Here are some design samples for the 3 animated commercial campaign for the 'Plato's Closet'
I was art director/designer as well as animator for the campaign.
The spots were directed by Morgan Williams & Bruce McFarlan at Reelworks studio.
'Limo'
'Couch'
Some additional designs from the style exploration
Article in Digitalcontentproducer.com
Article in Creatie Mac (August 05, 2004)
The artists at Reelworks are also animating commercial projects having recently finished a three-spot campaign for Plato's Closet, a recycling retail store for teens and young adults, via ad agency Periscope.
Highlighting the tagline You have the clothes. We have the cash, the :30 spots feature fashionable young adults in various situations that somehow come upon a pile of cash. In 'Limo', a teen girl walking on the street is thrown a heap of cash from a passing limo. The vibrant spot concludes with motion graphics and real product shots of the diverse brand name clothing available at Plato's Closet. The other two spots follow a similar premise, emphasizing the idea that the store pays for the best spring and summer fashions. 'Couch' opens on a young man listening to music while lying on a couch. A big bag of money suddenly flies through the open window and lands on his lap. In 'Nudge', a love-struck couple strolls along and smiles at each other. The girl nudges her boyfriend who accidentally bumps into a fire escape and is rained upon by a mountain of money.
According to Reelworks Designer/Art Director Soyeon Kim, it was important to study the tastes and style preferences of the target audience. To prepare for the project, Kim researched teen publications to use as reference for the character and wardrobe design.
The goal was to appeal to teen buyers so we created characters that were more realistic in appearance and mannerisms and weren't cartoon-like, remarks Soyeon Kim. This was a really fun and unique project. The first :15 involves character animation and the second is motion graphics so you get to see two different designs and approaches in the same spot. We had a smooth collaboration with the agency creatives and we worked closely to make sure we had the right style and look.
Plato's Closet Credits:
Client: Plato's Closet
Spot Titles/Airdates: 'Limo'
:30/August 2004, 'Couch' :30/August
2004, 'Nudge' :30/August 2004
Advertising Agency:
Periscope/Minneapolis, MN
Producer: Jennifer Helm
Art Director: Anne Taylor
Copywriter: Nancy Mandela
Animation & Production Company:
Reelworks Animation/Minneapolis, MN
Director: Bruce McFarlan
Art Director: Soyeon Kim
Animators: Morgan Williams, Soyeon
Kim, Todd Hemker, Aaron Brudvig
Digital Ink and Paint: Thom Waters
Executive Producer: Audrey Robinson
Favorito
Producer: Neha Upadhyaya Lang
Editor: Morgan Williams
Postproduction Company: Pixel
Farm/Minneapolis, MN
Online Editor: Tom Jacobsen @ Pixel
Farm
Music, Audio Post and Sound Design
Company: Hest & Kramer/Minneapolis, MN
Creative Director: Steve Kramer
Associate Creative Director/Head of
Production/Mixer: Jim Weber
Composer/Arranger/Sound Designer: Dan
Solovitz
Executive Producer: Bob Hest
