Fossil fuels have been the main driver of Nigeria’s economy since the 1960s, so it can be difficult for a renewable energy company to get a look-in. SunFi, which helps people finance solar panels and storage batteries, aims to change all that and turned to Studio Morfar in Copenhagen to create a short video to win the hearts and minds of Nigerian consumers. Out with dirty generators, in with clean solar energy.
The two-minute piece is a striking departure from explainers you’ll see from other energy companies, which typically feature vector outlines of houses with solar panels and little sparks running along cables to batteries or pylons that represent the grid. Instead, the aesthetic was laid down by British illustrator and animator Con McHugh, who works in a rougher, wobblier, and more honest style but is still bold and graphic.
“When I found Con’s work, the first thing that stood out was just how clever he is at creating playful transitions between light and dark. He has this amazing ability to capture so much emotion and energy through simple compositions,” says director and Studio Morfar co-founder Torsten Power.
In act one, the darkness closes in.
The second brave decision was to base the video on a single, inspirational concept: light. As a result, the story and visuals are divided into two acts. The first is entirely black and white, depicting a city where energy sources are unreliable and people live under strain. But in the second act, the sun’s power illuminates a world full of lively blues, greens and yellows. Each is accompanied by a unique soundscape composed by Alysha Takoushian.
“In the first act, everything is framed by beams of light. We had a lot of fun experimenting with how the characters interacted with these shapes. We wanted to show characters struggling to keep the lights on, quite literally pushing back at these light beams and feeling very claustrophobic,” says Con McHugh.
He continues: “Our decision to go black and white for the first act really lends itself to this idea of contrast, and it made sense then to go full colour for our final act. This was a real challenge for me as an illustrator who works mostly in black and white, and Torsten and the team at Studio Morfar were brilliant for trusting me to do something I had never tried before.”
In act two, the sun shines and life begins anew.
It was a risky project for Studio Morfar on a number of levels. The SunFi piece is the studio’s first motion work, and Torsten and his team wanted to make a big impression and repay the client’s trust. “We were also cautious of the fact that none of our team are from Nigeria, so we were very reliant on the client’s direction regarding what was culturally appropriate and accurate. They were so helpful in sending us visual references and even afrobeat playlists for the second act,” says Torsten.
It became an even closer collaboration with SunFi when Studio Morfar invited the founder, Rotimi Thomas, to read the voiceover. “When I proposed the idea, I thought Rotimi would think I was insane, but it turned out he’d not only done a couple of voice acting gigs before but also had studio-grade recording equipment in his home. He was brilliant – altering the script where it didn’t sound natural and sending countless drafts, all with different variations ranging from sad to happy to energetic to relaxed,” says Torsten.
Thanks to SunFi’s innovation and Studio Morfar’s creativity, Nigerians are discovering an alternative to fossil fuel electricity.
Behind the scenes images from Con McHugh’s sketchbook.