When Emory Healthcare reached out to ask if we were interested in creating an original animated video to explain the importance of APPs (Advanced Practice Providers) as members of a patient’s care team, we wasted no time getting back in touch. Even though we usually work with real people in real places, we have some strong animation chops too. Animated projects can be challenging because a decision has to be made about every single thing that appears on screen. Some may shy away from that level of responsibility, but to us, that’s what makes a project like this so much fun to collaborate on.
As part of the project brief, a list of messaging points to include in the script were provided.
Messaging:
- An APP is a health care provider who is not a physician but who performs medical activities typically performed by a physician, most commonly a nurse practitioner or physician assistant.
- All members of the care team – the nurse practitioner, physician assistant and physician work together for patient care.
- Emphasize APP skills, education, capacity, qualifications
- Scheduling an appointment with an APP is good for many situations, and can help you be seen faster.
- Patient- and family-centered care; high standards of care from all members of your care team found in the
APP information flyer.
We’ve been friends with ace animator Rich Draper for a number of years and we knew he was a great choice right away. We called him up to discuss the brief and some general ideas in terms of characters and environments; then while he put pencil to paper (literally) we began working on the script. Rich starts with hand-drawn tests and then scans them into his computer for added flexibility. Once scanned in, small tweaks (like wall or floor colors) and large changes (like what a character is wearing) can happen more quickly.
While working to pack a lot of specific information into the script, it was also important to keep it as short and succinct as possible. We made the choice for on-screen characters not to speak and stick with a voiceover for the entire video as a way to keep moving forward quickly and not get caught up on questions like “How would that character ask this question?” Once decisions like this were made, it was time to move on to storyboards.
Storyboards can span a wide range of looks; the goal is to communicate the action that needs to take place on-screen at any given moment. As we neared completion of the script, we drew storyboards by hand and were able to confirm everything was coming together nicely. Although some scenes were cut and others changed slightly, the final vision was very much in line with our ideas to begin with. That’s not always the case, but it’s nice when it happens that way.
Considering how common medical scheduling issues are, we bought into the idea of this new program right away. Patients want to see their specific doctors, but that can often mean long wait times for an appointment. The beauty of working with an APP is that a patient can get in much quicker and see a medical professional who can help. APPs are most often Physician’s Assistants or a Nurse Practitioner. Each of these position’s have years of training and are qualified care providers who speak with your doctor on a regular basis, so getting in to see an APP is a great way to get the care you need, quickly.