The new vodafone ads thats being telecasted during IPL matches
are pretty awesome.I liked them all, especially the beauty tips AD,
that kid comes shouting 3 times superbly. Really Innovative to say.
I got a mail regarding these Ads.Thought i will share across with
u guys
Some info abt these characters. They aren’t animated characters.
They are human beings who were made to wear body suits. “The
design of the characters is such that one gets fooled into thinking
it is animation,” shrugs Rao, which was indeed the very illusion
that had to be created.“In a sense, it is ‘live’ animation!” he quips,
referring to the fact that it was all shot live. Prakash Varma, ad
filmmaker,Nirvana Films, has directed the commercials, and
reveals that the Zoozoos were a big challenge to create. The
practical aspects of how they will move, talk, gesticulate and
emote were very important. Essentially, costume design and
artwork were crucial elements.
“It took me three weeks of pre-production to understand how
it will work,” says Varma. There were two fabrics that were
considered for the body suits, and one was rejected for it had
too many wrinkles and was shiny. The wrinkles would have
shown when the characters moved, thereby shattering the
illusion of animation. “So we chose the more practical, thicker
fabric,” Varma explains.The production team divided the
outfit into two parts: the body and the head. The body part
of the outfit was stuffed with foam in some places, while the
head was attached separately. To make it look bigger than a
human head, a harder material called Perspex was used,
which in turn was stuffed with foam (with scope for
ventilation).
If one wishes to understand the size of this head, here’s a fact:
a human head would typically reach up to the mouth level of
this giant Zoozoo head. “We kept the hands and legs thin,
which is why we cast women – and occasionally children –
wearing the costumes,” says Varma. The thin limbs, contrasted
with big bellies and a bulbous head, all add to the illusion that
these creatures are ‘smaller’ than humans. Sets were created
to suit the size of the Zoozoos.
Cinematically, this ‘size’ was a trick: the creatures look smaller
than they actually are on screen, to portray a different world of
sorts. For this, the speed of shooting was altered: Nirvana shot
it in a high-speed format to make them look the size that they
do. Furthermore, simple sets/backdrops were created and spray
painted with neutral Greys – a colour of choice so that attention
isn’t diverted from the main characters. For a supposedly
‘outdoor’ shot, even the shadow of a Zoozoo was kept ‘live’ and
not done in post production: it was painted in a darker shade of
grey on the ground. An even lighting was maintained throughout.
There was virtually no post production work done.
The films were shot by Nirvana in Cape Town, South Africa, with
the help of a local production house there, called Platypus.
Incidentally, the same combination of people also worked on the
‘Happy to Help’ series last year. When asked whether Cape Town
is fast becoming a tourist spot for Vodafone and Nirvana, Varma
laughs, saying, “Oh no! It’s just that we are very comfortable with
the team there and know what sort of work to expect from them.”
Nagpal adds here that the production cost had to be minimal for
unveiling such a large number of commercials. “Otherwise, our
production costs would exceed media spends,” he quips.
Will the new Vodafone ads set a new trend in Indian ad industry?
Lets wait n see
