HP 'Happy Boss Happy Earth'

The fourth in the series of HP 'Hands' spots, aptly titled 'Happy Boss, Happy Earth' emphasises the environmental benefits of the new energy efficient HP Compaq dc7800 Ultra-slim Business Desktop PC. Aired across APAC on pan-regional media such as CNN, BBC and CNA, the spot graphically conveys its message through the visual metaphor of two starkly contrasting environments – a grimy turn-of-the-century style industrial office and a pristine idyllic lakeside at dawn.

The Blackmagic Design VFX team had to don their engineering hats to design a photorealistic recreation of a sweat-shop style old fashioned factory from scratch, "The guys worked tirelessly for a month on this, constructing every mechanical component as if they were actually going to manufacture it. It's really the only way it could have been done to look believable." Explained Director Karl von Moller.

To evoke the authentic old style industrial feel for the conveyor belt and various background mechanical elements the BMD VFX team took time to detail and texture the mechanical elements adding wear-and-tear like scratches, dents, paint weathering and even the occasional defective nut and bolt.

Aside from achieving a photorealistic look for the industrial office scene the animation of all moving mechanical parts was carefully choreographed. Random bounces and jerks were added to the conveyor belt to give the impression that the office workers were really travelling along it. As a finishing touch BMD CD Damien Yang added steam and smoke elements and multiple levels of colour correction and shading masks.

The meticulous detailing prompted Publicis Regional Senior Account Manager Camellia Tan to comment, "The first time we saw the full conveyor belt scene we were completely blown away. The team is incredibly passionate about their craft and this really comes through."

In stark contrast to the archaic feel of the industrial office scene, the lush idyllic lakeside environment effectively emphasised the environmentally friendly nature of the energy efficient HP Compaq dc7800.

Explained Director Karl von Moller, "I wanted to create a lush oasis with this scene so we put in trees and palms, flying birds and butterflies, [BMD Senior Colourist] Charlie Ellis also provided some nice passes on the thick jungle foliage and growth surrounding the water that helped make the scene look really beautiful."

Wrapping it up, Camellia commented, "I feel that with each succeeding TVC, Blackmagic Design sets new milestones for themselves to surpass. The general feeling when we go in with a storyboard is that we are confident that the team will inject a dose of their magic to make the final visual takeaway better than we could ever have imagined."