The ‘Real Heroes’ narratives were created by Director Colin Hesterly and design studio Le Cube to recreate real customer stories of heroism performed by Michelin employees.
Director Colin Hesterly and design studio Le Cube worked together to recreate real stories of customers and Michelin employees in a series of bold and playful spots produced by Not To Scale New York with Virtue Worldwide, VICE’s global creative agency. As each “Real Heroes” narrative unfolds, we learn about the role of the Michelin employee where they went above and beyond the call of duty while helping customers in need.
Experts in narrative, Hesterly and Le Cube combined skills to breathe life and personality into animated characters and storylines. Infusing both quirky charm and sophistication, the directors were inspired by the visual styles of classic UPA cartoons and School House Rock, bringing a modern eye to an iconic style. Bold, graphic shapes and vibrant colors give every frame a warm look, while the engaging characters evoke approachability.
“The agency gave us these wonderful stories, which allowed us to explore and have fun. If you watch the films with a discerning eye, you’ll begin to notice all the tire-shaped objects -- everything from the trees to the characters’ shapes themselves,” said Hesterly.
“The jazz drums were an outstanding player for storytelling. Since the narrators of the three films were real people and not professional voice artists, we found with the jazz drums a way to highlight the intentions in the V.O.s, making the narrative even more interesting and funny. I was very pleased when the agency liked the idea as well,” added Ralph Karam, Co-Director.
“The opportunity to create the film together with Colin was something extraordinary for us, and something we must mention. We loved the designs he created for the spot, and we loved developing the best storytelling for all of his beautiful frames. Collaborating with such a talented, cool and an easy-going guy was just amazing,” said Gustavo Karam, Executive Producer at Le Cube.
Source: Not To Scale
