Visual effects studio designs and produces a series of increasingly numerous and whimsical emojis to show how NFL star Derrick Henry’s tweeted mistyped hashtag makes a small kitchenware store’s business explode, requiring immediate ecommerce help to handle the surge.
Fancy VFX, a sister company to Goldcrest Post, has shared with AWN its recent work with BBDO and production company Biscuit on a new spot for FedEx. The piece tells the fictional story of an NFL star who unwittingly turns a small business into an overnight sensation.
Featuring Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry, the spot is the first in a new campaign themed Where Now Meets Next, highlighting FedEx’s support for small business. Tweeting from the living room of his home, Henry mistypes the hashtag “Titanfans” as “Titanpans” causing a boutique kitchenware retailer of that name to experience a surge in orders. FedEx comes to the business owner’s rescue with a package of ecommerce solutions.
Working in tandem with BBDO’s creative team, Fancy VFX designed a series of whimsical emojis that pop onto the screen and grow increasingly numerous and hyperbolic as the business’s soaring fortunes ultimately cause the Internet to break. “It took a lot of back and forth to tell the story properly without letting the graphics become distracting,” explains Fancy VFX Owner / VFX Supervisor Mario Caserta. “It needed a delicate balance.”
The visual effects team added many small touches that contribute to the growing fun and absurdity of the spot. “One of the emojis shows its head exploding,” Caserta observes. “A mushroom cloud rises from the face as its expression changes.” Fancy VFX also created a shot of a satellite blowing up in space as the frenzy reaches its peak.
Credits:
Agency: BBDO New York
David Lubars, Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide
Greg Ketchum and Tom Godici, EVP Executive Creative Directors
Greg Gerstner and Banks Noel, SVP Creative Directors
Alex Gianni, EVP Director of Content Production
Maria Real, Executive Producer
Lizzy Lehn, Producer
Julia Millison, Senior Music Producer
Kathleen Bannon, Business Affairs Manager
Josh Steinman, EVP Group Account Director
Isabel Pluck, Account Director
Devin Hauser, Account Manager
Caroline Schwartz, Account Executive
Production: Biscuit
Noam Murro, Director
Shawn Lacy, Managing Partner, Executive Producer
Andrew Travelstead, Executive Producer
Sean Moody, Head of Production
Emily Skinner, Produce
Jennifer Berry, Production Supervisor
Editorial: Rock, Paper, Scissors
Damion Clayton, Editor
Sebastian Zoltoff, Assistant Editor
Justin Kumpata, Executive Producer/Head of Production
Eve Komblum, Managing Director
Adam Parker Producer.
VFX: Fancy VFX
Randie Swanberg, ECD / Founder
Mario Caserta, Owner / VFX Supervisor
Alex Tracy, Head of Production
Graham Dunglinson, Executive Producer
Janine Conway, Sr. Producer
Alanna Morton, Production Coordinator
Sungtae Will Kim, Designer / 2D Animator
Mark Woit and Marc Goldfine, Flame Artists
Andrew Santanastaso, Tech Ops
Post: Color Collective
Alex Bickell, Colorist
Claudia Guevara, EP
Audio: Heard City
Sasha Awn, EP
Keith Reynuad, Mixer and Sound Design
Source: Fancy VFX
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
