was to reduce how complex the software looks at first glance. This level of research required dedication.
We were impressed with the passion the creative team put in and their ability to take our ideas and elevate them. We only needed to mention what kind of feelings or impressions the audience should have in a specific scene and they would already come up with a few proposals of how that could be realized in the video.
Are there any areas for improvement?
There's always something that can be improved but honestly anything i would mention here is just nitpicking and i'd much rather be grateful that we were able to come up with a beautiful video that both our teams can feel proud of.
the project
Video Production for Consumer Goods Company
"I am super satisfied with the speed and responsivity of the team."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
Talent, Recruitment and Employer Branding Manager at Unilever
For what projects/services did your company hire Studio Pigeon?
Each year we recruit students or fresh graduates for our Management Development Programme. This year we were looking to set up a social media campaign using engaging content build on our target group insights, both video and static. We decided to go with simple animation making use of our global guidelines and engaging our employees.
What were your goals for this project?
Building awareness & strong application pipeline.
How did you select this vendor?
By recomendation of our Content Manager, who had previous experience working with the Vendor.
Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.
After short T&C negotiations we were presented with the project agenda to which both sides committed. We had an intensive collaboration while team on the vendor side was driving the process and pushing me for decisions which I really appreciated!
What impressed me the most was the will to understand our goals and guidelines and including our point of view immediately during the process of video development. As a result we ended up with one short animation which included all details from brand book and customer insights within 3 weeks.
What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?
For the T&C of our cooperation I was in touch with the Account Manager and then when it comes to the animation development with Production Manager. I had a briefing session with Creative Manager and Graphic designer.
All were giving their clear feedback about my ideas and tried to incorporate them into final product. I was impressed about team''s can do attitude and solution orientation.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
With using this animation and static visuals we observed enormous (+88%) increase in applications vs. previous year. We had more threads of this activation obviously but we were super satisfied with how many people have clicked and then applied for the programme.
The amount exceeded our expectations. The product received very good feedback from our Global team guarding brand guidelines, and from our local Content Manager.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
We had agreed agenda which worked lovely. We managed to close the project within three weeks despite addition request on my side while we were already working on it.
I appreciated Production Manager making some extra push during the project for it to be delivered on time. Team on vendor's site was always available although it was rather them chasing me than the other way round.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
I am super satisfied with the speed and responsivity of the team. I felt being in good hands of people who know what their doung but are open for any insight on my site. Every step was done always on time despite very sort deadline we had.
Are there any areas for improvement?
No.
the project
Video Production for SaaS Provider
"The people on the project were extremely reactive and helpful."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am an International Marketing Manager at Makersite, a German award-winning startup that provides SaaS solutions for industrial product management. We are a 15 person structure and provide our services to major manufacturing companies worldwide.
For what projects/services did your company hire Studio Pigeon?
Our solutions are quite innovative and address issues that were previously unavoidable within the manufacturing space. We needed the help of a creative studio to craft a short video that would be able to effectively translate the unique value we bring to our customers into a simple and strong message.
What were your goals for this project?
We needed to create a pitch video short enough to be used on social media and our website, as well as our "business card" for introductory emails and investors meeting.
How did you select this vendor?
We considered around 6 companies for this project, selected based on their ratings, portfolios, and business fit. Studio Pigeon were the only ones to display a real creative vision that corresponded to our brand, a reasonable budget and the capacity to finish the project on a very short deadline.
Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.
Once agreeing on the length, the style, and the deadline for the video, we worked together on the scenario, gave feedback on the storyboarding and got to enjoy the results. We only had to provide information related to our company USP, clients and objectives. The feedbacks were rapidly taken into account and the collaboration was overall very easy.
What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?
At each step of the project, we were able to provide feedback and discuss the different aspects of the project despite the tight deadline. We would only get onto the next phase when the team at Studio Pigeon was sure we were satisfied with the deliverables. The people on the project were extremely reactive and helpful.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
We had very positive feedback on the video, and it helped drive traffic to our website through our social media.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
The workflow worked very well, the team at Studio Pigeon was very professional. We communicated over Skype and email for feedback and validations.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
I was especially impressed by the quality of animation and the great designs they submitted early on the process. They provided useful guidance during the storyboarding phase to help us shape our message in a valuable way.
Are there any areas for improvement?
Not at all, the experience was really good.
the project
Animation & Storytelling for Ad Agency
"They were responsive, attentive, and showed real passion and interest from the start..."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am Creative Director at BIG YAM. BIG YAM is an award-winning advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona, that delivers creative strategy, digital advertising, social media, public relations and web and software development services that empower brands to tell their story. Founded by American businessman and philanthropist Bob Parsons, its mission is to help brands Discover Their Truth and Declare it to Their World. As an independent agency, BIG YAM rallies seasoned creative, digital, development and marketing professionals to create effective communications that are efficiently deployed for businesses across industries.
For what projects/services did your company hire Studio Pigeon?
They helped us create an animated video that would help to rebrand our agency and lead the effort in expressing our story and its relevance to prospects and clients.
What were your goals for this project?
We aimed to create a 30-second spot that we would be able to broadcast on TV in a local/regional media buy. We also wanted to raise awareness of our brand, and garner hits on social media.
How did you select this vendor?
They reached out to us. I kept them on file because of their portfolio. It has great work! When the time came, I remembered them and gave them a call. They were responsive, attentive, and showed real passion and interest from the start, making it easier to make the selection. That they were on the other side of the world did not matter, because I felt comfortable with our communications.
Describe the project in detail.
We had rough scripts and some idea of a style that we wanted to have for the illustrations and for the animation type. Pigeon was able to provide detailed character development, storyboards, animatics, voice-over talent, and original soundtrack. All of this, enhanced the production value greatly, creating a unique story that we believe hit home.
What was the team composition?
Myself, a designer and a writer. For Pigeon, I know there was an account manager, project manager, a lead animator, but I am sure there must have been an army of people beyond that to make it happen.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
The video helped us tremendously in rolling out our re-branding efforts, and has led the effort in our communications.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
Pigeon was always flexible and collaborative. Every step of the way, they demonstrated care and creativity to solve problems in storytelling that sometimes had our team stumped. It's always a pleasure to work with people who care about their work.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
They have excellent teamwork and a passion for their product. Great customer service.
Are there any areas for improvement?
No. They're awesome.
the project
Production of Short Film about Silent Film Star
"They took care of every detail."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I work for a nonprofit organization affiliated with animation studios.
For what projects/services did your company hire Studio Pigeon?
We needed to produce a series of films about important Poles from the last century. We commissioned them to produce one about Pola Negri.
What were your goals for this project?
We wanted a high level of artistry and a fast turnaround.
How did you select this vendor?
Studio Pigeon is a member of our organization and the largest 2D animation studio in Poland, with a proven track record of high-quality short films. They were the obvious choice.
Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.
They produced a storyboard, art designs, and animations. They directed the film and did editing, including sound editing and mixing. They assigned an art director to take care of concept, film direction, and quality control.
What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?
We had contact with a project manager throughout, who took care of the schedule. The process was very smooth and they worked flexibly.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
The film received widespread positive acclaim and was included as important part of the campaign.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
They provided everything in a timely manner, and they took care of every detail so that we didn’t have to work too much.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
The relaxed communication and flexibility, as well as the high quality of their deliverables.
Are there any areas for improvement?
No, we’re completely satisfied.
Studio Pigeon delivered a captivating video in German and English languages, which impressively explicit the importance of data services to people. Thus, it increased product awareness and enabled the company to reach broader audiences. Overall, their project approach and output were phenomenal.