Electric Theatre Collective Brings Imaginary Monsters to Life for Asda's Back to School Ad
Electric Theatre Collective has put its extensive VFX skills to use creating CG monsters in 'The Chase' for George at Asda. The campaign was developed by AMV BBDO, inspired by children’s fun and creative imaginations. ‘Built for Their Imagination’ captures the genuine thoughtful, playful and humorous moments of play and takes the customer back to the days of the school playground.
To kick off the creative process, the team worked with an enthusiastic group of real school children - the George ‘Class of 2019’ - and asked them to share their favourite playground game, with the unanimous decision being tag. To be true to the idea that the monster came from a child’s imagination, hundreds of children, including the children of staff at AMV BBDO, Electric and Stink, were asked to draw their idea of a monster. “We took the most popular themes, and used them to design a unique monster for the screen. One that is as random and free as a child thinks,” said AMV BBDO creative director, Andy Clough.
The resulting 30-second film was directed by Traktor.
In the spot, we see a kids game brought to life as a monster chases pupils through the school yard. We see children running and hiding, putting their George uniforms through their paces, playing tag until the monster catches up with them and then, to our surprise, the monster turns into a girl. It’s then that we realise we’ve been watching a playground game through the vivid imagination of the children.
Jon Purton, executive producer at Electric, said: “At the heart of the campaign is the idea that both monsters come straight from the mind of a child and not an adult's interpretation of a child’s imagination. The team embraced this challenge and committed to ditching the normal rules of anatomy.”
This was weaved into the design, sculpting, modelling and rigging processes. As the monsters started coming to life in animation, the team of FX artists began incorporating those specific, crucial details that brought the kids' creations to life: from controlling the way the skin moved, the characteristics of the slobber, right down to the little tufts of hair.
When the film was completed, a panel of children was consulted to ensure that the monsters were something they’d imagine and the game was true to something they’d play. “The ad had to make sense if you didn’t see the monster, but with the girl in its place,” said AMV BBDO creative director Richard McGrann. It got a resounding thumbs up.
The TV advert launches in Scotland on the 27th of July and will be rolled out across the rest of the UK from the 10th August.
