Lovingly hand-crafted sets merge flawlessly with lifelike CG in Tetra Pak’s latest spot, directed by Bent Image Lab’s Rob Shaw in collaboration with the Philipp und Keuntje agency of Hamburg. The playful :30 animation showcases Bent’s ability to handle challenging projects with multiple angles – in this case developing an approachable spokes-character to deliver a serious environmental message and designing detailed, super-productive landscapes to create a humorous overtone.
Raw Materials stars Bob, goodhearted CG rabbit and expert on renewable resources. He discusses the benefits of Tetra Pak’s use of paper over plastic in its innovative food packaging as he travels through three landscapes. During his journey, Bob compares paper’s sustainable source (trees) to the merits of grain and wool. He earnestly seeks to communicate the virtues of well-managed resources but has to contend his extremely abundant environment, which seems to have a mind of its own.
The Character
In order to find just the right person for the job, the Bent team undertook an in-depth creation process to discover how Bob ticks. They began by writing a history including the rabbit’s appearance, background, age, personality quirks, and interests. The result was personable rabbit character inspired by Bob Newhart’s “everyman vulnerability” with a dash of Kermit the Frog.
From there, the team drew sketches, which were the basis for the detailed CG model of the character. Bent then built, animated and composited the model it into the spot.
The Landscape
“If our spokesman is your solid, educated straight man, then the environment is his loony, vibrant, comic partner,” said Shaw. “Philipp und Keuntje’s script was brilliant. It called for more than just repeating that renewable resources are good for the environment. They wanted to let the landscape demonstrate that properly managed resources can create so much abundance it’s almost funny.”
Source: Bent
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