We’ve all been buoyed by a kid’s naive ambition to realize their big dreams. Why can’t all of us just dream like a kid again, despite being stuck with all of life’s everyday challenges? To show how far a kid’s big dream can go, Wieden+Kennedy Shanghai developed this film that lets a wild bunch of kids realize their big dreams at this Chinese New Year (CNY)–thus setting an example for youngsters to dream wild and act big, pushing back against the pressure to be “practical” just to stay afloat in life.
This hero piece centers around a very special table that is present at every traditional CNY dinner–the childrens’ table, a kid-sized dining area usually placed next to the adult table that gathers all the kids in the family and those who don’t drink. And this is the kids’ once-in-a-year opportunity to…TALK BIG! To make the kids’ big talks even more inspiring, Wieden+Kennedy Shanghai invited an unusual line-up: two-time Grand Slam champion Li Na, China’s basketball legend Yi Jianlian, “Chinese football goddess” Wang Shuang, Olympic Gold medalist in 110m hurdles Liu Xiang, aspiring tennis players Zheng Qinwen and Emma Raducanu–all in their kid forms.
To bring these aspiring young athletes to life, deep fake technology was used merging live-action video with computer-generated faces. Each shot is retouched frame by frame to achieve maximized likeness and realness, as we see these kid athletes stun Europe as the globe-trotting football hero, lead superhero dream team, become Asia’s Flying Man, and inspire future athletes in China and beyond.
Caroline Koning directed via Lunar Films.
Credits
Client Nike China Simon Lee, Che Lin, brand creative sr. director; Michael Chien, narrative director; Jovi Weng, narrative manager; Diana Tang, art director; Scott Wang, sr. designer; Cyan Wang, designer; Tiara Xu, copywriter; Kelly Zhan, productino director; Sherry Xu, Ellie Sun, sr. producers. Agency Wieden+Kennedy Shanghai Ian Toombs, Vivian Yong, chief creative officers; Matt Meszaros, head of creative; Zhong How, creative director; Uty Chen, Rubi Li, Jing Qiu, associate creative directors; Huicheng Wu, sr. art director; Huzi Hu, art director; Diya Zhan, sr. creative; Zhaojing Qian, jr. copywriter; Fang Yuan, head of production; Diana Chew, leading sr. prdoucer; Mia Zeng, producer; Juni Tsu, head of design; Dongni Liu, Loop Lu, Fenghe Luo, Tingru Hou, designers; Vic Zhang, leading design producer. Production Lunar Films Caroline Koning, director; Ken Yap, exec producer; Jacq Wilkinson, Feng Zhe, producers; Wang Wei, Zoey.Z, line producers; Jo.C, 1st assistant director; Athena.W, stylist; Tang Zheng, art director; Zhang Lin, props master; Liang Zi, DP; Chris Zimmermann, Shihao Zhang, offline editors. Postproduction The Mill Shanghai Lily Li, exec producer; Christopher Li, producer; Schalk Van Der Merwe, Barry Greaves, VFX supervisors; Tommy Fu, technical director; Nicola Gasparri, colorist; Iris Zhang, color producer; Kan Lai, data engineer; Anel Van Der Merwe, Yicheng Zhu, data wrangers; Zhongyan Dai, Minnie Chen, Sally Lu, Chloe Gao, Jun Xu, Zhisong Liu, Sally Cui, Lina Yoo, Dada Cheng, Tingting Su, Min Min, Rose Pan, Qiu Cheng, Robin Liu, GZ Hsu, Tobey Tsao, James Corden, compositors; Aram Hakze, Cathy Xi, Selim Salah, Miya Shen, CG asset; Alexey Petryaev, animator; Paolo Gnoni, ZhangYao, Limei Li, lighting. Audio Production Animal Beast Production Gustav P Karlstrom, Eirik Roland, composers; Josef Johansson, exec producer.
FCB Health New York, an IPG Health company, and SAFE Project have joined forces to create “The Snowball,” a short film that spotlights winter as a common catalyst for dangerous increases in alcohol consumption. In collaboration with creative studio LOBO, “The Snowball” combines a compelling visual metaphor with cutting-edge animation and a haunting soundtrack from Billie Holiday.
As millions embrace “Dry January,” the onset of colder, shorter winter days still leads to an uptick in alcohol misuse, which can lead to liver cirrhosis and other medical maladies and dangerous consequences for one’s life. Speaking to casual drinkers, “The Snowball” visually illustrates how anyone is at risk of becoming addicted to alcohol during this time of year when external climate variables can lead to excess consumption, even if the drinker does not immediately realize it.
Making good on the metaphor, the film follows one man as a quick liquor run gradually devolves into a full-blown addiction as a snowball gradually grows beside him, engulfing his whole life and eventually causing his demise. Set to the tune of Billie Holiday’s “Everything I Have Is Yours,” the film’s pathos is drawn from the sonic integrity of Holiday’s original recording maintained in the sound design as well as the singer’s tragic battle with substance abuse.
This entirely animated film was created using a hands-on, collaborative process rooted in traditional animation techniques, with every aspect of the artwork creation, design, and craftsmanship crafted entirely by human hands. AI-driven tools and processes were brought in during the animation rendering stage, helping the film achieve a distinct visual style that would have been difficult to achieve through... Read More
