Director: Mischa Rozema
Production Co: PostPanic
Agency: Sek Grey (Finland)
The retro-feel present throughout the commercial, comes from the JAFFA brand itself. On the Finnish market since 1949, the orange drink is still in the top 3 of most popular soft drinks in the country. JAFFA is part of Hartwall, which is owned by Heineken International.
Director Mischa Rozema wanted to create a commercial based on Bruun’s legacy. This time though, Mischa had to base his visual direction on someone else’s graphic aesthetic rather than his own. The result, another trademark visually unique mixed media film, combining live action with 2d/3d animation, motion graphics, stock footage and visual effects. His background in graphic design and an intense admiration of film, set him on a path of creating unusual visual directions by combining whatever technique was available, be it live action, CG or motion graphics. Today Mischa is best known for his ability to take seemingly ordinary projects in unexpected creative directions.
I had the opportunity to ask Mischa Rozema a few questions regarding his work on this production and how it was working with the internationally awarded 85 year old graphic designer Erik Bruun.
RL: Given that Erik Bruun was a major influence over the aesthetics of the commercial, how important was the retro-feel to the JAFFA brand?
MR: Very important. It's what the commercial is about. Not about new flavors or other fuzziness. This is about getting in touch with that old school Jaffa feeling. The way you might have experienced it as a kid. Bruun's illustrations transcends advertising. His work really reaches personal memories for anyone familiar with the brand
RL: Was Erik Brunn content with all the production decisions regarding the commercial or did he have any suggestions?
MR: Erik was really happy throughout the process. Our job was to translate his illustrations into animations. A thing he's never experienced before so he was really corporative. We also spend a lot of time to recreate is actual working environment so he really felt at home.
RL: How difficult was it for you to base his visual direction using someone else's graphic aesthetic?
MR: It was the first time ever but not difficult at all. I love his contemporary style. It was a challenge to animate and extrapolate his 2d drawings into a 3d environment without losing Erik's soul.
RL: What equipment and software was used in the production of this commercial?
MR: All footage was shot on a RED camera at 4K resolution. Graphics and compositing were done in After Effects. 3D and animation in Maya.
“The story needed to be told using the actual posters of Erik Bruun. This meant we had to create an imaginary landscape to allow us to move from one poster to another one. The challenge was therefore in choosing the posters that had the most in them landscape and storytelling wise. I was particularly inspired by the simplicity and retro feeling of Bruun’s designs which actually reminded me of Saul Bass’s work. Bruun’s work has that same contemporary feeling and use of textures that makes it stand out and feel very tactile.” - Mischa Rozema
http://www.postpanic.net/
