An inside look at how we transformed a complex voting system into an award-worthy animated explainer for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Watch the explainer I directed below.

The Challenge: Making Oscar Voting Understandable to Everyone

The Academy Awards represent the pinnacle of filmmaking achievement, but few people understand the sophisticated voting system behind them. When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences approached my team to explain their ranked choice voting system (also called preferential voting), we faced an exciting creative challenge: how do we make a complex voting methodology not just understandable but genuinely entertaining?

Our Solution: Transforming Abstract Concepts into Visual Storytelling

Voting systems typically make for dry content. Our approach? Leverage the power of custom animation to turn abstract concepts into something relatable and engaging.

Instead of overwhelming viewers with technical explanations, we created a scenario everyone could connect with: choosing the best movie snack. Through colorful characters and familiar treats like popcorn and chocolate, we visualized:

How voters rank their preferences in order
The elimination process for least popular options
How votes redistribute based on ranked choices
Why the final winner truly represents the majority

The result was a clear, step-by-step explainer that made a complex system instantly accessible. Once viewers understood our snack example, applying the same principles to Oscar voting became intuitive.

Why This Matters: Beyond the Oscars

The Academy's use of ranked choice voting isn't just an interesting behind-the-scenes detail—it represents a sophisticated decision-making process that:

Ensures winners have broad support across Academy members
Prevents vote-splitting among similar nominees
Creates more consensus-driven results than simple plurality voting

This same system is increasingly used in political elections worldwide, making our explainer relevant beyond entertainment. By breaking down ranked choice voting through animation, we're helping viewers understand a process that's shaping decisions from Hollywood to city halls.

The Creative Process: Bringing Clarity Through Animation

Projects like this showcase why animated explainers are so effective for complex topics. Our process involved:

Simplifying without oversimplifying - Distilling the core concepts while maintaining accuracy
Creating visual metaphors - Developing characters and scenarios that illustrate abstract ideas
Injecting personality - Using humor and relatable situations to maintain engagement
Pacing for comprehension - Carefully structuring the narrative to build understanding

This balance of education and entertainment is exactly what makes explainer videos so powerful for organizations with complex messages.

Our Expertise: Making the Complex Simple

This project exemplifies what we do best: transforming challenging concepts into clear, engaging content that resonates with audiences. Whether you're:

A corporation explaining a complex product or service
A non-profit communicating your mission and impact
An educational institution making difficult topics accessible
A government agency clarifying policies for the public

Our team specializes in using animation and visual storytelling to break through complexity and connect with your audience.

One of the most fun aspects of this project: coming up with our fake film titles!

See Our Work in Action

Watch the Academy's Ranked Choice Voting Explainer

Want to see how we can transform your complex topic into engaging visual content? Schedule a free 30-minute consultation to discuss your project needs.

How the Oscars Use Ranked Choice Voting – And Why Explaining It Was So Much Fun