Working directly from the architect’s blueprints, we designed and built this beautiful animated short to promote the runway expansion of Oslo’s Gardermoen airport for Passion Pictures’ director Marc Reisbig.
The scale model, which had to be both architectural and animatable, spans across a 3metre tabletop and was built using a selection of hard woods to echo the scandinavian construction plans.
view photos of the build here
watch the short film here
In this, our first opportunity to work with BrandNewSchool and their New York director Dennis Go, we were given the task of bringing to life the iconic Ben&Jerry’s mascot “Woody”.
Usually only seen in a 2D format, the script involved Woody travelling through a variety of environments on his search for new ice cream flavours.
We designed and built a poseable Woody puppet that could interact with the props that we created for her. We also undertook the rigging for the job, no mean feat as you will see in these behind-the-scenes photos.
Watch the commercial here
We created a series of colourful Comet idents with Airside for their christmas seasonal programme sponsorship.
Using green screen techniques we were responsible for rigging and positioning both the actors and hero props. The designed environment was animated in post.
We designed and built this beautiful commercial for Nexus directors Smith & Faulkes creating a bright leafy suburban street in the world of the Netflix Hamsters.
The houses, fitted out with scale replicas of iconic furniture, were given neatly trimmed lawns, topiary hedges and a working pond and set into tree lined gardens to fully immerse the viewer into the landscape.
Working with the specially trained hamster actors was a new experience for us!
Watch the video here
Chipotle commissioned Nexus director Johnny Kelly to create something special for their ‘Food with Integrity’ campaign. He came to us with the brief and together we developed and created the short animated film entitled ‘Back To The Start’. The rigging was an integral part of the modelmaking and set build: barns that build and collapse, a factory complex that grows in bursts, and desiccated fields that flip over to reveal lush pasture on the reverse.
The film is set to a specially recorded version of Coldplay’s ‘The Scientist’ performed by Willie Nelson.
View the film here
We helped nexus director,Jim Le Fevre, to realise the biggest phonotrope he could ever imagine for the opening credit sequence to the BBC dramatic comedy Holy Flying Circus.
The phonotrope was featured in the creative review blog
View behind the scenes footage via motionographer
Thunderbirds are back!
This commercial sees the return of the iconic Thunderbirds characters to our screens. Every model maker’s childhood dream, to be the team that produced the intricate sets and models from the classic TV series.
In this faithful tribute to the original TV show, we re-created the wonderful world of Paddington Bear. Pens and Pencils were added to the usual armoury of drills and saws as we set about drawing and colouring in and cutting out until everything was just perfect.
We revisited Paddington to celebrate his 50th birthday and threw a Marmite birthday party for him.
Ubik’s first short film, made for MTV’s Switch Campaign to raise eco-awareness.
Shot on location in an schoolroom, it uses 16mm film and childlike proportions in the 3D elements to gently remind us of the responsibility we have to care for our planet.
This short won Ubik the British Television Advertising Craft Award for Best Animation in a Commercial. Well done, chaps.
watch the film here
reported on motionographer here
and a few kind words here from Animation Blog here
This very short film, directed by Johnny Kelly, was made to celebrate the launch of YouTube Play, a digital creativity competition organised in collaboration with the Guggenheim museum.
Comprising 9 different scenes in under 40 seconds and a complete shift in style with each new scene, this film was a wonderful challenge.
watch the ident here
watch the behind-the-scene documentary here
read a few kind words on the creative review blog here
view the behind the scenes photo gallery here
Working with director Rebecca Manley we created our very own, real life level of the hit playstation game Little Big Planet to celebrate it’s release on the handheld PSP console.
We constructed a multi-plane table and painstakingly cut out hundreds of fuzzy felt replacement parts to build up the idyllic countryside and characters for this series of lovely Anchor Butter commercials, directed by Tobias Fouracre. Have a look for yourself:
We revisited this technique again when Anchor Butter wanted their fuzzy felt cows to recreate the famous motorbike scene from The Great Escape
weareTHEARTDEPT is a talented and diverse team of designers, constructers and model makers based in London.
We design and produce models and sets for all aspects of commercial advertising, specialising in stop frame animation.
Let's work on something together!
