Three :30 In-Store Spots

About

Ever wonder what comes with that tech device that you are about to purchase, and what accessories you’ll discover you need once you take your new gadget home? Best Buy's new “What’s In The Box” in-store campaign provides the national retailer’s customers with the answer to just that question in a trio of stop motion animated spots brought to life by the talents of CRASH+SUES animators Sean Hall and Cari Merryman.

The trio of spots "What's In The Box/Sony Nexus 5 Digital Camera, "What's In The Box/iPod nano," and "What's In The Box/Samsung Nexus S smartphone" each open with a bold super that reads, “What’s In The Box” and then the contents of the box are revealed using animation that brings wit and whimsy to the message.

“This is the second round of in-store spots that Best Buy has called upon CRASH+SUES to create, and we wanted to take it to another level,” says Hall.

For example, for the iPod Nano spot they created a runway-inspired set, Merryman and Hall used a playful style of animation, choreographing the products’ movements as each item leaps out of its packaging onto a crisp white stage. Reminiscent of a model’s moves on the catwalk at a fashion show, the products pivot and turn, revealing their features as an upbeat music track sets the pace.

The second half the spots begin with a title card that poses the logical follow-up question, “What’s Not In The Box?” An energetic entourage of animated accessories that customers might want to consider adding to their cart present themselves, such as chargers, ear-buds, carrying cases, or a Bluetooth Head Set. ‘Have everything you need? We can help you find it?’ closes the spot.

“We were thrilled to have another opportunity to work with the Best Buy dynamic duo of producer, Meg Bertas and art director Paul Carlson,” concur Hall and Merryman. “We knew going into the project that we had established a high level of trust and creative communication with them, and that it would be a lot of fun and a great collaborative partnership.”

CRASH+SUES’ animation and VFX team took the project from concept to completion: Merryman and Hall shot the spots on a Canon 5D and used Dragon Stop-Motion software. Matthew Kroese put together the rough cut in Final Cut Pro and Adam Celt created the product tags in After Effects. Alex Engelmann brought his magic to the project by designing the 3D intro and exit tags on Maya and finally, Sue Lakso polished up the spots with a little final color correction.

About CRASH+SUES:
CRASH+SUES is a full-service creative, design, FX, animation, color correction, editorial, and HD finishing company that provides clients with a cost-effective and seamless concept-to-completion approach. Their award-winning multi-disciplined collaborative team of talent works with a shared creative vision to create fresh ideas and bring them to life with visual stories that engage the audience and heighten their connection to our clients’ brand.

The Minneapolis-based company specializes in crafting commercials, branded content, trailers, launch campaigns, image spots, intros, opens and films. For addition information contact Heidi Habben at 612.338.7947, or visit our website at www.crashandsues.com.

Credits

Product: Three :30 In-Store spots

Titles: “What’s In The Box /Nexus S,” “ What’s In The box iPod Nano,”
“What’s In The Box/Sony NEX-5”

Client- Best Buy
Executive Creative Director: Bill Anderson
Producer: Mega Bertas
CD/Writer: Paul Carlson

Animation + CGI Company: CRASH+SUES/MN
Stop-Motion Animators: Sean Hall and Cari Merryman
            AE Artists: Adam Celt, Sean Hall, Cari Merryman
            Colorist: Sue Lakso
            3D Artist: Alex Engelmann

Audio Company: Splice Here/MN.

Music Company: Firstcom

Technical Info

Canon 5D, Dragon Stop-Motion software, Final Cut Pro, After Effects, Maya.