Thanks to a new mattress, at last you’re getting a good night’s sleep. But what about your former sleeping aids? You may be resting, but counting sheep are congregating on the lawn beneath your window, demanding to know why their services are no longer needed.
This is the premise of Serta’s "Neighbors," out of Doner, Southfield, Mich. In a combination of live action and stop-frame animation, the counting sheep, led by #1—all of the animals wear numbers across their bodies—show up for their appointment. There they discover that their pajama-clad client is already asleep, thanks to his Serta mattress.
"Neighbors," the second in a package, began airing July 9. According to "Neighbors" copywriter, Doner executive creative director John Parlato, "Up until now most mattress advertising had been kind of sleepy and not terribly interesting. At some point, we came across the idea of counting sheep because it’s a classic image. What we thought was interesting was turning counting sheep into an industry. That made us laugh."
But how to portray these sheep? Parlato said, "We’ve seen a lot of work with real animals and CGI work where their mouths are made to move, but we were really taken by the way Aardman could create characters. There’s a certain organic, natural quality about [clay animation]." In December ’99, Doner recruited the Bristol, England production house behind clay animation feature Chicken Run. "They created the model for us, which we used when we pitched the client. This is one of those rare occasions where the thing we pitched is the thing we made."
Once they won they job, Doner and Aardman concentrated on the real issue: "We wanted to give the sheep personality," Parlato said. While Doner liked the sheep stars of the Aardman short A Close Shave, directed by Nick Park, the spots required what Aardman director Michael Wright termed "adult sheep, who were more worldly, with a bit more attitude."
For Parlato, Counting Sheep #1’s "sense of confusion, bewilderment, hurt and irritation" was all-important, and they wanted a voice "that wasn’t cartoon-y at all." And while the sheep is Everyman, as Parlato put it, originally the spokessheep had a more specific human counterpart: "Bob Newhart," revealed Wright. "If he was reincarnated as a sheep. … "
After filming the background plates and actors in Los Angeles with live action director Thom Higgins of bicoastal RSA USA, Wright and crew returned to England to shoot on Aardman’s lot. Stop-frame animation is a painstaking process, and "set builders here replicated the street as a miniature in scale with the sheep," said Wright. (The sheep gather on the front lawn of a house situated on a suburban street.) Aardman producer John Woolley explained, "(Lighting cameraman) Chris Maris kept records of all the camera specifications to light the sheep." Wright pointed out, "We did it so that the sheep were much more integrated into the environment; they were standing on grass. If we’d put that into empty plates during postproduction, they wouldn’t have sat in that scenario as well."
Details, details
The set wasn’t the only aspect requiring minute attention to detail; talking sheep are a demanding lot as "the mouths were sculpted into a new position each time we shot it. It makes the model making simpler, but it takes longer on set," Wright explained.
To convey a realistic look, the team eschewed dramatic shots: "We weren’t trying to make shots particularly special," said Wright. "It was almost like [we shot] a slice of life—you’d turn the camera over that way and see some sheep talking. It’s what the sheep have got to say that’s important, not some wacko angles." The sheep are expressive and endearing: their faces droop when they hear the fateful line—"it’s so comfortable, we don’t need you anymore"—from their faithless clients, and their ears perk up when they discover an insomniac down the street.
After the six-week shoot finished, Wright said, "We were able to do some test keying and to assemble—roughly—the commercial. We knew that everything was going to look all right, shot by shot. The FrameStore had software which really helped integrate the sheep."
All the elements were combined at post/visual effects house FrameStore, London. FrameStore producer Jason Batholomew explained: "We have a unique key-light spark which enabled us to draw all the sheep shadow and hair wool details for nighttime shots and eliminate green screen with its powerful color corrector."
FrameStore Inferno compositor Murray Butler added, "We added a subtle ‘k-scope’ effect on the sheep composite shots. This basically diffuses the highlights. It also made the sheep softer and eliminated any obvious marks on the "wool." I also graded the model street behind the sheep for more reality and atmosphere—adding glows to street lights and darkening/blueing skies."
As to Aardman’s popularity, Woolley thinks the attraction is obvious: "There’s always an appeal in animals that show human characteristics. And I guess when you translate that into physical 3-D models, the surprise and the charm of it is heightened. With clay, you know they’re actual physical objects and you can really reach out and give ’em a hug."
The huggability factor continues with upcoming tie-ins to the spot, including sheep toys. "We’ve created a lot of plush animals that will be at stores at the point of sale," announced Parlato. "It helps to reinforce the brand image right at the store level."
