Uncommon Creative Studio continues its “Build a Life” brand campaign with this latest “Choose Change” installment for British multinational DIY and home improvement retailing company B&Q. Reflecting the “Choose Change” mantra is this film, “Later Means Never,” which deploys mixed media, primarily stop-motion animation, from London studio Blinkink.

Directed by Blinkink’s Sam Gainsborough, the film opens on animated character Nigel, a single dad in a funk. He loves his family, but along the way has lost his mojo. Nigel’s sadness has cast a spell over his home, creating a scene paused in time; we see him trapped in his armchair by a layer of dust and rock. His home environment also reflects his state of mind, having become a cavernous space that no longer resembles a happy home.

A drip of water awakens Nigel from his slouch, the scuff of the carpet nudging him playfully to get up out of his chair. As the plaster starts to crack on the walls around him, we see Nigel’s daughter Lisa and their Dog Gus trapped beneath a layer of rock too. The voiceover from noted Scottish actor Rory McCann reads, “If this settles one more inch, it might weigh us down for good.” 

Nigel glances at an old family photo illuminating from the darkness that cascades around him — this memory from happier times sparks a sense of resilience within, to not give up and believe it’s never too late to make a change. The house starts to call out and offer encouragement to Nigel, with wallpaper peeling, wires untangling and floorboard twisting.

As Nigel starts to break free from the dust and pull himself up, the walls begin to return to life with bright warming colors. But then suddenly, we see Nigel land heavily back into his seat and fall through the floorboards into a deeper dark hole. This time he looks to have given up hope for good. From above, we hear Gus bark and see Lisa holding out her hand for support — this acts as the final trigger of encouragement Nigel needs to free himself from the rubble once and for all.

As the music lifts, Nigel rises with help from the house coming together to rocket him back up to his family. Through Nigel’s efforts, the house magically transforms into a bright space — a home his family can be proud of. Gus shakes the last remaining dust from his fur, and Nigel and Lisa chuckle.

Chris Graham, marketing director of B&Q, said: “The past 18 months have been a period of change like no other — turbulent and often out of our control. We believe now is the time to inspire our customers to take charge of the positive changes they can make to their homes. Our new campaign celebrates B&Q’s uniquely broad interiors range — a range that enables customers to make the changes that are right for them. When you ‘choose change’ and improve your space with B&Q, you are doing more than fixing a space, you’re creating a space that’s uniquely yours.”

Credits

Client B&Q Agency Uncommon Creative Studio  Tobey Duncan, head of planning. Production Company Blinkink, London Sam Gainsborough, director; Bart Yates, Vic Lovejoy, exec producer; Alex Halley, Kwok Yau, producers; Emma Hanson, production manager; Emmy Cook, post producer; Mira Valcheva, postproduction manager; Ronnie McQuillan, DP; Robin Jackson, Roxannah Linklater, stop motion riggers; Andy Biddle, Tobias Fouracre, Steve Warne Art Director: Sarah Crombie, Yossel Simpson-Little, animators; Emma Rose Dade, Hetty Bax, modelmakers; Edward Burton, sculptor; Rebecca Fox, art department assistant; Nathan Flynn, puppet maker; Kat Probert, puppet maintenance; Renee Zhan, paint sequence animation; Tiago Macedo Calliari, Clement Danveau, concept artists; Ewa Luczkow, character design; Simon Cartwright, storyboard artist (Toolbox: Light, Render - Modo, Maya, AFX, Photoshop, Flash) Postproduction Blinkink Studio Rob Ward, VFX supervisor; Jac Clinch, Campbell Hartley, 2D animators; Klaas Harm Boer, CG animator; Sandrine Gimenez, CG texture/look-dev/lighting; Rob Ward, Daniele Baiardini, Gustaf Lindstrom, Victoria Jardine, Jonathan Gallagher, compositors. Editorial Stitch Editing Richard Woolway, editor. Color Grade Black Kite Andi Chu, colorist.

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