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Dr Christian Egly
A Creative Proposal
A short film that follows an ion channel from its earliest stages of production through to the cell surface — a welcoming introduction for students discovering the field, and a clear window onto the questions driving your new lab.
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A Note from David
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About Scrolly Science
Scrolly Science is the specialist science-communication brand of Animara Studios Ltd. We work with researchers to turn complex science into clear visual communication, from short explainers through to detailed molecular and cellular animation.
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What We Heard
You've recently moved from Vanderbilt to the University of Houston to establish a lab focused on ion channels and their relationship to cardiac arrhythmias.
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The Work
Ion channels are proteins that regulate the movement of charged particles across cell membranes. In cardiac cells, their activity helps shape the electrical signals that coordinate the heartbeat.
Changes in channel function or availability can contribute to abnormal rhythms, making their biology an important subject for both research and teaching.
Your proposed story begins before a channel can carry out that role. The protein must be synthesised, folded and processed, then transported to the right place at the cell surface. Following the pathway from ribosome to endoplasmic reticulum to Golgi gives us a visual thread through the cell. It also provides a way to introduce how disruption at different stages can affect the number or function of channels at the membrane.
For students, that journey offers an accessible route into a complex research area. For the new lab, it could become a clear and memorable introduction to the science you study and the questions you're working to answer.
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The Script
A first creative outline written with a student audience in mind. The visuals are intended to show the direction, not prescribe the final storyboard, and we'd refine the scientific detail with you before production.
Timing
Visual
Voiceover
Scene 1 · The hook
A single heartbeat, pulsing. We push in past the beat, toward the cells behind it.
Every heartbeat you've ever had was kept in time by something far too small to see.
Scene 2 · The gatekeepers
A cell's surface. Tiny gates open and close, letting charged particles flow through.
Ion channels. Tiny protein gates in the surface of your cells, opening and closing to keep the heart's rhythm steady.
Scene 3 · The journey
We travel inside the cell and watch a channel being built and moved: ribosome, then ER, then Golgi.
But a channel has a journey to make first. It's built at the ribosome, folded into shape in the endoplasmic reticulum, then carried through the Golgi on its way to the surface.
Scene 4 · When it goes wrong
The journey falters. A channel doesn't reach the surface. The steady rhythm from the opening stumbles.
If any step goes wrong, the channel may never arrive where it's needed. And when enough of them don't, the heart's rhythm can falter.
Scene 5 · The close
Back to a clear, steady heartbeat. The lab's name and website settle on screen.
Understanding that journey helps researchers investigate what happens when ion channels don't reach the right place or work as they should. At the Egly Lab, we're exploring those questions. Come and discover the science with us.
An initial concept for discussion, not a final script. We can refine the scientific emphasis, closing invitation and featured topic together.
Two creative treatments
Visual Direction
Both would be shaped around the same scientific story, but they offer a different viewing experience. We recommend Scrolly Explainer for this brief because the central aim is to make a complex cellular journey easy to follow.
Option 1: Scrolly Explainer
Recommended
A crafted 2D animation with clear, approachable design and carefully structured visual explanations. Layered illustration and subtle 2.5D depth help viewers follow the route from ribosome to ER, through the Golgi and towards the membrane, without a full 3D build. Warm, precise and easy to revisit — well-suited to teaching and introducing prospective students.
Option 2: Scrolly Cinematic
More atmospheric
A more atmospheric treatment combining motion design with carefully directed AI-assisted visual sequences and mixed-media techniques. Stronger sense of scale and discovery as a flagship introduction to the lab, with more emphasis on mood and visual impact than on illustrating every stage in detail.
Scope
What We Will Build
One film of approximately 60 seconds, produced as either Scrolly Explainer or Scrolly Cinematic, depending on the agreed creative direction.
The film
Approximately 60 seconds
Ion channel production and trafficking as the initial subject, with the option to refine or change the focus before the script is approved.
Script development
Written by our team
Your input and approval at the key stages, keeping the time required from you manageable.
Storyboard sign-off
Before animation begins
Sam supporting scientific accuracy throughout, so you can check the story when revisions are easiest.
Delivery package
Master plus web and social versions
Optional social promotion and impact report if dissemination becomes part of a future grant or outreach plan — not assumed in the core scope.
Four stages
How We Work
A straightforward four-stage process, with clear opportunities for your input. Sam would advise on the approach and scientific accuracy throughout.
Script
01
We agree the topic and the angle, then write a script built around your work. You review and approve it before anything moves on.
Storyboard
02
We set out the visual sequence before animation begins, so you can check the story, scientific detail and overall direction when revisions are easiest.
Production
03
We produce the approved animation. For Scrolly Explainer, the animation stage would typically take around two to three weeks after script agreement, subject to the final brief and review timings.
Delivery
04
We supply the finished master and versions suitable for your lab website and social channels. Any meetings can take place over Microsoft Teams.
Timing
Why Now
With the new lab still taking shape, we appreciate that January or February is a more practical point to revisit production. There is no need to rush a decision.
Two creative approaches
Investment
Scrolly Explainer is our recommendation for this educational brief. A 10% academic discount applies to the agreed production fee. Both quotes include all aspects of production and distribution.
Scrolly Explainer · £4,142 / $5,531
Recommended · 60 seconds · academic discount applied
Crafted 2D animation with clear visual explanations of the cellular journey. Alternative: Scrolly Cinematic at £3,395 GBP / $4,533 USD for a more atmospheric, flagship-style treatment. Indicative until we agree the final topic, creative treatment and scope.
We can confirm the price and schedule when you are ready to revisit the project in the new year.
Optional promotion and reporting can be scoped separately if dissemination becomes part of a grant.
No rush
Next Steps
Keep this proposal as a starting point for discussion. There's no action required while you're settling into the lab.
Hold for now
01
There's no expectation to move ahead immediately. Getting the lab established comes first.
Reconnect in the new year
02
David will reconnect in January or February, as discussed, to see whether the timing is better.
Optional Teams call
03
If useful, we can arrange a short Microsoft Teams call to confirm the topic, choose between Explainer and Cinematic, and discuss a suitable funding route.
Begin with the script
04
Once the scope and budget are agreed, we can begin with script development.
Legal
Terms and Company Details
This proposal is prepared for Dr Christian Egly and is confidential. The concepts and creative approach in this document are the intellectual property of Animara Studios Ltd until a formal agreement is signed. This document is not a contract. Pricing, timelines and deliverables will be confirmed in a separate agreement.
Scrolly Science is a brand of Animara Studios Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 16074216, at 701 Stonehouse Park, Sperry Way, Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, GL10 3UT. Animara Studios Ltd operates under English law.