How Mother Shanghai and Nexus Studios animated a lot(o) for Oppo
To launch the Reno2, the agency and production house created ten distinct animated films. We hear from each director about how they created their unique vision.
Can you really have too much of a good thing? In the case of this playful campaign to launch the smartphone brand's latest handset, from Mother Shanghai and Nexus Studios, the answer is a definite no, as each of the 10 uniquely animated spots delights in equal measure.
Presented in a variety of styles and formats, and switching between both landscape and portrait ratios, the films provide not only a litany of delightfully eye-catching images for the brand (enabling cut through in the cluttered Chinese market) but also fun opportunities for the animators involved to flex their creative muscles.
Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Robertino Zambrano
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Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Robertino Zambrano
- Production Co. Mighty Nice
- Executive Creative Director Chris O'Reilly
- Producer Rebecca Archer
- Executive Producer Tracey Cooper
- Production Manager Derek Walsh
- Editor Dave Slade
- Editor Thomas Heleta
- Senior Producer Tina Braham
- Junior Producer Diana Angelius
- Head of Studio Jeremy Howdin
Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Robertino Zambrano
- Production Co. Mighty Nice
- Executive Creative Director Chris O'Reilly
- Producer Rebecca Archer
- Executive Producer Tracey Cooper
- Production Manager Derek Walsh
- Editor Dave Slade
- Editor Thomas Heleta
- Senior Producer Tina Braham
- Junior Producer Diana Angelius
- Head of Studio Jeremy Howdin
"Sausages are a metaphor for our deepest regrets," comments Robertino Zambrano, director of K9 [above], "no matter how deep you bury them, there's always that gumshoe that will dig it up.
"I wanted to create an aesthetic which felt like a genre mashup where hardboiled noir gets crossed with a retro sci-fi cybernetic organism, depicted in a graphic novel sensibility. I played with a dynamic stippling technique to use as minimal amount of tonal values as possible, and focused on having fun playing with light and shadow shapes to raise the tension in the scene."
Below we have the other films in the series, each with a insight from its director:
Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Laurie Rowan
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Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Laurie Rowan
- Production Co. Mighty Nice
- Executive Creative Director Chris O'Reilly
- Producer Rebecca Archer
- Executive Producer Tracey Cooper
- Production Manager Derek Walsh
- Editor Dave Slade
- Editor Thomas Heleta
- Senior Producer Tina Braham
- Junior Producer Diana Angelius
- Head of Studio Jeremy Howdin
Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Laurie Rowan
- Production Co. Mighty Nice
- Executive Creative Director Chris O'Reilly
- Producer Rebecca Archer
- Executive Producer Tracey Cooper
- Production Manager Derek Walsh
- Editor Dave Slade
- Editor Thomas Heleta
- Senior Producer Tina Braham
- Junior Producer Diana Angelius
- Head of Studio Jeremy Howdin
“The design considerations in Birdnest centred around expressing a lot in a short amount of time. I wanted to set the scenario and have the characters go through a range of emotions before the final reveal.
"For this reason, I paired the characters down to what would be bare minimum to make them recognisable as birds and put all the emphasis on their eyes as an expressive tool.
"The see sawing nest felt like a good comedic tool, that was fast and volatile enough to establish itself as a concept in the time we had available.”
Laurie Rowan, Director
Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Sam Southward
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Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Sam Southward
- Production Co. Mighty Nice
- Executive Creative Director Chris O'Reilly
- Producer Rebecca Archer
- Executive Producer Tracey Cooper
- Production Manager Derek Walsh
- Editor Dave Slade
- Editor Thomas Heleta
- Senior Producer Tina Braham
- Junior Producer Diana Angelius
- Head of Studio Jeremy Howdin
Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Sam Southward
- Production Co. Mighty Nice
- Executive Creative Director Chris O'Reilly
- Producer Rebecca Archer
- Executive Producer Tracey Cooper
- Production Manager Derek Walsh
- Editor Dave Slade
- Editor Thomas Heleta
- Senior Producer Tina Braham
- Junior Producer Diana Angelius
- Head of Studio Jeremy Howdin
“Our story is all about high energy, weight and impact, anticipating the arrival and excitement of the Reno2. I felt that digital stop motion with an organic and tactile feel would be great to create a colourful, fast paced and memorable animation.”
Sam Southward, Director
Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Jack Cunningham
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Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Jack Cunningham
- Production Co. Mighty Nice
- Executive Creative Director Chris O'Reilly
- Producer Rebecca Archer
- Executive Producer Tracey Cooper
- Production Manager Derek Walsh
- Editor Dave Slade
- Editor Thomas Heleta
- Senior Producer Tina Braham
- Junior Producer Diana Angelius
- Head of Studio Jeremy Howdin
- DP Ian Forbes
Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Jack Cunningham
- Production Co. Mighty Nice
- Executive Creative Director Chris O'Reilly
- Producer Rebecca Archer
- Executive Producer Tracey Cooper
- Production Manager Derek Walsh
- Editor Dave Slade
- Editor Thomas Heleta
- Senior Producer Tina Braham
- Junior Producer Diana Angelius
- Head of Studio Jeremy Howdin
- DP Ian Forbes
“It was an absolute treat to collaborate with Andy Gent’s Arch Model Studios again on a charming & expertly made cat hand puppet.
"The ident stokes up a nostalgic Muppets vibe, art directed to feel reminiscent of the taxidermy exhibits seen at the Natural History Museum. 'The House Cat' viewed in its favourite natural habitat, the living room sofa”
Jack Cunningham, Director
Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
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Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Production Co. Mighty Nice
- Creative Director Aiden Grennelle
- Executive Creative Director Chris O'Reilly
- Producer Rebecca Archer
- Executive Producer Tracey Cooper
- Production Manager Derek Walsh
- Art Director Callum Strachan
- Editor Dave Slade
- Editor Thomas Heleta
- Senior Producer Tina Braham
- Junior Producer Diana Angelius
- Head of Studio Jeremy Howdin
- Creative Director Nicolas Menard
- 3D Generalist Dorianne Fibleuil
- CG Lead Andy Spence
- Animator Joffrey Zeitouni
Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Production Co. Mighty Nice
- Creative Director Aiden Grennelle
- Executive Creative Director Chris O'Reilly
- Producer Rebecca Archer
- Executive Producer Tracey Cooper
- Production Manager Derek Walsh
- Art Director Callum Strachan
- Editor Dave Slade
- Editor Thomas Heleta
- Senior Producer Tina Braham
- Junior Producer Diana Angelius
- Head of Studio Jeremy Howdin
- Creative Director Nicolas Menard
- 3D Generalist Dorianne Fibleuil
- CG Lead Andy Spence
- Animator Joffrey Zeitouni
“The Scientist is a 3D, 1970s sci fi trip down into the depths of a secret lab, doing very secret things. The ident is made up of completely CG imagery, however each texture and surface has been painstakingly referenced from real air-fix models and 3D printed sculptures.
"This all helps ground the spot with a tactile, stop motion aesthetic.”
Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Felix Massie
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Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Felix Massie
- Production Co. Mighty Nice
- Executive Creative Director Chris O'Reilly
- Producer Rebecca Archer
- Executive Producer Tracey Cooper
- Production Manager Derek Walsh
- Editor Dave Slade
- Editor Thomas Heleta
- Senior Producer Tina Braham
- Junior Producer Diana Angelius
- Head of Studio Jeremy Howdin
Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Felix Massie
- Production Co. Mighty Nice
- Executive Creative Director Chris O'Reilly
- Producer Rebecca Archer
- Executive Producer Tracey Cooper
- Production Manager Derek Walsh
- Editor Dave Slade
- Editor Thomas Heleta
- Senior Producer Tina Braham
- Junior Producer Diana Angelius
- Head of Studio Jeremy Howdin
“I wanted to make the day look as wonderful and hot as possible, so we have bright colours and lots of glow.
"It's a beautiful day... and so that means, should something terrible happen to the ice creams in this spot, it's all the funnier.
"Fortunately, we had a heatwave at the beginning of the project so we could go out and film a genuinely melt-inducing day and then get some ice creams to inspire the look for the commercial to make sure it's perfectly accurate. I may have had more than one just to make sure!"
Felix Massie, Director
Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Jarrod Prince
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Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Jarrod Prince
- Production Co. Mighty Nice
- Compositor Chris Angelius
- Animator Andrew Onorato
- Animator Maeve Baker
- Executive Creative Director Chris O'Reilly
- Producer Rebecca Archer
- Executive Producer Tracey Cooper
- Production Manager Derek Walsh
- Editor Dave Slade
- Editor Thomas Heleta
- Senior Producer Tina Braham
- Junior Producer Diana Angelius
- Head of Studio Jeremy Howdin
Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Jarrod Prince
- Production Co. Mighty Nice
- Compositor Chris Angelius
- Animator Andrew Onorato
- Animator Maeve Baker
- Executive Creative Director Chris O'Reilly
- Producer Rebecca Archer
- Executive Producer Tracey Cooper
- Production Manager Derek Walsh
- Editor Dave Slade
- Editor Thomas Heleta
- Senior Producer Tina Braham
- Junior Producer Diana Angelius
- Head of Studio Jeremy Howdin
“My spot for Reno2 is influenced by Miyazaki films and 90s nostalgia.
"I wanted the aesthetic to feel like Spirited Away meets Twin Peaks.”
Jarrod Prince, Director
Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Michael Shiao Chen
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Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Michael Shiao Chen
- Production Co. Mighty Nice
- Executive Creative Director Chris O'Reilly
- Producer Rebecca Archer
- Executive Producer Tracey Cooper
- Production Manager Derek Walsh
- Editor Dave Slade
- Editor Thomas Heleta
- Senior Producer Tina Braham
- Junior Producer Diana Angelius
- Head of Studio Jeremy Howdin
- Compositor Chris Angelius
Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Michael Shiao Chen
- Production Co. Mighty Nice
- Executive Creative Director Chris O'Reilly
- Producer Rebecca Archer
- Executive Producer Tracey Cooper
- Production Manager Derek Walsh
- Editor Dave Slade
- Editor Thomas Heleta
- Senior Producer Tina Braham
- Junior Producer Diana Angelius
- Head of Studio Jeremy Howdin
- Compositor Chris Angelius
"Karate" is a whimsical and comedic take on the ubiquitous concrete breaking demonstrations by martial artists. It's a "what if the concrete didn't break?" scenario that flips expectations on its head (excuse the pun).
"The art style is cemented (I can go at this all day) in strong graphical shapes as well as drawing on tropes from Japanese anime. The eastern influences extend through to the score, with its Kabuki undertones adding to the exaggerated theatrics of the piece.”
Michael Shiao Chen, Director
Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Haein Kim
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Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Haein Kim
- Production Co. Mighty Nice
- Director Paul Rhodes
- Executive Creative Director Chris O'Reilly
- Producer Rebecca Archer
- Executive Producer Tracey Cooper
- Production Manager Derek Walsh
- Editor Dave Slade
- Editor Thomas Heleta
- Senior Producer Tina Braham
- Junior Producer Diana Angelius
- Head of Studio Jeremy Howdin
Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Haein Kim
- Production Co. Mighty Nice
- Director Paul Rhodes
- Executive Creative Director Chris O'Reilly
- Producer Rebecca Archer
- Executive Producer Tracey Cooper
- Production Manager Derek Walsh
- Editor Dave Slade
- Editor Thomas Heleta
- Senior Producer Tina Braham
- Junior Producer Diana Angelius
- Head of Studio Jeremy Howdin
"Our style is simple, fun and funny. Hopefully it's evident in this little piece!"
Haein Kim & Paul Rhodes, Directors
Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Greg Sharp
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Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Greg Sharp
- Production Co. Mighty Nice
- Executive Creative Director Chris O'Reilly
- Producer Rebecca Archer
- Executive Producer Tracey Cooper
- Production Manager Derek Walsh
- Editor Dave Slade
- Editor Thomas Heleta
- Senior Producer Tina Braham
- Junior Producer Diana Angelius
- Head of Studio Jeremy Howdin
Credits
powered by- Agency Mother/Shanghai
- Production Company Nexus Studios/UK
- Director Greg Sharp
- Production Co. Mighty Nice
- Executive Creative Director Chris O'Reilly
- Producer Rebecca Archer
- Executive Producer Tracey Cooper
- Production Manager Derek Walsh
- Editor Dave Slade
- Editor Thomas Heleta
- Senior Producer Tina Braham
- Junior Producer Diana Angelius
- Head of Studio Jeremy Howdin
“This style is digital stop-motion cut out.
"Stop-motion is the oldest style of animation - well over 100 years old - but it still feels fresh. If you do it well, it gives a surreal, magical sensation.”
Greg Sharp, Director