CHICAGO - Late last year, executives from the New York office of global creative agency Sid Lee asked design-driven production company Sarofsky to design and produce two 10" commercials showcasing Absolut's Limited Edition Metallic packaging. The iconic Absolut bottle stars in both dazzling spots highlighting the all-new Electrik packaging in Blue and Silver, both of which can be seen here: http://sarofsky.com/work/#!/Absolut-Electrik

 

Sarofsky's owner and executive creative director Erin Sarofsky began by explaining that she and her team were briefed on the project by Sid Lee's executives, who presented a strong creative concept rooted in the product's name: Electrik. After being invited to submit ideas for visualizing energy, the designers landed on two original solutions inspired by plasma balls, tesla coils and even sonar.

 

"We are especially happy with how we were able to build suspense and drama in such short periods of time," Erin said. "Ten seconds can be considered a glorified end-tag, but we really took advantage of each frame to squeeze every bit of narrative possible into that short time-span."

Erin pointed to the typography as another special aspect of each spot. While "supers" don't often get much attention, for this campaign, they were highly considered, and perfectly integrated into the scenes… resulting in another layer of electricity for each spot.

 

Surprisingly, all of this visual extravagance was created entirely "in the box. Viewing the lighting and camera movement, most people think the product was shot in real life, with the lightning effects added in post,” Erin continued. “This is ultimately how you want any CG product to feel: REAL!"

 

With hero bottles and camera movements created in Maya, footage was imported into Houdini to generate the energetic forces occurring inside and outside the bottles. The final composite was done in Nuke.

 

Erin's delight over the project's outcome had much to do with the relationships behind it. "Not only was this a terrific opportunity to explore, create and develop a unique look for an iconic global brand,” she added, “it was fantastic to have the agency and client partners to collaborate with throughout the entire process.”

To order Absolut Electrik Blue or Silver, visit http://reservebar.com/electrik.

 

About Sarofsky
Director, creative director and designer Erin Sarofsky launched Sarofsky in Chicago in 2009 to provide her patent, design-driven production services to leaders in the advertising and entertainment industries worldwide. Today, Sarofsky's staff artists use animation, visual effects, computer graphics and live-action to collaborate with illustrious clientele from concept to delivery, producing work that is visceral, innovative and diverse. With artistry that heightens audience impact through sublime commercials, brand films, title sequences and much more, Sarofsky's reputation for breakthrough design, its proven cross-media production expertise, and its fabulous Olson Kundig-designed studio in Chicago's West Loop are all key components of the attraction. Learn more at http://sarofsky.com.