'Labels',
a new spot for Miller Genuine Draught in the U.S.,
features thousands of beer labels peeling themselves
off their bottles and filling the streets and skies
in migratory flocks. The spot was created by The
Martin Agency and directed by Bruno Aveillan for
Believe Media, with spectacular digital VFX courtesy
of Framestore CFC.
'Labels' is a case study in the new ways of working
that are continuing to evolve in the global marketplace.
Through judicious use of state of the art production
tools, Framestore CFC was able to coordinate events
over three continents, to create a sophisticated
30 second spot in just a few short weeks.
In a gentle dig at the beer fashionistas who place
style over content, 'Labels' poses the question,
"If you took away the labels and all that was left
was the beer, which beer would you choose"? As the
question is asked, we see the labels on bottles
peeling off and fluttering up and away, at first
singly or in pairs, then in ever larger groups as
the labels' exodus gains momentum. The spot culminates
with the sight of thousands of labels taking wing
over a baseball game. The point - that you would
choose a beer whose simple, classic virtues will
win out over passing fads - is wittily and strikingly
made.
The project came to Framestore NY with little advance
warning, and VFX Supervisor Mike McGee flew to Auckland
without even a storyboard to start from. Working
closely with the director, Bruno Aveillan, McGee
swiftly began to home in on the VFX the production
would need. The 2 ½ week shoot included six
days in Auckland for the city shots, as well as
the more suburban looks that were filmed in and
around Queenstown. Aveillan's enthusiastic style
certainly impressed McGee. "Bruno is exciting to
work with because he sees it all through the camera,"
he notes, "He picks the camera up and runs to the
place he wants it to be."
Meanwhile, back in London, Head of 3D, Commercials,
Andy Boyd began creating some sketch animations
of possible movements for the flapping labels. These
tests were sent to Aveillan and McGee on the shoot
via 'front', Framestore CFC's proprietary suite
of production tools. "Using front, we could make
the 12 hour time difference work in our favour,"
recalls McGee, "I would brief Andy in the evening
and get results on my desktop the following morning."
The main dilemma revolved around the precise nature
of the labels' flying motion – whether it
would be more imitative of that of birds or that
of butterflies. Eventually a compromise was reached,
with the labels behaving in bird-like fashion –
flying in a purposeful and directed way - in the
flocking long shots, and with more fluttery, dancing
moves in closer shots.
With flexibility always a keynote in his approach
to problems, Boyd used two different software packages
to create the animations he needed. "For the 'hero'
label shots – which were close-up, hand animated
shots – which we did in Maya. For the flocking
shots, which involved up to 15,000 individual labels,
we used Houdini, which is just perfect for this
sort of thing. Houdini gave us the ability to add
a lot of complexity to the movement, as well as
allowing us – via its procedural workflow
– to easily change the composition and nature
of the flocks, for example, if more or less labels
for a particular brand were required."
The animated labels were created over two weeks
of intensive work. As they began to roll off the
production line, they were sent to Framestore NY,
where compositors Maryanne Lauric and Murray Butler
seated them snugly in their locations. Lauric says
of the experience, "It was a seamlessly smooth work
flow, and I think that Bruno was particularly impressed
at the way the full might of Framestore CFC's Commercials
3D team could be piped in to our New York operation,
as easily as if they were downstairs." The finished
shots were, in turn, relayed to McGee back in London,
to Aveillan in his Paris office, and to the agency
in Richmond, Virginia.
The term 'global village' has been much abused,
often referencing nothing more impressive than a
transatlantic phone call. But when you're discussing
a spot that was created over three continents, using
a talent pool based in LA, Richmond, New York, London,
Paris and Auckland, then a global village –
and a glimpse of the future - is truly what you're
looking at.
'Labels'
Miller Genuine Draught
Agency The Martin Agency
Creative Director Ty Harper
Executive Producer Brad Powell
Producer Holly Flaisher
Production Company Believe Media
Director Bruno Aveillan
Producer Marc Benardout
For Framestore NY
Compositors Maryanne Lauric, Murray
Butler
Producer James Razzall
For Framestore CFC
VFX Supervisor Mike McGee
Technical Directors Andy Boyd,
Jamie Isles, David Mellor
3D Animators Nicklas Andersson,
Laura Dias, Michele Fabbro, Don Mahmood, Dale Newton,
Dean Robinson
Tracking Joe Leveson
Producer Sarah Hiddlestone
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