Saturday, 17 November 2007 | Levent OZLER
Motion504 Captures the Art of Giving in Animated Holiday Campaign for Best Buy
Best Buy recently commissioned motion504 to create its new holiday campaign, based on the act of giving and the joy it brings to both giver and recipient. The design and animation studio completed three HD spots, which began screening in stores nationwide this month.
"The gift that gives back" is the theme in the delightful, animated campaign, which features the Best Buy "WOW Guaranteed" tagline. The stylized and glossy CG spots incorporate the retailer's signature blue and yellow motif as white silhouettes of people are captured in the act of giving.
motion504 Executive Producer Eric Mueller, who has a longstanding relationship with Best Buy, was approached by the client for help with their holiday campaign. Using style guides provided by the client, motion504 Creative Directors/Designers Amy Schmitt and Scott Wenner then conceptualized and storyboarded the three unique narratives.
"This campaign was not product-oriented," explains Schmitt. "It's about the enjoyment of giving, and not just the present itself. We also had to find a way to include the 'WOW' element, which has been an iconic part of their holiday campaign for the past few years."
Schmitt, who created all of the people animation, explored various ways to use the silhouettes in the spots. With no faces, all of their reactions had to be expressed through physical movements and pacing.
Extra elements were then incorporated into the 3D world to give life and magic to the action happening in the spots. For the gift box ribbon, Schmitt used Cinema 4D for realistic yet stylized cloth simulation. Final color correction, lighting effects and snowflakes exploding out of the presents were created and composited in After Effects.
"I've had a great relationship with Best Buy for years," concludes Eric Mueller. "When they needed help with their holiday campaign, I jumped at the opportunity because it's always fun and rewarding, and they're a very open creative partner. It was nice to be involved on a conceptual level at motion504 and to bounce ideas back and forth with the designers. I was overjoyed with the environment here - everyone is so willing to listen to your point of view, and to find a way to integrate it into the final product."
|
