User Generated Content (UGC)

Can animation be used to generate UGC?

The Cookroaches is an online cookery show that teaches basic recipes to 16-34 year olds through comical animated films.  After watching the recipe, people are encouraged to film themselves preparing the meal and then upload it to Youtube as a video response.  This will demonstrate that the recipes are truly being followed and it is hoped that these videos will mirror the comedy of the animation.

Here is the original Cookroaches video:

And here is a video response showing a user following the recipe:

Project Outcomes
The guy in the second film has genuinely never cooked a roast chicken dinner before and this video demonstrates his first attempt.  The aim of the Cookroaches show is to encourage young people to adopt new recipes and pass them on, with their uploaded video responses documenting their participation.  By uploading their own videos, the public can express their enthusiasm for this project.  They are able to create content that they are proud to share through social media, which in turn, promotes the recipes and the over all Cookroaches project and its sponsors.

Entertainment

UGC also allows the public to express themselves creatively and develop their own style of entertainment.  Youtube is home to many user generated films that have attracted millions of views, such as Merton's Chat Roulette video:

The most notable aspect of the above Cookroaches UGC film is the comedy, which over-shadows the fact that the user is following a recipe.  By launching a project that encourages UGC, it is hoped that the public will express their comical and creative abilities and upload videos that not only show them following the recipe, but also show their ability to create original forms of entertainment and comedy. 

Using Animation to Encourage UGC
Launching shows online allows animators to further explore the concept of 'what makes an animated show?'  Animators can adopt styles that would not really work for a 30 minute broadcast TV show.  A good example of this is the Sticks series by Brothers Mcleod which is original and innovative in both its style of animation and its narrative.

Most film and animation shows launched online have a very low budget and appear in short films that use minimal sets and props.

Alan Partridge's Mid-Morning Matters, for example, has the same camera angles pointing into the same small set, and this is all this film requires as it attempts to mirror audience behaviour and online communication methods (such as video blogs and webcams).
When developing an animated show that is designed to encourage UGC, it is important to recognise that their is no need for detailed and complicated animation techniques.  When animating the Cookroaches I tried to create a film that looked as if it were user generated.  The walk cycles are very basic and I have allowed some shots to be out of focus and full of flickering light.  This will help the film to relate to the UGC, rather than having a professional style that alienates it from the UGC it is trying to encourage.