What is the film about?

Kong Studio collaborates with The Open University on an animated short exploring some of the reasons why men might find it difficult to talk about their mental health. The video is additional content for ‘James Arthur: Out of Our Minds’, a co-production between The Open University and BBC Three with singer-songwriter James Arthur.

Produced by Kong Studio and designed and directed by Hannah O’Brien, the animated short film highlights the shocking statistics behind the issue of male mental health in a tactile and informative way. It also showcases the fantastic work being done by organisations like ‘Alright Mate?’ and brings the Open University’s research in the area to life.

What influenced it?

Hand-drawn and painted aesthetic.

A little background information...

The Open University commissioned Kong Studio to make an animated short as a piece of additional content to go alongside The OU and BBC co-production ‘James Arthur: Out of Our Minds’ for BBC Three. Kong had previously developed an exciting working relationship with The Open University Broadcast and Partnership team for the BBC co-productions ‘Secrets of the Museum’ and ‘Aids: The Unheard Tapes’. Kong Studio is committed to making entertaining content with a strong ethical and social purpose – and the OU’s projects align perfectly with that mission.

Chris Belson, Broadcast Platforms and Public Engagement Manager at The Open University said “Myself and Dr Martin Robb, the academic consulting on the James Arthur documentary, were passionate about creating additional online content that explored that wider question – of why many men find it hard to talk about their mental health. It was also a great opportunity to learn from, and champion, some of the people and organisations on a mission to change that. This is always going to be a very sensitive, and often complicated, subject to talk about – so we felt that animation would be an ideal medium to explore it empathetically and accessibly.“

Kong co-founder Bill Elliott on their working relationship with the OU, “We love producing films for The Open University. The subject matter is always interesting, and immaculately researched and they allow us a huge amount of creative freedom. This frees us up to experiment with different visual styles and connect with exciting new talent. It’s the perfect win-win for us.”

How was the film made?

Man Up or Open Up? was directed by Hannah O’Brien. Emma Burch, Executive Producer at Kong Studio said, “We are always looking out for new animators as we aim to support younger talent into the industry. Bill came across Hannah’s Instagram recently, so she was already on our radar. When we were considering animators for this project, we knew her hand-drawn and painted visual style would lend a human tone to a difficult topic. The production schedule for the animation was relatively tight at five weeks. Still, Hannah was able to draw on her experience from previous projects, that dealt with similar sensitive subjects, to streamline her processes. Hannah has created a beautiful film within a compressed schedule.“

Chris Belson and Dr Martin Robb handed the Kong team a brief and script for Hannah to bring to life. On the production process, Hannah said, “The OU team’ were amazing to work with. They gave feedback throughout the storyboard and animatic stage, offering suggestions on how someone struggling with their mental health was represented. I visualised an uneasy feeling starting in your mind and then gradually taking over your whole body. This is where the swirly lines inside his head developed, illustrating the physical feelings mental health problems can cause. The use of colour was also important to me. The animation starts off very blue and grey and gradually becomes more colourful, representing the man feeling more himself as he recovers.”