Ad Spot

RSSF2011: Broadcast Design

Featuring ad spots under 5 minutes this category is for work created for, or commissioned to, highlight a brand. It can include commercial sequences, spots, title sequences, idents, digital posters and branded work specifically designed for multiplatform distribution including the internet and mobile networks.

Having worked in the animatronic’s department on huge feature productions such as Clash of the Titans, Hellboy II: The Golden Army and Where the Wild Things Are you’d expect big things from John Nolan’s Nolan’s Nuts and it doesn’t disappoint. Compared to the scale of the full length productions he’s been involved in, Nolan’s Nuts is a modest creation, telling the meagre tale of a squirrel on the hunt for its favourite snack. It’s the production values that impress here as you can see the craft and skill that’s gone into the realisation of the hero of this tale, the animatronic squirrel is full of personality and character and ends up winning our hearts and earning our laughs in this darkly comic ad.

Nolan’s Nuts is the sequel to the equally enjoyable Nolan’s Cheddar.

 

With two films shortlisted in this category, Nexus Productions creative duo Smith & Foulkes have obviously found a winning formula for their work. Their first shortlisted ad was The Chase (featured on DN back in January), a frantic pursuit to advertise Intel’s new Core i5 processor. Using a dynamic mix of live action and animation, Smith & Foulkes used every trick in the action movie book and got some hot insider tips from their DOP, Oliver Wood, of Bourne trilogy fame, to create this thrilling spot. Adam and Alan bring the full force of their animation directing expertise to the piece, with the action taking place in a series of software windows which open at full pelt (synopsis). The Chase almost seems like the perfect advert for it’s product; it’s clever, it’s fast and it’s ahead of its game, if this doesn’t appeal to the kind of people that are impressed with a computer processor then I don’t know what will! Hitting the mark on so many levels, it’s no surprise The Chase walked away with the top prize last night.

 

The second film from the Smith & Foulkes duo is Unpredictable Life, a mesmerizing mix of volumetric lighting and magical particles, that combine sumptuously to create the magical world in which their spot unfolds. The main premise of the ad, is that life is an unknowable journey and we follow the central character as he travels his own individual path of existence, experiencing the ups and downs of life upon the way, we realise what better way to make this trip than in a Honda Jazz. It’s a concept that’s been done before, ‘life is unreliable, make sure you’re car isn’t', but I think this is the first time it’s been realised with such artistry and panache.

 

With a style reminiscent of early Micky Mouse, but a story more similar to Ralph Bakshi’s Fritz the Cat, Againstallodds’ Aides Smutley film takes a horny cat and plays with his nine lives to cleverly illustrate the importance of protected sex. Humping his way across our screen in a comic manner, there doesn’t seem to be anything our frisky titular feline wouldn’t try to have unprotected sex with, but behind this highly amusing piece lies a well delivered, serious message. Concluding with the caption “He’s got nine lives, you’ve only have one, protect yourself“, directors Againstallodds have produced a hugely watchable piece, that manages to not take itself too seriously whilst still packing just enough punch to slam it’s message home.

 

The Coca-Cola brand is one which is recognised throughout the world and here the ad spot Siege carries on their all conquering image, by showing how Coke will overcome all that stand against them. At its simplest this is a story of good and evil (Coke obviously being on the side of good), piggy backing on the increasing popularity of the Lord of the Rings style films and MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) games such as World of Warcraft, Siege is the story of a castle under attack from a clan of Orc-like creatures and their fire-breathing dragon. Nexus Productions Fx & Mat have created a hugely impressive piece of CGI with Siege and the intricate attention to detail throughout means it will standout against the majority of ads on our screen. However, the Coca-Cola brand and the slogan “sometimes a little happiness is the most effective weapon” just makes it all feel a little too…nice. Surely if that was the Dragon’s first Coke he would gone on a sugar fuelled rampage, burning flesh and snapping bones and generally making this ad a much darker and more interesting piece (although probably not exactly the image Coca-Cola were aiming for!).

 

Tobias Eiving & Ulrika Axen (collectively know as Koja) creators of the final spot, Earth Lovers, have tapped into the conscience of the Body Shop audience by creating an ad made to appeal to people who really care about the world we live in. With captions suggesting how “Earth Lovers” love to save the planet (travelling together, growing their own), a natural feeling palette and cute animal characters, Koja would appear to have recognised the key qualities of the Body Shop identity and translated them into elements of their film. However, Earth Lovers truly succeeds when you consider its methods of production, made from recycled materials, this stop motion seems to be the perfect calling card for a brand who rely on their Eco-friendly image.

The Body Shop – Earth Lovers from Koja on Vimeo.