Masterclass
Can innovation solve an impossible timeline?
Watch: Making a Masterclass
"The brief seemed impossible—tight timeline, ambitious creative, technical challenges. Calling Society was our best decision."
-Marianna Ludensky
Creative Director, Masterclass
Two hours of premium animation on a schedule typically allocated for a two-minute piece. This seemingly impossible equation landed on Society's desk when MasterClass approached us in 2020 to produce their first-ever fully animated course, challenging every convention of production timelines and creative process. The global pandemic had halted live-action production, and MasterClass needed an innovative solution to bring Emmy Award-winning voice actor Nancy Cartwright's teaching to life.
The scope was unprecedented - nearly 120 minutes of animated content requiring multiple characters, environments, and consistent quality throughout. Traditional animation pipelines would typically require 6-12 months for such an undertaking. We had three months. Society's response exemplified our approach to technical innovation. Rather than simply scaling up conventional processes, we fundamentally reimagined the animation pipeline. The breakthrough came through our development of a hybrid 2D/3D character system. Working with our longtime animation partners Fraser Davidson and Ben Skinner, we created 3D character models with integrated 2D mouth animations. This innovative approach, combined with custom-developed plugins like "Joysticks and Sliders," allowed us to sync Nancy's dialogue with character lip movements at unprecedented speed - reducing what would typically be months of animation time to mere weeks.
Society's response exemplified our approach to technical innovation. Rather than simply scaling up conventional processes, we fundamentally reimagined the animation pipeline. The breakthrough came through our development of a hybrid 2D/3D character system. Working with our longtime animation partners Fraser Davidson and Ben Skinner, we created 3D character models with integrated 2D mouth animations. This innovative approach, combined with custom-developed plugins like "Joysticks and Sliders," allowed us to sync Nancy's dialogue with character lip movements at unprecedented speed - reducing what would typically be months of animation time to mere weeks. The project demanded we design and animate: -10 distinct characters across three main categories -Multiple environments ranging from Nancy's home studio to stylized memory sequences -Nearly two hours of character animation -Supplementary B-roll footage for marketing -Title sequences and educational graphics
Our global team, coordinating entirely through Zoom, delivered animation at a pace that rivaled top-tier studios - shipping minutes of high-quality content daily rather than weekly. This efficiency didn't come at the cost of creativity or quality. Each character retained its distinctive personality, every environment was carefully crafted, and the educational content remained clear and engaging throughout. The project's success validated Society's approach to technical innovation: identify the core challenge, develop new tools and processes to address it, and maintain quality while dramatically improving efficiency. The result was MasterClass's first animated course, delivered on time and on budget, during a global pandemic.
BY THE NUMBERS
MINUTES OF ANIMATION: 120 MONTHS TO DELIVER: 3 ZOOM CALLS: 74 REMOTE ANIMATORS: 12 CHARACTER DESIGNS: 28 PANIC ATTACKS: MULTIPLE
BUDGET: EMAIL US
Masterclass
Can innovation solve an ‘impossible’ timeline?
Watch: Making a Masterclass
"The brief seemed impossible—tight timeline, ambitious creative, technical challenges. Calling Society was our best decision."
-Marianna Ludensky
Creative Director, Masterclass
Two hours of premium animation on a schedule typically allocated for a two-minute piece. This seemingly impossible equation landed on Society's desk when MasterClass approached us in 2020 to produce their first-ever fully animated course, challenging every convention of production timelines and creative process. The global pandemic had halted live-action production, and MasterClass needed an innovative solution to bring Emmy Award-winning voice actor Nancy Cartwright's teaching to life.
The scope was unprecedented - nearly 120 minutes of animated content requiring multiple characters, environments, and consistent quality throughout. Traditional animation pipelines would typically require 6-12 months for such an undertaking. We had three months. Society's response exemplified our approach to technical innovation. Rather than simply scaling up conventional processes, we fundamentally reimagined the animation pipeline. The breakthrough came through our development of a hybrid 2D/3D character system. Working with our longtime animation partners Fraser Davidson and Ben Skinner, we created 3D character models with integrated 2D mouth animations. This innovative approach, combined with custom-developed plugins like "Joysticks and Sliders," allowed us to sync Nancy's dialogue with character lip movements at unprecedented speed - reducing what would typically be months of animation time to mere weeks.
Society's response exemplified our approach to technical innovation. Rather than simply scaling up conventional processes, we fundamentally reimagined the animation pipeline. The breakthrough came through our development of a hybrid 2D/3D character system. Working with our longtime animation partners Fraser Davidson and Ben Skinner, we created 3D character models with integrated 2D mouth animations. This innovative approach, combined with custom-developed plugins like "Joysticks and Sliders," allowed us to sync Nancy's dialogue with character lip movements at unprecedented speed - reducing what would typically be months of animation time to mere weeks. The project demanded we design and animate: -10 distinct characters across three main categories -Multiple environments ranging from Nancy's home studio to stylized memory sequences -Nearly two hours of character animation -Supplementary B-roll footage for marketing -Title sequences and educational graphics
Our global team, coordinating entirely through Zoom, delivered animation at a pace that rivaled top-tier studios - shipping minutes of high-quality content daily rather than weekly. This efficiency didn't come at the cost of creativity or quality. Each character retained its distinctive personality, every environment was carefully crafted, and the educational content remained clear and engaging throughout. The project's success validated Society's approach to technical innovation: identify the core challenge, develop new tools and processes to address it, and maintain quality while dramatically improving efficiency. The result was MasterClass's first animated course, delivered on time and on budget, during a global pandemic.
BY THE NUMBERS
MINUTES OF ANIMATION: 120 MONTHS TO DELIVER: 3 ZOOM CALLS: 74 REMOTE ANIMATORS: 12 CHARACTER DESIGNS: 28 PANIC ATTACKS: MULTIPLE
BUDGET: EMAIL US