Pope Francis receives thousands of letters from children from around the world every year, and the Jesuit Ministry Press, Chicago decided to take on the task of compiling 250 of these letters and the Pope’s personal answers to each of them. As part of the launch for “Dear Pope Francis,” Jesuit Ministry Press contacted Chicago video graphics company Daily Planet Productions to create a video trailer for the web. Producer Katy McDevitt, told us the concept they had in mind required a look that would appeal to children, but also contain renderings of architecture and world landmarks. Soosan Joon, represented by Diane Boston of Way Art, turned out to be the perfect fit and was awarded the job.
The video begins in live action but quickly moves into animation as a letter from an eight-year-old girl named Basia flys out her window and around the world on its way to Vatican City and Pope Francis. Soosan provided roughly 20 drawings of world landmarks amid landscapes and cityscapes in layered Photoshop files. The animator’s use of parallax technique helped to create a sense of dynamic space and a feeling of adventure as the letter swirls through space on its journey.