Nexus Adds Some Handmade Appeal To Dorset Cereals' 'Life Begins at Breakfast'
We chat to director Conor Finnegan about how he turned a handful of felt and sticks into something unbearably cute.
Beautiful CG visuals and the power of digital animation can leave us stunned, but when it comes to cute-factor (if recent trends are to judge by) nothing quite beat’s good ol’ fashioned puppets. The handmade little creatures in this recent commercial by Nexus director Conor Finnegan are the latest to pop up, for his ‘Life Begins at Breakfast’ spot for Dorset Cereals.
Showing a bunch of woodland animals as they go through their morning routine to the warblings of Iggy Pop's 'Real Wild Child', the commercial uses only a tiny amount of computer imagery in places to add additional movement to the characters arms, eyes and mouths. Plugging in to the personality of the brand perfectly – handmade, rustic and with connections to nature – the spot's easy-going appeal and casual wit showcases the skills of director Finnegan perfectly.
We were desperate to know how you turn a handful of felt and sticks into something unbearably sweet, so caught up with Conor to pick his brain.
How did you get involved in the Dorset Cereal project?
I was living the dream, travelling around Vietnam when I got the call from Nexus. It sounded like a great project and as luck would have it my travels were coming to an end so I jumped at the opportunity.
How early was the decision made to mix puppeteering with animation? Was there ever a thought about going full CG?
Everyone liked the idea of a more crafty feel so a mix of live action and animation was always the preferred route. The client didn't feel full CG really fitted with the brand.
Can you tell us a little about the character designs? The colour scheme seems to match the product packaging pretty closely – was that a prerequisite from the start?
I did quite a few different designs for each of the characters. There were design elements from the packaging that we wanted to bring through to the characters but we didn't want it to be too similar. There was a balance to reach and I think we got it.
How long did the prep take? Did you have a team of model-makers?
It was about 3 weeks from doing initial character designs and animatic to the day we shot. Andy Gent and his team made all the sets and Jessica Dance made all the puppets. It was tight but I think that just hones everyone's decisions and makes things move faster.
How was the shoot?
It went really well. We shot it all over two days and everyone on set was great- we had an amazing team which always helps.
We understand you had to come up with a neat little trick to give the running movement of the characters a bit of bounce. What did you create? Were there any other ploys you had to develop?
I bought some toy cars and pulled them apart, adding bits of plasticine to the wheels so that they became oval shaped. This meant that when we attached a puppet to them and rolled the wheel it gave the impression of a walk/ run cycle and the character would bob up and down. We also did a nice thing for the otter's shower scene where we just poured water over him from a watering can. Low-tech is always best!
How was the post-production on the spot? How much stuff was added in later? Why were these elements chosen to create digitally?
The arms, legs, wings, eyes, beaks and mouths were all added digitally in post. Most of it was done in 2D and some in 3D. Again, we had a great team of animators and compositors at Nexus and it went really smoothly.
Did you get to work with Peter Serafinowicz on the VO? Did you make him do a Darth Maul voice?
Regrettably not. Though he did claim to be my father.
Are you happy with the film and the positive response?
Absolutely. I'd love to be making more ads like these.
We've tracked your progress since the amazing 'Death Of Wormboy' and 'Fluffy McCloud'. How does it feel to be working on bigger scale adverts now? Is it important to you to retain the hands-on charm of your filmmaking style?
Haha, you've seen Wormboy. That's' an old one but still a good one. It's great fun getting to work on bigger projects like Dorset. I like to be as hands on as possible and working with bigger crews that can make things I never could on my own is fantastic. I definitely gravitate toward a more tactile end of filmmaking. I like in-camera trickery and it's great to be able to mix that with digital effects to create hybrid-animation, something that people aren't quite sure how it's made.
What's up next for you?
I'll be making another short film for the Late Night Work Club collective, part deux. And I'll continue to make commercials and work on some longer format projects that I have in development. There's lots in the pipeline and lots to look forward to.
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