This animation spot from Aardman Animations traces the history of Swedbank since 1820 by following the stories of two characters: a humble squirrel, who plants an acorn and then faithfully watches his investment grow; and a noisy Duck who spends his money as quickly as he gets it.
The ambitious story encompasses the changes in the world at four different times through the last 190 years and also takes us through the four seasons from winter to autumn. Each set and character had to be redressed four times to tell the story.
Aardman’s approach to the character design was to make the characters detailed and expressive, rather than simple and cute. While the animal characters are human in their stance and their personalities, their features are naturalistic and detailed. The puppets were covered in authentic looking fur and a traditional flocking technique was used to add realism.
The environment that was created by the team of scenic artists, set builders and prop makers is similarly highly detailed and textured. The scale was created by the using layered sets, digital photography and cinematic lighting created a depth of field, creating the sweeping wide vistas seen in the ad. This was combined with detailed vignettes of other environments like ponds, hill tops and roads which make the Swedbank world even more rich and full of life.
Using refreshingly traditional methods Aardman shot all the animation ‘in camera’, making the 50-second ad feel organic and charming. Only a few subtle post effects were added at the end of the process.
Commercials director Steve Harding-Hill had the challenge of bringing the Swedbank story to life. “I loved working on the production because I’d never done a job to such a massive scale where I’d been given so much creative input. To turn such a large job round in such little amount of time was both scary and thrilling!” said Harding-Hill.
Agencies on the project were Colony Agency Production and Lowe Brindfors, both in Stockholm.
Disney Pledges $15 million In L.A. Fire Aid As More Celebs Learn They’ve Lost Their Homes
The Pacific Palisades wildfires torched the home of "This Is Us" star Milo Ventimiglia, perhaps most poignantly destroying the father-to-be's newly installed crib.
CBS cameras caught the actor walking through his charred house for the first time, standing in what was once his kitchen and looking at a neighborhood in ruin. "Your heart just breaks."
He and his pregnant wife, Jarah Mariano, evacuated Tuesday with their dog and they watched on security cameras as the flames ripped through the house, destroying everything, including a new crib.
"There's a kind of shock moment where you're going, 'Oh, this is real. This is happening.' What good is it to continue watching?' And then at a certain point we just turned it off, like 'What good is it to continue watching?'"
Firefighters sought to make gains Friday during a respite in the heavy winds that fanned the flames as numerous groups pledged aid to help victims and rebuild, including a $15 million donation pledge from the Walt Disney Co.
More stars learn their homes are gone
While seeing the remains of his home, Ventimiglia was struck by a connection to his "This Is Us" character, Jack Pearson, who died after inhaling smoke in a house fire. "It's not lost on me life imitating art."
Mandy Moore, who played Ventimiglia's wife on "This Is Us," nearly lost her home in the Eaton fire, which scorched large areas of the Altadena neighborhood. She said Thursday that part of her house is standing but is unlivable, and her husband lost his music studio and all his instruments.
Mel Gibson's home is "completely gone," his publicist Alan Nierob confirmed Friday. The Oscar winner revealed the loss of his home earlier Friday while appearing on Joe Rogan's... Read More