Numerous historic buildings in the Middle East have been destroyed by wars over the years. This huge cultural loss has an even greater impact for the next generations, which will never be able to see or visit these places. Having this in mind, the History Blocks project was created with the support of UNESCO. It is an initiative that takes place inside Minecraft Education Edition, a Microsoft platform with a pedagogical purpose used in schools around the world. The project counted on the participation of teachers who guided–through a pedagogical plan–the collaborative building of monuments that had been destroyed in the Middle East and that had already been projected in the platform.
History Blocks pilot project was launched in February this year at Escola Bosque, recognized by Microsoft and UNESCO as a model school in the use of technology as a teaching tool in Brazil. The school was chosen to receive the project’s prototype and test how the initiative was going to be received by students. The digital recreations of two great monuments were successfully completed by the students in approximately two weeks.
“It is surprising to see the level of the students’ engagement in the History Blocks project. At the same time that they solve complex geometry, logic, and abstract challenges, it’s possible to see how they get involved with the culture and history behind the monuments and their destruction. For many of them, it was their first contact with concepts such as cultural destruction and ideology oppression, and through this experience we showed them the importance of preserving world heritage sites”, said Silvia Scuracchio, M.D. in School Psychology, who is the pedagogical director of Escola Bosque.
The project conceived and developed by Agencia Africa (Africa Sao Paulo Publicidade, part of Omincom Group’s DDB Worldwide) is already present in schools in over 30 countries and the goal is to expand it even further. Any school that uses the Minecraft Education Edition will be able to access the pedagogical plan, which was developed with the support of Professor Francisco Tupy, Ph.D. in Video Games in Education and one of Minecraft global mentors, a reference in the use of games as a teaching aid method.
“Technology is a tool to transform education and bring to life methods that used to be unthinkable when it comes to teaching. The project on the Unesco’s world heritage sites opens the door for students all over the world to study important monuments of our history”, says Daniel Maia, Manager for Academic Projects at Microsoft Brazil.
This “History Blocks” video chronicling the initiative was directed by Fabio Pinheiro of production house Hungry Man for agency Africa Sao Paulo Publicidade,
CreditsClient UNESCO/History Blocks/Microsoft/Minecraft Agency Africa Sao Paulo Publicidade, Sao Paulo, Brazil Sergio Gordilho, chief creative officer; Sophie Schonburg, executive creative director; Bruno Valenca, head of art; Daniel Ogawa, Raphael Vandystadt, Juliana Leite, Felipe Duarte, copywriters; Rick Garcia, Sergio Gordilho, Adriana Barreto, art directors; Monique Lopes Lima, special projects creative directors; Juliana Leite, Fernanda Segura, special projects managers; Julia Newman, Isabela Levy, Fernando Alonso, special projects producers; Raphael Vandystadt, director of corporate social responsibility; Filipe Botton, content director; Rodrigo Ferrari, Tais Olhiara, Mariana Hermeto, producers. Production Hungry Man Fabio Pinheiro, director; Thiago Beck, DP; Renata Correa, Rodrigo Castello, exec producers; Bruna Martinelle, Carolina Popoviski, producers; Fernanda Laignier, production coordinator; Rodrigo Oliveira, postproduction coordinator. Postproduction Asteroide Films Lucas Fuse, After Effects; Cadu Silveira, Marssola Rodrigues, editors. Color Marla Color Grading Sound Design Punch Audio
FOUR PAWS Teams With Catsnake, Animation Studio Bewilder To “Be Their Voice”
Global animal welfare organization FOUR PAWS has launched the “Be Their Voice” campaign. Partnering with specialist creative agency Catsnake and South African production and animation company Bewilder, the campaign sheds light on a cruel practice called live lamb cutting. The film aims to raise awareness and inspire international action, urging fashion brands and policymakers to ban this inhumane practice by 2030.
The stop-motion “Be Their Voice” film follows a PhD student, Jesse, as he tries to perfect his sheep translation software with the help of a young sheep called Sunny. The initially heartwarming story takes an unsettling turn as Sunny discovers what is soon to happen to her on the farm.
Catsnake felt that the best way to capture the true horror of live lamb cutting was to focus on storytelling that would engage the audience emotionally. Catsnake creative director Rowena Wyles said, “A lot of animal rights campaigns rely on sharing shocking visuals of cruelty, but we know that tends to stop a wider audience from engaging with the issue. Instead, we wanted to draw people in with humor and heart before delivering the shocking truth of the practice.”
Working collaboratively with Bewilder, the film was brought to life with a mixed-media approach; recreating the look and feel of stop-motion with the flexibility of 3D animation. The sets, props and lighting were all made in Bewilder’s in-house studio, and the 3D characters were placed in afterwards.
Ruan Vermeulen, creative director at Bewilder, explained the process: “We built a ‘realistic’ miniature farm setting with stylized and lovable CGI characters. Combining a vast range of skill sets, with a multitalented creative team, our goal was to create an animation... Read More