What do the greatest calamities in human history have in common? In “Apple,” a hilarious and bold Super Bowl spot for Allstate, it seems the answer may lie with Mr. Mayhem himself. The creative team at MPC [1] collaborated with Epoch Director Phil Morrison via Leo Burnett on the spot, the first in a five-part campaign, which casts the mischievous Mr. Mayhem at the center of the Garden of Eden’s iconic apple-eating scene.
“The look of Eden was inspired by a reference image that Phil and his production designer found of a bucolic valley,” noted 2D Lead Compositor Evan Schoonmaker, going on to explain that MPC’s handiwork “centered around beautiful storybook composites, with a variety of styles and elements playing together in an interesting way.”
“Since this was the utopian Eden, it’s an amalgamation of beautiful plants, trees and animals from all over the world,” added VFX Producer John Skeffington. To create each scene, MPC referenced many diverse landscapes, including U.S. sights like Yellowstone and The Hudson River Valley, as well as international samplings from Thailand, pastures in Ireland, and trees in the tropics. Later, compositors added lighting inspired by Renaissance-era painters to complement the garden’s idyllic imagery.
Other elements included a photo real CG snake and vignettes of other cataclysmic events such as the Greek Trojan Horse and the Great Chicago Fire. “The montage was probably the hardest nut to crack in this. We needed to build a dynamic montage of various historic events and calamitous images and condense them into a short space of time, yet still convey the menacing effects of Mayhem and the comedic tone this campaign has set,” added MPC MD Justin Lane.
Overall the spot takes the Mayhem campaign to the next level, proving that Mayhem is indeed everywhere – always has been, always will be.
Source: MPC
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[1] http://www.moving-picture.com/