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Jeff Hazelton, president of BioLucid, combines "Toy Story"-like animation with medical science to produce medical animations and interactive medical education for the biomedical and pharmaceutical industries
Fantastic Voyage
At first Jeff Hazelton thought he'd be a doctor when he graduated in 1993 with a degree in biology from St. Anselm College in New Hampshire, but he enjoyed his art classes so much he decided to try to paint for a living. After a two-year adventure, sailing halfway around the world with two friends and selling his paintings for $50 and lunch, he ended up as a DJ in a New Zealand bar. It didn't take long before he decided it was time to head back to his parents' home in Venice, where he married his passion for art and science in the new field of computer animation.
Entirely self-taught in graphic design and animation, today Hazelton, 35, is the president of BioLucid Productions, the medical animation company. He is helping local biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to explain how an advanced technology or an experimental drug works through the use of 3-D animation.
Entirely self-taught in graphic design and animation, today Hazelton, 35, is the president of BioLucid Productions, the medical animation company. He is helping local biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to explain how an advanced technology or an experimental drug works through the use of 3-D animation.
The same animation software that helped special-effects wizards work Hollywood magic in The Matrix and the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy allows Hazelton and his team to transform cells and drug molecules into stylish performers.
A BioLucid animation shows cells forming new blood vessels to feed a tumor
"When you look at these two industries – biotech and visual effects – they are both exploding with technological innovation," said Hazelton. "We try to put them together in a way that is mutually beneficial.
"The researchers bring to us the science, we bring in the animation and the art of telling a story, and that synergy is what makes it work."
Why Use Medical Animation?
Because quality medical animation is proven to be the most effective way to educate an audience about how complex medical technology works and because YOUR educational or marketing message will be remembered better and longer with a visual stimulus. Think of your own memory. Which do you remember better, sights, or sounds? Our brains retain visual images and messages much longer and much more accurately than audible or text messages. BioLucid Productions specializes in communicating complex ideas through the powerful and remarkable art of medical animation.