Brand New School and JWT London Animate Your Vodafone World

Two new spots, directed by Brand New School for JWT London's client Vodafone, show the imaginary worlds of people talking and texting. Both new spots titled, "Park" and "Street", show a 'personalization' of their surroundings through hand-drawn animation which is also reflected in the print campaign (see inside).

At the beginning of each spot, the filmed frame shrinks down to a smaller square – reminiscent of a mobile phone screen – with everything outside of that frame replaced by outlandish creatures as well as signifiers for communication. Bicycles, dogs, strollers, kites, joggers and pedestrians all cross the path of the young man in "Park," for example. The real elements within the center frame evolve into more fantastic imagery as they cross the border to the outside world. As a woman walks down the "Street," for example, a fire hydrant evolves into an outsized tube of lipstick and a bike messenger becomes a knight on his trusty steed.

"The agency's concept presented an interesting challenge," said Brand New School co-director Jens Gehlhaar. "How do we effectively pull this off within a series of vignettes linked by graphic transitions?"

Co-director Rob Feng suggested filming the spots in one continuous shot, with a Steadicam tracking backwards with the hero for the entire length of the spot. The continuous take method worked beautifully (top Steadicam operator Andrew Rowlands DP’d the spots), although it did require extensive choreography and rehearsal to ensure matching imagery of the live action and animation elements.

"We learned a lot on this project," said Feng, relating that BNS originally considered a blend of 3d and illustration, "but it looked too 3D, so we replaced most of the 3D models with hand-drawn elements, which was more organic and not something we do too often. We also used way more cell animation than we initially intended."

The project came to BNS through Partizan in the UK, and shot on location with Los Angeles standing in for London. "Our production designer, Robert Fox, did an amazing job," said Gehlhaar. "A bunch of greenery, a flower shop and smaller cars made 4th Street appear like London, and a rose garden stolen from Blow Up turned Whittier Park
just south of downtown into Maryon Park."

Brand New School immediately seized the narrative opportunities presented by the campaign's "Create your own price plan" theme. "We asked ourselves, 'Who are the
people in this story?' and developed stories for the guy and girl," Gehlhaar explained. "The guy is into toys, recreation, sex, and so on. The girl's attention is drawn to fashion, romance, and art."

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