For this academic project, I was tasked with creating a short animation of 30 seconds or longer. I chose to explore the meaning behind Mel Robbins’ Let Them Theory, a concept I had encountered through social media and strongly resonated with. The theory centers on releasing the need for external validation and allowing others to hold their own opinions without letting them dictate your actions or self-worth.

Script

“The Truth is, people will have negative opinions about you and there’s absolutely nothing you can do to change this fact. When you allow your fear of what other people think to stop you from doing what you want to do, you become a prisoner to other people’s opinions. This fear impacts every aspect of your life. It makes you procrastinate; it makes you doubt yourself and question your worth. It can paralyze you with perfectionism. It’s the reason why you overthink. This is where that ends. It’s time to give people the freedom to think what they want.
Let Them.”

Storyboard

During the storyboarding phase, I focused on visually communicating why the viewer should consider applying the Let Them Theory to their own life. The story follows a central protagonist navigating a series of emotional and mental struggles. Through this journey, the character learns to release control and avoid repeating patterns of people-pleasing that once dominated their life.

Animatic

The animatic allowed me to plan the pacing, timing, and transitions between scenes. Directional red arrows were used to visually map how each moment flows into the next, ensuring smooth transitions and a cohesive narrative throughout the animation.

Illustrations

The illustrations were intentionally kept minimal and expressive, using simple doodle-style visuals unified by a limited colour palette of red, yellow, white, and varying tones of black. Most elements are designed as flat 2D shapes, with the exception of the jail bars, which incorporate subtle gradient effects to create a sense of depth and reinforce the theme of emotional confinement.

Final Project

This project was one of the final motion graphics pieces completed during my degree, and it reflects the growth of my technical and conceptual skills over the past three years. I applied a wide range of techniques, from sketching in Procreate to refining assets in Illustrator and animating the final piece in After Effects. Overall, this project was both creatively fulfilling and personally meaningful, allowing me to combine storytelling, design, and motion to communicate a powerful message.