Wieden+Kennedy (W+K), Portland, took an elemental approach to this year’s Travel Oregon campaign, “Extraordinary is Ordinary.”
In that Oregon is a state where beauty is commonplace and even the most mundane things carry magic, W+K elected to focus on the three most basic components that make up Oregon–rocks, water and soil.
The spot “Oregon Rocks,” featuring the rocks that athletes climb and train on, topped SHOOT’s Q2 Top Ten VFX & Animation Chart.
For the overall package of spots–”Oregon Rocks,” “Oregon Water” and “Oregon Soil”–W+K and director Gerson Aguerri via production company CANADA filmed real people and used footage from real locations in all of Oregon’s seven regions and paired that with elements of stop motion, animation, CG, and practical FX to show people how in Oregon, “Extraordinary” is “Ordinary.” The combined disciplines capture the surreal feelings and unique experiences that travelers have in Oregon.
W+K’S longtime colleague shop Joint provided and coordinated postproduction, VFX and animation services and coordination–the latter involving the recruitment of notable talent, particularly in the stop motion animation arena, including artisans who worked with Wes Anderson on such stop motion films as Isle of Dogs, meticulously crafting and positioning each puppet and detail.
“We believe Oregon is so extraordinary that even the basics like rocks, water and soil (which every state has) are extra special here. That even the mundane things are not mundane. Our water is specific enough to create the best beer and sake, our soil’s perfect for growing some of the best vineyards, and our rocks are what athletes train on. This campaign highlights that ‘Extraordinary’ is what this place is made of and what makes everything that happens here so special,” said W+K art director Nick Stokes, who served as a creative director on this campaign.
Among the artists brought into the Travel Oregon campaign fold were Simone De Salvatore and PDX artist and designer Brett Stenson. De Salvatore created the Oregon “matte painting” landscapes that conclude each spot.
De Salvatore’s credits include working with Anderson on many of the matte paintings you see in his feature films like The Grand Budapest Hotel. De Salvatore’s TV endeavors include shows such as Game of Thrones.
Meanwhile Stenson, an Oregonian, created the “Extraordinary is Ordinary” type lockup.
Click here to view the full VFX/Animation Top Ten Chart for the second quarter of 2022.
