Nature Sweet
Pampered
Director, and The Mill NY's lead CG artist on the Pampered spot, Ben Smith meticulously plotted a series of shots to show a tender seedling growing into a vine which tenderly pampers and protects its ripening tomatoes. The blend of live-action and animation needed the expertise of DP photographer Michel Amado Carpio in Guadalajara, Mexico. "Michel took time-lapse photography over 22 days, which provided reference for our animation," Ben explains.
Director:
Ben Smith
Production:
Mill+
Agency:
The Richards Group
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"From it, we could analyze how the plants actually grew. We also used some as background plates for the final composite."
A rough edit followed a two-day shoot in Mexico. 'We cut the footage and got our broad-strokes idea of timing and pace," says Ben. "We kept the beginning and end, but the middle was created digitally." The greatest challenge was to get the tomato plant appear to grow naturally. "We had a live plant," Smith adds, "so we could observe how light passed through leaves, and the veins and hairs that are visible in a macro world. All such details and the shallow depth of field give the spot its realistic feel."
A rough edit followed a two-day shoot in Mexico. 'We cut the footage and got our broad-strokes idea of timing and pace," says Ben. "We kept the beginning and end, but the middle was created digitally." The greatest challenge was to get the tomato plant appear to grow naturally. "We had a live plant," Smith adds, "so we could observe how light passed through leaves, and the veins and hairs that are visible in a macro world. All such details and the shallow depth of field give the spot its realistic feel."
CreditsCredits
Agency
Agency: The Richards Group
Producer: Gabriel Silva
Creative Director: Glenn Dady
Creatives: Robin Bartolini, Brittany Fleitman
Production
Production: Mill+
Director: Ben Smith
Executive Producer: Verity Grantham
Director of Photography: Carlos Veron
Editorial
Editing Company: The Whitehouse NY
Editor: Adam Robinson
VFX & Design
VFX & Design: The Mill
VFX Producers: Verity Graham, Camila De Biaggi
Shoot Supervisor: Andrew Proctor
3D Lead Artist: Ben Smith
2D Artist: Naomi Anderlini
3D Artists: Vincent Baertsoen, Kevin Ives, Thomas Bardwell, Yorie Kumalasari, Emily Meger, Naotaka Minami, Jasmine Katatikarn, Tomas Fontes-Salles, Ruben Vandebroek
Assist: Gigi Ng
Colour
Colour: The Mill
Colourist: Jamie Wilkinson
Colourist: Jamie Wilkinson