In collaboration with Droga5 and Aaron Stoller of Biscuit Filmworks, The Mission creates anthropomorphic bottle of face wash and robot mom to comfort troubled teen in time of need.
For this quirky coming-of-age spot directed by Aaron Stoller out of Biscuit Filmworks, The Mission team along with the creatives at Droga5 worked together to tell a story about growth and self-realization through the perspective of…a talking bottle of Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Face Wash. Stephen, a young zit sporting adolescent, laments in his bathroom mirror over his acne predicament. We all know the feeling, we've been there. We’ve all gotten comforting words from knowledgeable sources: our parents, an older sibling perhaps, but really who better to comfort than the one who will be on the forefront, fighting the battle – your face wash. Stephen looks around and astonishingly realizes that it is his Rapid Action Clearasil Bottle telling him “Hey, acne won’t last forever.”
The Mission’s animation director, Piotr Karwas, worked closely with Stoller and Droga5 to create the CG Clearasil bottle that helps Stephen believe in himself and rest at ease by likening acne “lasting forever” to the idea that his mom would continue to “walk in on [him]" forever. Stephen imagines a lifetime of scenarios in which his mom bursts into sensitive situations, forever “catching him in the act.” He imagines his mom embarrassing him as a teen making out with his girlfriend, as a young father supporting his wife in a lamaz class, as a successful business man giving a speech on his Robotics accomplishments, and finally, as an old man reminiscing over his long, successful life. Hilariously, when she bursts in on old-man Stephen, she is the incarnation of Stephen’s lifetime devoted to Robotics: a floating mom-head on a robot body carrying (as always) his laundry. Coming back to reality, Stephen’s wise informant (his face wash) points out, “See acne won’t last, but for now let’s be clear, Clearasil works fast."
VFX elements in this spot include CG character model and animation, beauty work, clean-up, robot head composite, light enhancements, and ceiling replacement.
About The Mission
The Mission is a visual effects studio specializing in commercials, film and digital content. It is located in the middle of the pop-culture hub known as Abbot Kinney in Venice, CA.
In 2013, The Mission received the Best Visual Effects AICP Award for Nike's “Vapor Trail,” a collaboration with the creatives at Wieden + Kennedy, and director Mark Zibert from Imperial Woodpecker. The following year, The Mission was honored to create the 2014 AICP Sponsor Reel, which was executed entirely in CG. Since its inception in 2011, The Mission has worked with top advertising agencies (including by not limited to 72andSunny, Wieden + Kennedy, Arnold NYC, Deutsch, JWT, Moroch, Droga5, Chiat Day, McGarry Bowen, Team One, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, DDB, and Saatchi & Saatchi) and production companies (Anonymous Content, Caviar Content, Reset, Imperial Woodpecker, Tool of North America, Uber Content, and Furlined) to put out work for high-profile clients like Samsung, Nike, Adidas, Puma, Hershey’s Kisses, McDonald’s, Haagen Daaz, American Express, Taco Bell, Verizon, Weight Watchers, AICP, and Toyota.
With the talents of some of the most creative and experienced artists in the industry, working with the latest tools in Flame, Maya, Nuke, and the Adobe Creative Suite, and a top-notch production staff, The Mission is a lean and dynamic powerhouse of a partner to deploy into your creative process.
From concepting, previs, and on-set-supervision, to 2D and 3D visual effects work & design, and on to final mastering, The Mission brings a smart, beautiful and efficient component to every visual dimension of your project. www.themissionstudio.com
