With inspiration drawn from a Beijing Opera performance depicting two warriors fighting in the dark, director Zhang Yu and his team at CCLAB combine dynamic motion with a black and white palette in a sleek TVC for HUAWEI’s flagship phone range.

Zhang Yu, director at CCLAB studio in Beijing: “HUAWEI’s high-end models, the MATE PRO+ series, has consistently emphasized black and white aesthetics. For this reason, we needed to create a unique video that set it apart from previous ones.

“We aimed to use two-dimensional black and white elements as connections for the phones, making this contract an integral part of the performance, infusing it with more vitality and a sense of self-development.

“The challenge was in our initial intention to treat black and white as a third element, aiming for equal information density with the phones. However, for the product’s sake, the client could accept any excess performance-related information. Consequently, we had to extend the duration and revise the animation drafts accordingly.

“At the same time, we are aware that this step is an indispensable part of the process, we had to first create more performances and then gradually reduce the information to achieve a better balance.”

Watch the BTS reel:
 

 

 
 
Client: HUAWEI

Production: CCLAB
Director: Zhang Yu
Executive Director: Li Xiaolong
Producer: Dany
Modeling: JOJO
Animator/Designer/Render: Li Xiaolong, Zhang Xinmiao, Zhang Long, Xu Yongxin, Han Chenguang, Wang Qi, Liu Chong, Li Donglin

Music/Sound design: sonic tree

Toolkit: Cinema 4D, Octane Render