Blur Studio took over the world of Skylanders for two :30 spots, creating
CG sequences that give the game’s young audience an entirely new way
to look at the characters and what they can do.
Blur Studio Tackles Skylanders Trap Team for Activision’s New Campaign |
| Blur Studiotook over the characters and world ofSkylandersfor two new :30 commercials produced by ad agency72andSunnyfor game developer Activision, titled‘Inside the Trap’and‘Trapping Kaos’. The spots include CG animated sequences led byBlur's director Jeff Fowler, who helped add visual scope and their distinctive brand of storytelling to the world of Skylanders. |
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In an interview withDigital Media World, Jeff Fowler explained that he and his team of 30 artists completed CG material for both spots in less than two months, putting effort into increasing the level of visual detail and further developing the characters. At a first look, you might think that Skylanders attracts a younger audience than most games Blur has produced cinematics for previously, and demands a little less realism and a less photoreal finish. |
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But Jeff pointed out that Blur is capable of handling many different styles, including quite stylized material targeting younger viewers. “For example, we've done three commercial campaigns for Pepperidge Farm'sGoldfish Crackersand are currently in progress on our fourth, so believe it or not, Skylanders does fall within our territory," he said. "Having said that, the agency 72andSunny was very interested in applying our more traditional cinematic skills in camera work, action choreography and so on to bring a little more energy and grit to the Skylanders world. In short, cute characters, big action!” |
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When it came to making sure the commercials remained recognisable and familiar to existing players, they felt one of the trademark aspects of the Skylanders characters are their proportions - very compact and stubby, which adds humour and playfulness to their looks. Consequently, the artists preserved this quality and concentrated on updating materials and texturing, incorporating a much higher level of detail. Jeff said, “We wanted to give them a very lived-in look with leather gloves that are cracked and worn from years of use, heavily battered armour after the epic battles, and so on. That way, we could add a degree of realism while maintaining the core feel of the characters.” |
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The approach to performances varied. “‘Skylanders: Trap Team’ actually introduces a whole new group of Skylanders characters, so we weren't concerned with existing fan familiarity. Kaos was the only alumni of previous games, so we made sure to preserve his charming, rather insane demeanour as faithfully as possible,” said Jeff. |
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“In fact, the animators had a blast working with all the characters butFood Fightthe gun-wielding artichoke was particularly memorable. Although he literally only has stubs for arms and legs, sometimes the characters that are the most limited and challenging are the most fun to animate. The concept of turning him into a John Woo-style action hero was something the team especially enjoyed." www.blur.com CREDITS AT BLUR |
| Words: Adriene Hurst Images: Courtesy of Blur Studio |
