Ghost Medical, “Inspires Hope” for the Future of Cardiovascular Medicine

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CLIENT: Dassault Systems / Simulia

In the business of 3D medical animation, we can always count on the engineering geniuses at Dassault Systems to not only amaze us with new technologies that ride the very cusp of possible and science fiction, but also to challenge us to find ways to explain and market these technologies. Their software products are nothing short of revolutionary. SolidWorks, just one of their many titles, completely revolutionized computer aided design and manufacturing so much so that 90% of our medical device clients now provide us CAD models from SolidWorks. As little as a few years ago, the vast majority used ProE.  Simulia, their division dedicated to the developing new standards in finite element analysis and frighteningly accurate simulations for engineering, brought in a new challenge for us with this particular project.

We’d worked with Simulia in the past when they needed us to create an animation that helped explain the features and benefits of their Abaqus Knee Simulator, a software solution that allows engineers to test their designs virtually, radically speeding the development of new joint implants. This time we were challenged to explain the potentials of using similar software to provide cardiologists with significantly better diagnostics by allowing them to run extremely precise simulations on their patient’s hearts. Because the simulation is run using a 3D model generated from each patient who needs treatment, doctors may soon be able to dramatically improve patient outcomes. They’ll know exactly where to place pacemaker leads and potentially other treatment options for the best result for each patient.

The goal for this project is to inspire thought leadership and help the world realize how valuable individualized 3D models and accurate simulations could be in treating life-threatening conditions. This software gives doctors the ability to explore various treatment possibilities with each patient’s specific condition and physiology and this is likely to cause a dramatic improvement in how doctors diagnose and treat their patients. Ghost Productions knew that this project is extremely important and they needed to deliver a presentation that properly conveyed this importance.

Nic, who is responsible for directing our medical animation projects to ensure medical accuracy began brainstorming with our Creative Director, Josh. Together they came up with a few possible scenarios that may be useful to explain Simulia’s vision. They pitched their concepts to Executive Producer, Stephan, who immediately latched on to a concept that Josh had pitched because the concept both adequately explained the concept and because many of the assets needed for production had largely been completed. Several years earlier Stephan submitted a script to Medtronic that was written as a sequel to Heal, except this animation was to feature cardiovascular technologies instead of orthopedic and trauma devices, and starred Mario, the somewhat overweight character that accidentally caused the events leading up to Leo falling from the ladder. The animation also featured a little girl who was to be Mario’s granddaughter as the protagonist to help inspire empathy from the audience. Though Medtronic ended up passing on the script and the animation, Ghost had already begun building assets, including Mario and the little girl. Because Simulia’s deadline was critically short, it was necessary to choose a story that was both possible and successful.

Stephan then wrote a script to tell the story of a young girl with a life-threatening cardiovascular condition receiving care from her physician who had the full benefits of Simulia’s heart modeling and simulation technologies. We got the production rolling at breakneck speed and didn’t take a breath until we were finished. With only 43 net-production days from script approval final draft, we delivered the animation in time for our client’s marketing campaign and technology showcase event.

PUBLIC RELEASE: 6/9/14

BUDGET: Undisclosed at client’s request

Contact Ghost Productions today to get started on your Medical Animation project.

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