Semrush Nordic
Search Awards 2020
The Semrush Nordic Search Awards puts a spotlight on the most innovative and talented marketing campaigns across Finland, Denmark, Sweden, and Iceland. This year due to COVID-19, they asked us to create a slick and stylish awards film so that they could bring the awards to the attendee’s homes.
We created a film that had a mix of 3D sequences, footage and type animation to deliver a premium feeling awards ceremony. Centred around gold fragments rotating in space wrapped in ambient waves which shimmer in the colours of a nordic sunset, the whole film celebrates both nordic talent and scenery.
The 2020 awards were a hit, broadcast to four different countries, and with over —- attendees and —- interactions on social media.
Testimonial
Our friends at Creative Spark asked us to help out with an ad to promote the new NOW Music app. For maximum impact both online and on TV, they needed a high-energy animation using 2D and 3D techniques.
Starting with an outline storyboard, we used 3D sequences to animate phone handsets, and built a 2D mosaic wall out of all those iconic NOW album covers. This scene transforms into a 3D version of the NOW logo, and extra animated elements and lighting effects provide the finishing touches.
The ad was broadcast nationally in the run-up to the app’s release date, and it generated a huge number of new subscriptions.
It was great working with Flow on this project, the TV ad turned out really nice and the client was very happy. The 3D phones sequences looked great and the tapestry made of classic NOW album covers was a great way to get across their breadth of content.
In another collaboration with our friends at Creative Spark, we took on an ambitious project to model a realistic 3D guitar environment, and animate a seamless camera fly-through of the interior and exterior space. They wanted us to create an “epic” feel, with a sweeping and dramatic effect to match the ad’s acoustic music.
We did deep research into the physical structure of acoustic guitars, and developed detailed digital modelling, including the frets, the bridge, the pick guard, the saddle – everything! (We learned a lot about guitars during this project.) Techniques included UV mapping, setting up a mix of ambient and volumetric lights, and using a range of cameras with different focal lengths. We finished by rendering multiple passes of the 3D sequences, which we composited and added colour grading and lighting effects to.
The client was blown away with the animation. They told us that this was the best animation they’d been involved with during all their time working with Ministry of Sound. We were delighted with the final result and with the reception from the client – it made all the hard work and attention to detail worthwhile. And it’s always amazing to see your work on prime-time TV!
A fly-through of a guitar is anything but normal, especially when it had to feel like an epic cathedral of music, so expectations were high all round. Flow were flexible; they listened to what we, and the client wanted to see. The end result is a beautiful piece of 3D animation forming a memorable Ministry of Sound TV ad.
