Last Updated on November 21, 2023
Marketing Message
TheDirtBag.com is an easy-to-use online source for buying bulk garden supplies. Through this promo video, we had to convey the message that because of theDirtBag there’d be no more guessing how much product you need or the hassle of picking up and transporting the products yourself.
How we approached it
TheDirtBag is a beautiful product and it immediately opened up several creative possibilities for a promo video. The product could be expressed in many ways, and each would be unique vis-à-vis whatever we had tried thus far. But one key challenge that we faced was that most of its competitors had some remarkably brilliant videos, so we wanted something that would make theDirtBag stand apart. We wanted a promo video that would be memorable. So we decided to tell a story. Mr. Jefferson was an old, good-natured man who had the most perfect garden. Alex was his neighbor, and like all neighbors, Alex always aspired to have whatever the others had and in this case, it was the garden. And after trying everything else and failing, Alex asks Mr. J his secret straight out and that’s how Alex discovers theDirtBag. Now things turn rosy for Alex too but there’s no stopping neighbor’s envy, we see yet another neighbor, who is now envious of the gardens that Mr. J and Alex have— the cycle goes on.
Style
So, we had a movie-like story in our hands and decided one thing up front, the style of this promo video would showcase the story. We wanted to give the viewers a visual treat. We were going the cartoon route, obviously. But this would be different from our usual style. We would stress on “detailing” for this video.
Colors
Vibrant, bright, cheerful colors were going to be the first attractive factor of this promo video. The colors would echo Nature’s colorful panorama. Some areas, like where we had to show Alex’s dull yard or where the scenes were in silhouette, would use dull or dark colors but these were exceptions.
Characters
Wow! This is a part that requires me to say a lot… There were two main characters, as I’ve told you before. One— Old Mr. J and the other Alex. Mr. J is a nice guy, he has a swell garden AND he has no qualms helping others get one too. Alex, on the other hand, is a regular, “normal” young chap. Though not bad per se, he’s a bit envious when others succeed and he doesn’t — case-in-point, Alex’s envy of Mr. J’s garden. So the characters had to show these characteristics—Mr. J: old, strong, kind and happy. Alex: young, a little envious, confused but adorable. But apart from them, we had two other characters, sort of like a subplot to the story. These were the main characters’ pets. Mr. J had a cat and Alex, a dog. Both the pets matched their owners in personality and costumes. While the main action was happening, there was always something funny or related that these two were doing! But it doesn’t stop there. Remember, I’d mentioned one more neighbor, right at the beginning? Well, we decided to make this character a woman, with a pet — a chameleon(resonates well with the “Green with envy” theme). Even though we see her only for a scene, she has a nature and a character all her own. Take a look at the scene from the promo video— what can you guess about her nature? A lot, right?
Visualization
Visualization was going to happen on a large scale. This was a promo video that had to make a statement about the lifestyle of the people involved. We wanted to give a “real” feel to it. No exaggerated living conditions— a house was a house, a forklift, a forklift. Both Mr. J and Alex had to be in a “comfortably well-off” neighborhood. Their clothes, the assets etc. had to match this. There was a great amount of detailing that was done. There had to be a beautiful garden that matched the description. Butterflies and clouds were added to enhance the beauty. Letterbox, houses, scenery, characters and much more went into the visualization. We’d referred a lot of pictures and the client had also provided us with several snapshots to help us study different types of gardens.
Also read:- Animation Is An Open Door! – The History Of Animation
Animation
Now, with such a grand-scale visualization, animation had to be breathtaking. The animators had to see to it that the expressions of the humans and the pets were in harmony. There were a gazillion other things to be animated for each scene. These tiny details will sink in as you see the promo video several times. Each time I see this promo video I discover some tiny nuance that I’d missed earlier. There is just so much happening throughout! Notice the smiley on the cat’s T-shirt move as he walks, notice little clouds flitting by every now and then, notice the wind, notice the letterbox changing status…and that’s just like 3% of all the detailing that’s gone in!
The animators used Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Flash, and Adobe Premiere and weaved a magical video, that tells a story filled with humor, sorrow, joy and other emotions that can be seen in a movie.
Wait! Lemme go check out the promo video again to see if I missed something. I’m sure I did!
Team Involved
Animations : Azeem
Script : Vimida
Creative Direction : Anil
Let us know if you need a video, we are here to help.
