GIP L'Europe à Mayotte

Mayotte became a French department in 2011. Since then, it has had access to European funding plans set for seven-year periods. For this second round of funding over the period 2021-2027, the GIP (Public Interest Group) Europe in Mayotte needs to communicate the importance of its funding to the territory, as well as the administrative steps involved.

To achieve this, they called on Teriteo, a company specializing in the support and evaluation of territorial and European public policies. Together with Mathieu Sabourin, associate director, and Juliette Peris Y Saborit, consultant, we produced a series of two videos to briefly explain how European funding works.

The initial request was for 8 tutorial videos. Instead, we opted for a broader campaign with 2 videos - the first reminding viewers of what European funding is and what it has achieved over the period 2014-2021, and the second explaining the steps involved in financing a project - along with booklets that provide more detailed information on the administrative procedures involved. This approach makes the information more accessible and establishes a better information hierarchy.

The script required a lot of work to be as precise as possible: since we're talking about public funds, we needed to be exhaustive enough to avoid false promises. For accessibility, the message had to be as readable and simple as possible, without infantilizing our target audience. Many fine-tunings were necessary to determine which data to keep, how to approach it, and how to structure it.

Finally, these two videos don't just talk about administrative procedures: they also show how these procedures can shape the Mahorese territory. By using two voice-overs, we bring dynamism and implicitly underline that the diversity of projects and actors contributes to the improvement of Mayotte.

Mahorese and metropolitan cultures are different. We had to find the right balance to be relevant without making a cultural appropriation. Therefore, we conducted research into daily attire, expressions, gestures (for example, Mahorese people gesture downwards with their hands to stop a bus), neighborhood architecture and composition, and more.

In addition to this constraint, we wanted to create a contrast between the project leaders, represented by Mahorese entrepreneurs who will shape the territory's future, and the GIP Europe in Mayotte, who guarantee a structure and financial framework for the proper development of various initiatives.

We thus created a kaleidoscope based on the client's guidelines, a solid structure made up of several squares, but flexible in its animation to insert and develop projects. This represents the GIP Europe in Mayotte, a structure providing project leaders with a framework for their work.

On the other hand, we have the projects, depicted with more figurative illustrations representing the everyday life of the people of Mayotte. This more organic, more textured, and animated at 12 FPS, giving a more human effect, while the 25 FPS of the kaleidoscope gives a sense of speed and fluidity.

The video presented several challenges, the first of which was constructing the kaleidoscope. We had to manage a bunch of small blinking squares. To improve our proposals, it was crucial to easily iterate the animations. After attempting a setup in After Effects, we turned to C4D, which, with its effectors, allows for quicker control over color changes.

For the animation of the structure, we used the super script Flex, which enables the creation of dynamic grids. We had to be very precise and plan everything in advance to meet the narrative needs.

The second challenge was self-imposed. As we wrote the script, the scenes started to get filled with characters. To speed up the process, we trained ourselves in Moho. With wind dynamics, this allowed us to make the clothes and a host of plants float. The Line Boil tool enabled us to create a series of animated brushes to replace the raw outlines. Once we got the hang of it, we gained in production time and animation quality. We are eager to continue experimenting with this software to push further in future productions.

Finally, for a more complex part to animate, we tried traditional animation with hands typing on a keyboard. This is a process we want to develop further because it adds a more natural and authentic touch to the productions.

We used the concept of contrast between GIP Europe in Mayotte and the project leaders to support our idea. For the music, we chose a modern sound with a few island tones. In terms of sound design, we blended futuristic, electric sounds with more traditional ones, such as the sound of paper. This approach once again mixes tradition and modernity.

We really enjoyed working on this video series. Firstly, it's a great project: helping to develop a region is essential, and promoting the work of these men and women is exciting.

We also had the pleasure of collaborating with a team that listened to us, enabling us to propose a relevant artistic direction. For our part, we were able to test new tools, perfect our animations, and increase our productivity.

Many thanks again to GIP Europe in Mayotte, to Teriteo for involving us in the call for projects, and to all those who worked on the project.

Client: GIP Europe In Mayotte Date: June 2024

Project Manager : Mathieu Sabourin – Juliette Peris Y Saborit Script: Adrien Boutin Artistic Direction - Illustration: Anne-Laure Limet Animation: Adrien Boutin Music: Porter Productions - Wolves

Mastering – Sound Design: Maximilien Maisonneuve Voice-Over: Gloria Bonheur – Nelson-Rafaell Madel