A founder’s compelling backstory provides the arc for this feel-good brand film from the team at Scholar who merge digital motion techniques with traditional cel animation to help Synergy Kombucha mark their 30th anniversary.
Art Director Irma Hasanic at Scholar: “Humanity is at the story’s core, so it was important to infuse a human touch into the animation by incorporating cel animation wherever we could which ensured an organic, natural feel – perfect for the story of Kombucha.
“Humanity is at the story’s core, so it was important to infuse a human touch into the animation by incorporating cel animation wherever we could.”
“It only made sense to paint the world in vivid hues with a dash of perfectly imperfect grain, and even though the piece was created with a mixture of After Effects, cel animation, and Cinema 4D, the medium was never meant to be the star.
CD Will Johnson: “Light was a character from the very beginning. It was symbolic of humanity, health and wellness, hope, the spark of ingenuity, and the glow of an idea. We wanted to handle it in a meaningful and beautiful way that flowed like the product and never distracted from the story.”
Watch the process reel:
Client: GT’s Living Foods
CD: Nick Elliott, Susan Gornell
Art Director: Mara Frontera
Senior Content Strategist: Annie Clark
Producer: Brandyn Brazee
Sr. Graphic Designer: Alexa Petitt
Production: Scholar
CD: Will Johnson
Art Director: Irma Hasanic
EP: Kate Aspell
Head of Production: Nicole Smarsh
Producer: Mary Mondrus
Design Lead: Jina Kwon
Animation Lead: Ana Chang
Designer: Madison Ellis, Jee Kim, Grace Poole
2D Animator: Matt Andrews, Brian Covalt, Helen Slavutsky, Stephen Villari, Sarah Shae Werber
Cel Animator: Barbara Benas, Michael Relth, Khylin Woodrow
Mix & Sound Design: Christian Lum