Aardman Animations, the award-winning studio behind Wallace and Gromit, partnered with Huawei Mobile to develop StorySign, an educational app for deaf children. The app, launched in 13 countries, helps children learn to read popular books with the aid of an animated character, Star, who provides sign language support.
Aardman needed to source deaf actors who could wear a motion capture suit and sign the books in different sign languages. Since there are over 300 sign languages globally, native-signing deaf actors were required for each language version. The team faced difficulties in recruiting the right actors across 13 languages, including British, Dutch, Spanish, and Swiss German.
We quickly sourced 13 deaf actors for the required sign languages, coordinating with sign language interpreters in each market. The actors needed to be female, petite, and available to shoot in London within just 2½ weeks. Our team also sourced qualified sign language and spoken language interpreters to facilitate smooth communication between the actors and the production team.
Additionally, we recruited 10 deaf actors for the StorySign launch advertisement and sourced sign language interpreters for a heartwarming trip to Lapland, where deaf children and their families met Santa. Our interpreters ensured that the families could fully enjoy the experience.
Successfully sourced 13 deaf actors in 13 languages for StorySign, meeting tight deadlines.
Facilitated smooth communication between actors, interpreters, and the production team, ensuring accuracy and efficiency.
Coordinated a magical experience for deaf children and their families, helping them meet Santa with full sign language support.
Reading made more accessible to hundreds of deaf children across 13 countries.
"Comtec worked hard to help us achieve our deadlines, and we were really pleased with the high standard of all translators and interpreters that were sourced for us."Hannah Richmond
"Comtec worked hard to help us achieve our deadlines, and we were really pleased with the high standard of all translators and interpreters that were sourced for us."Hannah Richmond
"Comtec worked hard to help us achieve our deadlines, and we were really pleased with the high standard of all translators and interpreters that were sourced for us."Hannah Richmond
"Comtec worked hard to help us achieve our deadlines, and we were really pleased with the high standard of all translators and interpreters that were sourced for us."Hannah Richmond
"Comtec worked hard to help us achieve our deadlines, and we were really pleased with the high standard of all translators and interpreters that were sourced for us."Hannah Richmond
StorySign has been one of the most challenging and rewarding projects we’ve worked on. We’re excited to continue supporting this evolving initiative by providing actors and interpreters for additional sign language versions.
We’ve worked with hundreds of companies on a global scale, across a variety of industries. We’re proud to support our clients in a variety of languages and campaigns.
