The crew of steadfast character evangelists at Polyester Studio in Toronto just released their latest manifesto, a showcase for their recent work hosted by three fuzzy friends and designed to make the work stand out in a sea of reels.

Jeremy Dimmock, CD/partner at Polyester: “As agencies and brands have taken to reviewing increasingly more reels before awarding projects, we needed our next reel to go beyond just standing out in a crowded field. We needed to communicate who we are and what we stand for in a way that went deeper than a traditional reel or montage.

“This led us to re-examine why so many reels look the same, with trendy music and quick cuts, and yet don’t communicate a studio’s vision or purpose. We wanted our reel to communicate a story, and point of view, to show more than a collection of styles and techniques. The film needed to be part studio tour, part manifesto, show a proof of concept that brand characters can create emotional connections and still show a montage of great work.
 

“The film needed to be part studio tour, part manifesto, show a proof of concept that brand characters can create emotional connections and still show a montage of great work.”

 
“It’s easy to talk about the power of characters, but we needed to show how great characters can make you stand out and be remembered. Our goal was not just communicating what Polyester is about, but to create a proof of concept piece that shows our clients that brand characters can be better than fake famous influencers at creating lasting value.

“Our hamster characters, who appear in many of our shop designs and marketing material, add personality and endearment to how we communicate and promote ourselves. They are crafted to melt the hearts of even those who can be the most cynical of marketing outreach: the agency and brand creatives.”

Watch the process video:
 

 
 

 
Production: Polyester Studio
Director: Polyester Studio
2D Design/Concept art: SJ Lee
Cel Artist: SJ Lee, Lily Chiao
Lead 3D Artist: Jakub Szczesniak
3D Artist: Luis Campos, Oliver Dead
Compositor: Oliver Dead, Jakub Szczesniak
Editor: Oliver Dead
Writer: Egin Kongoli

Audio/Sound Design: Jeff Moberg
Character Voices: Hans Wackershauser, Julie Mallet Paret, Darrell Brown with Ta-Da Voiceworks