Hasta La Creative!

With the help of directing duo Fleur & Manu and a VFX spectacle courtesy of MPC Paris, Ogilvy’s Parisian branch has unveiled a new, rather adventurous spot for Perrier, the preferred carbonated beverage of yours truly. In this 60-second clip, hot air balloons carrying an eccentric cast of characters from cheerleaders and zoo animals to hippies and hipsters represent the bubbles within a bottle of Perrier. As the mad dash continues in the ad to the sounds of Grieg’s classical staple, “In the Hall of the Mountain King (Peer Gynt),” one can’t help but think of Coca-Cola’s “Happiness Factory” work.

Still, this latest Perrier campaign, which was mainly shot in Argentina, was quite an undertaking in its own right, kicking off with stills of the nation’s Iguazu Falls and culminating with 42 VFX shots with 50 or so variations of CG hot air balloons.

MPC Paris VFX supervisor/creative director Franck Lambertz explains further, saying:

“The spot is a riot of colour, with multiple locations and many minute details in every shot. Working with Fleur & Manu, who are adept at creating the ultimate fantasy world, led us to slightly unconventional techniques. I even found myself in a helicopter filming with a 360-degree camera to create the back plates. The work was led from MPC Paris, with support from the 3D team in London, prep work from Bangalore, and stills photography from MPC Mexico – A truly global effort.”

In the end, Ogilvy Paris and crew add a bit more pep to Perrier’s step with this spot, which will bow on June 7 in Roland Garros central court during the French Open men’s final.

Agency: Ogilvy Paris
Creative Director: Paul Kreitmann
Agency Producer: Laure Bayle and Aurelie Appert
Creatives: Clara Noguier and Olivier Le Lostec

Directors: Fleur & Manu
Production Company: Les Télécréateurs
DOP: Nicolas Loir

Editor: Thomas Grove carter @ Home DP

Sound Design: GUM

VFX: MPC Paris
VFX Supervisor: Franck Lambertz
3D Supervisor: Fabian Frank
VFX Producer: Quentin Martin
Grade: MPC – Remote Grading
Colourist: Matthieu Toullet

Last Thursday saw soccer star Lionel Messi become the world’s “first life-size, living avatar” dubbed Lifesize Messi, to promote EA Sports’ FIFA 14 for PS4 and Xbox One. W+K Amsterdam have just rolled out the follow-up TV campaign, “Messimorphosis.”

W+K chose to show a gamer morphing into Lifesize Messi as a metaphor for “how the game now feels more alive” than ever. The execution comes across something like an Aphex Twin music video. In other words, quite unsettling.

The spot opens with our gamer sitting on his couch, loading up his Xbox One. As he presses a button, he looks at his hand to see it changing before his eyes. Soon, his entire body is morphing into the Messi avatar, and it’s pretty damned creepy. There’s a shot of the kid’s unnerving smile, and a really freaky one of his face melting into Messi’s. This is pretty strange stuff. The close-up of his feet turning into cleats is just plain gross. We don’t see any gameplay (which looks pretty good, but not mind-blowing) until the final few seconds of the spot, with most of the 58 second ad devoted to the Lionel Messi metamorphosis. Clearly, W+K is banking on Messi’s star power and the lifesize avatar schtick — and presumably not factoring in that the morphing stunt will weird some people out. One thing you can say about “Messimorphosis” is that it’s certainly memorable.

If you’re easily disturbed or grossed out, avoid this one at all costs. If, on the other hand, you’re a big fan of FIFA, Lionel Messi, or are under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs, then this one’s for you. Credits after the jump. continued…

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