Nexus tells an epic stop-motion story of Corona’s Mexican history
London’s Nexus Studios teamed up with creative agency Observation in Los Angles to tell the Spanish language story OF one of Mexico’s most recognisable brands, Corona. Narrated by Gael García Bernal, the audience is taken on a spectacular journey through Corona and Mexico’s entwined history.
Moving forward throughout the golden age of Mexican cinema, the Corona Caravan brought culture and Coronas to every corner of the country. During the 80s, even when the country was being hit by economic crisis, the brand began an ambitious export plan that helped the Mexican name span the globe. In the final chapter, we see how Mexicans in the present have learned to turn obstacles into opportunities, tearing down physical and mental barriers.
The sun’s replacement faces were sculpted by hand.
Directed by Nicolas Ménard (Loop Ring Chop Drink, Wednesday with Goddard), the campaign took inspiration from by the label on every Corona bottle: La Cerveza Mas Fina. The visual inspiration of this history stems from the imaginary universe of renowned Mexican surrealist artist Pedro Friedeberg. His famous patterns and distinctive vanishing points help this production to tie into Mexico’s vibrant legacy of art.
8 miniature sets were modelled and created for filming.
Produced in collaboration with Andy Gent of Arch Model Studio, the spectacular visuals were created by a 30 person art department encompassing 8 miniatures sets, 421 handmade mixtures (71 of which individually-paired 3D printed characters) and a staggering 350 tiny replica translucent Corona bottles; the iconic bottles were designed in 1925 by a group of bakers who decided to use clear-glass so that everyone could see it was made with the finest ingredients.
Stop-motion just seemed to be the natural fit for the brief. It allowed us to add a cinematic layer through lightning and texture to each chapter of Corona’s history. Stylistically, it also meant we could reference Pedro’s work not only in painting, but also in sculpture. It was a lot of fun to boil down these complex events into compact sets; seeing them come to life thanks to Andy Gent’s team of model makers was a special treat.
-Nicolas Ménard, director
The film is accompanied by an insightful making-of video showing how all these components came together to make yet another visually captivating and thought-provoking campaign for the world renowned brand. Cheers!