How Mother Shanghai and Nexus Studios animated a lot(o) for Oppo

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.

"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:

“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

“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 

“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 

“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.”

“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

“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 

"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 

"Our style is simple, fun and funny. Hopefully it's evident in this little piece!"

Haein Kim & Paul Rhodes, Directors