How we worked with Sunderland students to create a vaping animation for Public Health.
Kicking Things Off..
Sometimes a project lands on your desk that just feels important from the word go. This was one of them.
Sunderland Public Health got in touch with us about making an awareness video on vaping and something specifically aimed at younger people to help them understand the risks and think twice before picking one up.
It could have been just another standard animation brief… but we knew we wanted to do something different. Something that didn’t just talk at young people, but spoke with them. And that’s exactly how Sandhill View Academy’s Year 10 media students found themselves at the heart of this project.
So why was this Public Health campaign needed?
Vaping’s been hitting the headlines a lot lately – and not in a good way!
While it can be a tool for some adults to quit smoking, it’s also become a big temptation for teenagers. The fruity flavours, colourful packaging, and social media hype make it look harmless but Public Health Sunderland wanted to set the record straight.
The brief was simple: make something eye-catching, short and shareable that would stick in young people’s minds. The challenge? Make it genuine enough that it wouldn’t get instantly dismissed as “just another school lecture in disguise.”
The Workshop – Getting students involved in the project
As part of our commitment to social value, the first thing we did was to arrange an introduction to video production and animation workshop with some local students.
Sandhill View Academy kindly opened the doors to us and facilitated a session with a group of their year 10 media students.
Luke and Claire from team Turps Film hosted with a couple of members from Public Health Sunderland in attendance and some fantastically enthusiastic students listened to the presentation.
Following an overview of the world of video and animation, we ran through the proposed animation project with the students to obtain their feedback on character designs and the script.
The students:
Talked about what vaping looks like in their world
Highlighted the myths and “half-truths” they hear from peers
Suggested visuals and characters that felt relatable to them
This wasn’t us fishing for token ideas the students genuinely shaped the tone, style, and message of the campaign- after all, it’s their demographic who are the audience so their opinion mattered hugely. And honestly, they nailed it!
From classroom ideas to script and storyboard
Once we’d soaked up all their input, we went away and turned it into a structured storyboard. We kept the honesty they’d suggested, while layering in the facts from Public Health Sunderland.
The script was designed to be short, sharp, and to the point – no long-winded lectures, just a clear message about the risks of vaping.
Bringing the Animation to life
This is where the magic happens. Our animators took the approved storyboard and transformed it into a bold, vibrant animation that grabs attention from the first frame.
We played with colour, pacing, and visual metaphors to make the message memorable without getting preachy. Every scene was designed to keep young viewers engaged while still delivering the facts.
Here’s a section from the storyboard following the students feedback on designs and script:
The best bit – student voiceovers
When it came time to record the voiceover, we didn’t bring in a professional. We went back to Sandhill Academy and set up shop so the Year 10 students could do it themselves.
The result? A genuine, youth-led awareness video with voices that actually sound like the audience it’s speaking to. It gave the animation authenticity you just can’t fake.
Launching the Campaign
With the final cut now ready, Public Health Sunderland are able to roll it out across social media, schools and community spaces. It’s not just another ‘lecture piece’ — it’s something young people have created for their own peers.
And that’s the real win here. Yes, we delivered a polished public health campaign that hit the brief, but we also left behind a group of students who now know exactly what goes into producing a professional animation.
Why this approach works for Public Health campaigns
If you want young people to take notice, you’ve got to involve them. It’s that simple. Too many public health campaigns miss the mark because they’re built without input from the audience they’re meant to reach.
By co-creating with Sandhill View Academy’s students, we made something they’re proud of and because of that, they’re more likely to share it, talk about it and champion the message.
Animation was the perfect choice for public health messaging because it’s flexible, eye-catching and can explain tricky subjects in a way that’s easy to understand.
For this project, it meant we could mix facts and creative visuals and appeal to younger audiences.
Wrapping Up
This project ticked all the boxes. Not just for Public Health Sunderland, but for us too. We got to use our skills to make a real difference, involve local students in a meaningful way, and create an awareness video that actually feels like it belongs to its audience.
If more public health campaigns were built this way, we reckon the messages would stick a whole lot better.
Here’s the final video:
See more of our animation work HERE.
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