Armour
Beyond Equality
Animation as a force for good
Our core mission is to use animation as a force for good, our 2022 #BZShorts film sets out to do this and has been our most challenging but important animated short to date.
This resulted in ‘Armour’ directed by Alex Davy in collaboration with the charity Beyond Equality.
Alex is a Storyboard Artist, recent mum, and first-time director who, working with the BZ Shortform team and interns, crafted the film to portray the “armour of masculinity” and the negative impact it can inflict on society.
As a B Corp certified animation studio, we aim to use our animation and platform to create a positive impact. For this reason, our last two BZ Shorts films have been in collaboration with charities to help amplify their important causes. Last year, to mark World Suicide Prevention Day, we crafted Sinking Feeling directed by Mark Spokes for Papyrus UK.
For the new BZ Shorts film, the Executive Team at Blue Zoo wanted to address gender inequality within society. No pressure, right?
From the beginning, the brief was to create a film which aims to address the armour of masculinity from the root of the cause, where young men and boys are taught unequal principles of behaviour and attitudes. If the short could communicate to young men and boys that they can help change the world and make male viewers feel empowered rather than alienated or accused, this film would be a success. We reached out to Beyond Equality to offer to make a pro-bono film for them to amplify their message. Beyond Equality is a UK charity disrupting harmful norms and creating possibilities for positive change, working with men and boys towards gender equality.
In a company-wide session where anyone could pitch their idea and the studio would vote on the best idea, Alex’s idea was elected to be made!
CREDITS
Directed by Alex Davy
Art Direction Joe Kinch
Anim Direction by Dane Winn
Production managers Toni Cunningham & Lizzie Hicks
Design Intern Sophie Linney
Storyboard Intern Maria Miranzo, mentored by Rahul Dasgupta
Modelling Sophie Jameson, Emily Hargrave
Animation Sam Potter, Charlotte Binnie-Thompson, Lucie Thomas
LRC Jack McEntire, Francesca Pesce, Emma O'Hara
CG Sup Arthur Tibbett
Music by WMP