‘Hanging by a Thread’: Students address mental health through animation

AMMAN — In graduation projects, college students have the opportunity to demonstrate the skills they have learned, emphasize clear messages, and unleash their creativity, empathy, and humanity. “Hanging by a thread”, a video created by three young Jordanian animators, certainly ticks all those boxes.اضافة اعلان

Farah Srour, Joud Al-Wekhyan, and Rama Nouman, students who recently completed their bachelors degree in computer graphics and animation at Al-Balqa Applied University, designed the two-minute video as their graduation project.

Drawing on online research and survey data, the video attempts to depict the reality of burnout by portraying a girl attending school and wandering through a city, while daydreams and imaginations flood her mind. School papers swirl and pills pile up against a dull bluish-gray background, carefully chosen to reflect the topic.

“By addressing this subject, we will hopefully help make a difference for those suffering or make them feel understood in a way and encourage them to seek help.”

“By addressing this subject, we will hopefully help make a difference for those suffering or make them feel understood in a way and encourage them to seek help,” the three animators wrote in their final project.

Offering hopeAccording to Srour, the trio’s artistic inspiration came from the pressure they faced in college, the toll their senior year took on them, and a desire to explore a state of perpetual despair while offering people the courage and the will to carry on.



Set to the melody of Em Beihold's "Numb Little Bug", the video gives a virtual pat-on-the-back to all those struggling with mental health, reassuring them that they are not alone.

The young creators recognized that mental health is not always what it seems to be: a person who seems unflappable may actually be on-edge, and even the most composed and even-keeled individuals could experience mental health problems that cause numerous challenges, Srour said.

‘Simple is powerful’In terms of technical work, the team used a variety of software in different stages of execution, including professional tools such as Autodesk Sketchbook, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Animate, and Adobe After Effects.

“We wanted our main character to look simple so as not to distract from the flow of the video or the message it sends. Simple is powerful. Simple is difficult to pull off.”

However, technical precision is not everything. The creators also innovated to create a compelling storyline that expresses common humanity in each artwork, storyboard, and animated frame.

“When we started, we worked out a script which we built our storyboard on, then the sketching followed,” said Srour. “We wanted our main character to look simple so as not to distract from the flow of the video or the message it sends. Simple is powerful. Simple is difficult to pull off.”

A call to actionAbout the ending of the video, the artist said: “We wanted to conclude our video with a call to action, directing people to mental health service providers with the message that it is okay to ask for help and it is okay to let the people offering help you.”

“We wanted to conclude our video with a call to action, directing people to mental health service providers with the message that it is okay to ask for help and it is okay to let the people offering help you.”

This captivating video serves as a reminder of the transformative and redemptive power of art and the great capabilities of youth.


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