Special Delivery - Google Spotlight Stories
In 2015 Google ATAP approached Aardman to create a 360° film for their Google Spotlight Stories project. Google has invented this amazing software allows filmmakers to create 360° films that will play on a mobile phones and Youtube. I’m unsure if VR will take off but this seemed like the best way of creating content for devices that a lot of people own already.
Peter Lord had this idea of a pink panther-style cat-and-mouse chase set within an apartment block. Peter very kindly entrusted me to help write and direct this short for Google. This is one of the biggest projects I've ever taken on but it was really fun and I learnt so much and got to work with some amazingly talented people.
Peter Lord had this idea of a pink panther-style cat-and-mouse chase set within an apartment block. Peter very kindly entrusted me to help write and direct this short for Google. This is one of the biggest projects I've ever taken on but it was really fun and I learnt so much and got to work with some amazingly talented people.
The show is set on the night before Christmas. The story starts with a janitor who is alerted to an intruder on the roof of the apartment block he maintains. The audience is invited to follow the action as a cat-and-mouse chase ensues between the Janitor and the intruder (Santa).
We wanted the show to feel like a classic cartoon. I like the idea of being immersed in this wonky cartoon world. This style also worked well with the technology, as there are limits to the amount of information a phone can render.
We wanted the show to feel like a classic cartoon. I like the idea of being immersed in this wonky cartoon world. This style also worked well with the technology, as there are limits to the amount of information a phone can render.
Writing the show was more like choreographing a play on an elaborate set than creating a film. It was impossible to write anything without drawing it or thinking about the space in which the film plays out. Our storyboarder Andy Janes roughly storyboarded small slapstick scenarios on Post-it notes. We began to then stitched together each of the scenarios as we worked out the courtyard set where the action takes place. Andy created an amazing low-fi set made out of cardboard so we could lens-up the show with a phone camera. This meant we could see early on how it would work without having to get too involved with the technology.
Nigel Davis designed us some lovely cartoon style characters. We approached the animation in a traditional way by working everything out on paper first. Aurelien Predal then coloured up the characters to sit in the 360° environment he designed.