The continuing democratization of powerful CG tools has fueled an exciting era in motion design where passionate and relentless experimentation can lead directly to emotional impact as well as breathtaking visuals.

Of course, as the pool of artists and studios offering 3D motion design grows, keeping the work fresh becomes more difficult. Besides being brilliant examples on their own, we believe these seven films represent the front line of the genre where concept, R&D, and careful curation meet.

We were honored to publish all of these projects in The Stash Permanent Collection during 2024. They are listed here in reverse chronological order by their issue of publication.
 
 
TEENAGE ENGINEERING BRAND FILM (SPEC) (Above)
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Yoonha Lee, director/animator in Seoul, South Korea: “This project was a personal portfolio project for job applications. Instead of a project brief or instructions, I focused on creating work I wouldn’t regret, showcasing my unique sense, and establishing the starting point for my future goals.

“While emphasizing the brand image of Teenage Engineering, I aimed to create new visuals and a new style of delivery that hadn’t been seen in previous references. This led to creating a motion style and artwork that deviated from existing tutorials and reference styles.”
 
 
 

BLENDERS “DREAM SUMMER”
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Javier Vallejo, founder/CD at JVG in Madrid: “The client wanted something that embodied summer vibes – cool, colorful, and eye-catching – with energy and a great flow, all paired with music that sticks with you. Most importantly, the product needed to remain the hero throughout, seamlessly integrating the creative elements with the sunglasses.

“The brief itself was a creative challenge: creating something vibrant and striking without falling into summer clichés. We had to craft an energetic visual story while ensuring the product stayed front and center. Balancing these elements, along with rhythm changes in the music, pushed us to get creative with timing and transitions.”
 
 
 

SKINCEUTICALS “BRINGING THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON TO LIFE”
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Lucia Gutkin, producer at Onesal in Tokyo: “The brief from SkinCeuticals was to create a film and key visuals for the global celebration of the Chinese New Year, specifically the Year of the Dragon. The goal of the campaign is to connect to the audience by drawing on the power and symbolism of the dragon and associate it with the skinceuticals brand.

“The first challenge was to evoke the concept of a dragon without directly showing a dragon as well as finding the right balance between the brand’s scientific and technical focus and the traditional imagery of the dragon. The biggest technical challenge was to make the cloth behave the way we wanted – to mimic the action of an awakening dragon and make it feel alive.”
 
 
 

BELL & ROSS “BR05 BLACK CERAMIC”
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Fabrice Rabhi, CEO/CD at Le Truc in Geneva, Switzerland: “The client, a renowned French watchmaker, tasked us with creating a 30-second video to promote the launch of their new model. They specifically wanted to showcase the watch in a photographic shoot scenario but gave us complete creative freedom for the rest of the project.

“It’s truly gratifying to have such a high level of trust from a client, allowing us to fully explore our creative vision. We aimed to keep the setting as realistic as possible until the midpoint of the film when the watch disassembles.”
 
 
 

DEWAR’S “DOUBLE DOUBLE”
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Chad Howitt, CD at ManvsMachine in Los Angeles: “Primarily known for their Dewars White Label, the brand wanted to reinforce the Double Double as their luxury product line. Focusing on craft and substance over style, they wanted to use a room’s interior design to redefine what a good scotch whiskey is and break the old and overly traditional perceptions.

“Our biggest artistic challenge was the interior design of the rooms and establishing visuals that everyone could agree on. When creating the ‘traditional ornate room’, how far is too far? When does filigree become too much for anybody?”
 
 
 

NIKE “LEBRON 19” (spec)
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Salvatore Giunta, CD at Ditroit in Milan: “The brief listed a series of features of the shoe that were to be used as a starting point to define the idea and imagery of the video. The great challenge of the project was to define an idea and a highly recognizable visual language among the enormous volume of full CGI video productions currently in the media.

“Extensive efforts were dedicated to refining the notion of ‘play smooth’, initially depicted in a didactic and literal manner. Yet, through weeks of research and development, it developed and evolved into a more intriguing metaphor, encompassing some imagery related to the 90s and street culture connected to the basketball world.”
 
 
 

HUBLOT “MP-10”
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Director Joey Recoskie at Tendril in Toronto: “The MP-10 is a timepiece that defies and redefines the conventions of watchmaking. Embodying this revolutionary spirit, we crafted a film and campaign that merges raw energy and mystery with cinematic grit.

“Every single component of the watch is as new as it is rebellious, so we wanted the film to embrace that tonality, teasing each intricate, innovative component with texture, but without fully revealing the masterpiece until you’re at the very edge of your seat.”
 
 
Watch all the Best of Stash 2024 Collections.