NinjaGear – Grappling Hook Spot

Created as part of an assignment for School of Motion, this project originally focused on designing key style frames based on a provided storyboard for NinjaGear – a brand selling tactical ninja equipment tailored for the everyday person.

To push the project further, I took the initiative to fully animate the sequence and produce a complete promo video.

The concept blends humor with sleek product design: showcasing items like a heavy-duty grappling hook and highlighting how ninja tools can be used for everyday household tasks.

The Creative Process & Design Workflow

1️⃣ Concept & Composition: Analyzed the brief and storyboard to establish a visually engaging narrative, balancing a playful tone with a clean, high-end product aesthetic.

2️⃣ Asset Preparation & Style Frames (Adobe Photoshop): Carefully masked stock photography, applied custom adjustment layers, and integrated vector graphic elements to build cohesive visual frames.

3️⃣ Layer Structuring for Motion: Organised and layered the Photoshop files precisely to prepare them for a seamless transition into animation.

4️⃣ Motion & Animation (Adobe After Effects): Beyond the course brief, I brought the frames to life in After Effects, focusing on dynamic timing, smooth transitions, and secondary motion to enhance the humor.

5️⃣ Voiceover & Final Edit (ElevenLabs & Adobe Premiere Pro): Generated a custom AI voiceover using ElevenLabs, then assembled the final cut in Premiere Pro with sound design and audio-visual timing.

Why Style Frames Matter for Clients

🟣 Developing polished style frames early in the creative pipeline establishes the exact visual tone, lighting, and mood before production begins – saving valuable time and ensuring client alignment before full animation starts.

Style Frames

"A grappling hook can reach 30 feet..."

"and support over 800 pounds."

"So yeah..."

"It can get you up on the roof."

(transition)

"Ladders are for chumps."

"Clean your gutters in style."

"NinjaGear."

"Because why should ninjas have all the fun?"