A 2D/3D Animation of the Biological Mechanisms of Vaccines
About the Project
This is an educational animation that visualizes the cellular mechanisms of vaccines and the significance of herd immunity in providing community protection from infectious disease. The goal of this animation is to alleviate concerns about vaccine hesitancy and to demystify anti-vaccination sentiment by providing knowledge in the form of a dynamic visual for a public audience. The material for this animation was developed through content analysis of existing literature, from which a script and storyboard were created, followed by the construction of 3D assets and a 2D animatic.
This project will contribute to the current pool of intervention strategies intended to reduce vaccine hesitancy by visually simulating the real-life microscopic mechanisms and conditions under which vaccines operate. This animation also combines a unique 2D/3D visual style to produce a compelling, dynamic visualization for optimal understanding of the complex and critical biological processes underlying long-term immunological protection.
Jodie Jenkinson
BA, MScBMC, PhD, FAMI
Director & Professor, Biomedical Communications
University of Toronto Mississauga
Nicholas Woolridge
BFA, BScBMC, MSc, CMI
Associate Professor, Biomedical Communications
University of Toronto Mississauga
Tania Watts
BSc, MSc, PhD Professor of Immunology University of Toronto
Autodesk Maya Adobe Illustrator Adobe Photoshop Adobe After Effects Adobe Premiere Adobe Audition Pixologic Zbrush
The Research Problem
Vaccine hesitancy is defined as the reluctance to become vaccinated despite the extensive availability of vaccines. This delay in the acceptance of vaccination services poses a threat to public health and often stems from a distrust in the science surrounding vaccine development and its mechanisms of action. Ironically, it is often said that vaccines are a victim of their own success; they have been effective in eradicating the age-old disease, smallpox, as well as greatly reducing the transmission of polio and rubella, so modern-day healthcare consumers perceive the risks associated with vaccines to be greater than the dangers of infectious disease (Kata, 2010; Orenstein & Ahmed, 2017).
Visually representing scientific information in the form of a dynamic visualization can be an alternative solution for fostering public engagement with science. Several studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of animations in educational psychology. Current visualizations depicting the biological mechanisms of vaccines utilize narrative storytelling to communicate ideas, but many of them are missing key pieces of information (such as details about certain types of vaccines), lack a scientifically conventional color palette, and have uncoordinated integration of verbal narration, visuals, and background music.
Research Objectives:
1.) To effectively communicate knowledge about the complex cellular mechanisms of vaccines to an audience with low scientific literacy by engaging them in an animated narrative that is both visually compelling and informative without constraining cognitive resources
2.) To improve confidence in vaccines and their significance as a public health tool in maintaining control over the spread of infectious disease and consequently their role in achieving herd immunity
3.) To design an animation with descriptive and engaging visuals complimenting the content in order to create sequential flow of the topics visualized
Pre- Production and Production
1.) Script Writing and Storyboarding
Extensive research was conducted on each topic to determine which concepts would be most effective to visualize for the intended audience. Based on this research, a script was developed in close consultation with an immunologist. The time allocated to each topic was finalized according to its content and its importance in meeting the project’s objectives.
The planned visual narrative was then translated into a series of sketches to communicate the overall vision, serve as a creative reference point, and define the shot-by-shot sequence for the final animation.
2.) Animatic
The storyboard sketches were imported into After Effects and combined with a scratch narration of the script to create an animatic. This pre-production tool helped visualize the timing of all shots and their coordination with sound effects, music, and narration.
3.) Development of 2D Assets
2D assets were created using both Photoshop and Illustrator. Scenes requiring more organic shapes and textures were primarily developed in Photoshop, while shots featuring numerous objects intended for animation were designed in Illustrator.
4.) Development of 3D Assets
3D models of all cellular components were created and animated in Maya. The models were loosely based on SEM images, with the goal of making the 3D scenes visually and stylistically consistent with the simpler 2D elements.
BEHIND THE SCENES: 3D model of my cellular environment landscape. One of the challenges in modeling this environment was achieving a sense of vast depth while keeping polygon count and overall complexity low to ensure efficient rendering times.
BEHIND THE SCENES: 3D model of a lymph node environment. I used a bend deformer on a flat plane and leveraged MASH to generate swaying villi, adding a more dynamic, lifelike quality to the scene.
Playblasts vs final rendered shots