Commercials - Animation
Arden University
Blind Pig
Arden University has a track record of empowering its students to shut down self-doubt, a concept we helped bring to life through animation - in the form of a posturing critic, who thankfully fails to put the lead character ‘in her place’.
Blind Pig spent much time in R&D, perfecting the Inner Critic Character. He needed to have a know-it-all exterior which was created through his posing, but he also needed to look the right side of 'all-important', without being overly intimidating. He's a caricature of that person we all know - someone who thinks they're always correct - which helped in making this a relatable campaign.
Using Photoshop, they then designed the look of the critic, from clothing to facial features, liaising with the client throughout to pinpoint the greyness of his hair and exuberance of his stance. Next, it was time to animate him using ToonBoom. Lead animator Christine Peters and her team conveyed much of the flamboyance and arrogance of the character in his physicality.
Lead Animator Christine comments: “What I enjoyed the most about this project was figuring out the posing and acting of each shot. The poses were so satisfying to do as they set the tone for the shot. For example, in the running machine scene, when he’s lying down on top of the screen, we wanted him to be ridiculing her physically as well as verbally."
We really played with the way he inhabits her space; he is small in stature but that doesn't stop him from encroaching on her life.
CREW
Animation - Blind Pig
Lead Animator - Christine Peters
Character Design - Christine Peters, Ditte Wad, William Smith
Compositor - Ric Comline
Animator - Andrew Clarke
Colour Assist - William Smith, Lawrence Scanlon
Executive Producer - Thierry Levy
Producer - Ana Hoxha, Roberta Fox
Production Assistant - Susie Joseph
Post Production - Absolute
Post Set Supervisor - Dave Smith
2D - Becanti Wijnberg, Tommy Coulter-Liston
Grade - Matt Turner
Flame/Online - Jasmine Cooper
Online Assist - Christy Brooks
Executive Producer - Belinda Grew
Producer - Roberta Fox, Dannica Green
Software