June FableFriday: Jill Letteney, Producer

With an extensive background in project management and event coordination, FableVision Producer Jill Letteney brings her masterful organization skills to every project she works on. She ensures that everyone knows what’s going on and there’s no miscommunication between the client and the creative team. 

“It’s certainly a balancing act with creative and timeline – they are equally important on all of our projects,” says Producer Jill Letteney. “I throw a lot into planning and scheduling in the initial stages, planning backward to ensure that we can meet deadlines.”

Read the FableFriday to learn more about Jill’s favorite type of work, most rewarding part of producing, and love of museums.

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What’s your “journey to FableVision” story?
My introduction to FableVision came quite some time ago from former Developer Erin Carvalho. I remember her telling me about the animation and games she developed from a studio housed in the same building as the Boston Children’s Museum.

Years later, once my kids went back to learning in school, I expressed interest in freelance work and Executive Producer Peter Stidwill reached out about producing a short animation for the National Action Alliance. I had the best time working that summer with the FableVision team and felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment when we completed the project. I knew I wanted to do more. When FableVision offered me another animation project, I jumped at the chance and I’ve been happy to work alongside such creative, fun professionals ever since.

Kiawah Island

You have an extensive background in project management and event coordination. How did you transition to production?
Project management has been at the core of every job I’ve held. No matter the role, special projects and events pop up, and I’m happy to take on coordinating. Transitioning to production was easy since it involves scope, scheduling, planning backward from a deadline, and breaking large tasks into smaller ones. At FableVision, I know who to turn to if I run into obstacles. Troubleshooting issues can be fun and productive when you are working with the right people.

What type of projects do you like to work on?
I really enjoy animation and seeing the components of a story unfold over time. There are so many little details that we have to think about when it comes to character designs, backgrounds, and story. It’s like assembling a vibrant, moving puzzle. 

I also like producing live-action projects, from getting to know the crew to working on set. We recently filmed a series of videos where we put in a lot of hours to get everything shot in two days, but it was a lot of fun. And the studio we partnered with, Sound and Vision Media, featured us on their Facebook and YouTube pages.

Cliffs of Moher

How do you work with other team members to produce the best possible projects?
I try to stay as organized as possible so team members have access to everything they need to do their best work, like art assets, script copies, brand guidelines, storyboards, and schedules. I work to facilitate communication between clients and project team members so people aren’t spending time shuffling through various communication tools. It’s a challenge to tell a story or deliver information in short form and I’m always amazed at how effortlessly our artists, writers, and developers can work to pull it all together.

How do you balance the creative and timeline on complex projects?
I’ll share a high-level schedule with our clients so they know where we are throughout the project. I try to schedule meeting time with team members before we enter a new phase, like design, animation, or development, so we can discuss our project goals, assess existing work, and address any concerns or potential conflicts. 

Once I’ve established a solid structure for the project and we know our direction, it’s easy to let the artists take charge of their work. And I’m never disappointed with the quality and quantity of work they put out. I truly believe we have some exceptional talent here!

What are the most challenging or the most rewarding parts about being a producer?
The most challenging part is keeping track of the moving pieces as we near a deadline. Fortunately, we use tools like Basecamp, Slack, and Trello so I know where we stand. I also work with fantastic production assistants who jump in to support so I can focus my energy where it’s needed. And without a doubt, the most rewarding part is hearing and seeing how happy our clients are at the end of a project. When they return later with new work, I get all of the good feelings again.

What advice do you have for aspiring producers?
Don’t overlook your creative intuition! Trust your gut and speak up when you notice something – that will help streamline the projects and bring them to their fullest potential. 

You’re involved with several Harvard groups! Can you talk about your work with Harvard Square Script Writers and Harvardwood?
These writing groups kept me connected with people and the outside world during the pandemic! Screenwriting is such a craft – I admire writers who can tell a meaningful, visual story in just 90 pages. Depending on my schedule, I try to review one or two scripts per month, providing notes and feedback to help writers craft more realistic characters and dialogue. I’ve read some amazing work and I always leave these meetings inspired to write and collaborate. Fortunately, I can carry that into my work with FableVision. It’s a great feeling to have my hobbies inform my professional life and vice versa.

We heard you’re a big fan of museums – tell us more!
I love museums – they’re the first thing I want to see when I travel somewhere new. When my dad moved to Philadelphia, he and I visited four museums in two days. As an undergraduate student, I studied Classics and Historical Linguistics and spent a lot of time at the MFA deciphering funerary inscriptions in Latin and Etruscan. Then I got my graduate degree in Museum Studies and worked closely with the MFA Boston, Harvard Museum of Ancient Near East, and the Brooklyn Museum on various research projects.

Museums are responsible for so much when it comes to their audiences: quality content, meeting educational goals, and online and in-person accessibility, among others. Exhibition design has similar processes to multimedia production, except I don’t have to handle fragile, ancient artifacts.

More About Jill

Favorite show?
Mad Men! I’ve rewatched the entire series five times and always discover something new. My husband bought me the box set recently so now I’m enjoying the director’s commentaries.

Favorite game to play with your kids?
Mario Kart – I used to be able to beat them. I’ve also been playing a lot of FableVision games with them recently, like Echo Explorers, Bubble Build, Claw Control, and Lights, Camera, Budget!, to prepare for new projects. It’s fun to see what attracts their eye in games and they give me very honest feedback when it comes to what they like and what they don’t like.

Favorite holiday?
My grandfather’s birthday was March 17, so St. Patrick’s Day was a big deal for my family. We celebrate every year with a parade, live music, food, crafts, games, and prizes. I basically start planning right after Christmas because it gives me something to look forward to in the spring.

Favorite band?
I love Radiohead but I haven’t seen them perform live yet. :(

A Jill fun fact that most people don’t know?
My cousin Dillon and I inspired a children's song: “Jillian Dillon (The Hippoplatypus).” (For the record, I am neither part hippo nor platypus, but I hope to see each in their native habitats one day).

August FableFriday: Kellian Adams Pletcher, Director of G.L.A.M. (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums) Innovation

Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums—this is Kellian Adams Pletcher’s world of G.L.A.M. and we’re all just living in it. With her large, bright smile and signature enthusiasm for immersive learning experiences, Kellian recently joined the FableVision team as the Director of G.L.A.M. Innovation. The studio has a long history of working with informal learning spaces, including museums, and Kellian’s background in imaginative, game-based work will help FableVision grow its partnerships with the G.L.A.M. community through the merging of physical and digital worlds when engaging the public.

“I’ve worked with museums across the country and across the world, and I absolutely love it,” says Kellian. “I’ve also always loved FableVision—I’m impressed by the projects, games, and everything the company builds. I’m excited for my new role and to build museum games for a large studio with an incredible team.”

Through her work at Active Chinese, SCVNGR, and Green Door Labs, Kellian joins FableVision with 12 years of experience in crafting immersive experiences through creative and strategic game design. As the mastermind behind Green Door Labs, a company that builds site-specific games and adventures, Kellian has created custom mobile games, cultural institution games, and interactive theater experiences, for clients like The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Smithsonian, The National Parks Service, The USS Constitution Museum, and many more. 

Kellian’s passion, creativity, and extensive experience makes for the perfect new FableVisionary. Read more to learn about Kellian’s G.L.A.M. journey, theater projects, museum knowledge, and love of swing dancing!

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What is your journey to FableVision story?
I’ve run into FableVision’s team and work a lot in the last ten years at Green Door Labs and I always had so much fun with them. I told myself that if I wasn’t at Green Door Labs, the only other company I’d really want to work with was FableVision. As an independent studio owner, I have to say I was pretty burnt out after the pandemic, and I considered entirely shifting directions. Luckily, I caught up with Gary Goldberger, and he told me I could do what I do, but with the support and energy of a larger team with FableVision! It had honestly never occurred to me that I could continue building museum games, such a niche profession, at a larger studio, so I’m really excited to imagine what we might be able to build together!

Why are informal learning spaces important?
Learning is social and it’s best achieved when people are relaxed. While a K-12 school is essential, it’s a pressure-cooker environment for kids. On the other hand, informal learning spaces allow children and adults to learn in a way that’s authentic and organic. People can discuss with each other why certain pieces do or do not resonate with them, while also learning their history. Museums increase empathy and kids that go to museums at least once per year show an increase in ability to empathize with other people. 

The secret of the G.L.A.M. world is that G.L.A.M people find magic in objects and they connect people to that inherent magic. It’s hard to throw away an old t-shirt or a childhood teddy bear because they have meaning to you—even if you know the object itself is monetarily worthless. Galleries, libraries, archives and museums help us understand which objects have the right magic for our times and how to make sense of it. G.L.A.M.s use objects to address deeper issues of how we attribute meaning and value in our lives—a concept that gets fuzzy sometimes in the world of intangible ideas. That’s also why museums can keep such gigantic collections—one never knows what will be relevant to people in the upcoming years. For example, objects created by and for American and European white men aren’t as salient in 2021 as they were in 2000. However, museums that have been wise enough to collect objects and art created by and for women and people of color suddenly have found that those objects have a whole new resonance for all people today!

What are you hoping to work on in the future at FableVision?
I have big ideas! I’m really excited about the European market because European museums (with the exception of Great Britain) have been traditionally more conservative than American museums when it comes to building game-based interactives or creative programming in their galleries. Now that they’ve seen how games and story-based exhibits in American museums have been reliably successful, European museums don’t think it's a  “crazy” new approach anymore and a lot of them are curious about what can be done there. 

I’m also interested in projection mapping, which is a fantastic way for visitors to interact with museum content. I was blown away by what was done with Connected Worlds at the New York Hall of Science a few years ago, and the technology has only improved and become more robust since then. Museums like the National Palace Museum of Taiwan’s Children’s Gallery 2.0 use this wonderful combination of animation and objects. Projection mapping is starting to appear in large, mainstream gallery exhibitions, like Tokyo’s teamLab Borderless or the traveling immersive projection Van Gogh exhibit. With FableVision’s incredible art and animation team plus our game design and development chops, I think we can create some interactive projection mapping installations that could knock your socks off! 

And what’s your approach to immersive projects?
I don’t want to get distracted by the perfect thing I could create if I had buckets of liquid cash because that’s seldom the situation in the G.L.A.M world. We want to figure out how to build the best possible project with what we have. I’ve developed a system to figure out what my design parameters are and that direction makes me more creative! It’s very seldom a blue sky so I systematically list out a project’s goals, resources, and restrictions and boil that down to a smaller subset of possible projects. We take a look at the funnest options that fit our design parameters and go from there. I find that the problem with creativity often isn’t too few ideas—it’s too many! A lot of it is the process of taming those big ideas into something that can really shine. 

How did you get started working in the G.L.A.M. community?
I started out as a middle school teacher, which I suppose is not too hard to imagine if you talk to me for more than ten minutes. After teaching in Shanghai for five years, I received my graduate degree in teaching to launch my teaching career in the U.S. However, I also worked as a producer at an educational video game company in Shanghai that built language learning games and created fun stories. I got bitten by the game design bug! After you’ve done that, it’s hard to give up interaction design and return to a regular K-12 classroom. I wanted to continue creating crazy new interactives! 

SCVNGR, a 2008 start-up that focused on social location-based gaming for mobile phones and later launched LevelUp, brought me on as the head of museum projects. It was the wild west—no one knew about location-based gaming and museum games at the time. My education background allowed me to help museums express their learning goals. As I worked with different people from museums across the world, I realized that they were my people, my tribe.

How have you seen the G.L.A.M. spaces react to the pandemic and what does that mean to the future of informal learning spaces?
There’s a long history of museums in America battling between academia/curation and education. Some lean toward the idea that museums are academic institutions that publish papers and do academic research, while others focus more on how museums are living, public spaces that draw and educate crowds. The pandemic shifted museums toward collections and many laid off staff in the education space. Although it’s devastating, it’s not surprising, and educators hope that this will balance out in about two years. While museums suffered during the pandemic, because the U.S. has a lot of smaller, quirkier museums (like the Hammer Museum in Alaska that I visited), people rallied to save the spaces they care about. You have a lot of special diamonds in the American museum system.

Another interesting thing is that a lot of the laid-off museum staff have become freelancers over the last year. As opening museums think about their physical spaces and their limited staff, they’re turning to their former staff, who are now independent contractors. While museums previously created a lot of in-house projects, I predict they’ll now be turning to other companies or outside sources.

How did you go from designing museum games, like Murder at the Met, to immersive projects?
There exists more overlapping between the two than people expect. I’m part of the Boston Playable Theatre Project, I taught as an adjunct professor in game design at Northeastern University for four years, and I’m friends with a lot of game designers in Boston, like Lizzie Stark, Caro Murphy and Celia Pearce. Boston has an amazing games community and games became part of the immersive scene really naturally here. So it was a natural transition for me as well, especially since my specialty is location-based games that involve a physical space. I’m best at getting people interacting with technology in a physical space.

Can you talk about some of your immersive theater projects?
At my company Green Door Labs, a Boston-based indie game design and production company, our first immersive theater project was Club Drosselmeyer 1939. A recreated swingtime Nutcracker set during WWII, it has elements from live-action role playing, escape rooms, and immersive theater cabarets. Last year, due to COVID-19, we did an audio Club Drosselmeyer, where audiences would listen to a radio show online, call different telephone numbers as they completed puzzles, and reach seven different endings. I’m hoping to do a full, in-person Club Drosselmeyer again this year. My swing dance community has been such an important resource because I’d contact my friends and be like, “Danny, let’s rewrite Nutcracker in swingtime” or “Elise, let’s get an eight-piece swing band!” Last year we also created the American Society for the Protection of Magical Creatures, an online puzzle-solving game about a magical nonprofit working to protect the magical ecology.

And lastly—you love swing dancing?
Yes! Before COVID-19, I would go dancing in the evening until 11 p.m. and then we’d go out for ice cream—at least three times per week. I’ve been dancing for a long time and I have a team called the Boston Lindy Bomb Squad, which does Lindy Bombs that focus on music, fun, and community. Every summer, we also participate in the Roaring Twenties Lawn Party at the Crane Estate. Everybody brings picnics, we wear our 1920s hats, dresses, and gloves, and we dance all day to live music.

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More About Kellian

Favorite era or decade? Definitely the 1940s—it’s the first time in the U.S. when women see real agency and independence that’s recognized by U.S. law. They began to own businesses, take leadership roles, and enter universities at higher rates. As women were employed in industry, publishing, and computing, the establishments started to realize during wartime that women are an essential addition to the workforce and public life. It was also the first time that women in the U.S. were accepted into the military, starting with the U.S. Army Air Force. Women Air Force cadets, also known as WASPs, served in clerical and mechanical roles. Some women pilots even ran domestic flight routes! (Though the first American female combat pilot didn’t fly until 1993.) I love the music, art, and imagery that showcase a sense of rebellion and joy in this dark time in history.

Favorite museum? Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum—I love the story of Isabella and what she collected and how. She was such a force of nature. For instance, the Rape of Europa is one of the most valuable pieces of art in the world and it’s not sequestered in a perfect room with perfect lighting. Isabella hung it right above a swatch of fabric from her favorite dress. Why? Because she really liked that dress. And the Titian was OK, too. She was so human, and there’s nothing like a regular person to add some humility to a great Titian masterwork. I love that humanity and the fact that the museum can’t rearrange her collection from how she set it. The Gardner allows you to see the art for what it is, not what it’s supposed to be. The Peabody Essex Museum is a very close second. I love that it’s the oldest museum in the U.S. and that it includes so many wonderful things—I could stay there forever! Fashion, natural history, classical art, Asian art, Asian export art, an actual house from China, contemporary art, oddities, and historic New England buildings—the PEM has it all! 

Favorite game? Quandary—it teaches the process of decision making, demystifies compromises, and helps kids understand the difference between fact and opinion. It’s a perfect game for middle schoolers because it’s so clear and logical. I think adults could stand to play it as well!

Favorite book? Baroness Orczy’s The Scarlet Pimpernel—what isn’t there to love? There’s a hero husband, a genius wife, secrets among them, secret identities, and the saving of nobles in France. Recently, I’ve been reading Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series.

Retelling a Legendary Tale: Mahabharata Animation Spotlight

Family, duty, and rivalry—this is the story of the Mahabharata, one of India’s oldest and most well-known Hindu epics. To take viewers on a journey through the legendary pages, FableVision partnered with the Peabody Essex Museum to animate an abridged retelling of the epic. This larger than life visual narrative is currently projected on a gallery wall and featured on the museum’s website for virtual tours. 

The longest epic in existence, the Mahabharata is the source of stories and teachings that have been part of life in India for two thousand years. It tells the story of the Pandavas and Kauravas, two families born of the same blood. Their conflict is one that is morally grey, with heroes and villains on both sides. The animation begins with author Vyasa, who unfolds the story of the Pandavas and Kauravas as they struggle to reconcile jealousy and rivalries that comes to a head in a grand battle. As Vyasa tells the story to the Hindu deity of beginnings Ganesha, the epic comes to life before our very eyes.

The animated epic will feature alongside paintings by Maqbool Fida (M. F.) Husain, one of India’s best-known modern artists. To introduce Husain's work and additional pieces inspired by his vision, FableVision wove elements of the prolific artists’ paintings into the animation and worked with subject matter experts and curators from the museum to create a compelling and poignant animated homage. The exhibit features works inspired by Husain’s vision of the Mahabharata, alongside paintings, sculptures, and other historical materials that showcase India's long and layered history. The South Asian Art exhibition is available for viewing in the physical museum as well as online for people to enjoy.

FableVision’s art team was led by Director of Art & Animation, Bob Flynn, and Lead Designer on the project, Jane Winters. “Early on in development, I came across the work of Natalia Goncharova, Mystical Images of War. Bold shapes, striking composition, gritty textures—all produced in black and white lithographs,” shared Winters. “We took these elements and used them in the overall design of characters, props, and backgrounds. Lastly, we made sure that the characters could be identifiable by silhouetted shapes because they all had such important roles in the story.”

Color played possibly the biggest role in differentiating the two sides of the family and setting the tone of each scene. Because we were working with a limited color palette, we wanted it to be clear which family was the Pandavas—Red—and which family was the Kauravas—Grey. As far as storytelling, we used a combination of close-up and wide shots to communicate the emotions and struggles through facial expressions, hands, weapons, and more.

FableVision is proud to partner with the Peabody Essex Museum to present this moving testament to the Mahabharata’s rich, significant, and complicated history. Watch the video now, and pay a visit to the exhibit to experience more of Mahabrata’s vast and dynamic history. And be sure to check out our previous collaborations with the Peabody Essex Museum, including the quirky, animated history of Augustus the Strong.

To learn more about the animation and exhibit, read Peabody Essex Museum’s blog post here, watch the BBC World News America clip here, and check out GBH’s “Arts This Week” feature here.

Top 9 FableVision Moments of 2020

2020 has been a year of unprecedented change—but also a time of resiliency in the face of challenge. We have seen innovative educators, creatives, and more step up to the plate to keep the learning going for students of all ages, no matter where they are.

And there is no better way to wrap up our year than with the streaming of “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” at this year’s virtual Holiday Pops Celebration. We’re so thankful for incredible partnerships and projects such as this, and for all those who helped us continue to find safe, fun, and exciting ways to connect this year, even where we’re physically apart.

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1. FableVision Games

Our highlight of 2020 is the launch of our new games platform, FableVision Games! Timely as ever, FableVision Games offers state-of-the-art, research-based games and educator tools, poised for this time of remote and blended classroom learning. Stay tuned for more games launching in 2021!

The FableVision Games lineup includes: 

Zoombinis: a relaunch of the classic, beloved ’90s game “Logical Journey of Zoombinis” created in partnership with TERC and the Learning Games Network. The game teaches Computational Thinking to grades 3-8.

Cyberchase Fractions Quest: an immersive game based on the popular, award-winning PBS KIDS series Cyberchase that combines a high-stakes adventure story with a research-based approach to fractions learning. Created in partnership with WNET and the Education Development Center (EDC) through Phase I and II support from the IES Department of Education’s SBIR program.

Civics! An American Musical: an online game for middle school students that promotes the importance of civics and teaches how to analyze primary sources. Created in partnership with Maryland Public Television, Maryland Humanities, and Tufts’ CIRCLE, as part of the Library of Congress’ Teaching with Primary Sources program.

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2. Design Principles

On our mission to tell “stories that matter, stories that move” and create positive media that moves the world to a better place, the studio authored our core design principles to share the pedagogy behind our approach. No matter the type of media—educational games, animation, museum interactives, websites, Augmented Reality experience—or the subject matter, our focus is always on the needs of our end-user, the context of their learning, and the impact of our product.

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FableVision President Gary Goldberger (left) and Communications Director Sarah Ditkoff (right) accept the KAPi Award for Keenville at the 2020 CES Convention in January.

3. Award Winners!

We pride ourselves on the quality, creativity, and educational value of our educational media and game-based projects. You don’t have to take our word for it, though! The awards we’ve won speak for themselves.

This year, we were honored to accept an award for Keenville, our literacy and math game-based assessment created in partnership with the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) and Georgia Center for Assessment. Keenville was recognized as a “Noteworthy School Product” in the 2020 Kids At Play Interactive (KAPi) Awards.

Galaxia, a bullying prevention game developed in partnership with the National Health Promotion Associates as a part of their Botvin LifeSkills Training middle school curriculum, was selected as an EdTech “Cool Tool” finalist for 2020.

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4. Amazing Partners

2020 was also a year of innovative collaborations towards a more educated and empathetic world. Here are just some of the incredible organizations we were proud to partner with this year.

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FableVision Executive Producer Peter Stidwill presents at the virtual Games for Change Festival.

5. Thought Leadership

The FableVision team’s insights shone this year as they shared their expertise and best practices at a number of industry conferences. 

Gary Goldberger, FableVision president and co-founder, spoke at the Unity for Humanity Summit about FableVision’s core design principles and how Unity creators can make accessible educational games.

Executive Producer Peter Stidwill joined three panel presentations in 2020. He presented at the SXSW EDU Conference and Festival and the Serious Play Conference on how games can teach and assess 21st Century skills. Peter also presented at the 2020 Games for Change Festival, where he shared his knowledge and best practices to make educational games more accessible. 

Creative Director, Leigh Hallisey, also attended the Library of Congress Consortium Meeting to present a poster session on our newly-launched U.S. history learning game Civics! An American Musical.

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6. Resources in the Era of Social Distancing

To support teachers, students, and families in this time of remote and blended learning, FableVision developed a myriad of robust resources to help people stay informed and to keep the learning going through this era of social distancing. 

As students and teachers around the world stayed at home to reduce risk, FableVision compiled a list of our favorite distance learning games, animation, and other resources to make finding engaging, quality digital learning tools easier.

To build awareness during Mental Health Awareness Month and beyond, we curated a list of FableVision-developed resources that facilitate open and honest conversations about mental health, self-love, and healthy coping skills.

For summer 2020, FableVision invited everyone to join us for a social distanced and educational virtual summer picnic, complete with educational games, animation, and more to help students have fun and keep their minds sharp throughout the season.

We teamed with the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP) to produce a series of videos educating people on how clinical trials produce new treatments and vaccines.

To support educators and students as they returned to their school routines in the fall, FableVision joined over 70 federally-funded researchers and developers to produce a series of educational technology guides and resources covering a range of topics.

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7. FableVision In the News

In 2020, we were also thrilled and honored to see our work in the news, at festivals, and beyond where it can reach more audiences!  

The Animation World Network highlighted The Paper Girls Show, our new animated series created in partnership with Global Tinker that empowers young girls to play, imagine, make, and learn with STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics).  

Don’t Mix Us Up, our witty and catchy animated music video series was featured at the Bay Area International Children’s Film Festival, where attendees were able to learn all about the dangers of confusing look-alike objects. 

And last but not least, over 3,500 Lubbock County second-graders read FableVision founder Peter H. Reynolds’ book The World Collector as a part of the United We Read initiative! The festivities also featured a special video message from Peter Reynolds, encouraging their reading efforts.

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8. Seasonal Banners

Spring banner designed by FableVision production artist Julie Oliveira

Summer banner designed by FableVision director of art & animation Bob Flynn

Fall banner designed by FableVision lead artist Christina Kelly

Winter banner designed by FableVision production artist Julie Oliveira

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9. Our Incredible Team

The FableVision team celebrates the KAPi Award for Keenville in January 2020.

What a year. We count ourselves lucky to have an amazing staff that not only rolled with the punches but excelled with grace, grit, and a sense of humor. From our virtual offices to yours—the future looks bright from here. Stay safe. See you in 2021!

Earth Day Spotlight: Smithsonian's Secrets of the Sea

Happy Earth Day from all of us at FableVision!

This Earth Day is especially important because it’s the 50th anniversary of the holiday. To celebrate, we’re excited to announce the launch of the Smithsonian’s Secrets of the Sea. In Secrets of the Sea, viewers explore all the beautiful secrets of a coral reef and learn from explorers who have dedicated their lives to unearthing those treasures and the scientists at the frontlines of fighting climate change to protect habitats such as these. This immersive digital experience comes just in time for this holiday all about celebrating the planet.

While it’s always a good time to make sure we’re doing our part in being green and promoting a healthy, clean environment for people, animals, and plants alike, Earth Day reminds us of just how crucial it is for all of us to do our part. From turning off your faucet during your 20 seconds of handwashing to not buying what you don’t need, there are many little things you can do to help protect and care for our planet, even during this time of social distancing and staying safe at home. 

Education is an especially important aspect of fostering and promoting environmentally-friendly habits, and is central to the FableVision mission. Learning about our environment and how different organisms are affected by our actions can help us to be more aware. From the trees outside our windows to the tiny ocean species most of us never see, finding out more about other living things can broaden our horizons and show us just how important conservation and sustainability are. 

That’s why we were honored to partner with the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access on Secrets of the Sea. To bring the underwater world of the coral reef to life, FableVision created artwork and animation for the digital experience. Guided by reference art and research provided by the Smithsonian, FableVision designed scientifically accurate 2D zooplankton, and designed, animated, rigged, and skinned 3D models.

So this Earth Day, experience the wonders of the Earth’s coral reefs for yourself. And be sure to also check out our other projects created in collaboration with the Smithsonian, such as Weather Lab, an online game that helps you understand how North America’s weather is formed, and Good Thinking!: The Science of Teaching Science, an animation series that enhances science education for K-8 teachers and students. Both were created with the Smithsonian Science Education Center and are available online for free!