“Becoming Experts in Jellyfish” for Swatch’s Aquatic ‘Jelly Effect’
Jellyfish. One of Earth’s most fascinating and ethereal creatures. Inspired by their bioluminescent wonder, Swatch created its transparent, water-resistant SCUBAQUA range and, in collaboration with MOX, its accompanying campaign: ‘Jelly Effect’.
The primary films take place in a surreal world, where puddles act as portals, a glass of water spills into a sea, and fish tanks transport you to the infinite depths within. In each scenario, the protagonists plunge into the tentacled sea creatures’ aquatic realm before reemerging, drenched, in the air above. We, the viewers, are almost as immersed, drawn in by hypnotic shots, warped music, and clever blending of the natural world and man-made design.
The product films deserve equal attention, beautifully drawing out the similarities between the watches and jellyfish – who would have thought watch straps could make such convincing tentacles? – while lifestyle and CG photography offer us further glimpses at these mesmerising scenes.
It’s simultaneously fresh and on-brand, honouring Swatch’s heritage of bold, playful, conceptual creativity.
LBB’s Zara Naseer dives deeper behind the creative and special effects, in this interview with MOX, Dada Projects, and Pineapple VFX.
Above: ‘Magic Carpet’
LBB> What was the brief from Swatch?
Catriona Brown, senior account director, MOX> Leverage the SCUBAQUA collection’s history to position Swatch as the innovative, trend-setting brand that has something for everyone and consequently increases brand relevance with gen zs. Given the heritage value this collection presents, an underlying objective was also to create interest among Swatch lovers and collectors.
LBB> How did the creative develop from there? Did you draw from any particular references?
Catriona> The SCUBAQUA watch design itself took inspiration from jellyfish, so this was our starting point for the creative. We wanted to transport the viewer to an abstract, surreal underwater world where the watch and jellyfish moved harmoniously as one.
Matt Bolton, creative director and founder, MOX> The campaign inspiration came from a few different sources. One was obviously the product. The product team had been inspired by jellyfish when concepting the watches’ design, hence its bold, bright colours and transparencies. This naturally took us to underwater worlds, also given the SCUBAQUA heritage in scuba diving… but speaking of heritage, our other main source of inspiration was around the mega brand that is Swatch. Steeped in insanely inspiring heritage, Swatch’s irreverent personality and confidence in doing things differently really inspired us to bring it into a weird and wonderful world.
Above: ‘Little Shop of Jellies’
LBB> The shoot sounds like a rollercoaster, with both stills and motion shot in just two days in Europe’s largest aquarium – can you tell us a bit about that experience on set?
Matt> An amazing experience, which posed some big challenges. There’s a reason we don’t know much about the underwater world!
Catriona> With tight deadlines and a limited budget, we had to create two campaigns concurrently, both launching in early May, which meant shooting what would normally be a three-day shoot in just two. We captured both stills and motion simultaneously, with models needing to appear dry and wet for different takes, requiring wardrobe, hair, and makeup to stay on standby.
Shooting in Bulgaria's cost-effective location allowed us to stay on track, but challenges included ensuring the models were comfortable in the deep water and acclimating them at least 24 hours before the shoot. The last few shots were crucial to get right, as it was very late, we didn’t want the models to be standing around, wet, in the cold, and we didn’t have enough time to keep getting them dry again for retakes.
We ended with mode Morgane, in the Little Shop of Jellies, doused in a bucket of water at about 11pm on a windy day. Happy to say it was a one-take wonder!
Above: ‘Pipe Dream’
LBB> The campaign submerges viewers in its tactile, dreamlike world. Dada Projects, how did you pull off that immersive effect?
Christina Worner, founder and creative director, Dada Projects> We primarily used a wide-angle lens to bring the viewer up close to the watch, creating a strong sense of physical presence. Visually, we crafted a journey from the dark depths of the ocean up toward the light at the surface, giving the viewer a feeling of rising or progression. To enhance the ethereal quality, we gave the jellyfish a subtle glow and emphasised their translucency, highlighting intricate details on their heads and oral arms. Layering foreground and background elements, like jellyfish and drifting bubbles, combined with subtle parallax motion, helped ground the viewer’s perspective within the scene, intensifying the immersive quality.
Above: Product film
LBB> What about the creation of the bespoke jellyfish, Pineapple VFX?
Josh Sanders, executive director and commercial director, Pineapple VFX> Blending scientific realism in digital form, with the brand’s bold, playful aesthetic was the biggest challenge. We began the process by agreeing on the species (Sea Nettle) and carefully studied the moving patterns and characteristics. Using procedural modelling and animation, the team were able to generate a huge variety in the jellyfish and then refine it with dynamic vellum simulations for added realism.
Pineapple VFX crafted jellyfish that move and react like real marine life, while glowing with Swatch’s vibrant energy. Every detail, from soft-body dynamics to bioluminescent shimmer, was designed to capture the intersection of nature and design.
LBB> Motion plays a key role in making this campaign so hypnotic – how did you make the stills just as captivating?
Amanda Wilmer, senior producer, MOX> It was important to find the right creative partner who could help tell our story. We were lucky enough to work with Shahraam Saadat who’s an incredible editorial photographer with a talent for storytelling.
Above: Lifestyle shots
LBB> For each of you, what was the most interesting challenge in bringing this campaign to life?
Matt> The most interesting challenge was bringing a unique concept to life across multiple mediums – from lifestyle films and CGI worlds to key visuals – while maintaining synergy and capturing Swatch's irreverent personality. Integrating jellyfish into both the campaign's visuals and lifestyle assets required continuous learning and close collaboration with our partners, Dada Projects, Pineapple VFX, and The Hand of God. The complexity of combining CGI with real-world elements in both the key visuals and post-production taught us all a great deal about the intricacies of this creative process.
Oh, and not to mention becoming experts in jellyfish. What an intricate squishy bubble of complexity.
Joshua> One of the main challenges was overseeing simultaneous workflows across three distinct commercials, all under a tight production timeline. Ensuring visual cohesion with other assets produced by Pineapple VFX, including print, required careful art direction and colour management. Integrating the CG jellyfish into live-action plates also demanded precision: aligning lighting direction, maintaining bubble continuity, and ensuring seamless compositing to ground the creatures believably in each scene.
Christina> The most interesting challenge was getting the jellyfish to behave the way we envisioned. We couldn’t rig them directly, as that would have made their motion feel too mechanical – like robots swimming through water. Instead, the most natural movement came from letting them be influenced by water currents and rising bubbles. While this approach gave us beautiful realism, it made directing their motion much more unpredictable and difficult to control.
Above: Behind the scenes of ‘Magic Carpet’
