Corporate Animation Showcase 3 – Stop-Motion
Corporate animations come in a whole host of different styles and designs, most however are 2D. There is a reason for this, and that reason usually boils down to cost. 2D can be a very quick and effective process and as it’s usually small start ups or low budget internet adverts that pose the commissions, 2D is very favourable. However every now and then the budgets come up trumps and the commissioners get creative. This brings us to the most time consuming and sometimes costly realm of corporate stop motion.
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A standout example of corporate stop motion comes from Dutch director Roger Wieland with his film Immobilien. Using the motif of a pop-up book, based on the companies handbook, the introduction alone gives us a great insight into how intriguing this film will be. Layer upon layer, paper is stacked up each revealing a new frame building up several images, set deep into the ream. Creating the text and images in negative space adds a great dynamic to the production and becomes an effective way to build the book from the ground up. As we continue the pages leaf over showing more and more technical pop ups. Stop motion has a great way of making the inanimate animate, making the content relevant to the viewer and more tangible. Now when they read the actual handbook, images and movements of the film will converge in their mind, making the seemingly generic publication that bit more enjoyable.
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Over in Australia, production company The Lume have created an entire cardboard world for charity Heart for the Homeless. Every building, person, scene is constructed from cardboard, giving it a really nice homely feel. Adding to this interesting aesthetic the lighting is particularly well achieved. Whether its the glowing yellow sun, the blue tinted moon or the little led prop lights it all helps to create an atmosphere that is warm and caring. The textures and use of lights really help to relate directly to the charities ideals and captures the audiences attention making them feel comfortable and hopefully giving. Replacement animation is used here for all the figures, with them being animated or rotoscoped on the computer then being cut out individually. Once placed and photographed in succession, this technique can create a pleasingly fluid result. The few jerks that come with the placement just add to its charm. The film perfectly matches the ideals of the charity both in story and aesthetics.
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Another example of replacement characters comes in the form of London based studio VooDooDog and their film for Lloyds TSB. From the outset we are transported into the stop motion world. The shot in which the baby grows from child to adult is beautifully timed and animated, using the replacement technique to its absolute best. A lot of the sequences are either captured live or use clever compositing techniques to keep the stop motion feel throughout. At every moment the film draws us back to stop motion giving a very real and tactile feel, as we are seeing what we know as inanimate come to life. The clever use of paper throughout this film creates a really home made feel and something that helps the client to become more appealing and less like a corporate giant. The depth that is also created in many of the shots, such as the words and trees and the apple picking, are all down to the lighting and ease of the camera. By creating depth on such a simple level really helps to encapsulate the viewer.
In many ways stop motion films have the ability to seem more tangible than 2D, as the viewer can often relate to the objects they are seeing. Just like a live action film, there are things they feel they can touch and be a part of. Using this technique in corporate films can really help an audience to be drawn in and better relate to the product, service or information that is being presented. The big shame is that budgets do not always give directors this way of working as an option. If money were no object then I’m positive that a lot more stop motion corporate films would be made as they have a charming and homely effect on viewers and creators.
Don’t forget to head over to the Corporate Animation Showcase Vimeo page to add your films and you never know you could be featured in the next showcase. https://vimeo.com/groups/corporateanimation