German agency Jung von Matt/Neckar created Guter Stoff (Good Material), a film for German energy company EnBW, to celebrate green energy. The agency chose to take a humorous approach to the project, a departure from the norm for this product category.
Produced by Hamburg-based studio Sehsucht and directed by Hans-Christoph Schultheiss, the animated spot features three birds who enjoy the effects of getting “a buzz” from the green electricity lines they are sitting on. A buzzed pigeon hallucinates that a passing squirrel is a cat and the same squirrel, also “high,” believes himself to be a bird who can fly, making for a very amusing and enjoyable adventure for all creatures present. The birds talk like college-age stoners.
“We believe this film brings life to the subject of green energy without the moralizing undertone that you hear in most commercial concepts, which is ideal for the intended audience,” said Hans-Christoph Schultheiss, director and creative lead, Sehsucht Hamburg.
Sehsucht’s animation team respected the animals’ physiology. Apart from the eyes and beaks/muzzle, the animal models were kept as realistic as possible and the animation tried to capture the characteristic habits of each species, whilst also establishing a certain personality.
The film can be found online, in German social media and in cinemas across Germany.
Originally aired with German audio, this version with English subtitles can also be found online.
Credits
Client EnBW (German energy company) Agency Jung von Matt/Neckar, Hamburg, Germany Tassilo Gutscher, Peter Sigg, creative directors; Dennis Cicioglu, copywriter; Joshua Enzig, producer. Production Sehsucht GmbH, Hamburg Hans-Christoph Schultheiss, director; Jan Tiller, exec producer; Tanya Curnow, producer; Andre Ljosag, Caroline Goehner, Axel Brotje, design; Daniel Jahnel, 3D lead; Thure Koch, Jannes Kreyenberg, Heinrich Loewe, Deniz Kreb, Timo von Wittken, Martin Chatterjee, Sebastian Welti, Max Zachner, Rafael Vicente, Mario Reitbauer, Francesco Di Luisi, Sofia Oliveira, Juan Brockhaus, 3D artists; Norbert Kiehne, animation lead; Jakob Schulze-Rohr, Frank Spalteholz, animation artists; Steven Cormann, Julius Brockelmann, matte painting; Florian Zachau, compositing. (Toolbox: SideFX Houdini, Numerion Carbon Plumage, Pixologic Zbrush, Allegorithmic Substance Painter, Autodesk Maya, Solid Angle Arnold Render) Sound Design & Mix Hastings Voiceover Leonhard Malich, Tobias Meister, Dietmar Wunder, Charles Rettinghaus Consulting keller.io, Center of Natural History @University Hamburg, Tankred Lerch
When dozens of Klick Health team members said they wouldn’t be able to hug loved ones over the festive season, the agency turned to AI and other magic to orchestrate a series of sentimental, surprise reunions captured in its “Holiday Hugs” video. The heartwarming four-minute video, benefitting the D.C.-based Foundation for Social Connection (F4SC), parallels recent findings from a Maru/Blue Public Opinion survey commissioned by Klick.
The poll found 74 percent of Americans and Canadians won’t be able to hug at least one person they wish they could over the holidays. And like those in the video, survey participants cited geographical distance and loved ones having passed away as the leading factors preventing their hugs.
“I just wish I could really squeeze her right now,” says teary-eyed New York Klickster Kari Bocassi watching her AI-generated hug with her sister Marlene, moments before she bursts onto the set for a long in-person embrace. The siblings have spent the past 14 years caring for their mother since her Alzheimer’s diagnosis, but haven’t been together for the holidays since Marlene moved to Virginia. Similarly, Toronto’s Fred Duarte gets the bear hug of his life when his brother Rico, who lives in Brazil, walks into Klick’s production studio for their first holiday reunion in seven years.
Directed by James Cooper via Cooper Films, “Holiday Hugs” also taps into the fact that hugs don’t just make people feel better emotionally, they also have numerous health benefits. According to the National Institutes of Health, hugs can lower blood pressure and boost the immune system.
“There’s nothing quite like the warmth and reassurance of a heartfelt hug,” said Klick’s chief creative officer Rich Levy. “With ‘Holiday... Read More
