MAKE, Minneapolis based design and animation firm collaborated with Swanson Russell to create first completely animated campaign for Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS.) Three all new thirty second spots for Nebraska broadcast highlight a new visual style, bringing a sense of innovation to the BCBS brand and renewed relevance to today’s insurance consumer.
Swanson Russell swiftly approached MAKE on the fully animated project. “There was a lot of back and forth initially as the design, storyboards and characters were developed,” said Danny Robashkin, Creative Director at MAKE. Each story uniquely expresses why having a BCBS insurance card is “One less thing to worry about.” “Animation is new for BCBS, it really broke down the clutter and got them out of the typical,” explained Ed Salem, Creative Director, “Animation made it more approachable and it worked really well with the tag line.”
MAKE enjoyed ample creative freedom during the project. “Swanson Russell knew
exactly what they were trying to achieve as far as feel and message was concerned, but gave us the freedom to explore and help develop the style.” stated Robashkin. “The little things they added as animators were very cool.” said Patrick White, Producer. Salem agreed, stating, “We just felt like MAKE was going to take care of us, there was a lot of passion with their work.”
“Final designs became a blend of Disney influence and naturalism,” stated Andrew
Chesworth, Director & Lead Animator at MAKE, “As a fan of traditional hand-drawn
animation and modern motion graphics; it was exciting to make the old new again.” “It was a great opportunity to push the quality and refinement of the traditional cel animation we usually do,” added Robashkin. Their result promoted BCBS’s evolved brand identity. “Animation really changed BCBS’s look and feel, they’ve really changed who they are,” explained White.
Shared trust was vital to the campaign’s success. “MAKE almost read our minds to the point where we loved pretty much every thing they showed us,” explained White, “It almost allowed us to let MAKE do it on their own; they did such a good job, there was a high comfort level.” Chesworth agreed, “I’m incredibly grateful and appreciative of the open-mindedness Swanson Russell had toward our approach. It’s always wonderful when production artists are teamed with eager, collaborative clients whose vision is clear. The end results are something everyone is proud of and glad to have worked on.”
MAKE is a design and animation firm. Creatively enhancing messages for brands and
companies of all sizes is their drive. MAKE‘s expertise ranges from motion graphics to high-end 3D animation and everything in between. Collaborating from start to finish, MAKE creates compelling visual solutions to any obstacle.
Links to spots:
http://www.makevisual.com/work.php?page=bcbs.php#video1
http://www.makevisual.com/work.php?page=bcbs.php#video2
The credits for the project are:
Agency: Swanson Russell
Creative Director/ Art Director: Ed Salem
Producer/ Copywriter: Patrick White
Animation: MAKE
Creative Director: Danny Robashkin
Director / Lead Designer and Animator: Andrew Chesworth
Animators: Aaron Quist, Sara Pocock, Justin Weber, Niklas Norman, Ryan Thompson, Sofia Chan, Joe Kim
Background Artists: Alec Mueller, Andrew Chesworth, Aaron Quist
Compositors: Andrew Chesworth, Aaron Dabelow, Joe Kim, Kevin Wisdom
Producer: Danny Robashkin
Music: Steve Horner (Horner Music)
Oren Robashkin MAKE 12 South 6th Street, Suite 830 Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55414 612-465-8720 oren@makevisual.com www.makevisual.com
“Ǝvolution” Comes Full Circle At The Chelsea Film Festival
The Chelsea Film Festival, running from October 16th through October 20th, 2024, at Regal Cinemas here in Union Square, is set to host the East Coast premiere of Ǝvolution, a thought-provoking experimental micro-short film that proves big ideas can come in small packages and in perfect circles.
In just 1 minute 16 seconds, this cinematic gem by Award-Winning Director Romina Schwedler, with original music by Argentine Composer Ignacio Montoya Carlotto, explores a cycle as old as time: life leads to progress, progress leads to destruction, and destruction, well, leads back to life. But is this vicious circle unbreakable? Ǝvolution suggests the answer is yes, unless we decide to open our eyes.
Inspired by the overwhelming number of recent events that threaten human existence, Ǝvolution, possibly the shortest film in this 12th edition of the festival, plays out entirely through the symbolism of circles, cleverly illustrating —in the blink of an eye— the repeating patterns of history, and confronting viewers with the uncomfortable truth that our so-called “progress” may, in fact, be guiding us to our own ruin.Premiering at the Regal 14 Union Square, New York City, on October 18, 2024, at 11 a.m., Romina Schwedler's micro-short, featuring Leah Young with cinematography by Alan J. Carmona, will be sure to spark conversations longer than the film itself! Forcing viewers to reconsider the true meaning of evolution, not just as a biological process, but as a reflection of our collective journey as humans.
With a string of festival appearances across the globe, including CineGlobe at CERN (Switzerland/France), Oscar®... Read More