Photoplay director/animator Dropbear (aka Jonathan Chong) helps Greenpeace draw attention to the consequences of rampant deforestation in Australia and its tragic effects on the koala with this stop-motion film.

Oliver Lawrance, EP at Photoplay: “Employing 3D printed, hand-crafted, stop-motion animation, we brought the plight of Australia’s much-loved mascot to life by introducing their lush bush homeland teeming with life before portraying the intrusion of bulldozers and the ruthless methods employed to fell trees.
 

“The use of miniatures gave the film a tangible, hand-crafted quality evoking nostalgia and fostering a deeper emotional connection with audiences.”

 
“To create the animation within just four weeks, a replacement animation technique was adopted. This involved Dropbear working with 3D animator Duncan MacDonald, who modeled and built the animal characters using CGI. Once the animated sequences were approved, each of the 77 individual 3D-printed models was hand painted.

“All the sets were built using traditional model making techniques. Cinematographer Ceaser Salmeron shot the spot with a probe lens to lend a sense of real-world scale to the models and sets, facilitating dynamic shots that immersed viewers in the miniature world. The use of miniatures gave the film a tangible, hand-crafted quality evoking nostalgia and fostering a deeper emotional connection with audiences.”

Watch the BTS video:
 

 
 

 
Client: Greenpeace
Creative Producer: Bianca Vitale

Production: Photoplay
Director: Dropbear
EP: Oliver Lawrance
Cinematographer: Ceasar Salmeron
3D Animator: Duncan Macdonald
Stop Motion Animator: Jonathan Chong, Cesar Salmeron
3D Printer: Bob K Shea
Set Builders: Seamus Spilsbury, Peter Hanrahan
Model Painters: Peter Hanrahan, Jonathan Chong
Post Production: Dropbear Digital
Additional SFX Editing: Joel Dias

Music/audio Post: Sonar Music
Original music: Jackson Milas
Sound Design: Andy Stewart