The Spot
When Animal Planet asked us to shoot and produce a series of promos for The Spot, a new website devoted to pets and their people, we knew it would be a rather large undertaking. In addition to getting cats, dogs, a snake and a ferret to all sit pretty for the camera, we also had to find the best way to reveal the personality of each pet without turning them into exaggerated caricatures. The answer came in the form of an original piece of music we wrote to convey the spirit and purpose of the site in a fun and lighthearted way.
Taking a cue from the portraits on the website, we made the pet the central figure of the frame and shot a series of pet/people duos in front of bright, heavily textured backgrounds. We chose to use the RED camera in order to get the really rich, saturated look we were after and we went with a shallow depth of field and a high shutter speed to further emphasize the animals and to capture all of the crisp details of their fur and whiskers.
Finding the correct music to suit any spot can be a daunting and arduous process, and in this case it was no different. Unable to find just the right thing, we decided to compose an original and quirky indie tune with lyrics that anthropomorphized the pet’s desires and found that it gave the whole spot an unexpected giddiness that really put it over the top. While many know that we pride ourselves on going above and beyond for our clients, this is probably the first time we've sung for them.
Taking a cue from the portraits on the website, we made the pet the central figure of the frame and shot a series of pet/people duos in front of bright, heavily textured backgrounds. We chose to use the RED camera in order to get the really rich, saturated look we were after and we went with a shallow depth of field and a high shutter speed to further emphasize the animals and to capture all of the crisp details of their fur and whiskers.
Finding the correct music to suit any spot can be a daunting and arduous process, and in this case it was no different. Unable to find just the right thing, we decided to compose an original and quirky indie tune with lyrics that anthropomorphized the pet’s desires and found that it gave the whole spot an unexpected giddiness that really put it over the top. While many know that we pride ourselves on going above and beyond for our clients, this is probably the first time we've sung for them.
Credits
- Animal Planet
VP of Marketing: Alexis Brunner
Marketing Director: Michael Eisenbaum
- Blue Room
Director: Brian Aumueller
DP: Steven Faulkner Moyer (The Arsenal)
Creative Director: Brian Aumueller
Exec Producer: Chris Gargani
Sr. Producer: Lauren Muir
Editor: David Gargani
Composer: Brian Aumueller
VO/Lyrics: Lauren Muir
Art Director / Lead Animator: Steve Harper
Designer: Paul Waszak
Animator: Jorge Peschiera
Animator: Mark Lopez
Roto: Anna Hieronymus
- Adobe After Effects & Mocha
Production Stills
