Image above: Little explanation for non-German speakers: the image is a somewhat silly wordplay on the German word “Blutbahn” which means bloodstream but could also be translated as “blood train”. So the image is showing cannabis together with other elements such as oxygen, sugar & vitamins taking the blood train to the brain.
Project description: I was asked to create another educational explanatory animation. This project ended up to be the most challenging and exhausting production I have ever gone through - it took me almost 13 month to finish it. Some of the major challenges were:
visually & seamlessly connecting the micro world (nerve cells and chemical elements) with the macro world (Brain cortex & Brain City) and creating a believable universe.
animating the Brain Cortex dissolving like sand without using any simulation (for I have very limited knowledge regarding simulations)
Modelling and rigging Characters which can grow old and young. I built a setup with shape keys and drivers on many bones of the Armature. After setting it all up it was not easy to make any changes or corrections to the design.
creating images of the nerve cell world that did not seem cluttered or messy but still contain a multitude of nerve cells. Lighting was also not easy for all the nerve cells were emitting their own light so the images quickly looked unfocused.
I had to spend a lot of time reworking the “brain city” and the nerve cell world for my initial design approach just did not work.
In the end I was not always able to translate what I envisioned into satisfying images. And after months and months of working on the video I find it rather hard to even know what I think about the end result
But now it is finally online: (English Audio Track is available as well but for some reason only in the full YouTube Player ( click on the YT-Logo)):
Thank you for your kind words! Yes I did everything on my own.
I am really glad you like the Cannabis-Character
I wanted him to not be the villain of the story - but rather a dude who sometimes messes things up
had to log-in just to say well done for this, the amount of effort put in is amazing. The environment/city on the surface of the brain is such a unique and well designed image. I’d love to see you art direct a short film, so much creativity and originality in this.
Thank you so much for your really kind words! I’ve worked on the video for so long that I can hardly judge whether it’s good anymore. So reading that you liked what I did feels very relieving.
The idea to direct & art direct a short film is really appealing - especially because I have never worked with other motion designer / 3d Artist together on a project. I think I might really enjoy the process.
Great, the execution is excellent, as accurately as I am able to judge.
As for the main topic, it all makes sense: except that, for my part, I’m still wondering about the real reasons for such an unbalanced world… I’m quite tempted to think that the main cause of these imbalances doesn’t seem to lie entirely, or even perhaps 50%, in the only “cannabis consumption”… [and I don’t smoke that or anything else].
Yep’… The world is either too complicated to understand, or too clear to bear : “It kills the eyes.”, so we sometimes say. [?]
In any case, congratulations on the achievement. [!]
The indications of difficulties encountered are like good illuminating milestones for anyone who would like to embark on such a complete/complex project.
IDK how much grief you’re going to get from people who love their MJ, but I think it is a nice video presenting studied results in a very simple, easy to understand way.
Personally, I have never understood the desire to alter my brain function with random drugs.
So the main message of the video is that the adolescent brain is still forming. The complex neuroplastic processes can be disturbed if a young person is frequently smoking Cannabis. So it might be a good idea to wait at least until your brain is fully formed before getting into the habit of smoking joints.
You can watch the video in English - you have to open the link in YouTube. Then you can select the English Audio Track (for some reason this option is not available in the embedded video player)
Very impressive animation! (and nice pun )
I think the animation did a good job in conveying the concepts in an understandable way.
If I may give some feedback, I think the music was sometimes distracting and got a in the way of understanding what was spoken. Making it quieter or using slower tracks while the narrator is speaking might’ve been better.
The amount of visual information per second could also be a bit lower (there was often more going on visually than what was narrated), especially considering the target audience.
I know it’s a divisive topic. I am just the messenger 
)