We worked with the group to explore the topic and agree on the message they wanted to share: “Is It Fair? Is It Kind?” Together, we discussed scenarios where pupils felt there wasn’t fairness between genders, from sport and hobbies to friendship groups and the classroom.

Using these scenarios, we developed a script that removed gender from the equation, showing the situations through characters called “blobs”. This helped highlight the assumptions people make about gender. The group then designed the different blob characters, shaping the film’s overall visual language.

The animation showed the blobs in scenarios the young people had experienced. Blobs were told they couldn’t play football, that dancing wasn’t a very bloblike hobby, or that they weren’t strong enough to help move a table. In one scene, we see how gendered experiences shape how the blobs view one another: one fears being laughed at, while the other fears being physically hurt.

Throughout the film, we return to the question “Is it fair? Is it kind?”, before revealing at the end that the blobs are children. This brings the focus back to the young people behind the experiences and the assumptions we make about others.